FOI Interview Hanyu Yuzuru - English translation
Interview Hanyu Yuzuru
Encounters from „Fantasy on Ice“ spread out steadily
Yuzuru Hanyu who was part of every show, since the comeback of Fantasy on Ice in 2010. In this show, which can also be called his home, he had many encounters and grew much. The young Olympic Champion, who is now triumphant returning to Murakami, experienced many precious moments.
Very enjoyable Fantasy on Ice
Q: You participated in every show, since the comeback of Fantasy on Ice (FOI) in July 2010 in Niigata.
H: Really? Amazing. (laugh)
Q: You are part of many different Ice Shows, what are the differences between these other shows and FOI?
H: In normal exhibitions the lyrics for the songs are English, or it’s a classical piece I’m skating to, but in Fantasy on Ice the collaboration are often with J-Pop, so the mood I’m skating in is completely different.
Q: When you first appeared in 2010 you were still in junior league, what where your thoughts back then?
H: Because the opening and the finale where unmistakable a collaboration with the artist, these parts were different from a normal show. It had fun from the beginning. There were famous artists coming, songs I knew very well in the opening and finale and I was able to skate in there, it was really fun. Skating to familiar songs is nice, but there were also mysterious feelings. Because I thought that with a Japanese song, I can give a performance where the audience can feel the familiar lyrics.
The exchange with athletes from overseas also began here
Q: Is this FOI also the start for your contact to oversee athletes like Johnny Weir, Stéphane Lambiel and Evgeni Plushenko?
H: Indeed, it’s like that. During Fantasy on Ice I talked about different things with Johnny Weir and in the end he designed my costume for me. Also with Stéphane Lambiel I talked a lot and I asked for some tricks for my jumps. In this sense it was a precious time. Because I was still a junior that time, I didn’t have many chances to meet with the top athletes from senior league. I think it was important for me to get this kind of motivation during off-season.
Q: Johnny Weir designed your Zigeunerweisen costume in 2010.
H: That’s right. It really feels like this was thanks to Fantasy on Ice.
Q: In 2010 during the Fukui show was the first time you skated in front of Johnny Weir.
H: Yes, I did that. But I was very nervous. (laugh) He knows that I really admire or respect him and it seems like he has a special awareness for that. He told me that my performing style is somewhat similar to his, and I think it was maybe at that time that it turned out like that. (ぼく自身憧れているというか、彼をリスペクトしているのを彼自身すごくよく思ってくれていますし、そのことに特別な意識を持ってくれていたみたいでした。)
Q: Stéphane Lambiel also always paid much attention to you.
H: I’ve known Stéphane Lambiel since Fantasy on Ice 4 years ago and we were able to build a friendship. Although he’s now doing Machida’s choreography, without concerning that, he also gives tips to me like “isn’t it better to do it that way”.
Q: Before there was a time when the two of you said you want to stand a quadruple in the finale.
L: [no idea why suddenly Lambiel is talking] That’s right. (laugh) even tough he didn’t practice a quadruple, during the finale he just jumps it. I think that’s a real world champion.
Q: Also with Plushenko you appeared together in 2010 in Fukui.
H: For me he’s still an existence that is fare away from me. I’ve always watched him on TV, and he’s the reason for me to get absorbed in figure skating. So I still have the feeling that we’re not standing in the same place yet.
Q: But he has said that he’s always had high expectations for you.
H: Yes, I’m really happy about that. I also was able to meet with him during Sochi Olympics, and we met many times since I started competing in senior league and every time we meet again he’s telling me to exceed him. Plushenko-san himself is the absolute champion, or at least that’s the image I have, so I think every time that I need to become just as strong.
Q: To FOI this time Johnny Weir and Stéphane Lambiel are coming again, so you will be able to meet with them again.
H: That’s right. I’m Olympic champion now, so I think we will talk about different things than before, but I’m really looking forward to it. They both have supported me all the time, so I have the feeling that I need to express my gratitude.
Meeting with “Hana ni nare”
Q: Now I would like to ask some questions about the speciality of FOI, the collaborations with the artists. At first about your “Hana ni nare” collaboration with Fumiya Sashida in 2012 in Fukui. Was that the first collaboration for you?
H: That was the first time. I was very aware of that fact and did my best. I felt that if I put all of my feelings in it, I would be able to become the lyrics of the song or the tune of Sashida-san’s piano. It was the show after the earthquake so I had the strong desire to convey the message of the song from inside of me. I’m still skating it now; it’s a program I really like.
Q: You performed this program also during the Osaka Exhibition 2014. It is normal to perform a collaboration like this just during that show, but you keep performing this program.
H: It might be in the message of the lyrics, but I was able to find a link to somewhere inside me. Anyway, I like the song itself, so it’s a good feeling skating to it.
Q: This collaboration in Fukui was really a happy encounter.
H: It really got a collaboration I got addicted to.
Q: Is it a big difference, if the music is coming from a CD or if it’s played live?
H: It’s different. I don’t match my movements to the music, but rather to the lyrics, so when it’s live the timing is a bit different. This difference in timing is what made me feel like I was doing something new every day.
Q: In this meaning, the picture after the skate of the artist is also emotional.
H: That’s right. A collaboration is not something that can be done alone, and because the song is living as it is performed just then, I have the feeling I also need to give a living performance. The freshness this gives makes it something different every time. I wonder what this sensation of overflowing feelings is. That’s what I think during every collaboration. It gives me the feeling of completing it together. That’s something you can only experience during a collaboration. It’s very comfortable to skate like that, and I always think that it would be good if this good feeling or good mood would be spread to the people around me.
Your collaboration with Hiromi Go this time
Q: Well, the collaboration this time is with Hiromi Go.
H: Yes, I will skate to “Ienai yo”. I haven’t started yet with the choreography, but I’m looking forward to meeting Hiromi Go. He’s someone who sings for a long time now, like an “eternal idol”. I want to meet with him, talk about different things and then make my image (to which I will skate).
Q: The choreography this time will be done by Pasquale Camerlengo. Is it your first time to work with him?
H: Yes, it’s the first time. I’m a bit nervous. But I had many choreographers doing choreographs for me, also Mr. Camerlengo said that he wants to do my choreography so I think it’s a good thing that he can make one song for me like this. I’m looking forward to it.
Q: Mr. Camerlengo already made choreographs for athletes like Daisuke Takahashi and Akiko Suzuki. What kind of image do you have of his choreographs?
H: I have the feeling that they are telling a story. Daisuke Takahashi’s “Michi” was also like that, it’s like skating to the image of a story, like a choreography devoted to that story, he’s good in conveying the atmosphere of the story, that’s the image I have.
Q: So maybe we will be able to see a different Hanyu- san we haven’t seen before, with a chorography from Mr. Camerlengo.
H: That’s true. I’m really looking forward to that myself. The way to feel a song, or the feeling a song give is important, but still depending on who created the program it gets completely different. I think it would be nice to enjoy this difference, and that it’s different from usually.
Q: P&G, who are the formal supporters of moms, are sponsors for the show this time, could you tell us something that comes to your mind about your mother?
H: That’s difficult. She’s a person, who always supports me, is closest to me, and understands me the best; she helps me out a lot. If she wouldn’t have supported me, I think there are many things I would have been able to achieve, and I wouldn’t have continued with skating, so she’s really important to me. If because of P&G campaign or not, I think I would be happy if you (speaking to the reader) would feel grateful towards your mother.
We are looking forward to your performance. Thank you very much.
----------------------------------
English is not my mother tongue, so there might be some faults... tell me if you find something, or just live with the mistake!
For the red part, I tried to translate it, but it doesn't make much sense in my opinion. That's why I also put the original japanese sentences, if anyone could or wants to help me with it, please tell me how you would translate that part!
Note: So a new theme on my LJ, 3 new tags, and I actually had to put a new userpic which fits this post :D
Encounters from „Fantasy on Ice“ spread out steadily
Yuzuru Hanyu who was part of every show, since the comeback of Fantasy on Ice in 2010. In this show, which can also be called his home, he had many encounters and grew much. The young Olympic Champion, who is now triumphant returning to Murakami, experienced many precious moments.
Very enjoyable Fantasy on Ice
Q: You participated in every show, since the comeback of Fantasy on Ice (FOI) in July 2010 in Niigata.
H: Really? Amazing. (laugh)
Q: You are part of many different Ice Shows, what are the differences between these other shows and FOI?
H: In normal exhibitions the lyrics for the songs are English, or it’s a classical piece I’m skating to, but in Fantasy on Ice the collaboration are often with J-Pop, so the mood I’m skating in is completely different.
Q: When you first appeared in 2010 you were still in junior league, what where your thoughts back then?
H: Because the opening and the finale where unmistakable a collaboration with the artist, these parts were different from a normal show. It had fun from the beginning. There were famous artists coming, songs I knew very well in the opening and finale and I was able to skate in there, it was really fun. Skating to familiar songs is nice, but there were also mysterious feelings. Because I thought that with a Japanese song, I can give a performance where the audience can feel the familiar lyrics.
The exchange with athletes from overseas also began here
Q: Is this FOI also the start for your contact to oversee athletes like Johnny Weir, Stéphane Lambiel and Evgeni Plushenko?
H: Indeed, it’s like that. During Fantasy on Ice I talked about different things with Johnny Weir and in the end he designed my costume for me. Also with Stéphane Lambiel I talked a lot and I asked for some tricks for my jumps. In this sense it was a precious time. Because I was still a junior that time, I didn’t have many chances to meet with the top athletes from senior league. I think it was important for me to get this kind of motivation during off-season.
Q: Johnny Weir designed your Zigeunerweisen costume in 2010.
H: That’s right. It really feels like this was thanks to Fantasy on Ice.
Q: In 2010 during the Fukui show was the first time you skated in front of Johnny Weir.
H: Yes, I did that. But I was very nervous. (laugh) He knows that I really admire or respect him and it seems like he has a special awareness for that. He told me that my performing style is somewhat similar to his, and I think it was maybe at that time that it turned out like that. (ぼく自身憧れているというか、彼をリスペクトしているのを彼自身すごくよく思ってくれていますし、そのことに特別な意識を持ってくれていたみたいでした。)
Q: Stéphane Lambiel also always paid much attention to you.
H: I’ve known Stéphane Lambiel since Fantasy on Ice 4 years ago and we were able to build a friendship. Although he’s now doing Machida’s choreography, without concerning that, he also gives tips to me like “isn’t it better to do it that way”.
Q: Before there was a time when the two of you said you want to stand a quadruple in the finale.
L: [no idea why suddenly Lambiel is talking] That’s right. (laugh) even tough he didn’t practice a quadruple, during the finale he just jumps it. I think that’s a real world champion.
Q: Also with Plushenko you appeared together in 2010 in Fukui.
H: For me he’s still an existence that is fare away from me. I’ve always watched him on TV, and he’s the reason for me to get absorbed in figure skating. So I still have the feeling that we’re not standing in the same place yet.
Q: But he has said that he’s always had high expectations for you.
H: Yes, I’m really happy about that. I also was able to meet with him during Sochi Olympics, and we met many times since I started competing in senior league and every time we meet again he’s telling me to exceed him. Plushenko-san himself is the absolute champion, or at least that’s the image I have, so I think every time that I need to become just as strong.
Q: To FOI this time Johnny Weir and Stéphane Lambiel are coming again, so you will be able to meet with them again.
H: That’s right. I’m Olympic champion now, so I think we will talk about different things than before, but I’m really looking forward to it. They both have supported me all the time, so I have the feeling that I need to express my gratitude.
Meeting with “Hana ni nare”
Q: Now I would like to ask some questions about the speciality of FOI, the collaborations with the artists. At first about your “Hana ni nare” collaboration with Fumiya Sashida in 2012 in Fukui. Was that the first collaboration for you?
H: That was the first time. I was very aware of that fact and did my best. I felt that if I put all of my feelings in it, I would be able to become the lyrics of the song or the tune of Sashida-san’s piano. It was the show after the earthquake so I had the strong desire to convey the message of the song from inside of me. I’m still skating it now; it’s a program I really like.
Q: You performed this program also during the Osaka Exhibition 2014. It is normal to perform a collaboration like this just during that show, but you keep performing this program.
H: It might be in the message of the lyrics, but I was able to find a link to somewhere inside me. Anyway, I like the song itself, so it’s a good feeling skating to it.
Q: This collaboration in Fukui was really a happy encounter.
H: It really got a collaboration I got addicted to.
Q: Is it a big difference, if the music is coming from a CD or if it’s played live?
H: It’s different. I don’t match my movements to the music, but rather to the lyrics, so when it’s live the timing is a bit different. This difference in timing is what made me feel like I was doing something new every day.
Q: In this meaning, the picture after the skate of the artist is also emotional.
H: That’s right. A collaboration is not something that can be done alone, and because the song is living as it is performed just then, I have the feeling I also need to give a living performance. The freshness this gives makes it something different every time. I wonder what this sensation of overflowing feelings is. That’s what I think during every collaboration. It gives me the feeling of completing it together. That’s something you can only experience during a collaboration. It’s very comfortable to skate like that, and I always think that it would be good if this good feeling or good mood would be spread to the people around me.
Your collaboration with Hiromi Go this time
Q: Well, the collaboration this time is with Hiromi Go.
H: Yes, I will skate to “Ienai yo”. I haven’t started yet with the choreography, but I’m looking forward to meeting Hiromi Go. He’s someone who sings for a long time now, like an “eternal idol”. I want to meet with him, talk about different things and then make my image (to which I will skate).
Q: The choreography this time will be done by Pasquale Camerlengo. Is it your first time to work with him?
H: Yes, it’s the first time. I’m a bit nervous. But I had many choreographers doing choreographs for me, also Mr. Camerlengo said that he wants to do my choreography so I think it’s a good thing that he can make one song for me like this. I’m looking forward to it.
Q: Mr. Camerlengo already made choreographs for athletes like Daisuke Takahashi and Akiko Suzuki. What kind of image do you have of his choreographs?
H: I have the feeling that they are telling a story. Daisuke Takahashi’s “Michi” was also like that, it’s like skating to the image of a story, like a choreography devoted to that story, he’s good in conveying the atmosphere of the story, that’s the image I have.
Q: So maybe we will be able to see a different Hanyu- san we haven’t seen before, with a chorography from Mr. Camerlengo.
H: That’s true. I’m really looking forward to that myself. The way to feel a song, or the feeling a song give is important, but still depending on who created the program it gets completely different. I think it would be nice to enjoy this difference, and that it’s different from usually.
Q: P&G, who are the formal supporters of moms, are sponsors for the show this time, could you tell us something that comes to your mind about your mother?
H: That’s difficult. She’s a person, who always supports me, is closest to me, and understands me the best; she helps me out a lot. If she wouldn’t have supported me, I think there are many things I would have been able to achieve, and I wouldn’t have continued with skating, so she’s really important to me. If because of P&G campaign or not, I think I would be happy if you (speaking to the reader) would feel grateful towards your mother.
We are looking forward to your performance. Thank you very much.
----------------------------------
English is not my mother tongue, so there might be some faults... tell me if you find something, or just live with the mistake!
For the red part, I tried to translate it, but it doesn't make much sense in my opinion. That's why I also put the original japanese sentences, if anyone could or wants to help me with it, please tell me how you would translate that part!
Note: So a new theme on my LJ, 3 new tags, and I actually had to put a new userpic which fits this post :D