rom the opening strains to the final note, Michelle Kwan’s iconic free program at the 1996 World Champi-
onships to “Te Dance of the Seven Veils” from the opera Salome cap- tured the attention of the audience and judges. As the program pro- gressed, there was a sense that Kwan was actually Salome herself, because of her first-rate interpretation. Like the temptress she por-
trayed, Kwan enchanted the crowd, slowly drawing them into the rou- tine made up of complex chore- ography and difficult elements. As
right music for a competitive program by KAMA KORVELA
the music finished, Kwan stopped abruptly in the center of the ice and reached one hand above, as if clenching the gold medal — and World title —that was to be hers. Tere is little doubt music has the ability to draw spectators into a performance, to help create a mo- ment in history or, instead, a skater may fail to capture the true charac- ter of the music and disengage the audience. Choosing the right music for a competitive program is almost as challenging as the routine itself and requires attention to detail, comprehension of the background
Choreographer Kate McSwain, left, helps some of her students with their moves.
of the music and knowledge of the skater’s individual abilities. “Tere are a lot of factors to consider when choosing music for a specific skater,” said choreographer Kate McSwain, who has worked with world-ranked skaters such as Jeremy Abbott, Caitlin Yankowskas and Adam Rippon. “Te primary ones are the skater’s age, level, emo- tional maturity, skating quality and innate style.” McSwain is also the developer
of Sk8tivity Artistic Clinics, which help competitors to better under- stand and work with the interna-
Tom Dickson
tional judging system (IJS) com- ponent requirements. She believes while music choice is important, it’s not the only thing that matters once a skater reaches the elite level. “I think it factors into results
primarily through the skater’s abil- ity to perform the program well,” McSwain said. “In the end, your score depends far more on body awareness, skating skills, flow and