Weekend Muse: Surya Bonaly

There could hardly be anyone more perfect to break my blogging hibernation with than the backflip-ing, warrior goddess Surya Bonaly.



(c) Xtraice Ecological Ice, CC Attribution 2.0

Once upon a time I had no idea Surya Bonaly existed and was clicking aimlessly around Pinterest (Oh, how I love me some Pinterest!) and I saw some comment about how amazing she is. What I found through some rabid searching was that Surya Bonaly shattered Olympic rules.

As it happens, Surya was a power figure skater, the kind that lands ultra athletic jumps and makes you want to cross train in skates. Expect she BACKFLIPED. On figure skates. She couldn't "legally" backflip on Olympic ice, though, because the rules require landing on one foot. But who really cares about rules in the face of super powers? Surya learned to backflip one ice and land on one foot. Yeah, and live.

The day she was on that hallowed ice Surya was having a bad time with the judges and her program so she pulled out her badass move. Commentary noted that it was all for the performance and the crowd... and that she finished with her back to the judges. They ruled the move illegal in the end, although landing it on one foot should have technically made it count. She was disqualified with dignity and the knowledge that she put one a performance true to her character.



At the end of the day, it has to matter more to perform for ourselves, competition or no. Coming off a drawn out pole, blogging, and stretching rut this message rings particularly true. I am hard pressed to find time away from my second baby (my daughter was nothing like this!) and coming back slowly is excruciating--as a dancer there is always that "audience factor." Do I measure up to my own standards is I were to watch myself dance? My friends'? The knee-jerk reaction is to say "No" and stay in that place but it's bigger than that. Dance is a living story. We need to keep telling it and we need to be true to our dancer's story.

P.S.

Did you notice the new name? "Weekend Muse" is so much more descriptive than "Weekend Crush," don't you think?

 

Weekend Crush: Ronda Rousey

Last night was one of those nights. I am the odd one out on betting days--in my family we bet imaginary money on boxing and MMA matches and yell at the screen--but last night was a little different. I actually got into the action because I wanted to see if pretty Ronda Rousey could kick butt. And I hoped for it.

I know nothing, absolutely nothing, about mixed martial arts but I love to see women follow their dreams, even if it means going outside traditional gender roles. You know those little face shots they show with the competitor stats? I loved seeing a lovely shot of Ronda Rousey vs. the aptly nicknamed "Girlrilla" Meisa Tate. Okay, so I was immediately biased against Tate for being... alardosa... One of those people that just has to call attention to herself and "act big."

Tate did, for her credit, start out well. But just look at how it ended.... my arm hurts just looking at that! I don't care how flexible your shoulders are, there is no surviving this kind of arm ripping fury. I'll let you guess who won this match.

Weekend Crush: Yuzuru Hanyu

Before last Wednesday I had no clue who Yuzuru Hanyu was. And I would not have cared. Typically, typically male figure skaters hold little interest for me. Oh there are some I love--especially the sort that skate on wet ice or that push the limits of sexy. Maybe it's the difference in body type but there is definitely a distinct flavor, something about the faster jumps and the silhoutte they create in spins. Yuzuru? Still difffent, but clearly his own brand of amazing amongst figure skaters.

He turns BBQ eating music into magic.

Weekend Crush: Mirai Nagasu

Mirai Nagasu (c) The Skating Club of Boston
CC Attribution 2.0 License

There is something particularly serene about Mirai Nagasu.  Maybe that's why she tends to skate a pretty clean program, well at least compared to my first love in figure skating. Her laybacks are very elegant--there is definitely some flexy to love there! (See clip below from the 2013 Finlandia Trophy.)

Weekend Crush: Missy Franklin

I normally do not get into the Olympics, other than my love of figure skating, so this week's Weekend Crush is a little different for me. What's so special about Missy Franklin? For one her awesome performance in the 100 m dash even though she started out behind. Also, how cute is she in the US Olympic swimming team's Call Me Maybe parody? (below)