Nathan chen video rocket man movie#

“When that hip-hop beat drops, he’s gotten through all the technical elements and he can just show off his personality and that changes your view of what you think skating is.”Ĭhen’s not the only skater taking a progressive approach to musical selection.Įlsewhere on the U.S.

“It’s edgy, it’s fun, it’s young,” said Rippon, who helps to coach figure skater Mariah Bell, one of Chen’s closest friends on the American team. The eclectic mix of genres seen so far have produced a new tone in the most stylish of performances, which are being heavily rewarded by the judges.Īdam Rippon, a member of the American bronze medal team at the 2018 Olympics, called Chen’s performance a watershed moment for the sport and predicts that his soundtrack will inspire a new and different generation of athletes.

Nathan chen video rocket man movie#

2 - or expansive movie scores from films like Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean or Moulin Rouge.īut the Beijing Olympics has witnessed the rise of more current, mainstream and offbeat music that first took hold four years ago in Pyeongchang, the first Winter Games in which lyrics were allowed. Traditional figure skating music is often classical or instrumental - Boléro, Swan Lake, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. “It was like, something that totally just made sense, and it was just so much fun to skate to and practice.” The medal-winning performance drew praise from John as well, who tweeted a congratulations to the skater. “I’ve historically skated to pretty slower pace, more classical pieces, and so bringing in this faster pace (was) very exciting,” said Chen, a classically trained pianist who’s been spending his free time in Beijing strumming his Stratocaster.