Since there has been much discussion on interp, I thought it would be interesting to suggest what you would like to see for an interpretive program.
As I was in my car listening to music for quite a while on my way to get my skates yesterday, I heard a couple of pieces of music I'd like to see skated to in an interp program.

"You're so vain" - Carly Simon: Would be great for a guy with lots of confidence and good footwork.

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I don't know, but when I hear of some of the interp programs at NA, makes me scared to try anything because they all sound very clever and all I want to do is something that is fun for me and makes me work on stuff.

Around here, ALL the adult artistics (that's what it is called around here - interp is usually improv) are funny and I can't think of anything funny.

I did one artistic a few years ago and I loved it - it was from the PBS Civil War documentary, the letter written by the soldier to is wife, with music in the background. I wore a civil war uniform I rented. I never got to compete it just against pre-bronze and I wasn't as good a skater as I am now (and I still come in last) so I always came in last BUT - one judge put me 3rd out of 5 against silver skaters and one judge actually cried!

My coach told me I'd never do well with it because a) it wasn't funny and adults I guess are expected to be funny) b) sometimes there were sound issue and you couldn't hear it and people didn't know what was going.

I still loved the program and if I could find my music, I'd take it out, dust it off and perform it again.

Oh I remember now, I keep thinking about doing one to Bob Seger's "That old time rock and roll" as a take off on Risky Business and I'd wear a man's shirt and men's underwear and socks over my skates. Nobody steal this idea because I haven't given up the idea of doing it!

j

I'm warning you all right now that this is going to sound self-righteous although I don't really intend it to be. But I feel pretty strongly about it after having read jskater's post so here it goes anyway.

You know, I have to confess that I do get a bit put off by some of the posts that have been written lately that scoff at what are perceived to be "non-skating" or "trivial" interps and jskater's post expresses exactly why I feel that way. It just isn't right that someone should feel that they can't do a fun interp that he or she would like to try for fear that others will look down their nose at it because it wasn't sufficiently clever for them.

I understand we all have a right to an opinion but perhaps we should all be a little careful when we express it.

Now where's that damn ladder so that I can get down from this soap-box.

Interps don't HAVE to be super clever or funny, but remember it is a skating event. One of the best I saw had no more higher content than basic turns and edges. Whatever you do, skate it and enjoy it.

Frank this thread was meant to provide suggestions for programs or what we've heard and think would make a good interp. Anny suggestions?

Jskater - voice overs can be difficult. I saw Kristy Yammaguchi's performance of "the Boyfriends sweater" or something like that, and if you didn't know the piece you lost some of the meaning as the words were not clear.

The sound system at our rink is pretty bad, so I have to take that into account.

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I understood the intent of the thread. However, I felt that the excerpt in jskater's post that I highlighted was important and now was as good a time as any to voice that particular concern.

As for suggestions for interps, I've seen a couple of good ones lately where the skater will perform moves-in-the-field patterns set to humorous or clever music. A couple of years ago Dana Hordyszynski did an interp where she performed senior moves-in-the-field with some sort of music with cows mooing or something like that. She affectionately called it "MOOS in the field." That's certainly clever and chock full of good skating. I'm not sure if anyone on here saw it or remembers it. This year our own 2salchow did a similar interp where he did moves-in-the-field to Young MC's Bust a Move. I love that concept. Although, by and large, seeing anyone go out and skate a program they enjoy puts a smile on my face.

I agree with what you posted above, flo, I don't think that extreme cleverness should be a pre-requisite for interps and people should just skate interp numbers they enjoy.

One of my favorites was when someone - I think it was in Master's men - did a figure to "figure 8".

I like the Moos in the field. Any good "judge" songs out there?

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Wasn't it Josee Chouinard who performed that, in a pro comp about 10 years ago (during the Pro Comp Era)? One of the things I miss about not having pro competitions anymore is the originality and variety in the programs. I enjoy watching Oly-division comps, but esp with CoP, programs have all started to look the same, and predictable. Pro comps were a nice change of pace, and you could really see skaters' personalities come through in their skating.

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http://youtube.com/watch?v=XlqalsAH44I

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You're right! Kristy's program was with a daisy or something.

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I'm doing an artistic/dramatic interp this year, and my program only has a waltz jump and a couple of upright spins.

I got 3rd out of 4 at ANs, but I think that was partly because the judges didn't know my music.

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That program is "It's Oh So Quiet" by Bjork. I thought it was cute.
NoVa, thanks for the YouTube link. I wound up watching a few programs from that!
Right now I'm listening to a few pieces. I'm more of a artistic/ dramatic skater than comedy/ light entertainment.

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My interp programs include:
Cowboy skating to (of course) Bonanza
Eygeption (sorry spelling)
You Raise Me Up - by Josh Groban
Currentley doing a circ du soiel program I think the music is called Maliumba.

I like to interpret music, that's why I do well at improvs. However, I wish I had the footwork of Kurt Browning because I get frustrated at what I dream of doing and what I actually can do, the occasional bracket for instance.

Just a hint for music in a rink, I don't decide on interpretive music until I've been able to play the song several times in an arena setting. Since I'm in the country and it's a seasonal rink, there's no ice right now, but for several years now the arena staff have been kind enough to let me in the building in the off season. I stand in the middle of the floor with my boom box and play all my possible selections. Like I said, it's a small town, and I've gotten opinions from the rink boys as to what they like. Songs you think that you'll interpret to the words come through like mud and playing it in a large echoing building is the best way to figure that out.

On the way home tonight, I heard "Ease on Down the Road" from the musical "The Wiz." The musical is a Wizard of Oz makeover with great music, albeit a bit dated.

I could just see someone having a blast skating to this song.


ETA: Check out this on YouTube: Slide Some Oil To Me!

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Everyone does! Sorry, couldn't resist. No one has better footwork than Kurt Browning. I would love to get on the ice someday and have people think I could do it, even if I couldn't

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Interpretives I have done in the past include:

"Tit-Willow" from Gilbert and Sullivan
"The Lambeth Walk" (eminently forgettable!)
"Fame!" (an exercise routine, rather successful)
"Puppet on a String" (which won, in Dunkerque - I was too shocked to appreciate it!)
"Jake the Peg" (2 first places, 2 last places and a Bronze medal!)
"Master of the House" from Les Misérables
Another rather forgettable exercise routine
"Sandra Dee" from Grease

And there have been others, most of which I can't now remember, and which probably weren't worth remembering in the first place!

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Mrs Redboots
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Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I'd like to see "Stepping out with my baby". There's an Irish song sung by the Saw Doctors - Tommy K. Someone could have fun with that - and so could the audience.

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I skated to "It's A Beautiful Day for a Ballgame" this year. I came in 3rd/3 at Nats, but I had a blast doing it because I've wanted to skate to it for years. I got to use a bat as a prop which was really fun. No one else at my rink does a program with a prop, so I got some mighty strange looks when I first brought it out on the ice. It seemed like people made more of an effort to get out of my way whenever I had it with me...

My coach made another one of her students be a clown for our local comp. I don't remember the name of the music, but the skater dressed up in full clown costume with wig and face paint and did a back somersault. That was pretty fun to watch too.

I definitely want to be a cowgirl one year, but I think I'll do something more dramatic next year. I'm currently looking for new music.

Hmmm... there's "Beauty School Drop-Out" too-- probably one of the very popular and over used interpretive/artistic programs...
... but on a similar theme:

"Brand New Girl" from the "Earth Girls are Easy" soundtrack (circa 1989).
It would be interesting to see something done to the music of
"The Appliance Symphony" or "Throb" from the same label.
~sk8pdx

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I don't usually do interps. The last one I did was Billy Preston's "The World Go 'Round in Circles". All circular footwork and spins. Interesting concept that I don't think many people got, and not sure I did it all that well.

However, there are 2 that I have been considering for a while:

"Margaritaville" dressed in shorts, a I heart Cancun T-shirt, and flip-flop covers for the boots.

"She was only Sixteen", dressed in prison orange jumpsuit, or traditional stripes.

Rob

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Um, as a mother of a 16 year old I would find that pretty offensive.

j

I think it woold be funny.
Another one for a male is C'est Moi from Camelot. Nova - that's one for you.
Some of mine have been:
The Loon from "On Golden Pond"
"The way You Look Tonight"
The girl in the red dress from Schindler's list
Time
A baby bird learning to fly
"Friends" for the 10th nats

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I wouldn't blame you - but I'm afraid I would find it funny rather than offensive. My first thought was "Oh, Rob, you must do it!" - and my second was, "No, perhaps better not!"

On the other hand, if he was in prison uniform, at least the character would have been getting what he deserved - and 16, here, is the age of consent.

(off-topic: My daughter, on her 16th birthday, bought a lottery ticket, as it was now legal for her to do so. I pointed out that there were other things it was now legal for her to do, but did hope she wouldn't feel she had to do them, too!).

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I'd probably think the "Only 16" was funny too, and fine for an adult (or maybe it should be "Adult") Interpretive. But then if I remember the lyrics, the singer was only a kid as well (17?) so it wasn't totally creepy.

My favorite past interpprogram was my Snoopy number. It was one of those programs that garnered me tons of odd looks when I was practising in normal skating clothes then got me lots of laughs and "So that's what you were doing!" comments once I had on the whole kit, including floppy ears, wagging tail and supper dish. There's something very liberating about being in a full costume - you can hide behind the outfit and do all kinds of crazy things you wouldn't dream of doing if people could really "see" you. A little like Halloween, I guess. Plus the Snoopy suit was warm, and in the freezing rinks, that's a good thing.

For the baseball number I did, I called my nerf bat "crowd control" on busy freestyle sessions. The kids got used to giving extra room to me and th bat but the ball-on-a-string attached to it caught a couple people by surprise. Fortunately, it was also a soft spongy-type ball and didn't hurt anyone.

Flo's "Time" Interp was one of the coolest bits of adult skating I had ever seen up to then. I saw her compete it at AN and decided right then I would NEVER be able to skate an "Artistic/Dramatic" program.. because it would never look the way she looked.