Acintya Shenoy, Week #12: A Cold Face, or a Warm Heart?
A few days ago, I sat down in front of my laptop to see what the hype around Alysa Liu has been all about. I’d heard her name come up a few times in my day-to-day life, and as someone who has little interest in figure skating, I was interested in finding out how she had become a household name.
As I watched her iconic free skate, set to Donna Summer’s 1978 hit “MacArthur Park,” I was entranced by the way Liu moved, like water rippling through air. I could feel the exhilaration in every move she made, the way that each step and choreographic sequence flowed through time as if it were naturally ordained. The joy on her face from doing what she loved was palpable and infectious, and a wide, breathless grin inevitably spread on my face as I watched her move.
This performance was revolutionary to me—for the longest time, I possessed this view of figure skating as a restrictive, controlling discipline, especially following the women’s singles scandals during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics; Russia’s Kamila Valieva was disqualified for doping after being coerced into doing so by her coach, and Alexandra Ignatova, despite making history as the first woman in figure skating history to land five quad jumps in a free skate program, placed second to teammate Anna Shcherbakova, making her the only Russian female figure skater not to walk home with a gold medal. Figure skating, to an outsider like me, became synonymous with stress, pressure, and burnout rather than performance and art.
Liu, despite being capable of quad jumps, did not do a single one during her gold-winning free skate. Additionally, she received a score of 226.79, lower than 2022 third place winner Kaori Sakamoto at 230.34. And yet, she has managed to capture and fascinate the American psyche in the span of a few short days.
So, what determines real power in the performing arts? Sure, respected athletes like Ignatova, Shcherbakova, and Sakamoto are top-notch in terms of their technique (as others say, as I still know next to nothing about figure skating). What really captivated audiences like me, however, was Liu’s clear passion for skating. I feel relieved, relaxed, exhilarated, passionate, and proud all while watching her free skate. That’s what great performers do—they bring their audience into the world they’re creating in real time, right in front of them.
Liu might not have had the most challenging routine compared to the previous Olympics. However, true power lies in artistry, in the ability to connect with people through your art. That is what I aspire to do with my art every single day.
I can absolutely relate with you when you mention the way that you were entranced with the way that Alysa Liu skates, because honestly, I was too. I simple could not take my eyes off of my screen or scroll past a reel of her creating her own art through her skating. Liu has such a unique character, style, and personality that she stands out from the rest of her competitors, even if she does not perform the most complicated or difficult skills. I think what really sets her apart was, as you mention, the pure joy on her face while she performs. She's there, at the Olympics, for no one but herself, and that's definitely not something you will hear very often. Another thing you will not hear much is that she does not really care about the medals, and that she just wants to perform her art. This mindset is one of the many characteristics that I admire about Liu (not to mention the way she pulls off her fun hair color), as it is not easy to step away from the expectations of others and simply do what your heart desires. I hold a lot of respect for Liu in that aspect, as I cannot imagine what it took to say, "I want to step back from figure skating" at a point in her life when she was successful. There must have been so many expectations from the public, but the fact that she had the courage to admit that she needed to step away for herself is commendable. Liu also has had such an impact on the internet, as everyone has started to become obsesses with her and her style. It's all so refreshing, which is probably what makes her so appealing. She has brought so many people into the world of figure skating, connecting with them through her art.
ReplyDeleteHi Acintya! Yes!!! I’m so glad Alysa Liu is getting so much media attention. Bay Area representation! Have you seen her performance to “Stateside” by Pink Pantheress and Zara Larsson? I literally jumped out of my seat when I found out that she was going to free-skate for an Olympics event (not the actual competition) because I love that song!
ReplyDeleteSimilar to how you saw her for the first time, I also noticed that Alysa’s skating is so… carefree. Not in a bad way per se, but you can tell how genuinely happy she is about skating rather than caring too much about winning a medal in a competition. In one of her interviews that I can’t recall where I got it from, I remember her saying something along the lines that she feels the most relaxed during a competition, and it’s her way of showing to the world what she’s done over the past few years. Even though that seems counterintuitive, I can definitely see it in her skating. Especially today when pressures on younger generations are getting heavier, Alysa’s hobby for skating reminds people what passion truly looks like, and to me that is so much more powerful than any cool moves and spins that a competitive skater does.
I think the reason why she stands out so much to me is because of her energy that she provided in the Olympics environment. As we’ve seen with a few Olympians who commonly get overwhelmed with stress and can unexpectedly fail their competition out of sheer nervousness, Alysa is so inspiring because she is positive to everyone no matter what. She definitely gives the “gold energy”. Amazing blog as always, Acintya!! :))
Hi Acintya, I have heard and seen about Alysa Liu but today was the first time that I actually sat down to watch her remarkable figure skating performance that won her the gold medal for America. I agree with your interpretation of figure skating to outsiders, the sport being “synonymous with stress, pressure, and burnout.” I noticed this especially when talking about this performance with my friends where we all were shocked to see how this interpretation is completely flawed with Alysa’s performance.
ReplyDeleteWhile watching it, I noticed she seemed to enjoy the entire art and her actions seemed so easy. The commentators summed it best with them acknowledging her performance felt like “she is just playing on the ice.” I think America and I are fascinated by her because of how she completely skates for fun, and her actions are like you mention, “bring[ing] their audience into the world they’re creating.”
I also think another reason why many people here love her is because she is part of the Bay Area which gives us some representation! It's also because of her background where she retired from the sport to become a normal teenager but then picked it back up for fun, and still is able to perform masterfully. Her actions demonstrate that she skates for the love of it, and no other ulterior reason.Thank you Acintya for giving me this opportunity to experience her ice skating for the first time.