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Yulia Lipnitskaya explains 'Schindler's List' music choice

"Schindler's List" is the 1993 drama about Oskar Schindler and his attempt to save Jews from Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II.

By Aileen Graef
Russia's Yulia Lipnitskaya skates her free skate on the way to winning a gold medal in the team figure skating final in the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics on February 9, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. UPI/Molly Riley
1 of 7 | Russia's Yulia Lipnitskaya skates her free skate on the way to winning a gold medal in the team figure skating final in the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics on February 9, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. UPI/Molly Riley | License Photo

SOCHI, Russia, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Russian skater Yulia Lipnitskaya explains that when she first listened to the score from Schindler's List, she felt connected to the music and it moved her.

Yahoo Sports' Elvis Stojko, also a figure skater, further explains her song choice and her reasoning behind what many considered a controversial choice. "That's usually what a skater is looking for when you're choosing a piece of music," says Stojko about Lipnitskaya's explanation. "It's not always attached to the actual subject matter of the movie."

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Lipnitskaya's choice of a red outfit also created a visual link between the music and Steven Spielberg's movie, which was filmed almost entirely in black-and-white except for one girl who appears in a red coat.

Citing his own usual choice of music by the composer John Williams, Stojko says the music is a way of connecting a skater's performance to the audience and judges. American skater Paul Wiley and German skater Katarina Witt also performed to this music.

The 15-year-old Lipnitskaya impressed many during her Olympic debut, including Russian president Vladimir Putin. Is she wins, she will be the first female Olympic champion from Russia.

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[Yahoo]

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