AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Figure skating - women's, men's, pairs - it's a big draw of the Winter Olympics - the power, the grace, the costumes, the music.
(SOUNDBITE OF GENNADY ROZHDESTVENSKY & BOLSHOI THEATER ORCHESTRA'S "CARMEN SUITE: II. DANCE")
RASCOE: And music is critical to a skater's routine, whether it's "Carmen," "The James Bond Theme" or something from the "Minions" soundtrack.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "UNIVERSAL FANFARE")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (Singing as minions) Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba.
RASCOE: Now, you can dress like a minion and hopefully skate better than one, but you must get permission from the people who own the music before you head to the Olympics. That's what Spanish skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate found out last week. For a few days, it looked like the program he'd been skating to all season was toast. This got us wondering about how music shapes a skater's performance, so we've reached out to Mary Quigg. She's a former professional skater and now a coach in Denver, known online as Coach Mary. Mary Quigg, welcome to the program.
MARY QUIGG: Thank you so much for having me. Hi.
RASCOE: So just how important is music to a skater's routine?
QUIGG: It's super important. It sets the mood. It sets the first impression when the music starts and the skater sets on the ice, and it's what leaves the lasting impression with the audience and the judges.
RASCOE: Well, what trends have you noticed in song selections in the last several Olympics?
QUIGG: So back in 2014, they created a rule that lyrics can now be added. So since then, skaters are getting more creative. I think we got a little bored with the same "Carmen," "Bolero" and classical music. So now we're thinking outside of the box, using different covers and different instrumentals, and more importantly, adding some lyrics.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PAPAYA (VAYA PAPAYAS)")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (Singing as minions in Spanish).
RASCOE: And this brings us back to "Minions." We mentioned the problem the Spanish skater had getting his permissions lined up. How big of an issue is that for professional skaters? You know, if the song changes, then the routine has to change, right?
QUIGG: Yes, exactly, because there's certain crescendos and highs and lows at the music. So in a skating program, there are certain strategic parts and sections to put a jump or a spin, choreography, slow down, speed up. So you definitely will have to move some elements and pieces around with a new piece of music.
RASCOE: Have you seen the Spanish skater skate to the "Minions" song? Do you think it works for him?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PAPAYA (VAYA PAPAYAS)")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (Singing as minions in Spanish).
QUIGG: Yes. I do think the program works for him. So I think it's a fun song. I think he's a great skater. I love that he has a costume, and it brings a lot of personality to the program.
RASCOE: Have you ever seen a good routine ruined by a bad music selection?
QUIGG: Oh, yes. Definitely. So sometimes you have a really great skater, and you choose a bad piece of music that doesn't highlight the skater's strongest skating potential. So definitely can downplay what they're capable of. For example, if someone is a beautiful classical skater and they skate to something like "Turn Down For What" by DJ Snake, that's probably not the best fit.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TURN DOWN FOR WHAT")
DJ SNAKE AND LIL JON: (Singing) Turn down for what.
RASCOE: OK. As a coach, do you have to steer skaters away from some questionable selections?
QUIGG: Yes. So something that maybe be controversial or have some profanity in it, or you have to cut out some sections of lyrics that may be inappropriate - those are examples of something we should steer clear of.
RASCOE: OK. So you don't want to turn off the judges with kind of raunchy music?
QUIGG: Exactly. Not that they're scoring you on that, but that's going to be on the back of their brain.
RASCOE: OK. Can you give us an example of how a music selection can actually, like, enhance a skater's performance?
QUIGG: So Alysa Liu - she's skating to "MacArthur Park."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MACARTHUR PARK (LIVE)")
DONNA SUMMER: (Singing) Ah ha.
QUIGG: She is a lovely skater, and it's a joyful piece, and she just brings it to life.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MACARTHUR PARK (LIVE)")
SUMMER: (Singing) I recall the yellow cotton dress.
QUIGG: So another program I'm really excited to see is Amber Glenn. She won the U.S. Nationals for three years in a row. I love her story. She's a strong skater. She unfortunately missed the last Olympics and didn't make it. So this year, she chose a piece of music called "Like A Prayer."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LIKE A PRAYER")
MADONNA: (Singing) When you call my name, it's like a little prayer. I'm down on my knees.
QUIGG: What I think of, it's, like, her Olympics, it's answering her prayers. She trained so hard. I've never seen her look so good. Her triple axel is consistent. She has a great comeback story, and she's here to try to give a good run for the gold. So that's definitely a program I'm looking forward to seeing.
RASCOE: That was Coach Mary Quigg of Denver, Colorado. Thank you so much for joining us.
QUIGG: Thank you for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LIKE A PRAYER")
MADONNA: (Singing) When you call my name, it's like a little prayer. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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