General Yuzuru Chat

[TallyT]

I have to wonder, what must his parents be thinking, watching this sort of reaction to their boy - even more than the gold medals and records and GOAT status, seeing the outpouring of love and respect, even reverence, he can evoke in the people of their country and worldwide? I mean they have been there and seen the hard times, but moments like the Poohvalaches, and parades, and this... 

[Yuzurella]

 

BlueFlame for Yuzu put up a subtitled version of Yuzu's visit at the skating rink in Hokkaido!

 

I totally started bawling when Yuzu put his Olympic gold medal around Mami-sensei's neck. It was so touching and emotional.

 

It’s wonderful how Yuzu’s so supportive of other people. And he always remembers those people who have supported him and shows them his gratitude.

[mercedes]

who cut the onions again?

Mami-sensei was very moved too how she hold back the tears is beyond me and the way she looks at him with so much pride,not only for hisskating success but I think for the brave and honest man he is.

 

HYK is beyond words the feelings in that ice-rink were so pure and strong we all felt it miles away

[micaelis]

On 8/25/2019 at 8:08 PM, andchipzz said:

And WAOW it is GOLDEN, because now I can see the big picture, Yuzuru Hanyu's learning process, and even THAT moment, when he found a way to perform those programs best. I watched his hallmark performances, and I think, that he really took it to the heart, Mansai Nomura's wisdom, because there is a kind of arresting moment of stillness in his programs... I couldn't quite explain it, but it is not as frantic anymore, more serene, more patient, more suspenseful, since 2015. And it really really reflect how traditional Japanese dances and theatrical performance are.

There is a descriptive theory of the progression of great creative artists that sees the progression in three stages.  The first is imitative, when the artist emulates those already established.  Then comes the inventive state where the artist moves the art forward.  Finally the transcendent stage, and few artists achieve this stage, when his art becomes almost meditative and where he quite simply moves beyond the very limits of his art.  Beethoven achieved it, as did Sibelius and Mahler (dealing with composers of music is the type of art I know best).  In some ways :Yuzu has done the same.  His skating has become in some ways meditative, contemplative, which should not be seen as being emotionless.  Otonal of recent programs shows it best, with Origin close behind.  He was moving toward it with Seimei and HL.  Masquerade was in some ways a farewell to that strand of his skating that was highly dramatic (RJ1 and POTO).  What comes next?  I really don't know but Yuzu's skating is not so much skating but he's on the ice now singing with his blades and body.  It can't get any better than that.

[ZuCritter]

The conjunction of Yuzu's ascendance as a skater and the Great Japan Earthquake -- or rather how he responded to that cataclysm -- will define his whole life.  Because Japan is so subject to quakes, he will be called on every few years to bring hope and comfort to another group of traumatized survivors in another devastated region. What must it be like at 24 to look ahead to that kind of reality? The responsibility must sometimes be crushing. 

 

I know Yuzu's family has raised him to understand how lucky he is -- and in many ways he's been extravagantly blessed. But I can understand why, when asked whether, given a chance at another life, he would come back as Yuzuru Hanyu or someone else, he said someone else. 

 

A small side note: It jumped out at me in the video of his exchange with Mami-sensei that he giggled as he acknowledged his ongoing suffering, which she had pointed out. I've noticed he also giggles when voicing emotions that might, to some degree, cut against Japanese norms, like his extreme individual competitiveness. Sort of puts a whole different spin on his giggly-ness, which is one of his most endearing qualities. Part of what defines him is the courage stay close to his pain and, sometimes, to go against the grain of a very powerful culture. 

 

Another confirmation that his greatness as a skater reflects his greatness as a human being. 

 

End of sermon (for now). 

 

 

[ZuCritter]

22 minutes ago, micaelis said:

There is a descriptive theory of the progression of great creative artists that sees the progression in three stages.  The first is imitative, when the artist emulates those already established.  Then comes the inventive state where the artist moves the art forward.  Finally the transcendent stage, and few artists achieve this stage, when his art becomes almost meditative and where he quite simply moves beyond the very limits of his art.  Beethoven achieved it, as did Sibelius and Mahler (dealing with composers as music is the type of art I know best).  In some ways :Yuzu has done the same.  His skating has become in some ways meditative, contemplative, which should not be seen as being emotionless.  Otonal of recent programs shows it best, with Origin close behind.  He was moving toward it with Seimei and HL.  Masquerade was in some ways a farewell to that strand of his skating that was highly dramatic (RJ1 and POTO).  What comes next?  I really don't know but Yuzu's skating is not so much skating but he's on the ice now singing with his blades and body.  It can't get any better than that.

... singing with is blades and his body ...

 

Gorgeously said and so true. At his best, I feel like the music is skating.

[Sabrina]

And I am crying again ! 

He is an angel who’ve got send to earth, to know him and to see him do what he does is a pleasure! 

 

[rockstaryuzu]

2 hours ago, TallyT said:

I have to wonder, what must his parents be thinking, watching this sort of reaction to their boy - even more than the gold medals and records and GOAT status, seeing the outpouring of love and respect, even reverence, he can evoke in the people of their country and worldwide? I mean they have been there and seen the hard times, but moments like the Poohvalaches, and parades, and this... 

Probably, like most parents, they're feeling a mix of pride, 'I hope this doesn't go to his head' , and 'if they only knew what he was like as a baby' ...

[Veveco]

23 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

Probably, like most parents, they're feeling a mix of pride, 'I hope this doesn't go to his head' , and 'if they only knew what he was like as a baby' ...

 

Baby? No need to go that far - remember the ACI glove incident? 

 

 

Still the best love story out there:

 

 

[rockstaryuzu]

5 minutes ago, Veveco said:

 

Baby? No need to go that far - remember the ACI glove incident? 

 

 

Still the best love story out there:

 

 

Oh he did it! I couldn't tell from the footage. 

 

Yuzuru-kun and Ice-Chan - a love story for the ages! 

[rockstaryuzu]

7 minutes ago, Veveco said:

Baby? No need to go that far - remember the ACI glove incident? 

Exactly! 

[Henni147]

3 hours ago, micaelis said:

There is a descriptive theory of the progression of great creative artists that sees the progression in three stages.  The first is imitative, when the artist emulates those already established.  Then comes the inventive state where the artist moves the art forward.  Finally the transcendent stage, and few artists achieve this stage, when his art becomes almost meditative and where he quite simply moves beyond the very limits of his art.  Beethoven achieved it, as did Sibelius and Mahler (dealing with composers as music is the type of art I know best).  In some ways :Yuzu has done the same.  His skating has become in some ways meditative, contemplative, which should not be seen as being emotionless.  Otonal of recent programs shows it best, with Origin close behind.  He was moving toward it with Seimei and HL.  Masquerade was in some ways a farewell to that strand of his skating that was highly dramatic (RJ1 and POTO).  What comes next?  I really don't know but Yuzu's skating is not so much skating but he's on the ice now singing with his blades and body.  It can't get any better than that.

 

This is a bit OT, but one of my most important lessons at school 

Spoiler

 

In one of my first art lessons in middle school our teacher held up an apple and asked the following question: "What color is this apple?"

We felt a bit trolled and someone murmured hesitantly: "... red...?!"

Our teacher opened a very simple black line drawing of an apple in Photoshop and used the monochrome red filling tool on it. Everyone chuckled about the result.

"Well, this is a pretty high degree of abstraction, right?" [she chuckled herself, too]

 

Then she asked us to come a bit closer and observe the apple more carefully. After 15 minutes it appeared not only red but white, pink, brown, black and pretty much every color in between, depending on the light source, our position, the apple's position... In sunglasses it looked darker, outside the building brighter, from a color-blind person's point of view different again...

 

Finally our teacher said:

"The best artists in the world are the best observers of their surrounding. The better you project and the less you abstract, the more your artwork will be appreciated by your recipients. Keep that in mind, when you paint a picture, create a sculpture, compose a music piece or dance a choreography."

 

 

This is what Yuzu does, too. Observe top skaters carefully and project their skills (stage 1). Then he incorporates those skills and makes them his own (stage 2) and finally he recomposes them to something new (stage 3). I agree with you that he has even reached some kind of transcendent stage now. It's the fusion of figure skating history and the unique signature of Yuzuru Hanyu.

[mercedes]

4 hours ago, micaelis said:

There is a descriptive theory of the progression of great creative artists that sees the progression in three stages.  The first is imitative, when the artist emulates those already established.  Then comes the inventive state where the artist moves the art forward.  Finally the transcendent stage, and few artists achieve this stage, when his art becomes almost meditative and where he quite simply moves beyond the very limits of his art.  Beethoven achieved it, as did Sibelius and Mahler (dealing with composers as music is the type of art I know best).  In some ways :Yuzu has done the same.  His skating has become in some ways meditative, contemplative, which should not be seen as being emotionless.  Otonal of recent programs shows it best, with Origin close behind.  He was moving toward it with Seimei and HL.  Masquerade was in some ways a farewell to that strand of his skating that was highly dramatic (RJ1 and POTO).  What comes next?  I really don't know but Yuzu's skating is not so much skating but he's on the ice now singing with his blades and body.  It can't get any better than that.

 

1 hour ago, Henni147 said:

 

This is a bit OT, but one of my most important lessons at school 

  Hide contents

 

In one of my first art lessons in middle school our teacher held up an apple and asked the following question: "What color is this apple?"

We felt a bit trolled and someone murmured hesitantly: "... red...?!"

Our teacher opened a very simple black line drawing of an apple in Photoshop and used the monochrome red filling tool on it. Everyone chuckled about the result.

"Well, this is a pretty high degree of abstraction, right?" [she chuckled herself, too]

 

Then she asked us to come a bit closer and observe the apple more carefully. After 15 minutes it appeared not only red but white, pink, brown, black and pretty much every color in between, depending on the light source, our position, the apple's position... In sunglasses it looked darker, outside the building brighter, from a color-blind person's point of view different again...

 

Finally our teacher said:

"The best artists in the world are the best observers of their surrounding. The better you project and the less you abstract, the more your artwork will be appreciated by your recipients. Keep that in mind, when you paint a picture, create a sculpture, compose a music piece or dance a choreography."

 

 

This is what Yuzu does, too. Observe top skaters carefully and project their skills (stage 1). Then he incorporates those skills and makes them his own (stage 2) and finally he recomposes them to something new (stage 3). I agree with you that he has even reached some kind of transcendent stage now. It's the fusion of figure skating history and the unique signature of Yuzuru Hanyu.

Guys thank you this is very interesting and it fits with Yuzuru pushing the sport forward and having the ability and talent to pay tributes to other skaters without looking like a cut&copy kind of thing.

 

Makes me think about Nurayev and his will to rework and create very well established coreography for legendary ballet like R&J or Giselle!

 

Spoiler

it also makes me roll my eyes up when some people complain about recycling programs...as if he has ever skated something even remotely similar to what he did in the past

 

 

[Henni147]

11 minutes ago, mercedes said:

 

  Hide contents

it also makes me roll my eyes up when some people complain about recycling programs...as if he has ever skated something even remotely similar to what he did in the past

 

I'm really curious, how many skaters are out there, who could deliver Yuzu's full list of senior music pieces from Zigeunerweisen to Masquerade...  

My bet:

1. Everyone, who might shine with Chopin Ballade No. 1, would terribly fail with Seimei. Those, who could rock LGC, wouldn't have a clue what to do with H&L (and so on).

2. Yuzu could make something great of every program from any other skater, if he had to (as we could see in multiple practice sessions already).

 

 

PS: I prefer a polished, high quality recycling over an unfinished, sloppy new program anytime.

[mercedes]

1 hour ago, Henni147 said:

I'm really curious, how many skaters are out there, who could deliver Yuzu's full list of senior music pieces from Zigeunerweisen to Masquerade...  

My bet:

1. Everyone, who might shine with Chopin Ballade No. 1, would terribly fail with Seimei. Those, who could rock LGC, wouldn't have a clue what to do with H&L (and so on).

2. Yuzu could make something great of every program from any other skater, if he had to (as we could see in multiple practice sessions already).

 

 

PS: I prefer a polished, high quality recycling over an unfinished, sloppy new program anytime.

Every skater  has his/her style of course but the variety Yuzuru has is pretty rare ....I still think about Etude and him being 17 ,that was really something else....and then he can do something lighter like skating to Justin Bieber!