Hi! Sorry for my long absence.
Let me share a little report of Ice Explosion 2020 here, at least, the Daisuke’s parts. I believe all the info have been covered but I just wanted share my own with you.
It was a lively, warm and friendly send-off for him as much as a huge gift from him to his fans. It was happy, fun and emotional time.
The venue was our familiar Shin-Yokohama Ice Arena, where Friends on Ice and Christmas on Ice had been held. The cast skaters are similar to the other two. Due to the lack of time so soon after the Nationals and the biggest holidays of Japan I was prepared to see another show exactly like those and tried to be understanding.
Well, it did have the same format. Some group numbers, each individual programs, collaboration works with a live artist, even Mr. Gamada’s passionate MC style that comes with teasing with his heavy love to the skaters (or all the mankind). They are all there. But this is made of, for and about Daisuke Takahashi and celebrating the years of his singles competitive career and cheering for his new beginning as an ice dancer with Kana Muramoto.
The first show of the Day 1, I found the seats are fully occupied though it was early afternoon of a weekday and pretty busy time of the year for homemakers.
The opening: On the ice the images lightning flashed. Daisuke came out alone all in black. T-shirt, pants and his face buried in the hood of a thin, crisp and loose robe. aimlessly skating he was lost and powerless. In the dim lights he blindly let out white breath in the cold air a few times, once with his face up. It reminded his “Marnie” video he made in 2015. (It was the very first beauty I noticed in this show but sadly this visible breath never happened again on five other shows) Another being came over to give him power. And three pairs of other “animals” as well. According to the notes ran on the upper wall, he must have been given eyes of an eagle, ears of an wolf, strength of a bear and speed of a puma. Making him a brave soul. Now he raised up. All the skaters came out on the ice and he took charge.
Music: “4 Powers” by Bravestar
https://youtu.be/n0AsEcIRvq8Now he is the leader of the pack. He gives them power... later it turned out that this was choreographed by Kenji Miyamoto but some of the movements I felt it was an homage to The Phoenix. This opening was so cool I wanted more.
Music: “The Time is Now” by atreyu
https://youtu.be/ss_JgjdxX40After the opening two Chinese junior skaters, coached by Pang/Tong pair (I believe they are considered not a major group in China unlike nationally backed one around the gold medalist pairs of the Vancouver. Dai might have felt to give them encouragement for the long year friends). They skated alternatively, 13 years old girl in the early show and 16 YO boy for the evening.
Then Kana Muramoto’s “Feeling Good”. I was thrilled when in the middle of the program she rose from lying position and skated straight to me. Enticing and sensuous, yet she got class. She got sense of movements like her new partner. She could connect with the audience. I can see Kana + Dai will be a bomb to the ice dancing with or without their numerical success. At the very end of the program Daisuke joined and they skated together just to finish. I got excited with fingers crossed. The very first official performance in public for the couple was really short. They looked great to present passionate movement together. In two seconds it was over and the applause came he moved away from the center back to his humble self and gave her his cute clapping.
After individual programs of Keiji Tanaka(“pump it”- wonderful all through, good luck in the Worlds)and Kanako Murakami(”Boléro” ambitious music choice of Shae-Lynn’s Choreography)then Tanith and Ben’s (-simply fun!), Misha Ge (“Les Feuilles mortes ”- beautiful ),
the collaboration pieces with a violinist Ms Emiri Miyamoto were presented. Akiko Suzuki’s Lavender pro, (splendid) team PIW and Andrew/Kaitlyn’s ”Time to Say Goodbye” choreographed by Kana Muramoto (my heart ached) and Shizuka Arakawa’s continental tango choreographed by Kanako Murakami (awesome). And the Meryl and Charlie skated to a pretty love song (no name at hand) Then, the last of the Act I had come.
The two men from PIW team, Dai’s long time friend Hirokazu Kobayashi, also Yuta Onuma, and Elladj Balde started it to the strong tune of:
Music: My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark by Fall Out Boy
https://youtu.be/LkIWmsP3c_sAfter the short, athletic and artful skating and dancing, Ms. Miyamoto’s live violin stepped in and started very intense tune that grew into ... isn’t it? Isn’t it that? It’s coming, I know it’s coming.. here we go!! The intro of the Phoenix and Daisuke came in! The audience roared.
The four guys made a formation of one line one behind another w Dai in the front, as the violinist quietly turned and walked out. And the Fall Out Boy’s song started and now the audience went wild.
I love this group version. In and out to skate Daisuke could pour all his energy into the major dance movements w/o pacing to save it for the elements. (And after each of his all-out performances he still had a hard time getting up. But to his credit he completely nailed beautiful 3 Lutz on ALL the six performances!) The piece had more than a few screaming points and I prepared lozenge after Day 1 but it didn’t save my voice very well. Daisuke being one of the group didn’t water it down. It got more intense. More fire. He didn't try to blend in to the group like he used to do. He was even more Daisuke than any other time. The rest boys danced to Daisuke’s Phoenix or so I felt. I wish this to be one of his standard repertory or at least to be brought to a few more shows.
And I seriously worry about the roof or the structural damage of the venue. The performers and the audience, even the other skaters dancing at rink side shook the entire house.
The Act II started with “Welcome to the Ice Dance World” to the music of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast medley”. Two of the ice dancing couples, Meryl/Charlie and Tanith/Ben and the baby couple just hatched, Kana/Dai.
Kana in white, looking pure and fresh, found and picked up a red rose. It is the key item of time limit of the curse for true love to break in the original story. Maybe it didn’t have so much role in THIS program but later on it earned a very nice story to cherish in my memory. She gracefully skated and left the rose in the back, and the two senior couples showed their craft and what ice dancing is made of. (Throughout the show the three couples displayed variety of lifts seemingly to educate the newcomers and help creating their own) Dai came in with the rose. Still in the boots for singles but he swiftly reached to Kana and presented the flower. Instead of staying there to check her reaction he ran to the other end of the rink and showed off his ballet jump. But now he saw her dancing with the two other guys. He didn’t know what to do and turned to the two other ladies. (←←One of my favorite moments I can’t get enough) They quickly checked and touched up his hair and clothes and gave a cheer-up clap in the back to send him back to her. And then this brand new couple got together and started skating while the two other couples (and the audience as well) gave them parental smiles...
After that show went on with:
Keiji (Hip Hip Chin Chin)
Kanako, Akane and Kiki (PIW crews, Dancing Hero of from 80’s Bubble age )
Chinese Jr. Group performance (Soothing)
Elladj (Amazing)
Kaitlyn/Andrew (Adorable)
Then the violinist Emiri Miyamoto with
Akiko, Misha and 4 of PIW crews presented Wild West number, “Roundtable Rival” by Lindsey Stirling. The Great Emiri time! I believe I was excused to keep watching her and her “dancing” while playing instead of skaters because at the end the skaters weren’t credited. Only the violinist’s name announced. (But skaters were really lovely)
Followed by Shizuka Arakawa’s “One Day I’ll Fly Away” and Meryl/Charlie’s Queen, the last solo of Dai.
The recorded narration in his soft voice was played first. I try to put it in English as close as possible to his original. (Words are from my memory and a few peoples’ tweets. Sorry for the missing or mistaken parts.)
“My figure skating life that started when I was eight years old, now has reached 25 years, quickly. In days, those years count about 9000 days. Looking back I feel them both long and short. Lots of scenes come back from my memories. Sometimes I had tears of regret, sometimes I shared tears of joy with my buddies. All the experiences are my treasures.
With these memories I am now closing the final curtain of my competitive life as a singles skater. But at the same time, the curtain of my new life as a competitor is opening.
There must be a lot of walls stand in the path and I am going to go over one by one and I am hoping to see and looking forward to the new sceneries beyond.
I am grateful to all the people around who had supported me and also all of you in the audience who had cheered for me and given me courage at any time. Thank you so very much. And I hope I will have your support to continue.”
He came out once again on the ice in a casual, living-room wear of a long camel colored cardigan sweater on a white T shirt and black pants. While preparing the performance to start, somewhat similar words from Daisuke were running on the upper wall screen in English. And it ended with these words, “I hope to continue my dream with all of you by my side.”
And he skated to “9000 Days” from the movie Invictus.
https://youtu.be/UjCW9ktWB88His beautiful skating that floats over the ice, unprepared gentle lifting and soft landing of his jumps, (Salchow and Lutz), movement of his arms connected to his back and shoulders. All were organically harmonized. They were all there, those other things Dai always had been giving that he skipped during The Phoenix. In a way for some reason I relate this piece to the final skating of Genji’s wailing in Hyoen. He put everything with his deep emotion, only this is full of thankfulness. He was smiling all through the program. I have never seen that before.
At the end of it all the skaters came to give a huge group hug. The circle around him got so tight and he went completely out of sight. The show ended.
The applause at the end of this was somewhat subdued. Clapping endlessly most of his fans in the audience choked and no one felt like screaming out. Instead, I imagine, many were hugging the banner and their own memories and inwardly shout thanks like I did.
The lights were up and now fun time of finale. The music for finale “Ever Again” and grand finale “Celebrate”.
Each time he tried 4T and fell. (Pretty nice try though) The very last one when he fell he got on his stomach and cover his face with his both hands, mighty cute (again).
The very last day Kana found something within the front row of the audience on the north side, the opposite of the front. She went over to Daisuke and talked to him and two went over to that corner of north almost to the west. They gave something to the one of the guests and the people around pleasantly reacted.
Later I found this on a few tweets: they saw the banner of K7/D1 to cheer up for both Kana and Dai. Kana found it first and went to Dai, bashfully telling him something. He saw it too and made a broad smile and they gave her the rose they used in the show. I hope TV Tokyo will show it when they air the complete version.
I will add a few more bits if I can, but I have to go to the gate to catch my flight. Thank you very much for reading.