Where else would you be able to see a giant swan
and a besequined harlequin battle it out for top honours
on a 30 metre by 60 metre sheet of ice?
No, not the world's weirdest themed fancy dress party,
but the Winter Olympic Games.
(BURNING QUESTIONS)
(DO FANCY COSTUMES HELP SKATERS WIN OLYMPIC GLORY?)
(WINTER GAMES EDITION)
In a previous episode of Burning Questions we looked
at how figure skaters stop themselves from getting dizzy.
It turns out, ear hairs.
But if their incredible twists and turns
don't make your head spin,
their costumes certainly will.
Figure skating combines elements of performance
and prowess, with marks awarded for skills,
choreography and interpretation.
She has earned 150.06 points in the free program,
which is a new season's best.
So, can choosing a costume out of the top drawer
really help the skaters get the top marks?
Let's look at the evidence.
Brian Boitano's Sgt Pepper-esque getup
certainly did the trick with the American taking gold
in Calgary in 1888.
Oksana Baiul with pretty in pink for a gold medal
winning performance in 1994.
A bedazzled bubble gum pink number, to be precise.
While this fashion-forward sleeveless pantsuit helped
power Sarah Hughes to glory in Salt Lake City, 2002.
I mean, I'm not sure I could pull that off.
Perhaps the most flamboyant of all
is American skater Johnny Weir.
He once compared one of his costumes to
a Care Bear on acid.
But he is best known for his interpretation of a swan
for his routine to Camille Saint-Saëns'
score of the same name.
Weir took to the ice in a costume that featured
feathers across the chest,
crisscrossed strapping over one arm
and a single red glove meant to signify the bird's beak.
So, can how you dress really help you blade to glory?
It certainly does seem like feeling confident
and being able to express yourself on the ice can make
help a good impression on the judges.
So, to whom do figures skaters turn
when they want to stand out from the crowd?
This?
Just 20 quid from a market in Grimsby.
Guys, I'm not skating.
I'm just acting.
Fashion designers such as Vera Wang,
herself a former figure skater,
and Christian Lacroix have both brought their
unique creative visions to the ice.
But, despite what you might think
judging by some of the weird and wonderful costumes
on display, what skaters wear is actually governed
by a strict set of rules.
Because if there's one thing we all love more
than fancy dress, it's fancy dress with rules.
Yes, please.
Costumes must be modest, dignified and appropriate for
athletic competition and not garish or theatrical in design.
What's that mean?
But the rules don't say anything about crystals.
Sometimes there are up to 100,000 of them,
all of which have to be sewn on by hand.
This can take anything up to 40 hours to apply.
40 hours?
That's like four working weeks for me.
So, how much do these sparkly pieces of spandex
actually cost?
Elite level costumes can cost anything between $500-$5,000,
although the average is around 3,000.
Elite level skaters usually have two costumes per season.
One for their long program
and one for their short program.
They might also have a third costume just in case
someone turns up in the same outfit.
I hate it when that happens.
That means they can spend up to $10,000 a year
just on costuming.
That's more than Lady Gaga's costume budget.
Speaking of Lady Gaga, how big a role does choosing
the right music play in bringing you
to the edge of glory? Oh, it's good stuff.
Figure skaters will often choose music with different
moods or tempos so they can skate to the melody
and phrasing of the music.
Certain pieces have become figure skating staples.
Swan Lake has been popular
since bronze medallist Janet Lynn used the piece in 1972.
Ravel's Bolero is forever associated with
ice dancing pair Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean
who skated to gold in Sarajevo in 1984.
And, of course, who could forget the battle of the
Carmens in 1988?
East German Katarina Witt
and American Debi Thomas both chose to skate
to the music for their long programs,
with Witt doing the biz-ness to take the gold.
Carmen is written by Bizet.
That's why I did that joke. No need to Google it.
And the good news for Gaga fans is that since 2014,
skaters have been allowed to choose music with words
for their performances,
so expect some pop-inspired performances in PyeongChang.
I bet you my house Gangnam Style is used at least once.
But I don't have a house.
So, there you have it.
Figure skating is a huge investment of time,
energy and money, but it don't mean a thing
if it ain't got that bling.
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