When you listen to the music of Steven Universe, you can’t help but identify with the deep emotional connection and narrative context of each track. The songs are powerful on their own, but they can have a deeper meaning if they relate to your personal life.
Each song is written to underscore the personal story of each character. The characters singing the songs embody the lyrics, they move across the screen to further illustrate their emotions and when they belt out the words, you can’t help but feel how they feel.
The show does an amazing job of animating some of its most emotional songs with accompanying dance routines. Seeing the characters navigate their feelings through song and dance is very powerful. So to see an actual human do the same thing is extraordinary.
Ice skating has been on the minds of many animation fans recently, with shows like Yuri on Ice showing how the sport can be altogether beautiful, emotional and relatable. Recently on the Steven Universe subreddit, a fan shared a clip of South Korean figure skater, Da-bin Choi, dancing to the show’s track, “It’s Over, Isn’t It?” and ending with “Someone in the Crowd” from the La La Land soundtrack.
The original scene from the show is packed with the emotional weight of Pearl’s powerful singing (thanks to voice actress Deedee Magno Hall) and her wonderfully animated dance number. Choi’s routine is a perfect match for the track by incorporating all the elements we expected from figure skating: grace, control and emotion.
The music of Steven Universe already does a wonderful job of combining relevant story elements with its songs. The beautifully animated dances performed only serve to highlight each track. Seeing all those elements brought to an actual figure skating routine is just as interesting and compelling to watch.
