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When a skier crashes or a speed skater falters, its purely a failure of the body.
Theres a sense of disappointment but no sense of ugliness.
But when a figure skater slips, its always ugly.
What could only serve as a distraction in other sports turns out to be a necessity in skating.
Who could imagine a routine conducted entirely in silence?
Yet there are limits to the sort of music that gets played.
One could add much else to the list of musical traits that make poor complements for skating.
What works best is music whose power is phrased with smoothness and delicacy.
Mariah Carey, Underneath the StarsOnly good things can happen when fantasies on ice hook up withFantasy, right?
Tricky, OvercomeTrickysMaxinquayeis an album all about pressure, but grace under pressure is no less important.
That album has certain things in common with the ice rink, which we wont enumerate.
Kylie Minogue, Love at First SightAny high-octane routine would be blessed to have this Kylie classic fueling it.
Rihanna, HigherThe No I.D.
Small wonder that its also a superb skate song.
The disciplined build-ups and the bursts of energy all but demand to be embodied in a skater.
