Friends on Ice
My friend and I fully enjoyed this ice show produced by Shizuka Arakawa. Thank you, Shi-chan! We went to see the final one but all the skaters, including the choreographer Kenji Miyamoto, didn’t show any fatigue but instead gave us passionate, sincere and gorgeous performances.
Before the first and the second part of the gala each, we heard recorded announcements of basic instructions such as not using mobile phones or taking photos during their performances. We realised that the announcements were in Shizuka’s voice!
My personal MVP award goes to Yamato Tamura! Can’t believe that he hadn’t skated for a gala for one year, as he has recently concentrated on helping with his students. I wonder if he chose ‘Nessun Dorma’ for his first performance with clear implications for Shizuka’s achievement at the Turin Olympics, but his version of ‘Nessun Dorma’ was as impressive. He didn’t make any mistakes in triple jumps! I also loved his ‘Rocky’. He was so entertaining that he started to shake hands with the audience, do a jumping rope and press-up as well as jabbing. He concluded his funny and marvellous performance by running up into the audience and punching the air. The narrator introduced his real name after his boxing-conscious show but he insisted he wasn’t Yamato but Rocky himself.
Daisuke, although he was sadly the only one who missed a jump in the opening, was the most popular. We couldn’t hear his recorded message, which was played before he started to skate, because of shrill shouts of girls calling his name from every side of the rink. Pity that his solo performance was only once in the second half (seems like the amateur skaters in this show decided to perform once each). I still believe that his ‘Bachelorette’ is a magnificent programme, and no other skaters would be able to express this dark, sensual and mysterious song better than him.
The atmosphere was really ‘friendly’ as well, with some drawings for little presents to the audience, unique interference by the choreographer maestro Kenji during Takeshi’s ‘God Father’, Shizuka’s ‘little daughter’ Tiramisu (a doggy) performing ‘on the ice’, two little girls who were luckily chosen to participate in this show. Among these things the most heart-warming moment for me was when Shizuka, after her first solo performance of ‘If I Had May Way’, introduced Yuka Sato as her favourite and most respected figure skater. Yuka choreographed this song for Shizuka for the season when she won the gold for the World in 2004. Yuka was treated as the star who deserved to conclude the first half of the show. Nice to see that Shizuka is always humble about her status. My friend found Yuka’s skating skills outstood. Funny that she, a big Daisuke-fan, only knew less than half of the skaters and I had to explain who they were, their achievements, their current jobs and so on. But I was glad that she could acknowledge Yuka’s skating skills.
Akiko Suzuki’s femininity and elegance reminded me of Shizuka in her youth, Rena and John were as delightful as always, Yoshie Onda was cute and unique, Yukari Nakano showed us her exquisite Asian beauty, Takeshi Honda, who just announced his marriage, proved that he was still keen to learn new things and remained as a challenger (he always tries 3A whether or not he succeeds), Yamato Tamura was as sexy and entertaining as he had always been, Evan Lysacek dedicated his ‘last’ performance of ‘Carmen’ to us in Japan, Pang and Tong were sophisticated and skilful, Yuka Sato was atmospheric and refined, Daisuke Takahashi was distinctive and passionate, and Kenji Miyamoto kept entertaining us throughout the show.
Shizuka was perfect not only in the sense that she didn’t make any mistakes. She was beautiful, enchanting and the highest quality. Her second and last solo performance for this special show was the famous jazz music ‘Fly Me to the Moon’. Her dancing was sweet and expressive. I suppose Kenji is an inspiring choreographer for many Japanese skaters. She tends to choose slow songs but this new programme proved that she can do danceable numbers too.
For the ending, we cheered for Daisuke and Evan’s jumping competitions, Kenji and Yukari’s death spiral, Shizuka and Yukari’s ‘mirrored' Ina Bauer, Kenji (or was it Takeshi?) and his friend's 'the other way round' Ina Bauer, and Yamato’s trying at a quad! (I think that was what he tried…)
After the show was all over, Shizuka remained on the rink for a long time until she finished receiving all the presents from the audience and shaking hands with them. Pity that we couldn’t get the best seats and weren’t allowed to come closer to the rink, but we asked a receptionist to give our presents to Shi-chan and Dai-chan. Shizuka was so pretty and beautiful even off the show. Thank you again, Shi-chan, and please continue this show for a long time!
20.8.07
13.8.07
My flamenco teacher
Last Friday, I went to see a flamenco show for which my teacher performed as a special guest. The well-known tablao in west Tokyo was rather small, but it was soon packed with affectionados and students of my teacher, the main dancer and the singer.
The show began later than it was supposed to. At first, it started with a cante solo performance with two guitarists. The song by the most famous female singer in Japan deeply resonated with the audience. Then, we welcomed the main female dancer as well as our teacher on the stage. The numero with which the main dancer started to perform was unknown to most of us including me, and none of my classmates knew what it was either. But we soon realised how ‘perfect’ she was, in shapes, movements, rhythms, accents, atmosphere and expressions. Every part of her body seemed to be at the right angle for each movement. I wonder if it was mainly because of the well-made choreography or just simply because of her talent. I became worried about my teacher, who had to perform after this ‘perfect’ bailaora.
My concern proved unfounded. When the group began to play tangos, our teacher didn’t seem to start dancing for a while. Instead, she seemed to be immersing herself into the music itself. After the singer finished the first song, another song with a very little voice came into our ears and we were amazed to find out that it was being sung by our teacher! We were astonished but soon amused with the situation. After her little singing, she finally came out to dance in her usual mature, soft, unique and funny way. We burst into laughing at seeing her first pose which looked like she was doing ‘banzai’, which is quite unusual for flamenco. Then she improvised muy flamenca sorts of lovely movements, all of which entertained every single one of the audience. Actually, she is well-known for her heart-warming and depthful performance like this. None of other flamenco dancers can make the audience laugh and feel uplifting by their performance. I personally believe that even Spanish dancers can’t beat her to it.
After the break, the main dancer came back on stage and sat on the chair in the centre to give us her singing performance, which was another surprise. She was well on-pitch, her voice was loud enough and nicely husky, which was very suitable for flamenco. After this surprising performance, the main singer made us laugh by saying that it was rather challenging to her status as a professional cantaora.
In the second half, the main dancer chose the numero Garotin, which turned out to be another ‘perfect’ piece. She was sharp, powerful and passionate. We could find no weaknesses in her performance. But we were much more impressed by the next performer, our teacher. How smile-inducing, laughter-inducing, tears-inducing she was! Her performance was so communicative, which evoked the co-performers, the guitarists especially, to start improvising. If she played snappy steps, the guitar would respond with crispy sounds. Such a communication is what live flamenco is supposed to involve. In this sense, she was so inclusive.
On the contrary, the main dancer, however perfect she looked, was very exclusive. She was staggering and thoroughly guarded with the spotless choreography. It looked to me as if the co-performers had to obey her queen-like dance, which can be stifling. Our teacher didn’t show off any difficult techniques in particular, but she was entertaining, charming and brought us a delicious breeze by her sweet performance. I found the main dancer’s clapping, both during her own dance and for back ground rhythm to our teacher’s dance, was slightly ear-splitting. She was thoroughly powerful. But our teacher knew the effectiveness level. When the guitar was soft, her clapping and steps became gentle. She was well-balanced.
At the end of the show, our teacher was hilarious by checking her make-up in the mirror on the stage. We knew that her behaviour like this came out subconsciously, and that’s why everyone finds her so sweet. She made us laugh again by saying ‘well, the main dancer seems to be very tired today, so I’ll take over the job to introduce ourselves’, so the guest did! In a way, she was the one who took the initiative in this show, from the beginning to the end.
On the way home, I was chatting with one of my classmates, who was also excited about our teacher’s performance. We agreed to the point that our adorable teacher was the crown-jewel of flamenco. What a pity that I can’t have her lessons after the next week!
Last Friday, I went to see a flamenco show for which my teacher performed as a special guest. The well-known tablao in west Tokyo was rather small, but it was soon packed with affectionados and students of my teacher, the main dancer and the singer.
The show began later than it was supposed to. At first, it started with a cante solo performance with two guitarists. The song by the most famous female singer in Japan deeply resonated with the audience. Then, we welcomed the main female dancer as well as our teacher on the stage. The numero with which the main dancer started to perform was unknown to most of us including me, and none of my classmates knew what it was either. But we soon realised how ‘perfect’ she was, in shapes, movements, rhythms, accents, atmosphere and expressions. Every part of her body seemed to be at the right angle for each movement. I wonder if it was mainly because of the well-made choreography or just simply because of her talent. I became worried about my teacher, who had to perform after this ‘perfect’ bailaora.
My concern proved unfounded. When the group began to play tangos, our teacher didn’t seem to start dancing for a while. Instead, she seemed to be immersing herself into the music itself. After the singer finished the first song, another song with a very little voice came into our ears and we were amazed to find out that it was being sung by our teacher! We were astonished but soon amused with the situation. After her little singing, she finally came out to dance in her usual mature, soft, unique and funny way. We burst into laughing at seeing her first pose which looked like she was doing ‘banzai’, which is quite unusual for flamenco. Then she improvised muy flamenca sorts of lovely movements, all of which entertained every single one of the audience. Actually, she is well-known for her heart-warming and depthful performance like this. None of other flamenco dancers can make the audience laugh and feel uplifting by their performance. I personally believe that even Spanish dancers can’t beat her to it.
After the break, the main dancer came back on stage and sat on the chair in the centre to give us her singing performance, which was another surprise. She was well on-pitch, her voice was loud enough and nicely husky, which was very suitable for flamenco. After this surprising performance, the main singer made us laugh by saying that it was rather challenging to her status as a professional cantaora.
In the second half, the main dancer chose the numero Garotin, which turned out to be another ‘perfect’ piece. She was sharp, powerful and passionate. We could find no weaknesses in her performance. But we were much more impressed by the next performer, our teacher. How smile-inducing, laughter-inducing, tears-inducing she was! Her performance was so communicative, which evoked the co-performers, the guitarists especially, to start improvising. If she played snappy steps, the guitar would respond with crispy sounds. Such a communication is what live flamenco is supposed to involve. In this sense, she was so inclusive.
On the contrary, the main dancer, however perfect she looked, was very exclusive. She was staggering and thoroughly guarded with the spotless choreography. It looked to me as if the co-performers had to obey her queen-like dance, which can be stifling. Our teacher didn’t show off any difficult techniques in particular, but she was entertaining, charming and brought us a delicious breeze by her sweet performance. I found the main dancer’s clapping, both during her own dance and for back ground rhythm to our teacher’s dance, was slightly ear-splitting. She was thoroughly powerful. But our teacher knew the effectiveness level. When the guitar was soft, her clapping and steps became gentle. She was well-balanced.
At the end of the show, our teacher was hilarious by checking her make-up in the mirror on the stage. We knew that her behaviour like this came out subconsciously, and that’s why everyone finds her so sweet. She made us laugh again by saying ‘well, the main dancer seems to be very tired today, so I’ll take over the job to introduce ourselves’, so the guest did! In a way, she was the one who took the initiative in this show, from the beginning to the end.
On the way home, I was chatting with one of my classmates, who was also excited about our teacher’s performance. We agreed to the point that our adorable teacher was the crown-jewel of flamenco. What a pity that I can’t have her lessons after the next week!
8.8.07
Dreams on Ice 2007
Broadcast on 17th July on Fuji TV, I hadn’t come round to watching the recorded programme until this Monday. Till then, we had the shocking news about Nobunari’s drink driving. And yesterday, oh gosh! Maxim… I feel really sorry for the man who got killed in the car accident, his family, and the girl who is still in coma, those who got injured, and of course, Albena. The news has hurt not only Maxim and Albena but also other skaters and many skate fans.
Anyway… I’d just like to write down my impressions of the ice show.
At first, I was very impressed by Shizuka’s looks. She’s looked better and better since she won the gold medal at the Turin Olympics. It’s a pity that she didn’t skate this time but just appeared as a guest commentator.
Yukari Nakano: Le Cygne (Sant-Saens)
Her movement was smooth, elegant and beautiful. You can clearly see what a marvellous skater she has become. She must have been working so hard every day, and actually gets more and more appealing. For the encore, she turned up with the tune of Claudine and showed us her new technique of one-hand Biellmann spin, which was amazingly fast. I was so impressed by her hard-working and sincere attitude towards skating.
Satsuki Muramoto: All That Jazz
Still a junior skater, she looked so adorable working for the elegantly choreographed sequence. Not bad at all.
Rumi Suizu: What You Waiting For
She’s got a good sense of rhythm and girly charms. Maybe sexier than other female skaters around her age. Not bad at all.
Shen & Zhao: My Way
They are always great. With their dynamic and dramatic performance, they are a worthy world champion. Nobody knows if they will continue to work until the Vancouver Olympics to win the gold, but we pray for their luck!
Nana Takeda: Ain’t No Other Man
Wow, how energetic, rhythmical, dynamic and entertaining she is! I’ve known that she’s such a good dancer, but she’s got even better now. Dancing to this kind of glamorous tune, she’s still cute!
Digest version (Takahiko Kozuka, Kensuke Nakaniwa, Takahito Mura, Hirofumi Torii, Tatsuki Machida, Yasuharu Nanri, Akiko Suzuki)
Oh dear… Fuji did it again. I heard that BS Fuji showed all of them for the full version, though. I wanted to see Kensuke, Yasuharu and Akiko especially (maybe I’ll find their performances on some internet sites).
Nobunari Oda: Around the World (Red Hot Chilli Peppers)
After knowing what he’s done, I felt sad watching his supposed-to-be wild and gripping performance. It was still funny when he went out of the rink to shake hands with some of the audience, while playing the air guitar. Including the middle part in which four junior skaters held him up like a portable shrine, the choreography was unique and he was absorbed in the imaginative world. Did he break the air guitar at the end of the performance?
Yu-Na Kim: Just a Girl
At first, she looked like an American teenager in the sporty pink costume. But she also looked like young version of Shizuka, possibly because of her physique and hair style. Anyway, her performance was cute and pop. The encore was the well-known Reflection. She was cute throughout the show. Just hope that she will not get any more injuries until the next Olympics.
Fumie Suguri: Cell Block Tango (from Chicago)
We can always see clearly what she tries to express in any music she chooses. As for me, yes I understand what she wants to do, but somehow, it’s often slightly difficult to relate to her imaginative world. For this particular tune, I thought she was too skinny and stoic to be sexy. This observation of mine prevented me from simply enjoying her performance. I suppose many people now wonder if she can cope with the competing situation until the next Olympics, but I’m sure she knows it better than anybody else. Just like always, she might be able to manage, somehow. I just hope that she can do better for this season.
Stephane Lambiel: Un Giorno Per Noi (Romeo e Giulietta)
How emotional, sensual and poetic he can perform! He even did a quad. The encore was much awaited Flamenco with all of his passion. Hmm… I remember that I failed to see him in Omote-sando, Tokyo, in March this year, when he was in Japan for the world. My husband and I were walking along the street when I found a public toilet. While I was there for a few minutes, he spotted Stephane and probably his family coming along from the opposite direction. When I was back, they’d gone. I accused my hubby of not telling me about it even on my mobile, but anyway, he’d gone already. Not interested in figure skating, my husband’s impression of the magnificent skater was ‘he’s so small’. Well, his height is, maybe. I wonder what I could have said to the boy if I could actually see him. Maybe it’s better to see his performances on TV or in the stadium…
Denkova & Staviski: Liber Tango
When I watched their performance for this show on the video, I hadn’t known about the car accident Maxim caused. Maybe we’ll not be able to see their mature performance with the marvellous technique any more. In many senses, it’s so sad.
Daisuke Takahashi: Bachelorette (Bjork)
Due to the absence of Miki Ando and Asada sisters, Daisuke was selected to conclude the show. It might be incredible if you know some about his career, but it means that he’s improved as such a dependable man. The news that he has chosen a Bjork’s piece for his new exhibition programme made me excited. The collaboration of two of my favourite artists is, to me, a complete success. Daisuke depicted well of the pure but mysterious, digital but wild, cool but hot characteristics of Bjork’s musical world by his body and facial expressions as well as his skating itself. His spins have become better as well. He’s said to be the one and only skater who can express the music itself by his skating. Unlike his long programme for last year, Phantom of the Opera, the choreography may not have conveyed a particular story-line we could follow, but we enjoyed his performance as the music itself. He appeared again for the encore with the tune of Phantom of the Opera and showed his confidence in the step works. When going backstage, he was so sweet waving a little of his hand. I think most of his fans like him for both on and off the ice.
I just hope all the skaters can do their best on the ice, and no more skaters will have to ruin their careers and talents.
Broadcast on 17th July on Fuji TV, I hadn’t come round to watching the recorded programme until this Monday. Till then, we had the shocking news about Nobunari’s drink driving. And yesterday, oh gosh! Maxim… I feel really sorry for the man who got killed in the car accident, his family, and the girl who is still in coma, those who got injured, and of course, Albena. The news has hurt not only Maxim and Albena but also other skaters and many skate fans.
Anyway… I’d just like to write down my impressions of the ice show.
At first, I was very impressed by Shizuka’s looks. She’s looked better and better since she won the gold medal at the Turin Olympics. It’s a pity that she didn’t skate this time but just appeared as a guest commentator.
Yukari Nakano: Le Cygne (Sant-Saens)
Her movement was smooth, elegant and beautiful. You can clearly see what a marvellous skater she has become. She must have been working so hard every day, and actually gets more and more appealing. For the encore, she turned up with the tune of Claudine and showed us her new technique of one-hand Biellmann spin, which was amazingly fast. I was so impressed by her hard-working and sincere attitude towards skating.
Satsuki Muramoto: All That Jazz
Still a junior skater, she looked so adorable working for the elegantly choreographed sequence. Not bad at all.
Rumi Suizu: What You Waiting For
She’s got a good sense of rhythm and girly charms. Maybe sexier than other female skaters around her age. Not bad at all.
Shen & Zhao: My Way
They are always great. With their dynamic and dramatic performance, they are a worthy world champion. Nobody knows if they will continue to work until the Vancouver Olympics to win the gold, but we pray for their luck!
Nana Takeda: Ain’t No Other Man
Wow, how energetic, rhythmical, dynamic and entertaining she is! I’ve known that she’s such a good dancer, but she’s got even better now. Dancing to this kind of glamorous tune, she’s still cute!
Digest version (Takahiko Kozuka, Kensuke Nakaniwa, Takahito Mura, Hirofumi Torii, Tatsuki Machida, Yasuharu Nanri, Akiko Suzuki)
Oh dear… Fuji did it again. I heard that BS Fuji showed all of them for the full version, though. I wanted to see Kensuke, Yasuharu and Akiko especially (maybe I’ll find their performances on some internet sites).
Nobunari Oda: Around the World (Red Hot Chilli Peppers)
After knowing what he’s done, I felt sad watching his supposed-to-be wild and gripping performance. It was still funny when he went out of the rink to shake hands with some of the audience, while playing the air guitar. Including the middle part in which four junior skaters held him up like a portable shrine, the choreography was unique and he was absorbed in the imaginative world. Did he break the air guitar at the end of the performance?
Yu-Na Kim: Just a Girl
At first, she looked like an American teenager in the sporty pink costume. But she also looked like young version of Shizuka, possibly because of her physique and hair style. Anyway, her performance was cute and pop. The encore was the well-known Reflection. She was cute throughout the show. Just hope that she will not get any more injuries until the next Olympics.
Fumie Suguri: Cell Block Tango (from Chicago)
We can always see clearly what she tries to express in any music she chooses. As for me, yes I understand what she wants to do, but somehow, it’s often slightly difficult to relate to her imaginative world. For this particular tune, I thought she was too skinny and stoic to be sexy. This observation of mine prevented me from simply enjoying her performance. I suppose many people now wonder if she can cope with the competing situation until the next Olympics, but I’m sure she knows it better than anybody else. Just like always, she might be able to manage, somehow. I just hope that she can do better for this season.
Stephane Lambiel: Un Giorno Per Noi (Romeo e Giulietta)
How emotional, sensual and poetic he can perform! He even did a quad. The encore was much awaited Flamenco with all of his passion. Hmm… I remember that I failed to see him in Omote-sando, Tokyo, in March this year, when he was in Japan for the world. My husband and I were walking along the street when I found a public toilet. While I was there for a few minutes, he spotted Stephane and probably his family coming along from the opposite direction. When I was back, they’d gone. I accused my hubby of not telling me about it even on my mobile, but anyway, he’d gone already. Not interested in figure skating, my husband’s impression of the magnificent skater was ‘he’s so small’. Well, his height is, maybe. I wonder what I could have said to the boy if I could actually see him. Maybe it’s better to see his performances on TV or in the stadium…
Denkova & Staviski: Liber Tango
When I watched their performance for this show on the video, I hadn’t known about the car accident Maxim caused. Maybe we’ll not be able to see their mature performance with the marvellous technique any more. In many senses, it’s so sad.
Daisuke Takahashi: Bachelorette (Bjork)
Due to the absence of Miki Ando and Asada sisters, Daisuke was selected to conclude the show. It might be incredible if you know some about his career, but it means that he’s improved as such a dependable man. The news that he has chosen a Bjork’s piece for his new exhibition programme made me excited. The collaboration of two of my favourite artists is, to me, a complete success. Daisuke depicted well of the pure but mysterious, digital but wild, cool but hot characteristics of Bjork’s musical world by his body and facial expressions as well as his skating itself. His spins have become better as well. He’s said to be the one and only skater who can express the music itself by his skating. Unlike his long programme for last year, Phantom of the Opera, the choreography may not have conveyed a particular story-line we could follow, but we enjoyed his performance as the music itself. He appeared again for the encore with the tune of Phantom of the Opera and showed his confidence in the step works. When going backstage, he was so sweet waving a little of his hand. I think most of his fans like him for both on and off the ice.
I just hope all the skaters can do their best on the ice, and no more skaters will have to ruin their careers and talents.
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