Skating to Hayley

[Libby]

I "re-discovered" the Katarina Witt and Friends video with Hayley singing Amazing Grace and Who Painted the Moon Black! Interestingly, I found it while searching for videos of Hayley singing with Katherine Jenkins! I guess youtube thought Katherine was close enough to Katarina.

I'm not sure if this is the same video I'd seen before, because I don't remember the interview at the end. But I'm glad I found it!

Yuka Sato (1994 women's World Champion) went on to use Hayley's Amazing Grace in that season's Stars on Ice tour, which is America's most popular skating tour! So Yuka went all around the country skating to Hayley's music! Too bad I missed this show.
And then, remember, Ekaterina Gordeeva skated to Prayer at that "Skate for the Heart" show several years ago. So apparently she liked Hayley enough from this show to skate to another one of her songs in another show a few years later! As for Katarina Witt and Kristi Yamaguchi, they don't skate so much anymore (I haven't seen Katarina skate in years), so that's their excuse. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Wouldn't it be amazing if someone skated to a Paradiso song?

[Richard]

Hello Libby!

You forgot to post the link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8s-qYD4e2g

Richard

[Richard]

Here's a new video of Miki Ando skating to Hayley singing "I Am A Thousand Winds" in Japan:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4Ua49uUoGI

Richard

[Libby]

Whoops, thanks Richard! I sometimes get so busy blithering on about my links that I forget to post the links themselves! Normally I discover it myself, though.

Thanks for the new video of Miki Ando! I knew she was in Japan for the Stars on Ice tour, so I wondered if she might skate to that song! She is also in the American tour. I wonder if she'll skate to that, here, too, or if that will just be a special program for Japan. I wasn't planning on going this time, but maybe I ought to rethink that!

I am actually going to a live taping of a televised skating show next week! Miki Ando is supposed to be there, too, but she will not be skating to Hayley. There will be live performers, Gladys Knight and Kenny G., so it is extremely unlikely she, or any of the other skaters, will skate to anything other than their music. But I'll let you know if she does!

[Libby]

Skaters who have skated to songs by Hayley:

Solo performances:

Yuka Sato: (Japan)

- Amazing Grace, Katarina Witt & Friends, with Hayley performing live, 2004
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8s-qYD4e2g

and later on tour with Stars on Ice, 2004-2005
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZT9llrxTxE (I finally found the clip again!)

Ekaterina (Katia) Gordeeva: (Russia)

- Who Painted the Moon Black? Live with Hayley on the Today show - 2004
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbt2lBtp83k

- Prayer, Skate for the Heart, 2008
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVClHWLgztU

Yukari Nakano: (Japan)

- Amazing Grace, various post-competition Exhibition shows, 2005 (NHK trophy, Japanese Nationals, etc.)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7poOovUOYA&feature=related

Jamie Sale & David Pelletier: (Canada)

- Vivo Per Lei, live with Hayley & Andrea Bocelli, Kurt Browning's Gotta Skate 2005
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdxRmcgsKDQ&feature=related

Yuka Sato & Jason Dungjen (Yuka's husband)

- Both Sides Now, Kurt Browning's Gotta Skate 2005, with Hayley performing live!

Yukina Ota: (Japan)

- Ave Maria (Caccini), Dreams on Ice 2009
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOU-ybON6RM

Ekaterina Pushkash & Jonathan Guerreiro: (Russia)

- Un Giorno Per Noi (with Jonathan Ansell), Junior Free Dance competitions in the 09-10 competitive season
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLAd8JtIcsA

Mao & Mai Asada: (Japan)

- White is the Colour, The Ice 2010
(video no longer available)

Miki Ando: (Japan)

- I Am a Thousand Winds, Dreams on Ice 2011
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tHrWMQKSkY

and Stars on Ice Japan tour, 2012
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4Ua49uUoGI


Skaters who participated in Group Numbers, with Hayley performing live:

Who Painted the Moon Black, Katarina Witt & Friends, 2004:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8s-qYD4e2g

Ekaterina Gordeeva
Katarina Witt (Germany)
Kristi Yamaguchi (USA)

Time to Say Goodbye, with Andrea Bocelli, Kurt Browning's Gotta Skate, 2005: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVIVhYa2-ho&feature=related

Kurt Browning (Canada)
Shae-Lynn Bourne (Canada)
Brian Orser (Canada)
Yuka Sato
Jason Dungjen (USA, Yuka Sato's husband)
Carolina Kostner (Italy)
Elvis Stojko (Canada)
Silvia Fontana (Italy)
Steven Cousins (Great Britain)

It turns out 1994 world champion Yuka Sato is the one who has skated to Hayley's music the most!! She is a Japanese skater, but she lives in the US with her husband Jason in Michigan, where they both coach several world class skaters, including a couple of my favorites!

[Libby]

Hey, guess what I found? A review of the Kurt Browning's Gotta Skate show, the one with Andrea Bocelli and Hayley Westenra!

www.kurtfiles.com/reviews/gottaskate05.php

The review is very long, so I'll just post the Hayley-related quotes below:

Kurt Browning's Gotta Skate 2005 Review


Air Canada Centre - Toronto, ON - Oct. 18, 2005
written by Tina


Of course, a large part of the attraction for this year's show, besides its popular host and stellar cast of skaters, was its musical guest star, Italian singing sensation Andrea Bocelli. The audience clearly loved Bocelli and was thrilled to have him there, cheering loudly when he was announced and whenever he was on stage. Bocelli, in turn, gave a standout performance, filling the rafters with his powerful and beautiful voice on six songs from both his upcoming album and an old favorite. He was joined on stage twice by 18-year-old New Zealand singing star Hayley Westenra, who also performed another song solo.

The program that followed I thought was one of the prettiest and most romantic of the evening. Hayley Westenra came out with Andrea Bocelli, and the two performed "Vivo Per Lei" as Jamie Sale & David Pelletier skated. Jamie & David started out the program with their arms around each other, facing the stage and just watching the singers, before they slowly broke apart, joined hands, and started moving towards the stage. The program just built from there, with both the lyrics and the choreography emphasizing love and romance and tenderness between the couple on the ice. The program also featured some of Jamie & David's trademark interesting lifts and moves, such as her arching into a sort of handstand on his back, or holding an extended spiral position with her foot clamped between his legs, or her standing on his feet facing him in a spread-eagle position, or several other overhead lifts. One thing that has always struck me about Jamie & David's lifts vs those of several other professional pairs, is how long they hold them. Similarly, the two did side by side spirals that just held and held and held as the edge deepened and the spiral tightened. Just a lovely program, and Hayley Westenra and Andrea Bocelli's duet was gorgeous.

We were treated to another live singing performance as Hayley Westenra came out to sing "Both Sides Now" while Yuka Sato & Jason Dungjen skated. Hayley has a lovely, clear, and rich voice that gave the well-known song a rather different quality than the version I'm used to hearing by Joni Mitchell. This was a beautiful, lyrical program that Yuka and Jason performed to gorgeously, with a plethora of lovely lifts and pairs moves.

The finale of the show brought Andrea Bocelli and Hayley Westenra back out to perform "Time to Say Goodbye", perhaps one of Bocelli's most famous numbers (originally performed with Sarah Brightman).Thematically, the song was obviously perfectly suited for a finale and it was a lovely way to end the show. The skaters were all dressed in dark costumes, and the finale found ways to highlight them all. It opened with Brian, Shae-Lynn, and Yuka side-by-side down the ice (Brian in the middle), each getting a chance to skate out and do something separately, and then in unison, and then following each other down the ice. They were then joined by Jamie, David, and Jason, lifting Jamie overhead between David and Jason before Jamie & David broke off to do a death spiral. Then Steven and Elvis in turn came out for a little bit of spotlight footwork before being joined by Kurt (who had done a quick costume change). The three of them followed each other down the ice, doing moves in quick succession after each other, and eventually ending up with Steven and Elvis down on one knee while Kurt did a spiral between them. The two pairs then did side-by-side overhead lifts between the skaters all joined together to skate in a circle, and then serpentine pattern down the ice. The finale ended with the skaters extending their arms towards the audience, before turning to acknowledge the fantastic singers. This was a gorgeous finale, and a perfect way to end a wonderful show.

Overall, I thought Gotta Skate V was a fantastic show with a great selection of skaters and programs, and amazing musical guests. I would highly recommend anyone catch the broadcast on NBC Dec. 18, 2005 (4-6PM ET). Every year, Gotta Skate is a great show, and this year was no exception. I can't wait to see what Kurt has in store for next year.

I'll have to add Yuka Sato & Jason Dungjen's program to Both Sides Now to the list above! Now, if I could only find it on youtube!

[Libby]

Photos!!









www.scratchspin.com/2005/gottaskate05/bocelli-westenra.html

LOL, being "snowed-in" has got me on a "skating to Hayley" rampage! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

[Libby]

Okay, I promise this is the last skating thing I'll post tonight, and then I'll go to bed.

These are excerpts from fan's review of the Kurt Browning special:

www.bocelli.de/FansSpecial/2005/Toronto181005.htm

I was a bit disappointed that Andrea was only featured in six songs, but if
you would have asked me to guess which six he would sing, I'd have only
gotten one right. Andrea was accompanied in two duets by New Zealand's
Hayley Westenra which was an awesome combination of voices, even when she
sang Time to Say Goodbye with Andrea, instead of Sarah Brightman. You could
not hear her on the last note at ALL, but who's complaining? Not me. My last
Andrea Bocelli concert experience had me in the highest and farthest seats
from the stage, so the sheer power of Andrea's voice was only a hint under
the amplification. On Tuesday, it felt like he actually vibrated my head
from the ears out - singing the end note past the microphone's capacity.

Shall I spoil the surprise and tell you what else they sang? Vivo Per Lei -
with Hayley singing in English. I didn't expect that at all and it was
gorgeous!

The announcer from NBC sports, when he introduced the grand finale skate to
"Time to Say Goodbye" mispronouncing Andrea with the North American feminine
for Andrew (pronounced ANN'dreeya.) I think we ALL, including Andrea,
Hayley, and the skaters, had a moment's shock at that mistake. We got to
stay around and watch him re-tape that intro.

I remember reading about that last part before. There were some other re-do's, too, apparently, but not with Hayley involved.

[Richard]

Thanks for the great posts, Libby!

I've posted a link on our Facebook page to give them the wider audience they deserve.

I've found an interesting video of Melinda Messenger and Fred Palasack on Dancing On Ice in 2009, skating to Hayley's "Both Sides Now":

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiBcHCNTSWs

Richard

[Libby]

Oh yeah. I saw that during my searches, but I forgot to add that. Especially since I'm not familiar with those skaters.

One program I've never been able to find is Jennifer Robinson of Canada skating to The Last Rose of Summer by Hayley and Meav, during a Canadian Holiday on Ice special with a Celtic theme a few years ago.

I found a couple photos of Hayley and the ladies in the Katarina Witt special, too:





Katarina is just to Hayley's right, next over is Kristi, then Katia Gordeeva.

www.scratchspin.com/2004/kwitt04/moon.html

[Libby]

Oh, and a couple more! Apparently Patti LaBelle was the main musical guest for Katarina's show that year:




Here she is hidden behind Steven Cousins, but her dress and hair give her away!



Oh, found her again!

[Joe]

Hi Libby,

Thanks very much for your wonderful posts in this thread!

Best wishes,
Joe

[Richard]

Thanks Libby!

I'll post a comment on our Facebook page to draw everybody's attention to the new photographs.

Richard

[Libby]

I'm glad you like my posts/photos. Being stuck at home with all the snow, I had tons of time to dig up all that stuff. But yesterday, the power was out, and then the cable (including Internet) took a long time to come back on, too.

I just thought I'd also mention that a few months ago, I sent a message to the current US ladies' national champion, Alissa Czisny, via her website, and recommended some Hayley music for her to skate to, and she responded! I suggested Jill's Theme from Once Upon a Time in the West, and of course I told her I highly recommended the recording by Hayley Westenra on her new album Paradiso. She responded within just a few days! She thanked me for my suggestion, and said she would definitely check them out, because, as she says, is always on the lookout for new music to skate to.

The reason I chose OUATITW is that skaters can only use vocals in competition if there are no lyrics, and the voice is being used as an "instrument", with the exception of ice dancing. Of course I want her to use it in competition, because a skater's competition programs will be seen a whole lot more than their show numbers will. Unless they tour with Stars on Ice, but competitive skaters don't tour much, since they're so busy training. And there's no telling who will be touring when.

I chose Alissa because she is a very beautiful skater, and being a 2-time US champion doesn't hurt, either!

BTW, Yuka Sato, the one who has skated to Hayley's music the most, is Alissa's coach!! So, if Alissa were to consult with Yuka on this selection, I'm sure Yuka would approve! Yuka's husband, Jason, is her coach, too, and of course he skated to Hayley with Yuka, too, live, no less, so I'm sure he would approve, too! I would bet they have some of her albums, too; Pure, at the very least.

Since ice dancers do get to use singing in competition, I'm planning to contact some ice dancers, too. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

[Libby]

Last night, I attended the live taping of a skating show that will be on TV very soon, Love on Ice.

Some of the skaters were Kurt Browning, the one who did the show with Hayley and Andrea Bocelli, and Miki Ando, who skated to I Am a Thousand Winds in Japan recently.
I was kind of hoping Miki would skate to that song here, but since the theme of the show was love, I knew she probably wouldn't skate to something sad. Instead she skated to something from Evita.

Anyway, our tickets included getting to go up to the "club" to meet the skaters afterwards. I got to talk to both Miki and Kurt!

I told Miki how I liked the program she did in Japan, I Am a Thousand Winds, and that Hayley is my favorite singer. Miki's response was, "Oh, Hayley? Yeah, she's very nice." In her Japanese accent, of course.

When I met Kurt, I started out by asking if he was going to do those Gotta Skate shows anymore, but apparently there was some problem working it out with the management.
I then told him I especially enjoyed the show he did with Andrea Bocelli. At first I just left it at that, but then when he said something more about how great it was to have Andrea on his show, I mentioned Hayley, too. To that, he said something like, "Back then she was still unknown". He asked if I had attended that show, but of course I had just seen it on TV. My sister chimed in, saying, "She's Hayley's biggest fan". i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif Actually, it was just coincidence that I saw her on that show, because I had no idea she was going to be on! I always watch the skating shows.

I thought it was interesting that he said "back then" she was still unknown. To me, she still is! I didn't say that, though. I thought it was exciting to know that he still remembers her very well (well, it was only 6 years), and who knows, maybe he and his family are fans and have more of her CDs!
I didn't get to say much more, though, since there were more people waiting to see him. I would have liked to say more to Miki, too, but as I say, there were lots more fans waiting, and I thought it was best to make it brief. I was supposed to be there to see the skaters, after all, not talk about Hayley the whole time! I'm just happy I got to talk to them at all!