Dreams on Ice (Japan's annual National Figure Skating Exhibition), June 24-26

[AndyWarhol]

Wow, Kanako looks absolutely beautiful!

Agreed she looks amazing. So grown up!

[C_T_T_]

Nice transition into the death spiral from T/T

[justAfsfan]

Thank you so much for the video.

I really like Oda's program, the music and his stroke totally make me relax.

T/T is so great, very exquisite. They should get really high PCS if judged fairly.

Yuzuru was very expressive, if he have a chance to get use to this routine more, it could be very emotional performance.

I can't wait for Miki's Black Swan.

[Eris]

Nice transition into the death spiral from T/T

I'm so impressed and even made a gif
http://funkyimg.com/u2/115/108/dsp-entrance.gif

[oleada]

Thanks for the links and reports, midori.

Gorgeous program from T/T! Is this their new SP by any chance? I particularly love the entrance to the pairs spin and the death spiral Very lovely and musical skate from them.

Off to watch the other videos ...

[Eris]

Gorgeous program from T/T! Is this their new SP by any chance?

I guess so, they also debuted at DoI Flamenco and Feeling Good (their previous shorts).

[lily]

3A+3A looked good, on one foot without step-out, but it was near the opposite end on the near side, so I cannot tell much. Same for Lambiel's 4T but I think it was slightly over-turned.

I only saw one show (the last one) and none of them tried quad during the programs, but after the final vow, Hanyu, Lambiel, and Mura landed 4T. Stephane looked very happy when landed.
Hanyu and Mura also tried another quad (sal and lutz, I think) but both failed. Daisuke Murakami also attemped 4T but IIRC he fell on it.


The prelude by Stephane was marvelous. The arena went complete silence during the program. When he exhaled at the end, I could clearly hear the sound of the air even though I was at 30 meter away from him.

Kanako's new exhibition was beautiful and finally it is suitable for her age.

Yuuki Nisihino got big improvement on her posture and now she is a beautiful lady skater. Same for Haruka.

Yuzuru's 3A was huge, especially in distance.

Some said Oda's new program reminds them Jeffrey Buttle and I agree with it.

Thank you for impressions midori!

[nynyfee]

Yes it's T/T's new short program

[Ziggy]

Takahashi/Tran's new Short Program is AMAZING.

Once again, fantastic work by Julie Marcotte (I don't understand why she isn't used more).

All elements are connected very well, the program flows beautifully, there is a lot of creative and original movements and quite strong transitions.

The dance lift into a low shoot-the-duck into death spiral at the end really floored me. Ina bauer dance lift into the lift was great too.

If PCS were judged according to the criteria, with no bias, they should be second only to S/S on some of the marks.

What interests me though is the jumps.

Last season they did 2axels and 3salchows as their side-by-side jumps. But in this performance, they went for sbs 3toes.

Also, they did a throw 2lutz, which I imagine is going to be a triple in competition.

In the past, they used to do throw 3toe and throw 3salchow so a throw 3lutz would be a step up.

[Akira Andrea]

The video
The interview with Miki Ando as for new exhibition programs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak9tf1Fv0K8

This interview was done at the venue of DOI and was broadcasted in the June 25th.
Translated from Japanese.

00:00
In "Dreams on Ice 2011" which was opened in June 24th, the figure skaters who represent Japan and continue to aim at not 2012 London but 2014 Sochi overwhelmed all audience by the performance which had the more advance expect the future in last season.
00:18
Above all, what attracted the audience's attention was the Worlds Champion Miki Ando.
(In June 24th, she skated to “Black Swan” from the US film)
00:38
Her absolutely new exhibition program clutched tightly the imagination of the audience.
00:45
Kokubu Editor interviewed directly Miki Ando who continue to progress.
00:52
What season was last season for you?
00:57
Ando: I think that it was the season where I could do the performance which is suitable for me through the year. I think that I may have been able to grow even if being a little because I could do the performance properly like that.
01:12
In "Dreams on Ice" today, too, I hear that you show us new exhibition program, too, but…
01:18
Ando: As for the exhibition program, I prepared two programs.
The one program is the English version, “A Thousand Winds” of “Sen no Kaze ni natte” or "I am a Thousand Winds". By this program, I am going to send the disaster sufferer in Japan the message to say "Don't feel sad". Watching my performance, I wish that a lot of person recovered the vigor.
01:35
Ando: The other program is “Black Swan” from US film. I can sympathize very much with the heroine because I find some resemblance to me on the situation of the heroine in the story.
01:50
"Black Swan" is the story which a heroine who is ballerina is gradually cornered on psychologically concerning the position of the principal role. Ando says that herself superimposes on the heroine, but what will be "the real meaning"?
02:03
Ando: I wish that I could perform the personality of that heroine.
It is very hard job to choreograph the story of a movie to a show program. It takes me even five minutes to perform this program. So I skated to it yesterday, but I was very tired.
02:25
Is 5 minutes as for a program what feels being long?
02:28
Ando: 5 minutes is…, Because there are not many jumps, but I continue to skate for a long time..., I could understand well the feelings of male skaters (lol).
02:37
It is meaning saying "What a hard thing they have been doing!", isn't it?
02:41
Ando: Attempt to run for five minutes with all your might!
02:43
You are meaning that it is such a feeling, aren't you?
02:44
Ando: Yes, you can understand.
02:46
Then, I will go back with dash today.
02:49
What is the goal as a skater?
02:53
Ando: I wish that I could grow day by day till I retire from the eligible skater. I would like to get to be told "You grew in this point, didn't you?" or "You became better a little, didn't you?", from the audience even if it is only one matter. It is because I think that it becomes the bigger harvest for me than the result itself for somebody to be able to find my growing.
03:13
I hope you'll do your best because I also as one of fans look forward to such posture of you.
Thank you.
Miki Ando is always pursuing a performance grown.
The dance of the queen will continue to next tale.

Reference:
The new exhibition programs
“A Thousand winds” by Hayley Westenra
(The English version of “Sen no Kaze ni natte” or “I’m Thousand Winds”)
The Lyrics
http://www.lyricsmania.com/i_am_a_th..._westenra.html

“Black Swan” from the soundtrack of US film “Black Swan”

[Roxanne]

I love Kanako's exhibition. She looks so much more mature now.

[sarah009]

Thank you Akira! Do we have any chance to watch Miki's Black Swan?

[Akira Andrea]

Thank you Akira! Do we have any chance to watch Miki's Black Swan?

I have a faint expectation that it may be broadcasted in the broadcasting of July 9th because the TV crew seems to have been in the venue also in June 24th.
Moreover, there is every possibility of skating to "Black Swan" at there because she participates in the ice show "Fantasy on Ice 2011 in Fukuoka" in Fukuoka prefecture in west Japan in July 2nd-3rd.

[Pratfall]

I love Narumi and Mervyn . Their progress has been very satisfying to watch over the last few years. Great transition into the death spiral and also into the pairs spin.

Great job by Gauthier , Marcotte etc.

[JerseySlore]

Really wish Tran could get Japanese citizenship. They are too good to miss the oly.

[Ziggy]

Really wish Tran could get Japanese citizenship. They are too good to miss the oly.

Not going to happen.

I mean Tran would have to give up his Canadian citizenship and even if he did the requirements to get the JAP one are very strict and he surely wouldn't meet them...

It's a real shame but such is life.

[lily]

Lambiel's Rachmaninoff program
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfWtGHbLFYM

[Akira Andrea]

As for “Dreams on Ice 2011” in June 25th, all players and their programs which were broadcasted today are as follows.

Ryuichi Kihara: “Violin Concerto”
Yuki Nishino: “Time to Say Goodby”
Kento Nakamura: “Fugata” by Piazzola
Miyabi Oba: Shall We Dance”
Keiji Tanaka: “The Untouchable”
Risa Shoji: "Rapunzel on the Tower" from "Tanglet"
Daisuke Murakami: SP “The Feeling Begins”
Haruka Imai: I’m into Something Good”
Takahito Mura: SP "Aranjuez”
Fumie Suguri: “Girls on the Dance Floor”
Jingu Ice Messengers Grace (Synchronized Skating Team): “Footprints in Sand”
Akiko Suzuki: “Burlesque”
Yuzuru Hanyu: “Romeo + Juliet”
Cathy Reed & Chris Reed: “Lady Grinning Soul”
Kanako Murakami: “Amarti Si”
Narumi Takahashi & Marbin Tran: “Imagine”
Nobunari Oda: I can See Clearly Now”
Tatiana Volosozhar & Maxim Trankov: L’amore Sei Tu”
Stephane Lambiel: “Rachmaninov’s Plelude in G minor"
Takahiko Kozuka: “Free Fallin’ ”
Miki Ando: “A Thousand Winds”

Miki Ando's "Black Swan" was not broadcasted also today as I feared.

[Eris]

Akira Andrea, thank you!

Miki Ando's "Black Swan" was not broadcasted also today as I feared.

oh, it's too bad

[reut]

As for “Dreams on Ice 2011” in June 25th, all players and their programs which were broadcasted today are as follows.

Stephane Lambiel: “Bring Me to Life” (Rachmaninov’s Plelude in G minor)

I think broadcasters were a bit confused: "Bring me to life" and Rachmaninov are two different programs. It was indeed written "Bring me to life" on the screen, but he skated Rachmaninov.

Here is the HD video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm16F0B99TE