The grace and beauty of John’s skating has never been equalled and is a joy to behold! He made a very difficult programme look so effortless and in my opinion, this is still the best the world has ever seen. Such a talent. ❤️
I was 13 when this routine took place - his amazing quiet grace was a revelation: before him, male skaters had done nothing but charge round and round the rink building up to a leap or a spin; there had been no idea of balletic artistry or hiding athleticism. Terrible that he died so young, but AIDS took so many talented people back then when there were fewer drugs to fight it.
@@someone3187 You replied a year ago!. Sorry, I wasn’t notified. Why have you called me “Maureen”? I don’t know the skater to whom you refer. Can/could he perform ballet on ice also?
He's not just "doing" these elements - this is a real performance! Look at the control on that very first spin - captivating from the very first moment.
How wonderful to be able to see this again. John was a true artist. There has never been a more graceful skater. All his jumps were an integral part of his performances. No huge build ups required. What a loss to skating. Saw him in his professional shows in London and they were equally wonderful. Thanks for the opportunity to relive those magical moments.
Simply the greatest figure skater of all time. Remember, they did FIGURES back then, and John was quite good at them. The free skating though was his strength, and I have never seen a skater - male or female - with the feeling for the music he possessed. Skaters back then did Figures, short AND long programs. Today it is all about jumps. Like to see any of today's skaters land quads if they also had Figures and two other programs to complete. Talk about athletes!
We skating fans have seen a number of Sheherezade programs over the years/decades; this is quite simply the most extraordinary choreographic interpretation of the music. Curry truly understood the majesty of Rimsky-korsakov’s masterpiece. A complete work of art. Thank you for sharing this!
I read that someone didn't think John had the speed of todays' skaters. I think that his incredible smoothness and flow over the ice hides this. He does not fight for speed it comes quite naturally with his technique.
I’ve not heard that and they are wrong, it’s not about speed, as you say. I was watching the Olympic skaters recently and they seem pretty manic, darting here and there, arms flung around (wearing gloves!) - no grace at all and really not pleasant to watch. John has the grace of a dancer. Even though the music here is very fast at first - he’s dancing and skating at a lovely speed
That camel spin at the end of the Sherharazade section of this exhibition is absolute perfection. The position he holds and spins in absolute centering is just incredible. Truly an icon.
Wow, the clarity of this video is astonishing. And as much as I always enjoy Dick Button's commentary, it was a rare treat to just watch this artist with only the music and applause in the background. John Curry was one of a kind. No one - male or female IMHO - has come close to his grace and artistry. Simply the best figure skater of all time. (Again, IMHO).
My favorite skater of all time (along with Toller Cranston). Amazing that they competed at the same time. Simply glorious to watch, and what a shame he died so young. Nobody today can even come close to his superb artistry! John, you are sorely missed!
He was and is quite simply the most graceful and elegant skater there has ever been and he made it all look so effortless. Nobody could land a jump with the confidence, style and panache that he did.
What a phenom as they say today. Never will be another like him. I think what is a great asset to his line etc. his proportions are so correct-short waisted so long legs! To give him that wonderful extension. So sad he died so young.
This is possibly even greater than his winning performance. The musicality is astounding. The beauty of his spreadeagles, and camel spins have never been matched.
Probably the greatest classical figure skater in history. His line was simply brilliant. His performance at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck one of the greatest in history. He revolutionized skating.
Have we seen anything like this at the 2014 Olympics? I think not. There seems to be a peace and calmness emanating from his performances that defies description.
Ein unglaublich eleganter Läufer! Bezüglich Sprüngen, Pirouetten und anderer Figuren war das Niveau damals allerdings überraschend niedrig, das hatte ich so nicht in Erinnerung. Hochinteressant, solche Küren von früher jetzt wieder zu sehen!
Also, Curry never "set up" his jumps. He literally seemed to float from the heavens AND lands almost every jump on the best of the music which you almost never see skaters do then or now. Finally, he choreographed most of his performances - this on top of skating in the days when skaters did compulsory figures AND longer SP & FS. Sorry but no one comes close to what he achieved (although Toller Cranston gets bonus points for sheer bravado & uniqueness.)
Sure some have come close, but never equalled him. His positions were extraordinary- you never see skaters with the straightness of John's back in sit spins. John also didn't have to do a single jump & you were mesmerized. His feel for the music is still unparalleled. Paul Wylie was the only skater who came close; Wylie's camel spin may have even been slightly better than Curry's. I thing that also sets him apart from those other skaters you mentioned is that only he & Peggy Fleming won Olympic
Todays skaters lack the grace and poise as curry. I was watching recent male ice skating routines and there is no comparison. Curry’s routines are captivating and kinda hypnotic.
John Curry still stands as the world’s greatest ice skater, and Yuzuru is a fine skater. But John was always in perfect control and he landed his jumps like a dancer.
You simply can't mention him in the same breath as any other skater - he was SUPERB! Interesting that he and darling Dorothy won these Olympics - Both I feel the epitome of their disiplines. . . and with each, superior by simply stroking the length of the ice, no one's jump even could compare with their stroking - the carriage, posture and PRESENCE that made them giants in the sport. Rarely since seen ... Only Christopher Bowman had that presence and natural gift as did John to make it all look so easy ... and I've not seen a single ladies champion come near Dorothy's grace and style.
1970-1980 figure skating more workout at footwork,,for me this is calling figure skating...2000 year skating over aiming jumping become no more interesting...isu really kill figure skating
@pellebravesskylar Curry was great but frankly I think skaters have come close to his grace and artistry-but that's a matter of opinion. Skaters like Peggy Fleming, Janet Lynn, and Lucinda Ruh come to mind as well as exhibition skater/ballerina Katherine Healy.
You couldn't ask for a better TRIPLE AXLE done. (watch when they show it in slow motion!!! and he lands perfectly. Watch how straight up in the air he is before landing.
@@definitedoll Hi. I’m not sure you know the difference between a triple & a double axel. But John Currie never completed a Triple axel in competition. The axle jump is the only one that takes off from a forward edge, hence it has an additional 1/2 turn as the skater steps forward & up into the jump. Hence a single axle is 1 1/2 rotations, a double 2 1/2 & a triple 3 1/2. This is why the axle jump is considered the most difficult in skating to complete because of the forward takeoff & the additional 1/2 turn. A quadaxel would be 4 1/2 rotations. What you count here as 3 rotations is actually 2 1/2 of a double axel. Vern Taylor a Canadian was the first to land one in competition in 1978, two years after Currie won the Olympics. Scott Hamilton didn’t do one when he won the Olympics in 1984. Brian Orser, known as the King of the Triple Axel, & Brian Boitano were some of the first skaters to do them on a consistent basis. Hence the Battle of the Brians at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. Kurt Browning of Canada landed the first successful quad at the World Championship in Prague in the early 1990s. He also had a very good Triple Axel, which post 1988 was essential to win Worlds & Olympics. Incidentally Robin Cousins who won the Olympics in 1980, also from Great Britain, did not do a Triple Axel either. Here is the link to Vern Taylor’s first ever Triple Axel from the 1978 World Championships. He over-rotates on the landing, like Kurt did on his first quad. ca.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=ipad&ei=UTF-8&p=first+to+do+triple+axel#id=2&vid=a9cb098e033412a5c6fc21cfa5dcbd5c&action=click
todays ice skating is just rubbish compared to John Robin and Jane and Chris and all the other dancers of their generation, its just now , how fast how high and how many jumps, just awful to watch
Plus all the falling down and flailing of arms while trying to accomplish all this nonsense. And 4-6 seconds of waiting while they set up the jumps. We just don't bother watching any more.
Nathan Chen is doing more advanced jumps and spins, as all the skaters do these days, but he has a similar elegance and balletic style. Curry was a true master and very, very influential.
