February 14, 2009

When I was a child, we didn't have a television, so the rise of Torvill and Dean was among the things I missed. My violin teacher videotaped the performance of Bolero at the Winter Olympics, and let me watch it at the beginning of a lesson, but that was all.

So the first I really saw of Torvill and Dean (apart from archive clips) was on Dancing on Ice. The ITV programme about Bolero reminded me just how astonishing they are. I've watched Figure Skating coverage - when it makes the schedules - and, frankly, although the current crop of champions are fantastic, I'd rather watch Torvill and Dean. Who are twenty or more years older than the current competitors.

Why?

I think I've worked it out now. Watching Torvill and Dean, I always find myself exhilarated by the achievement of perfection. Every line is matched, every turn precise, every extension finished, polished and honed. Many of the routines we see in competitions covered on the television lack some of that polish. The Story of Bolero made clear the hours of hard, dedicated work needed to achieve that precision.

Quotation from Tim Berners-Lee