Number of posts : 491 Registration date : 2019-03-16
Subject: Re: News and Topics 2021 Sun Nov 14, 2021 12:02 pm
Hello, just stopping by to say sorry - no time to add links to pics, articles, interviews etc, though there is a huge amount of them. Had a look at EX though. "You are the reason" has been revised and has advanced a lot. More of everything, choreo, lifts, speed, much more mature and sophisticated. A joy to see! But strangely, where was Dai's "sensual mode" today? Kana was "in it", but he seemed a bit distant. Still beautiful to watch.
There was a talk show before the opening, and Dai (with open curly mane ) gave full play to his media star qualities.
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PATTINA 4T
Number of posts : 3551 Registration date : 2013-03-30
Subject: Re: News and Topics 2021 Sun Nov 14, 2021 12:19 pm
Yesterday just after lunch RAI Sport broadcasted the recorded FD competition. Commentators were sport journalist Arianna Secondini and coach Franca Bianconi (she is also an ISU judge), coach of many Italian skaters, among them Matteo Rizzo. They both were enchanted and loved Kana/Dai's performance, having tons of wonderful words to praise this FD. As a coach Mrs. Bianconi was highly surprised by Dai's achievements in such a short time: of course, he had already the highest level skating skills and artistry (she said "I can not take my eyes out of him, never, since he was a single skater") but it's not at all easy to learn a totally different way of skating so quickly.
Indeed not only his Ice Dance skills have improved: Dai is now more confident and I can say he is now the "leading partner", taking his lady on the ice with such a natural authority. No esitation in lifts and in spins and great synchro, because Kana is such a talented skater. They complete each other.
After the FD ended, Kana and Dai met the British couple Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (a well deserved bronze) in the backstage. Dai is Lewis's idol since he started skating (Lewis said in several interviews that, although Dai was a single skater, he has always been his role model for ice dance, because of his artistry)
Next week Kana/Dai will compete at Warsaw Cup - almost no time to rest and a long flight. Let's hope they can recover from fatigue and deliver strong and enchanting performances once again.
Have a gorgeous SunDai
Last edited by PATTINA on Fri Nov 26, 2021 9:45 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Shyla 4F
Number of posts : 2462 Registration date : 2011-12-10
Subject: Re: News and Topics 2021 Sun Nov 14, 2021 7:30 pm
Thanks Pattina for all of the goodies. It was a wonderful competition! Shoma and Kaori winning Gold, Fear/Gibson on the podium finally.
Everyone in the skating world are talking about KanaDai's RD and FD and how much they have improved in such a short time. They really shined and have established themselves as a serious and talented ice dance team. Loved their Exhibition program so many new details. I couldn't be happier for them and they should be proud of themselves because their hard work has paid off.
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PATTINA 4T
Number of posts : 3551 Registration date : 2013-03-30
Subject: Re: News and Topics 2021 Tue Nov 16, 2021 12:02 pm
Lewis has posted the same photos on his personal account but with a special mention to Dai
Also to be given the chance to compete along side my skating idol @d1sk_t was something 12 year old me would never have dreamt of coming true. Never stop dreaming!
Japanese newspapers are still celebrating Kana/Dai huge performance at NHK and many people already see them as the National winners going to Oly 2022. This would be another record for Dai.
I'm Italian and I don't like to talk about it too much out of superstition of course, it's my strongest wish but whenever I read something, I knock on wood.
Yesterday Kana has posted an instastory reposting this photo taken by some Japanese photographer. Daisuke Takahashi Road to Beijing has saved it. I feel I can see Dai's piercing glaze from here
[when Dai started practicing for Ice Dance] He was very thin, like all singles, and this is understandable, since difficult jumps require above all lightness and sharpness. So the first thing we did was sending him to our trainer Rya Wessa, who just at that time had opened a fitness club in Florida.
In Japan, Takahashi never did strength training and at first strongly doubted he needed it. But then, when the result of the off ice work began to stand out, he liked it. And he began to apply with doubled zeal.
Performing an ice ballet is much more difficult. If you are unable to break the production down into sentences, as is done in ballet, you can only end up with a parody of the ballet.
Interviewer: I have noticed how Takahashi performs each of the dance steps clean and clearly. Marina: He understands the importance of this very well. Therefore, he learns new things for himself with great zeal. I would also say that he is much more scrupulous about technical work than people who have spent many years in ice dancing.
Today I'm working from home, so I can keep my laptop near the office one and watch Kana/Dai on the live stream. Or maybe even on the smart tv. Fingers crossed I don't receive a call or - worst - an unexpected online meeting.
Have a nice Daiday and to all our friends who are in Warsaw: enjoy the competition and cheer out loud!!!
GO KANA/DAI - GAMBATTE!!!!
EDIT - Congrats to Sota and Koshiro, who are first and second after the Short Program!!
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sonabilis 1A
Number of posts : 491 Registration date : 2019-03-16
Subject: Re: News and Topics 2021 Fri Nov 19, 2021 12:55 pm
Pattina wrote:
Our dear Twind is in Warsaw and yesterday she was able to catch a glimpse of Kana/Dai doing some off ice work.
Yes, yes! She actually traveled around the globe to cheer for Kanadai in Warsaw. If I understood her tweets correctly, she saw Kana, Dai and Marina on the street yesterday. And "Road to Beijing" is there too, isn't it?
I'm getting all fidgety.... unfortunately no chance to go there because of work. Probably won't even be able to watch it live (have a theater rehearsal).
edt: I was lucky, just the 15 minutes free when they were skating!
Wish them both all the best and keep my fingers crossed!
Last edited by sonabilis on Sat Nov 20, 2021 1:10 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Shyla 4F
Number of posts : 2462 Registration date : 2011-12-10
Subject: Re: News and Topics 2021 Fri Nov 19, 2021 7:51 pm
Popping in before I head out to work. Oh my they were wonderful with a score of 75+ and they are in second place after the RD. They just amaze me.
Thanks Pattina for all of the updates?
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PATTINA 4T
Number of posts : 3551 Registration date : 2013-03-30
Subject: Re: News and Topics 2021 Fri Nov 19, 2021 10:47 pm
I was able to watch the live stream, too. So amazing and powerful and....everything!!! They did better than last week and for a while we dreamed of a MidBlues level 4 with YYYY. During the performance the score went to 51 but dropped to 43.19 after the reviews and the MB downgraded to level 3 (YYNY).
No problem, even Papadakis/Cizeron did a level 3 at GP Italia. And the same for Sinitsina/Katsalapov. So Kana/Dai are in very good company
And getting a level 3 at your first International competition (NHK) and keeping it steady, while at the same time improving the Total Segment Score is really a huge achievement for Dai. So proud of him
Huge thanks to Kana, for providing strong technical support and all her experience.
"You can see this face again at the international competition, squinting to see the score." And Kana, same thing... two short-sighted Pisces
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PATTINA 4T
Number of posts : 3551 Registration date : 2013-03-30
Subject: Re: News and Topics 2021 Sun Nov 21, 2021 1:07 pm
GREAT!!! They were breathtaking and OMG Dai was even more elegant and confident in taking dancer Kana on the stage. They are a perfect match and this program is a diamant in the (sometimes dull) Ice Dance scene of these days.
The second place was not granted; to be honest I feared that G/P could overcome KD because their FD is very good and innovative and above all because they have more experience as a couple. They were only a few hundreths of a point behind just because of the fall. But Dai kept his nerves (you know how nervous he is before the match) and skated so beautifully. Kana did her best, too, and the result is a silver medal in a CS competition at their real first International season. Well done!!!
Below another RD video upload (btw 90.000 views already) is an informative comment by a Japanese, I'd like to quote it: "Soran-Bushi is a folk song of my region. In the past, there was a time when Pacific herring could be huge harvested, men came here for like a gold rush. This song uses a lot of ”Ya-ren, So-ran”, the shout they use to collect herring with their nets, and ”Dokkosho", the voice they use to lift their catch. Since it is a folk song, there are multiple variations of the lyrics. But this Program has a lyric that we don't often see elsewhere. ”Tonight and for one night only, we use a pillow made of satin. Tomorrow I'll take a ship and sleep with pillow of the wave.” I think this imply at the overnight romance in the lives of the roughnecks. The second half of the song is impressive as he and woman returns from the rough sea and dances around as if to let themselves go."
EDT Pattina, I posted the "squinting pics" overlooking you already linked them, sorry!
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sonabilis 1A
Number of posts : 491 Registration date : 2019-03-16
Subject: Re: News and Topics 2021 Mon Nov 22, 2021 5:27 am
Oh my, didn't know there was a Gala at Warsaw Cup!
click to expand:
All white, performing Soran Bushi No complete video available, too bad
EDT: Oh, correction: "Nora Bruckner kindly informed me that this is not the gala for Warsaw Cup but just a gala for the centenary of Polish fed and they just invited polish skaters, Kanadai, T/M and Koshiro"
PATTINA 4T
Number of posts : 3551 Registration date : 2013-03-30
Subject: Re: News and Topics 2021 Mon Nov 22, 2021 11:48 am
WOW. Thanks sonabilis for providing many info. So glad the Polish Fed invited Japanese skaters to their special gala for centenary. Love the white outfits.
Among other nice things, Kanadai's Warsaw morning practice before FD.
*
Marina Zueva's greatness as a coach also shows in the mental tools she gives to her protégés. Here you can find excerpts from an interview in which Kana & Dai refer to it. It was after NHK trophy.
Some words I'd like to quote.
click to expand:
(Kana) "Marina has a lot of wise words, but the one that left the biggest impression on me at this competition was, 'It's not what we do, but how we show what we can do now.' I thought that was really true. Comparing ourselves to the top teams doesn't make us any different. How we express ourselves and how we perform is important. As a result of being conscious of that,we got a good evaluation."
(Daisuke) "She told me every day, 'The audience is looking forward to your skating and supporting you. It's not that you have to do well, but how can you make them enjoy it?' If we don't enjoy ourselves, people won't understand. 'Enjoy this moment.' I think it worked out well because we were able to really enjoy our performance."
[DeepL translated. If I'm not mistaken, last sentence can be interpreted as both "I" or "we". As so often in Japanese]
There may be people for whom focusing on "doing well" is effective. AFAIK for Dai-chan, this has never worked. I can say this trait is common among musicians and stage performers. To be really good, they need to put aside self-judgment and not be afraid to make mistakes (in performance, of course - in practicing you have to be self-critical).
Marina is really a wise person
*
This interview from Kansai University's magazine BOOMSPORTS (Nov14) may have already been linked. However, once more won't hurt. They talk about choreographic/technical details, among other things. And it's apparently not smoothed out, but "written as spoken". The impression is very vivid.
RD run through, 2 parts (the day before RD) FD run through, 2 parts
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YT clip from official stream: 5min warmup before RD, at 2:00 the double fluke fall that horrified the fans for a moment
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Klaudia Kotlinska IG:
Gala videos, the 3rd one KanaDai with near cam position
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Anita Pohl IG:
Gala Final, from 2:27 KanaDai with a crazy combo lift (don't ask me for names, haven't got the technical terms yet )
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Fun read: Reports from fans who have been there. (2 different threads) Bumping into Dai&Kana at the coffee machine is quite something
ETA: Who knows if the atmosphere will ever be that personal again. Certainly not at major competitions. Hmmmm... pretty envious of those who could be in Warsaw
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sonabilis 1A
Number of posts : 491 Registration date : 2019-03-16
Subject: Re: News and Topics 2021 Sun Nov 28, 2021 3:16 pm
Hi everyone,
more photos!
Maybe some have already been posted, then sorry....
Number of posts : 491 Registration date : 2019-03-16
Subject: Re: News and Topics 2021 Sun Nov 28, 2021 6:52 pm
The "Daisuke Takahashi Puma Collection" is to be restocked in December (of course, it was sold out immediately after release) Dear Pattina, you linked Dai-chan's promo video amidst all the NHK trophy uproar, and I have to admit I didn't even notice it Yet it's a little gem, and maybe other readers have missed it too. So please allow me to link it again..
"On the day of the upload, I opened the video of Dai-chan, and what a whispery voice. It was so dangerous to listen to it in the middle of the night with earphones, I couldn't even think about the content."
So you all are warned.... have fun
*
"Kateigaho" ("Family pictorial") once more has a KanaDai special. One pic was circulated on SNS. Hm... hot young sailor and nymph of the seas I think
Have a nice Sunday everyone!
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sonabilis 1A
Number of posts : 491 Registration date : 2019-03-16
Subject: Re: News and Topics 2021 Mon Nov 29, 2021 4:36 am
Dai & Kana, "Until"
click to expand:
Sep 27, 2019 ilica wrote:
I don't know something about them together seems right
)
)