Swan Songs: Swan Lake, The Black Swan, and The Swan- Part 1: Ranking the Warhorses

Hello everyone! I have been working diligently on this next warhorse piece in the series! This one is called Swan Songs, because it features Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake", Clint Mansell's "Black Swan", and "The Swan" by Camille Saint-Saens. In this post, I'm going to use our usual "Ranking the Warhorses" format with "Swan Lake" and "Black Swan", as seen in the "Bolero" and "Requiem for a Dream" posts. If you haven't seen those, go check them out! The second part will feature performances of "The Swan" and some funny and interesting programs I have seen to any of the Swan Songs.

I have combined Swan Lake and The Black Swan because they are so similar. There are often times where the audience cannot distinguish one from the other. One difference I have noticed is that "Black Swan" is a little more modernized, and it combines some of the pieces from the original "Swan Lake".

This took quite a while to pull together, because there are so many Swan Lake programs out there! It's not quite as ubiquitous as Carmen, but still quite a lot. Like Requiem for a Dream, there was also the false flag of montage videos. Just like the other warhorses, "Swan Lake" and "Black Swan" must be subjected to Autumn's Warhorse Music Rating System! Here's how it goes:

1 = Great song, could hear over and over
10 = The pinnacle of awful, overplayed nonsense.

My rating for "Swan Lake" is a 1. I thought "Requiem for a Dream" was my favorite warhorse, but I was proven wrong. There are so many cuts and variations that a skater can do with "Swan Lake", that it never gets old to me. Little snippets of the work have been stuck in my head for the past few weeks I have worked on this, and I'm not even mad. Also, pretty much every costume to this music is fabulous! Something about the music brings a polish to skaters of all different styles. I'm even considering a program to the music! I'm typically not a warhorse person, and I avoid music if it was a really famous program. This may be my one exception. However, I have never taken a ballet class in my life. I have taken Irish stepdancing, so maybe that will help? I just hope I can perform to it and have it not look like crap.

Moving along, here's the goods you may or may not have come for: my opinions on the top performances to "Swan Lake" and "Black Swan". I've got 12 to show you on this one!

#12: Tatiana Voloshozar and Maxim Trankov (RUS)- Black Swan

This program illustrates the determination of an epic comeback! At the 2012 World Championships, they came back to win the silver medal after landing in 8th place in the short program. Triple twist into the stratosphere! 

#11: Miki Ando (JPN)- Swan Lake

This exhibition performance by Miki brings the drama! I like this cut of music too. It sounds quite a bit different than most arrangements I have heard of Swan Lake. The "dying" at the end is always a strong dramatic move.

#10: Ekaterina Rubleva and Ivan Shefer (RUS)- Swan Lake with lyrics

This is an interesting performance for many reasons. First, there is singing, which is uncommon in Swan Lake. Second, their style of dance is reminiscent of the late '90s Russian ice dancers. This style dominated the 90s, but is not seen as often today, even by Russian ice dancers. It's an aesthetic I particularly enjoy.

#9: Mao Asada (JPN)- Swan Lake

There are several videos of Mao's performance to Swan Lake, and I thought her performance at the 2012 Grand Prix Final was the best. Her costume is nice, though not quite as awesome as the costume she had at the 2013 Worlds. Mao always looks fabulous, which is why she is one of my skating style icons. However, this skate was a lot better. She is the epitome of technical excellence and elegance.

#8: Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov (RUS)- Pas du Deux from Swan Lake

My all time favorite pairs team. You can bet if G&G skate to just about anything, they will make my countdown. Just look at them and you will be amazed. They also skated this program in lavender costumes, a departure from the traditional black and/or white costumes you see with Swan Lake. Their unison in every element is impeccable, showing just how in sync with each other they are. And the musicality...they just know how to express every note.

#7: Max Aaron (USA)- Black Swan

This music is an unconventional choice for many male skaters, particularly a skater such as Max, who is known primarily for his athletic prowess. These are the reasons this worked so well! For years, he has struggled to find his footing artistically, and it has resulted in a few unfortunate mishaps. With this program, Max finally caught a break! The men's event at the 2016 US Nationals had everyone on the edge of their seat, and this was one of the highlights. Whoever choreographed this program for him is someone he should consider using again. It's such a shame that he can't find a choreographer to work with his talents and showcase them in the best light possible. This is just a huge rant of mine... That opening quad though...🔥🔥🔥

#6: Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov (RUS)- Swan Lake

This program was the perfect storm. You have a Russian ice dance team performing to a Russian ballet, at the Olympics in Russia. The crowd here is almost deafening. They performed fantastically. The fact that this was the bronze medal performance really spoke to the talent on display in this free dance. Katsalapov has tried to re-create his success here with his new partner Victoria Sinitsina, but it did not have the same "wow" factor. And yes, Nikita is pretty hot, not gonna lie...This performance is a true work of art, appearing to be straight out of the Bolshoi. I was shocked to see they were splitting up almost immediately after the 2014 Olympics. I'm glad we have this memory.

#5: Ashley Wagner (USA)- Black Swan

This is one of Ashley's iconic programs that led her to her first national title. This is a program that suits her well. She can carry of the diva roles like the Black Swan with ease. I also like how this program played to her strengths. There was a little ballerina moment in the program, but it was more of a tongue-and-cheek thing. That suited Ashley's personality better than attempting to be a ballerina on ice. This was a strong and fierce interpretation of the Black Swan. One thing that sets Ashley apart is her ability to act and emote on the ice. In my opinion, this program is where she started developing what is now her signature skating style.

These were all pretty amazing, weren't they? Well, the magical ride is gonna continue until the very end!

#4: Sasha Cohen (USA)- Swan Lake

I'm not even sure which competition this is, but that is not important. This performance features some beautiful skating from Sasha, plus commentary from Dick Button. He reaches an almost fanboy status here, and I'm living for it! Dick Button saying "exquisite" and "magnificent" is one of my absolute favorite things. Sasha's spirals are out of this world! The only skater in recent times who has come close to replicating that is Yulia Lipnitskaya. She has such beautiful lines and extension too. Just wait, you're gonna hear all about it. Nothing I say here will match Dick's commentary...

#3: Daisuke Takahashi (JPN)- Hip Hop Swan Lake

I have to admit, this was one of the programs I was most looking forward to seeing once I found out about it. We have already seen how the remix of Bolero went (in case you missed it, 👎), but this was absolute genius. I doubt anyone other than Daisuke could pull this off. He has the skating skills, personality, and swagger to make this awesome. His step sequences are some of the best I've ever seen, and he's breakin' it down while doing all those complicated turns!

#2: Rudy Galindo (USA)- Swan Lake

I remember seeing the 1996 Nationals on TV, and this was a huge moment. Rudy performed brilliantly in front of his hometown crowd and won the national title. It seemed that everyone at home was rooting for him too. He has such wonderful artistry, and his jumps were explosive here! He achieved another difficult feat with this performance...leaving Dick Button speechless. Another fun fact: he waved at me one year at Champions on Ice in Houston, and we follow each other on Instagram! Anyway, this was an incredible moment for a great skater and person. I just smile so much watching this. It is one of those perfect moments in skating.

There is only one performance that can top this, and it is by the slimmest of margins...

#1: Oksana Baiul (UKR)- Swan Lake

Ok, I'm not just putting this here because Oksana is my idol. This one is everything about Swan Lake encapsulated into a short program performance. It's like she took the ballet and just threw on some skates and performed it. Absolute perfection. She left the audience in Lillehammer in a trance and stole the hearts of everyone at home. Oksana Baiul IS Swan Lake!!!!

Alright, that's it for this post. If all goes according to plan, I should have Part 2 of Swan Songs out within a week or so. Until then, I wish you a fond farewell.

- Autumn at Icy Trails ⛸