Daisuke - not a fan fest - just him | Golden Skate

Daisuke - not a fan fest - just him

ladyjane

ladyjane

Medalist
Joined
Jun 26, 2012
Country
Netherlands
I must say, seeing Daisuke at Japanese Nationals this year was a treat. Admittedly, I was a bit let down by the fact that he wasn't even close to the medals (and correctly so), but he was still so wonderful to watch. His SP was the thing we were all waiting for, and his FS was even more so. But to me (and many others, following the posters here on GS) his programmes just showed us all that he should be dancing. What he is going to do the coming seasons. But I am worried that being the perfect solo dancer (even in Singles skating) is not the same as being a partner in Ice Dance. He'll have the steps (he'll know how to do his twizzles), but will he also have the unison which is expected in Dance? I hope he will. We all know it's not a question of being able to dance - he can - but will he be able to share the steps so to speak... I hope he will.
 
Sai Bon

Sai Bon

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Country
New-Zealand
ladyjane said:
I must say, seeing Daisuke at Japanese Nationals this year was a treat. Admittedly, I was a bit let down by the fact that he wasn't even close to the medals (and correctly so), but he was still so wonderful to watch. His SP was the thing we were all waiting for, and his FS was even more so. But to me (and many others, following the posters here on GS) his programmes just showed us all that he should be dancing. What he is going to do the coming seasons. But I am worried that being the perfect solo dancer (even in Singles skating) is not the same as being a partner in Ice Dance. He'll have the steps (he'll know how to do his twizzles), but will he also have the unison which is expected in Dance? I hope he will. We all know it's not a question of being able to dance - he can - but will he be able to share the steps so to speak... I hope he will.
Click to expand...

Me too! He has many challenges in ice dance. He's on the small side and although Kana is petite, he will find lifts challenging (I think he referred to the need to bulk up/rebuild his physique in one of his media interviews). He's not getting any younger at 33 and it will take him longer to acquire new skills. Do we know where he will be based for training?

I'm sure Komatsubara/Koleto are not giving up that Olympic spot without a fight. Are Utashin eligible for the Olympics? Although Japan's ice dance talent pool is still small, it's growing. Dai and Kana have their work cut out for them if they want to go to Beijing. But one step at a time...I am looking forward to the journey!
 
W

WeakAnkles

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
ladyjane said:
I must say, seeing Daisuke at Japanese Nationals this year was a treat. Admittedly, I was a bit let down by the fact that he wasn't even close to the medals (and correctly so), but he was still so wonderful to watch. His SP was the thing we were all waiting for, and his FS was even more so. But to me (and many others, following the posters here on GS) his programmes just showed us all that he should be dancing. What he is going to do the coming seasons. But I am worried that being the perfect solo dancer (even in Singles skating) is not the same as being a partner in Ice Dance. He'll have the steps (he'll know how to do his twizzles), but will he also have the unison which is expected in Dance? I hope he will. We all know it's not a question of being able to dance - he can - but will he be able to share the steps so to speak... I hope he will.
Click to expand...

Dancing in tandem with another skater is much more difficult than dancing alone. I hope people are not expecting instant success. It generally takes a couple of YEARS for an ID team to gel. Take a look at Chock and Bates: two skaters who won junior worlds with different partners, and it still took them a full Olympic cycle to gel as a partnership.

As far as the lifts, there are ways around that. I would tell him: study physics; momentum is your friend. Scott Moir built an entire career of lifting Tessa Virtue with that principle in mind. LOL!
 
Z

zanadude

Medalist
Joined
Feb 20, 2016
Country
Japan
Not sure how Kana would feel, but I would love to see his first ice dance program set to The Phoenix, completing his "rebirth".

As for his prospect of success, he has arguably the greatest Japanese female ice dancer of all time as his partner, so he's certainly giving himself the best chance for success as he possibly can.
 
P

pandatours

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 12, 2015
I would love to see some real depth in the Japanese ice dance field! Kana and Chris weren’t together for very long but made very good strides, so I think Dai will be okay. The only thing I’m wary of is him adjusting to a partnership, but I think they will be a different and more dynamic team that KoKo (I saw them in person and they are lovely but not my cuppa!)
 
tzazu

tzazu

Medalist
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Sai Bon said:
Me too! He has many challenges in ice dance. He's on the small side and although Kana is petite, he will find lifts challenging (I think he referred to the need to bulk up/rebuild his physique in one of his media interviews). He's not getting any younger at 33 and it will take him longer to acquire new skills. Do we know where he will be based for training?

I'm sure Komatsubara/Koleto are not giving up that Olympic spot without a fight. Are Utashin eligible for the Olympics? Although Japan's ice dance talent pool is still small, it's growing. Dai and Kana have their work cut out for them if they want to go to Beijing. But one step at a time...I am looking forward to the journey!
Click to expand...

They will train under Marina Zueva in Florida.
 
C

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
zanadude said:
Is there like zero chance that Japan can earn two spots for the Olympics?
Click to expand...

Barring Dai/Kana having a rise like Papadakis/Cizeron... no.

Not going to get into the lifetime-achievement scoring but will just say it was a pleasure to see Dai back on the ice, and brave of him to compete. Reminded me of when Sandhu did a final Nationals, knowing he wasn’t a contender but still doing it for himself, the challenge, and the crowd.
 
sailormoon

sailormoon

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 9, 2016
Country
Japan
Daisuke skipped local competitions leading up to the Japanese Nationals and he has not skated much for this season competitively. Since switching to ice dance had been confirmed, he has been practising ice dance with the new partner. It is a good career choice as he is best known for his step sequence. I'm excited about the new ice dance team that will represent the country.

https://twitter.com/machi_with_blue/status/1208695778455146496
 
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