Michelle working with Morosov?

[jss]

I read somewhere else that she was working with Morosov on a second LP, and that he was helping fine tune her Aranjuez LP. Does anyone know if this is true? And didn't he do Sasha's programs?

[Scott]

This guy is in big demand and I wouldn't be surprised if he was working with Michelle, though given his demanding schedule right now I would think that she would have to come to Connecticut to get this done. And yes, I believe that he did do Sasha Cohen's program, as well as others this year!

[Louis]

Morozov's decision to choreograph Kwan's short program behind Tarasova's back was one of the events leading up to the "great schism." It doesn't surprise me that he is working with Kwan again. It also wouldn't surprise me if Team Tarasova decides that Cohen will use her new "Romeo and Juliet" free skate, choreographed by Tarasova and Usova, at Nationals (and hopefully Worlds) to stick it to Morozov. This could get ugly! :D

[spiralsrfun]

The Soap Opera continues......lol

[AxelAnnie22]

Originally posted by Louis
Morozov's decision to choreograph Kwan's short program behind Tarasova's back was one of the events leading up to the "great schism." It doesn't surprise me that he is working with Kwan again. It also wouldn't surprise me if Team Tarasova decides that Cohen will use her new "Romeo and Juliet" free skate, choreographed by Tarasova and Usova, at Nationals (and hopefully Worlds) to stick it to Morozov. This could get ugly! :D How in the world did Morozov choreograph a program for Michelle Kwan behind someone's back? MK is a pretty public figure to handle in secret. And, how did they make the arrangements if it wasn't in the open? Did Michelle then know he did not have the full approval of TT? That is downright weird!:roll:

[spiralsrfun]

My thoughts exactly AxelAnnie...lol. :roll:

It's obvious the "events" leading up to Team Tarasova split are far more deep, etc... than Nicolai working with Kwan earlier in the fall...lol.

In an article around Skate America about Sasha, there was a quote from Usova stating that "Michelle also has a great SP as well" which was a weird thing to say in an article about Sasha, so that tells me there was obvious knowledge from Team Tarasova that Morosov helped work with Michelle, Williams, and Karen on Michelle's new SP.

(Did some digging)

As to whether or not Kwan and Morosov are still working together...there is no proof of this, as apparently it was a "rumor" started at the USFSA board by someone without any proof (according to MKF). If MKF doesn't know about it, it's a rumor...lol.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if they are still working together as they've already collaborated, but there's no proof of this yet.

[Alexeiskate]

If MK is indeed working with NM then I'm glad. I just hope he doesn't give her the familiar start and stop footwork that we've seen with Sasha and Arikawa (sp?).

Now that NM and TT have split, I guess we will know who should received most of the credit for the brilliant choreography of Alexei's.

[olivia]

Alexeiskate: If you've watched Kwan's SP on realvideo (or the like), you'd see that her footwork is nearly all about edges and does not stop and start at all ... and Morozov did choreograph this footwork (so he's definitely capable of more than one style). Have no idea if Kwan's footwork in Aranjuez was done by Morozov (though I suspect it was), and it also does not have the stop-start to it.

The suggestion that Morozov choreographed Kwan's SP behind Tarasova's back is silly and makes no sense given the facts (Usova's comment, esp.), although it's possible that Morozov did not consult with Tarasova prior to AGREEING to choreograph for Kwan. That seems to make a lot more sense, and I could see this affecting the trust in that relationship, which is one of the comments Tarasova made about her and Morozov's split. It seems fairly clear -- from all the info. out there in articles about the various dance teams, B&K, L&T, and G&G, in particular -- that Morozov wanted to strike out on his own. Who knows if Tarasova approved, but she clearly had a back-up plan in mind when she began collaborating with Usova, IMO.

O-

[spiralsrfun]

olivia...

That sounds very logical to me, and may be part of what Louis was touching on.

[TAF2984]

"The suggestion that Morozov choreographed Kwan's SP behind Tarasova's back is silly and makes no sense given the facts (Usova's comment, esp.), although it's possible that Morozov did not consult with Tarasova prior to AGREEING to choreograph for Kwan"

I agree have no clue how someone would know that anyways. MK's short wasn't just choreographed by him. It was also choreographed by her coach, herself and karen. I saw sasha's Romeo and Juliet and they would have to change a lot to get all the jumps in. The rach that sasha was using was just good, looking at we have seen from it so far, certainly not great so I could see if they decided to change it. All those changes will be difficult to do especially by nationals because I could tell it was choreographed in only a week. It was good but it was obvious all they did was place a jump here in there and then just load the program with a bunch of spirals and just placed a spin here and there.

[adrianchew]

When a program is put together in a short span of time such as Romeo & Juliet and gets the type of response it did from the audience and 6.0s from an international panel of judges, you know you are on to something very special indeed.

I am far more inclined to believe the response of the audience in attendance and judges, than I am to believe someone who watched a low quality Real Video clip of the performance and is not exactly a fan of the skater - as being reflective of the impact of a performance. ;)

Rachmaninoff is a great program, but Romeo & Juliet and Sasha is a definite recipe for a 6.0 program. I thought Malaguena was great - I believe Romeo & Juliet will better Malaguena easily. 8-)

We will see what happens though - this Friday's event could be telling since it will require more jumps, if Sasha uses R&J... we probably will see an early version of what a final R&J might look like! :P :twisted:

[TAF2984]

adrian you make some good points. R & J still was a good program. It played to her strengths. It certainly is very good done in a week. It needs more connecting moves hence the comments on where things where placed. I think Rach is a good program but it can be a lot better. I think it's a bit front loaded. I dont think it highlights all her strengths. I think Malaguena is a great program. I don't believe she will be using R & J at the next competition. I think thats way too risky, but you never know.

[roogu]

I've never been too fond of Sasha's LP's in the past, but there is definitely something special and exquisite about this R and J program. I can't quite put my finger on it, but think of this as to Sasha as what Lyra ANgelica was for Michelle. Sacha just didn't play the part... it was an opening into her soul I felt and no doubt in my mind, has the potential to be one of the best freeskating programs in history (with the right choreography) that is :)

[Badams]

so now michelle is responsible for TT and NM splitting? please. she's not to blame for everything that's wrong in the world. is she to blame for world hunger too? LOL

[Emanfan]

Well, I must have missed something with Sasha's R&J. While I thought it was absolutely beautiful to watch, it appeared (to me) to be nothing more than a vehicle for all of Sasha's best elements, sort of a "look at me, am I not the prettiest, most flexible skater you've ever seen?" It just went from one to another (with, what, two jumps). Much will have to be added to that to turn it into a competitive free skate.

The comment Debbi Wilkes made about her "being" Juliet completely baffled me.

[TAF2984]

R and J is an inrepretative free not a competitive one. thats a big difference. Everyone has more feel to an exhibition type number.

"Well, I must have missed something with Sasha's R&J. While I thought it was absolutely beautiful to watch, it appeared (to me) to be nothing more than a vehicle for all of Sasha's best elements, sort of a "look at me, am I not the prettiest, most flexible skater you've ever seen?" It just went from one to another (with, what, two jumps). Much will have to be added to that to turn it into a competitive free skate"

Exactly that was exactly what I was displaying in more first post.

[Louis]

Originally posted by Badams
so now michelle is responsible for TT and NM splitting? please. she's not to blame for everything that's wrong in the world. is she to blame for world hunger too? LOL

No one is blaming Michelle, but the fact of the matter is that Tarasova had a cow when she found out that Morozov had worked with Kwan. I can't explain why Tarasova works with so many ice dance teams yet is so protective of her singles skaters, but she is. Any threat to Yagudin or Cohen is off-limits. Perhaps Morozov didn't realize that until too late. Or maybe he did and decided he didn't want to live under Tarasova's rules anymore. Regardless, several reliable sources tell me that this was most definitely a factor in the TT/NM split.

[nits]

TT had a cow? Interesting. Did you read this in an article? Do you have a link? What did she name the cow? :)

[TheIceKing]

Many of my own reliable sources also confirm what Louis said. Tarasova is indeed very protective of her single skaters, and like Louis said, she flipped when she found out Niky had worked with Kwan.

[hoptoad]

I wonder how the TT/NM rift will affect Sasha. I hope Tarasova doesn't insist on changing her long program just to spite Morosov or prove some point. Sasha's program has been well-received and has lots of mileage on it. That's not to say she couldn't finish the season with something else just as good or even better, but there won't be a chance to test it at 3 GP events and I hope the decision is made based on what's good for Sasha and not TT's politics. It could also be detrimental to Sasha if TT refuses to let her work with NM in the future. Sure there are lots of other choreographers she could work with, but it would be a shame to rule out in advance even one good one for political reasons.

[Scott]

Originally posted by TheIceKing
Many of my own reliable sources also confirm what Louis said. Tarasova is indeed very protective of her single skaters, and like Louis said, she flipped when she found out Niky had worked with Kwan. Quite frankly, if this isd true I don't blame TT for flipping out. NM was after all part of her team and to be wroking with one of the major threats to Sasha getting a gold medal was probably not appreciated, especially if TT didn't know about it!

[adrianchew]

Originally posted by hoptoad

I hope Tarasova doesn't insist on changing her long program just to spite Morosov or prove some point. Sasha's program has been well-received and has lots of mileage on it.

As a fan that has seen Sasha's Rachmaninoff No. 2 four times live, and even more on TV, from before it was even a full program... its been merely a very good program. I haven't gotten the sense or feel that Rach is a Sasha "IT" program... Malaguena was unquestionably right from the onset.

Given Sarah's late change helped her win the Olympic gold, and given Sasha will need a 2nd program anyhow for the Grand Prix finals - I would seriously consider changing her long program as the way to go.

[hoptoad]

Adrain, I've never had the chance to see Sasha live and respect your opinion of the program. Any reservation from such a great SashaFan must be taken seriously!

I really meant to speculate (and it is mere speculation) that Sasha may suffer in some way from the rift between TT and NM, maybe even beyond this season.

. . . I hope the decision is made based on what's good for Sasha and not TT's politics. It could also be detrimental to Sasha if TT refuses to let her work with NM in the future. Sure there are lots of other choreographers she could work with, but it would be a shame to rule out in advance even one good one for political reasons.

[spiralsrfun]

I wonder if Tarasova "had a cow" when Nicolai worked with Arakawa as well. Or did she have a "cow" because Michelle is a much bigger threat to Sasha than Arakawa is.

Personally I think all the situations leading up to their split are sad...there is always so much "drama" surrounding the whole Tarasova World. Constant Alexei drama, B&K drama...is Shae dating Morsov???, F&M drama..."Morosov choreographed better LP for them because he's dating her", Tarasova refusing to pay for ice time......geezzzzzzzzz...lol. Now, Nicolai working with Kwan sends the mighty Tarasova into a "cow."

Stay tuned for more drama on "As the Blade Turns......" ;)

I just hope that this split doesn't affect the skaters being coached under either Tarasova or Morosov, especially Sasha and L&T who I like a lot....that would the unfortunate thing. :??

[skatingfan3]

I'm dying to see Sasha's "R&J" this weekend at TNT because every thread I read is so positive, but I wonder will it be such a good program when she has to put in 5 to 7 triple jumps and she doesn't land some of those jumps cleanly. That is if Sasha choose to have "R&J" as her 2nd LP in GPF.

Deborah

[lynlei]

Just let me add something,
If any of you rememeber last World's, TT was very chummy with Michelle in the back stage( I think that was just before the medal ceremony) and people wondered if TT will be Michelle's next coach.
So it was no surprise for me that NM choreographed MK's SP.

Of course it was still when Sasha was with Nicks.

I don't understand why TT had to have a cow.
If she is so protective of her skaters, why L&T moved to TT when TT already have B&K and G&G?

[adrianchew]

Originally posted by hoptoad

Adrain, I've never had the chance to see Sasha live and respect your opinion of the program. Any reservation from such a great SashaFan must be taken seriously!

One of these days - you have got to see her live!

I really meant to speculate (and it is mere speculation) that Sasha may suffer in some way from the rift between TT and NM, maybe even beyond this season.

As far as I know - NM's two contributions to Sasha has been the footwork sequences and helping her with the jump harness. I'm sure someone in Simsbury can operate a jump harness, and NM's footwork sequences suddenly started showing up in different forms on other skaters in the season.

TT is the driving force behind Sasha... training habits, motivation, jumps, etc. I've seen a low resolution video of Romeo & Juliet - the program builds on Sasha's strengths... its still a very new program in an interpretitive format at Sears, but I get the sense of a "golly, I believe we've got it right this time" program.

I've seen the works of former Tarasova students who do coaching/chereography now - NM is not the only student that has graduated from TT.

[rack]

This is so much fun. I've seen countless threads about other skaters turn into discussions of Michelle. Now here's a thread about Michelle, and it's morphing into one about Sasha!:lol:

[yogurtslinger]

where can I find a clip of Sasha's program ?

[adrianchew]

Note - it is a pretty low resolution video, but if you can't wait till Saturday to view it on TV, then...

http://www.fayetasyagudin.com/VIDEOS2.htm

[Mayra]

Originally posted by Louis
It also wouldn't surprise me if Team Tarasova decides that Cohen will use her new "Romeo and Juliet" free skate, choreographed by Tarasova and Usova, at Nationals (and hopefully Worlds) to stick it to Morozov. This could get ugly! :D

LOL , well if they really wanted to stick it to him, one would assume she'd also dump the short program. But Tarasova is no fool.

Having seen Sasha's R&J program, it should stay as is. IMO Adding 7 triple jumps and the footwork sequence would take away from the whole picture. Gorgeous program.

[thvudragon]

I don't think changing programs is such a good idea for Sasha. She has enough problems with consistancy as it is. Her Rach program has gotten better every time she skated it. I hope that when she debuts that full version of "R&J" long, it will be skated well. I hope Sasha knows what is best for her and that she doesn't give in TT's ego.

TV

[Skatingsarah]

Personnally I havent seen the program but I'm looking forward to finding out what everyone is raving about!
Sasha is a great skater and I think that its is terrible with all of this publicity that the ppl behind her are getting. I know she could not be what she is without the ppl behind her. But this whole NM seeing michelle Kwan behind it all and TT kicking bourne and Kraatz and Naomi and Peter out of her coaching. I think it really detracts to what this sport is!! SKATING! I wish that the skating world would make a new years resolution and STOP focusing sooo much on the politics and dramatic experiences going on and maybe stop and write an article focusing on a skater and not on all of the problems around him or her.
-Sarah:x