Vocal Music for All?

[Isk8NYC]

The ISU is planning to allow vocal music to be used for singles and pairs; synchro and ice dance are already allowed to use music with vocals.

Jimmy Santee wrote about this on his blog, saying he didn't think it was a big deal and it should be rolled out to the USFSA events.

What's your opinion?

[Isk8NYC]

I don't have a problem with it as long as the lyrics are clean and not offensive.

[jjane45]

I am for it and hope it also brings more interest in figure skating. Shows already have it for a long time.

[Janie]

I don't really have an opinion for or against this decision, but I just wanted to say that I ABSOLUTELY love Kurt Browning's "Singin' In the Rain" mentioned in the blog. It's such a wonderful performance!!

[JSM]

Personally I prefer songs without lyrics for competition (for older/ more accomplished skaters).  I find the lyrics distracting, and interpretation of the music changes when lyrics are put into play.

Of course, I don't like music with lyrics in general, so maybe it's just me!

[VAsk8r]

This is really interesting. I don't have a strong opinion either way, but I imagine even if it was rolled out, it would take awhile before many people began using music with vocals. My coach won't allow vocals for free skate programs even if the competition or level generally allows it.

It seems like this could eventually be a potential major game-changer for the sport. How much would interest in figure skating jump (no pun intended) if skaters used current popular songs during major televised skating events like the Olympics?

[Doubletoe]

Goodbye, overused "Carmen" and "Tosca". . . Hello, overplayed Adele songs, LOL!

[FigureSpins]

Goodbye, overused "Carmen" and "Tosca". . . Hello, overplayed Adele songs, LOL!

While I had heard of Adele, I was caught off-guard when an adult student wanted to skate to her "Rolling in the Deep" song last season.  I had to look up the lyrics and find a "clean" version because she uses a curseword or two.  It was a PITA to cut the music and I'm still not happy with the result but I couldn't wait any longer.

Everyone time someone played a different Adele song, I thought it was my skater's music and looked around for her.  I don't know if it's that Adele's songs are individually popular or they just seem it because a lot of them sound the same.

As you point out, overuse is overuse.  It'll happen regardless of vocals being allowed or not.

[Skittl1321]

Adele's songs are incredibly popular. She is one of, if not THE top artists right now.

[karne]

No. All that will happen is you'll end up with a bunch of skaters who just act out lyrics and have no real musical interpretation whatsoever. I hate this rule and think it never should have happened.

[turnip]

I don't like this, keep lyrics for exhibitions and gala performances. Don't wanna see skaters acting out the words of a song. I like when a skater expresses the feeling of the music through their skating, but miming the words or acting it out is unneccessary in a general competition. I believe in dance (where vocal music is permitted), the rules make a point of saying that the skater should skate to the beat, not the melody and/or vocals

[Skittl1321]

I believe in dance (where vocal music is permitted), the rules make a point of saying that the skater should skate to the beat, not the melody and/or vocals

Seems like it would be easy enough to write this in the rule for vocal music all together.


I personally don't really care. We either get 100 "Rolling in the Deep" or 100 "Carmen" programs.  No matter what, originality is going to be greatly lacking.

I'm interested to see what elite skaters do with vocals though. 

[AgnesNitt]

I personally don't really care. We either get 100 "Rolling in the Deep" or 100 "Carmen" programs.  No matter what, originality is going to be greatly lacking.

"Rolling in the Deep" by the cast of Glee, painful
"Rolling in the Deep" instrumental version by the Dallas STring Orchestra, pretty good. Maybe even a keeper.

My bet is what will happen is that a few unwise skaters will pick a popular song at the beginning of the season then discover by the end of the season everyone's sick of it. FSU will get all snarky, and the ISU will come out with a recommendation that 'vocal music is  ephemeral in popularity and represents a risk to the skater and choreographer of appearing stale or overused', then someone will skate to some classical music and win big then the next year it's all opera and beethoven.

And in my opinion, skating to opera would be great.

Pop music doesn't have enough emotional, rhythmic or dynamic range to make a successful program for an elite skater. People will figure that out.

[Skittl1321]

Pop music doesn't have enough emotional, rhythmic or dynamic range to make a successful program for an elite skater. People will figure that out.

Florent Amodio did a Michael Jackson medley (which I hated the program- too much standing and dancing in place).  At World's he skated with lyrics.  No deduction.  Apparently the judges were deaf.

[Doubletoe]

Florent Amodio did a Michael Jackson medley (which I hated the program- too much standing and dancing in place).  At World's he skated with lyrics.  No deduction.  Apparently the judges were deaf.

Starting 1 or 2 seasons ago, the rules changed so that instead of the referee giving a deduction for a music violation, each judge had to individually decide whether or not to give the deduction and a majority of judges needed to give the deduction.  I don't think they were used to having to do that.

[hopskipjump]

I adore my skater's artistic program.  It has lyrics.  it's just so beautiful - she has a real connection with it... 

I hope that it just gives more skating where the skater has an emotional connection. 

[techskater]

I don't think having lyrics has hurt ice dancing so far, so I will reserve judgement.

[AgnesNitt]

I don't think having lyrics has hurt ice dancing so far, so I will reserve judgement.

But Ice Dancers have decades of experience with this kind of music. I think the first few years for singles and pair skaters will be rough.  There's going to be a lot of choreography expressing the lyrics.

I for one will miss 'skate to the phrasing'. I think we'll see a lot of people picking pop songs with vocals because "it gets the people movin'"*  I know pop instrumentals have worked out in the past, but we've all see some awful programs too, to pop music.

Also with lyrics, if you have to change the music's dynamism (slow to fast), it's much much harder to do if you take lyrics into consideration.

* Blades of Glory reference.

[icedancer]

Actually Agnes vocals have only been used in ice dance for a very short time... I think... - in the past you could have "voices" but no actual words.  I think...

But it's true that it works in ice dance and ice dancers are used to thinking about phrasing (hopefully) - and not everyone gets that (especially singles skaters some times) --

I don't look forward to seeing even more kids mouthing and words and skating to something I have never heard of but obviously means something to them.

I'm all for expanding the types of music that people are skating to.  I think the elites for the most part will do a good job with it but not sure what we will see in nonquals and at Regionals, etc., in the lower ranks.  It may also drive some coaches crazy http://www.abestweb.com/smilie.

[TreSk8sAZ]

I don't think having lyrics has hurt ice dancing so far, so I will reserve judgement.

I adore my skater's artistic program.  It has lyrics.  it's just so beautiful - she has a real connection with it... 

I hope that it just gives more skating where the skater has an emotional connection.

But an artistic program is, by definition, different than a freeskate. An artistic program does not have the difficulty of a freeskate, nor the amount of elements of a freeskate. I have seem some amazing artistic programs - but I have also seen those skaters not have as much of a connection to the music in the freeskate. I don't think lyrics versus no lyrics caused that, rather it was the different functions of the programs.

I also think ice dancing is a bit different, because the programs are put together with more of the music in mind and the elements are an extension of the music.  In freeskate, very often the elements are what the programs are built around (this jump needs to come first, etc) and the musicality gets lost to some degree. I can't see lyrics helping this. I can see more skaters mouthing the words, or hitting words with a pose (just like they do with arm movements to a beat of music now).

I really don't see what is being gained, I guess, by adding lyrics. Yes, it may open up more songs, but as others have said - it's going to be 1000 Carmens or 1000 Adele songs. It's not going to matter.

[hopskipjump]

I have seem some amazing artistic programs - but I have also seen those skaters not have as much of a connection to the music in the freeskate. I don't think lyrics versus no lyrics caused that, rather it was the different functions of the programs.

That could be it, but most kids/teens have little to no classical music in their backgrounds and have to be told what the music means.  Very different from something with words that they identify with.  I do think most coaches where my daughter skates will discourage/not allow lyrics.  But there have to be ground breakers and hopefully they will do it with beauty and creativity.

My daughter loves her freeskate program as well and lights up when she skates to it.  But it took a lot of effort to find something that clicked.  There was a big difference in presentation from last season to this season.