Stéphane being Stéphane
Article from Pirouette by Tatiana Flade (scans in lambiel_ru here)
Stéphane Lambiel is a two-time world champion and silver medalist of the 2006 Olympic Games. His comeback was in 2010 when he won silver at the European Championships and placed fourth in Vancouver. Now, the Swiss takes part in shows and has begun a second career as a choreographer.
Why were you in Oberstdorf at the Nebelhorn Trophy?
I came just two days before the competition to work with Carolina Kostner. It was about the show in the Arena of Verona Opera and I was hired to rehearse with her two numbers. I am lucky enough to start my career as a choreographer with talented people who have so many opportunities. I can really draw from a large repertoire.This summer I had the opportunity to work with skaters at different levels, skaters from Japan, Russia, Italy, from anywhere. I understand that I love this work and in the coming years I see myself more and more as a choreographer with the athletes and want to work on physical expression to the music, so that a program gets a personality. I need not necessarily work with champions, to me it's generally fun to work with people that share the same passion as I have for figure skating, who want to learn, who want to reach a different quality than jumps, leaps, jumps. Yes, the technique is important, but I think that figure skating is more than the juxtaposition of elements. You don't skate for the points, but skate from your heart. The most important are probably the
emotions. On the emotion that skater leaves at the end of the program depends, whether it will be remembered or not. There are often skaters whom you remember perhaps by jumps, but not by the program itself or by the emotions. I want to work in this direction, for the younger skaters, who are now on their way up.
How do you work on a choreography?
The music is the basics. In figure skating you never skate without music. The basis of my choreography is to discover how the music feels, what emotion and what story it tells. Of course, I have to adapt well to the distribution of the elements. Often it's the coach who makes the layout and tells me what is where. With Tatsuki (Machida), it was not as difficult, since I knew his program by heart. I was really invested into his program and was very sad that he could not skate at Nebelhorn Trophy. He understood very well what I wanted to give him. There was a lot of fun to work with him and this work was one of the best moments this summer.
You also worked with Alexei Mishin's group.
I was very honored that Mr Mishin invited me. It was a great opportunity for me to work as a choreographer with such talented students. He has a lot of students who have already mastered triples, who has a strong character, determination and the will to come up. I've mainly worked with Artur (Gachinski), Liza (Tuktamisheva) and a bit with Evgeni (Plushenko). Then I have also worked with younger skates, showed them some moves, how to use the body in three dimensions. I think they appreciated it; anyway, I myself appreciated it very much.
What were your impressions of the students?
I was very impressed by Artur. Since the Worlds he has made tremendous progress. You see a much improved quality of movement in comparison to previous years. I think he has taken many dance classes and was inspired by many things and people. I was proud that I could give him something and influenced him in some way. I've worked with him, especially on the free program.We have added transitions and worked on two step sequences : the circular and the choreographical, and in the end we got something very strong. Evgeni had just come back after his injury. He had a long break to recover from his knee surgery. He started slowly again, and I showed him many things which, I believe, he is going to use in his programs. He was very interested to learn new things.
How was it working with a former rival?
This was no different than working with other skaters, in the sense that he had the will and the need to learn. as we worked together, I saw him not as a rival from the past, but as a friend who needed help. I made no choreography for him, but I have given him information and I hope he will use it later in his programs. I like to help those who needs my help.
So every skater can call you?
I do not know if all the skaters have my phone number. I do it with pleasure, but there are only 24 hours in a day and I cannot help everyone, but I have much pleasure in doing it and I hope that I will be able to devote myself later more to this task.
Do you already see a program in your head when you hear the music?
Don Quixote for Tatsuki Machida was a music that I always wanted to skate to myself. For me, Don Quixote is a very dynamic music, very fresh, very young. I think that unfortunately my time for this music is already gone and I cannot skate to it. When I discussed music with Tatsuki, I thought that he could be a very good Don Quixote, young, with a very pure esprit. With a friend I've cut the music. The slow part is a very well known from Don Quixote, but I think they best suit the style of Tatsuki. In the choreography, there is a part, as I saw it before in my head, when Don Quixote meets his love for the first time. At first, he is playful, a boy who wants to have fun in life, then he meets a girl who wants to seduce him. There's the part when he falls in love and inthe program, he holds the girl's hands in his and dances with her. This is my favorite place. At the end of the music is enthusiastic, and he proclaims for the whole village, 'I have found the woman of my life. I'm so happy! ' When the music stopped, I imagined everything. I think it was good for him, to have these images on his mind, to understand what these movements mean. This is all not very complicated or subtle, but it is clear and makes it easier to pass the message to the audience.
Fortunately, you also skate yourself.
Yes, fortunately for me, because I love it and need it. After the shows in October, I have a longer break from ice. Although I will continue to train, but I will appear in a show in French Switzerland. Several comedians are also involved, including one who is called Yann Lambiel, like me, we come from the same place, but from different families. He imitates politicians, athletes and other celebrities, including myself. He has often made fun of me and it has long been our dream to do a show together. In December, we are going to show a revue with sketches and a dozen current artists in our hometown Saxon. I will sing, be a comedian, we will dress ourselves. For me, it will be an interesting experience because I never got on stage without skates on. They are very funny people and I'll learn a lot.
What numbers have you prepared for your ice shows?
This summer I've showed in Japan for the first time a program to the Violin Concerto by Tchaikovsky. For Verona, I had prepared a new program to the music from Rigoletto. Otherwise, I have one program to Prelude by Rachmaninov and a new program, Don't Stop The Music, that I first introduced in Korea. This is very jazzy and very different from what I've done so far, a bit sexy, a bit macho. These are my new programs, but I still have many, many programs that are coming. In February I'm going to show two new programs at Art on Ice. I would like to renew my repertoire. There's so much music that I like, there are so many things I want to do, I have already given one idea to Tatsuki, but I still have many others I'll keep to myself. However, I have enough for the other skaters.
Do you make your programs by yourself now or do you still work together with Salome Brunner?
I work with Salome as before, because we have developed a good system. We combine our many hours of choreography and ballet lessons, and I find that I do not have the strength to go alone to the ballet, because I'm so bad in it. But she comes with me and tries to encourage me. We combine ballet classes and jazz classes. We go to the dance shows or music shows, and then work on our choreography. We try to be inspired by as many things as possible. She really is like a Muse for me and gives me the direction for my programs. It helps me very much and I can learn so much from her. She has an inexhaustible resource.
Is there any chance you will come to Oberstdorf in 2013 to qualify for the Olympics?
In order to skate here? Quite frankly, I can already tell, no. No, I have really finished. I am very satisfied with what I have achieved. I think there is a time for everything and everyone, and that my time is over. This is sad a bit. But on the other hand, there's still so many things in life, and I'm very happy with what I do and that I continue to skate in shows. If I had continued to participate in competitions, I would feel so strongly the need to show something, and maybe that would have spoiled skating for me, but now I still have this incredible pleasure.
Stéphane Lambiel is a two-time world champion and silver medalist of the 2006 Olympic Games. His comeback was in 2010 when he won silver at the European Championships and placed fourth in Vancouver. Now, the Swiss takes part in shows and has begun a second career as a choreographer.
Why were you in Oberstdorf at the Nebelhorn Trophy?
I came just two days before the competition to work with Carolina Kostner. It was about the show in the Arena of Verona Opera and I was hired to rehearse with her two numbers. I am lucky enough to start my career as a choreographer with talented people who have so many opportunities. I can really draw from a large repertoire.This summer I had the opportunity to work with skaters at different levels, skaters from Japan, Russia, Italy, from anywhere. I understand that I love this work and in the coming years I see myself more and more as a choreographer with the athletes and want to work on physical expression to the music, so that a program gets a personality. I need not necessarily work with champions, to me it's generally fun to work with people that share the same passion as I have for figure skating, who want to learn, who want to reach a different quality than jumps, leaps, jumps. Yes, the technique is important, but I think that figure skating is more than the juxtaposition of elements. You don't skate for the points, but skate from your heart. The most important are probably the
emotions. On the emotion that skater leaves at the end of the program depends, whether it will be remembered or not. There are often skaters whom you remember perhaps by jumps, but not by the program itself or by the emotions. I want to work in this direction, for the younger skaters, who are now on their way up.
How do you work on a choreography?
The music is the basics. In figure skating you never skate without music. The basis of my choreography is to discover how the music feels, what emotion and what story it tells. Of course, I have to adapt well to the distribution of the elements. Often it's the coach who makes the layout and tells me what is where. With Tatsuki (Machida), it was not as difficult, since I knew his program by heart. I was really invested into his program and was very sad that he could not skate at Nebelhorn Trophy. He understood very well what I wanted to give him. There was a lot of fun to work with him and this work was one of the best moments this summer.
You also worked with Alexei Mishin's group.
I was very honored that Mr Mishin invited me. It was a great opportunity for me to work as a choreographer with such talented students. He has a lot of students who have already mastered triples, who has a strong character, determination and the will to come up. I've mainly worked with Artur (Gachinski), Liza (Tuktamisheva) and a bit with Evgeni (Plushenko). Then I have also worked with younger skates, showed them some moves, how to use the body in three dimensions. I think they appreciated it; anyway, I myself appreciated it very much.
What were your impressions of the students?
I was very impressed by Artur. Since the Worlds he has made tremendous progress. You see a much improved quality of movement in comparison to previous years. I think he has taken many dance classes and was inspired by many things and people. I was proud that I could give him something and influenced him in some way. I've worked with him, especially on the free program.We have added transitions and worked on two step sequences : the circular and the choreographical, and in the end we got something very strong. Evgeni had just come back after his injury. He had a long break to recover from his knee surgery. He started slowly again, and I showed him many things which, I believe, he is going to use in his programs. He was very interested to learn new things.
How was it working with a former rival?
This was no different than working with other skaters, in the sense that he had the will and the need to learn. as we worked together, I saw him not as a rival from the past, but as a friend who needed help. I made no choreography for him, but I have given him information and I hope he will use it later in his programs. I like to help those who needs my help.
So every skater can call you?
I do not know if all the skaters have my phone number. I do it with pleasure, but there are only 24 hours in a day and I cannot help everyone, but I have much pleasure in doing it and I hope that I will be able to devote myself later more to this task.
Do you already see a program in your head when you hear the music?
Don Quixote for Tatsuki Machida was a music that I always wanted to skate to myself. For me, Don Quixote is a very dynamic music, very fresh, very young. I think that unfortunately my time for this music is already gone and I cannot skate to it. When I discussed music with Tatsuki, I thought that he could be a very good Don Quixote, young, with a very pure esprit. With a friend I've cut the music. The slow part is a very well known from Don Quixote, but I think they best suit the style of Tatsuki. In the choreography, there is a part, as I saw it before in my head, when Don Quixote meets his love for the first time. At first, he is playful, a boy who wants to have fun in life, then he meets a girl who wants to seduce him. There's the part when he falls in love and inthe program, he holds the girl's hands in his and dances with her. This is my favorite place. At the end of the music is enthusiastic, and he proclaims for the whole village, 'I have found the woman of my life. I'm so happy! ' When the music stopped, I imagined everything. I think it was good for him, to have these images on his mind, to understand what these movements mean. This is all not very complicated or subtle, but it is clear and makes it easier to pass the message to the audience.
Fortunately, you also skate yourself.
Yes, fortunately for me, because I love it and need it. After the shows in October, I have a longer break from ice. Although I will continue to train, but I will appear in a show in French Switzerland. Several comedians are also involved, including one who is called Yann Lambiel, like me, we come from the same place, but from different families. He imitates politicians, athletes and other celebrities, including myself. He has often made fun of me and it has long been our dream to do a show together. In December, we are going to show a revue with sketches and a dozen current artists in our hometown Saxon. I will sing, be a comedian, we will dress ourselves. For me, it will be an interesting experience because I never got on stage without skates on. They are very funny people and I'll learn a lot.
What numbers have you prepared for your ice shows?
This summer I've showed in Japan for the first time a program to the Violin Concerto by Tchaikovsky. For Verona, I had prepared a new program to the music from Rigoletto. Otherwise, I have one program to Prelude by Rachmaninov and a new program, Don't Stop The Music, that I first introduced in Korea. This is very jazzy and very different from what I've done so far, a bit sexy, a bit macho. These are my new programs, but I still have many, many programs that are coming. In February I'm going to show two new programs at Art on Ice. I would like to renew my repertoire. There's so much music that I like, there are so many things I want to do, I have already given one idea to Tatsuki, but I still have many others I'll keep to myself. However, I have enough for the other skaters.
Do you make your programs by yourself now or do you still work together with Salome Brunner?
I work with Salome as before, because we have developed a good system. We combine our many hours of choreography and ballet lessons, and I find that I do not have the strength to go alone to the ballet, because I'm so bad in it. But she comes with me and tries to encourage me. We combine ballet classes and jazz classes. We go to the dance shows or music shows, and then work on our choreography. We try to be inspired by as many things as possible. She really is like a Muse for me and gives me the direction for my programs. It helps me very much and I can learn so much from her. She has an inexhaustible resource.
Is there any chance you will come to Oberstdorf in 2013 to qualify for the Olympics?
In order to skate here? Quite frankly, I can already tell, no. No, I have really finished. I am very satisfied with what I have achieved. I think there is a time for everything and everyone, and that my time is over. This is sad a bit. But on the other hand, there's still so many things in life, and I'm very happy with what I do and that I continue to skate in shows. If I had continued to participate in competitions, I would feel so strongly the need to show something, and maybe that would have spoiled skating for me, but now I still have this incredible pleasure.