A few years, a couple of young American skaters, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, caught my attention in an ice dancing competition, and they held my attention.
An Indian Folk Dance rendition at the 2009 Grand Prix Final on YouTube
Dance to Phantom of the Opera at 2010 U.S. Nationals on YouTube
They didn't simply perform some exercises while music played, instead they created a space for art to reside: no formula, no simple maneuvers, all inspiration and risk and life. No one else was like them. At the end of the Phantom dance, I could see that Charlie White had pushed everything to the edge as he appeared exhausted.
The pair won a silver medal at 2010 Winter Olympics. I couldn't tell who won the gold, but they were from Canada and their perfromance was exacting and pretty and rather dull. I won't say that Davis and White were robbed, but it was clear that what I want to see in a performance, that true moment of creative expression, was not the criteria by which the judges judged.
This year, the two won the gold at the 2011 World Championships. It was a nice performance. Perhaps that's why they won. They had stepped back a bit from the edge of creative expression and performed for the judges.
Tango from the 2011 World Championship on YouTube
I'll still remember the older performances. Their "Phantom" is what inspired me to write this post.
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