Kana Muramoto & Daisuke Takahashi | Page 6 | Golden Skate

Kana Muramoto & Daisuke Takahashi

mikeko666 said:
Well done, Kana and Dai! :clap: It was a great debut and 64.15 is very impressive. They had a huge disadvantage as they made this RD just two months ago while the other two teams skated the same programs from last season. They lost levels and points here and there, but I know they will improve with every performance. In the post performance interview, they said they enjoyed performing and were happy with the score.


I look forward to FD tomorrow. Kenji on NHK commentary said the program suites them very well.
Click to expand...
They were so good!! It is going to get used to seeing Dai skating with someone 🤣🤣. Their lift was way better than it looked in some vids - so proud of them! I am sure they will improve and now that they have gotten their feet wet, it is only up from here!
 
It's ok, Dai-chan. That was still a gorgeous skate! 🥰

Very light on their feet, good unison, a solid combination lift and lovely interpretation. Apart from the LBO one (which seems to be Dai's nemesis), the twizzles were actually very well executed too. I like the first part of their stationary lift with Kana on Dai's lap as well. He needs a hell of a lot of strength to get up from that position while hoisting her up over his shoulders. Kudos to them for being so ambitious with their lifts in the FD! :clap:


They've come so far in such a short amount of time and under such difficult circumstances. As znowflake said, it's only gonna go up from here. They now know where they stand and what needs to be improved.

We already knew since she competed with Chris (who NHK paid a tribute to today) what a talent Kana is - this is only her 5th active season as an ice dancer, but she looks like she has been doing this her entire life. I firmly believe Dai can get there too with her guidance and that they will blend in with more experienced teams soon, if they continue to progress at this rate.


Regardless of the result I thoroughly enjoyed both of their programs at NHK. There's already so much interpretational quality there (unsurprisingly)! :giggle:




mikeko666 said:
I look forward to FD tomorrow. Kenji on NHK commentary said the program suits them very well.
Click to expand...

What did Kenji think about our debutants? I saw he was very active on NHK's website lately, giving advice to beginners in the discipline and explaining ice dance rules.


Edit: changed LFI to LBO
 
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Kana's thank you message and praise for Dai-chan ❤️:




Beautiful shot of La Bayadere:




A most adorable medal ceremony 🤗:
www3.nhk.or.jp

動画 - 【表彰式】アイスダンス 優勝 小松原美里・ティム コレト 2位 深瀬理香子・張睿中 3位 村元哉中・髙橋大輔 | 2020NHK杯フィギュア特設サイト｜NHK

2020NHK杯フィギュアは11月27日(金)〜29日(日)開催。全選手の演技動画をお伝えします！
www3.nhk.or.jp



KanaDai's exhibition skate, You are the reason, feat. several of their FD elements :

www3.nhk.or.jp

動画 - 【エキシビション】村元哉中・髙橋大輔（アイスダンス3位） | 2020NHK杯フィギュア特設サイト｜NHK

2020NHK杯フィギュアは11月27日(金)〜29日(日)開催。全選手の演技動画をお伝えします！
www3.nhk.or.jp



Their interview at the gala:
www3.nhk.or.jp

動画 - 【トーク】村元哉中・髙橋大輔（アイスダンス3位） | 2020NHK杯フィギュア特設サイト｜NHK

2020NHK杯フィギュアは11月27日(金)〜29日(日)開催。全選手の演技動画をお伝えします！
www3.nhk.or.jp



And last but not least a translation of Kazuki's and Dai's short funny banter from their joint talk at the gala 😄 (thank you so much, kokomo! :pray:):





ETA:

Some more translated bits from the gala talk show:

- Dai aims to keep competing until his 50s. :drama:

- Kana cooks for both of them. According to Dai she's a fantastic cook! (I guess the Halloween dinner in Kana's ig story was for the both of them then. I hope he sometimes cooks for her as well! We know that he can. greengrin.gif)


 
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Hi I just came back from Osaka. I was lucky to see FD and EX in person in the arena.

Their FD was so beautiful and gorgeous :love2: I am really surprised and amazed that Marina gave such a complex difficult program to a skater who just switched from singles. Someone on Twitter pointed out that he might not have fallen if the connecting movement between 1st and 2nd twizzles had been less complex. But it seems she really believed they would be able to master the program in the end. Kana said in the talk show before the exhibition that they coaches tell them they will be able to compete with top skaters. The FD program tells how serious they are.

Dai said he made mistakes he never made during practices. It was his first competition as an ice dancer, and nervousness affected his senses and his body didn't move as he intended. I'm sure he will be able to handle it much better next time. It's a shame they have so few competitions this season. If not for Covid-19, they would have had a few more competitions before NHK Trophy. With 4CC cancelled and Worlds uncertain, probably Nationals will be their last competition this season. I really hope they will keep the FD for next season.
 
synesthesia said:
And last but not least a translation of Kazuki's and Dai's short funny banter from their joint talk at the gala 😄 (thank you so much, kokomo! :pray:):

Click to expand...
Here is the link for the Dai/Kazuki bit (in Japanese): https://www3.nhk.or.jp/sports/special/figure-skating/movies/mov_lPVrgc3s69Ssrq.html

I found their interaction incredibly sweet and funny. Kokomo said that Daisuke said many words of encouragement to Kazuki, who I'm sure was over the moon. Kazuki gave an interview to a magazine a couple of months ago in which he spoke about his skating idols. He mentioned Yuzuru Hanyu and Tatsuki Machida, but basically spent most of the interview talking about how how much he admires Daisuke Takahashi 😆

I guess what I wanted to say is that Daisuke might have now retired as a singles skater, but there's no doubt he's still a strong presence in the hearts and minds of the younger skaters who grew up watching him ❤️
 
JSF is planning to send Kana and Dai to Challenge Cup (Feb. 25 - 28) to let them earn minimum TES for Worlds.

hochi.news

村元哉中、高橋大輔組　年明け海外デビューも視野 - スポーツ報知

フィギュアスケートのＧＰシリーズ・ＮＨＫ杯でアイスダンスデビューし、３位だった村元哉中（２７）、高橋大輔（３４）組＝ともに関大ＫＦＳＣ＝が、年明けの海外デビューを視野に入れていることが２９日、分かっ
hochi.news hochi.news

I am not sure if it will really happen though. Keep your fingers crossed. :pray:
 
mikeko666 said:
Hi I just came back from Osaka. I was lucky to see FD and EX in person in the arena.

Their FD was so beautiful and gorgeous :love2: I am really surprised and amazed that Marina gave such a complex difficult program to a skater who just switched from singles. Someone on Twitter pointed out that he might not have fallen if the connecting movement between 1st and 2nd twizzles had been less complex. But it seems she really believed they would be able to master the program in the end. Kana said in the talk show before the exhibition that they coaches tell them they will be able to compete with top skaters. The FD program tells how serious they are.

Dai said he made mistakes he never made during practices. It was his first competition as an ice dancer, and nervousness affected his senses and his body didn't move as he intended. I'm sure he will be able to handle it much better next time. It's a shame they have so few competitions this season. If not for Covid-19, they would have had a few more competitions before NHK Trophy. With 4CC cancelled and Worlds uncertain, probably Nationals will be their last competition this season. I really hope they will keep the FD for next season.
Click to expand...

Aaah, mikeko, you are so lucky! It must have been wonderful to experience their first competition together and their beautiful FD live. :love: (Yes to keeping the FD for next season!) Thank you for your first hand report - and the summary of Dai's self-assessment. I hope he's not too hard on himself. He did very well in his debut and it's more than understandable that he was nervous! I have no doubts he'll get into the groove with more experience. :)

Regarding the complexity of the connecting movements between twizzles, the hosts of the "Flutzes and Waxels" podcast pointed the same thing out and suggested they should water the transitions down for Nationals. I thought their analysis was very thorough and interesting. Mary and Alicia were competitive ice dancers themselves and know their stuff. They mentioned a few things I wouldn't have paid attention to, if it wasn't pointed out. (I disagree with their assessment of the choreographic lift in the FD though.) Here's the latest episode about the ice dance and men's event at NHK Trophy on spotify (the part about Kana and Dai starts around the 23 minute mark):



Dylan Moscovitch and Asher Hill also did a recap of the competition and were very complimentary of KanaDai's first outing. Asher is also a retired ice dancer (and a Dai fan :cool:) and knows what to pay attention to. They talk about the ice dance event right at the beginning:





mikeko666 said:
JSF is planning to send Kana and Dai to Challenge Cup (Feb. 25 - 28) to let them earn minimum TES for Worlds.

hochi.news

村元哉中、高橋大輔組　年明け海外デビューも視野 - スポーツ報知

フィギュアスケートのＧＰシリーズ・ＮＨＫ杯でアイスダンスデビューし、３位だった村元哉中（２７）、高橋大輔（３４）組＝ともに関大ＫＦＳＣ＝が、年明けの海外デビューを視野に入れていることが２９日、分かっ
hochi.news hochi.news

I am not sure if it will really happen though. Keep your fingers crossed. pray.png
Click to expand...

As much as I'd be over the moon if it happens, I think it's unlikely for more than one reason. The first hurdle being "...if they are chosen for Worlds..." Maybe they would also consider going, if they aren't chosen, but the next questionmark is, if the Challenge Cup will even be held? If both of these are cleared I wonder, if they would allow an audience? I would obviously love to see them live, but don't think that's possible under the current circumstances and I would definitely be torn, even if they sell tickets for the competition. So many uncertain variables. Let's wait and see...


____________________________________

 
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As a long-time Daisuke fan, nothing would please me more than to see him in my home country for the Challenge Cup.
I hate to say, though, I wouldn’t hold my breath just yet.

Aside from the “if they win Nationals” (which I find very doubtful!) and Worlds going ahead, the Netherlands are currently not organizing any sports competitions (soccer excepted).
I am very uncertain the CC will be organized this season.
 
synesthesia said:
Regarding the complexity of the connecting movements between twizzles, the hosts of the "Flutzes and Waxels" podcast pointed the same thing out and suggested they should water the transitions down for Nationals. I thought their analysis was very thorough and interesting. Mary and Alicia were competitive ice dancers themselves and know their stuff. They mentioned a few things I wouldn't have paid attention to, if it wasn't pointed out. (I disagree with their assessment of the choreographic lift in the FD though.) Here's the latest episode about the ice dance and men's event at NHK Trophy on spotify (the part about Kana and Dai starts around the 23 minute mark):



Dylan Moscovitch and Asher Hill also did a recap of the competition and were very complimentary of KanaDai's first outing. Asher is also a retired ice dancer (and a Dai fan :cool:) and knows what to pay attention to. They talk about the ice dance event right at the beginning:

Click to expand...

Hi synthesia, thank you for the links. I really enjoyed them.

So, Asher is another ice dancer who is a Dai fan. :biggrin:

I also disagree with the hosts of the "Flutzes and Waxels" on watering down the program. Yes, Marina is smarter than them, and knows what is more important for Kana and Dai, which is next year's Nationals, not this year's. All may agree that the FD is very beautiful but a bit too difficult for a male skater who just switched from singles, but I believe that she gave it to them because she believed the program would help them to develop as an ice dance team and they would master it in the end.
We all know Dai is such a hard worker. I really admire Kana for her technical skills, guts, patience and trust on Dai. Who knows? They might surprise us at Nationals. I'm sure he will be less nervous and more of himself at next competition.
 
Hi Winnie hope all is well! Kana/Dai have set goals which is a good thing. If they can
get minimums at the Challenge Cup it would be one more step towards their goals
and a chance to get their programs out there again after Nationals.

Realistically Misato and Tim are the better team right know and mostly likely will win Nationals. My dream is that
they secure two spots for Japan in Ice Dance. I believe that they came in 23rd at their last Worlds but
they really have improved a lot.
 
Winnie_20 said:
Hiya! I’m fine, thanks, strange year it’s been!
I think I may have misunderstood, I assumed JSF would only send them to CC if they win Nationals, but maybe they would send them for international experience and TES, regardless?
*more hopeful*
Click to expand...

It's difficult to tell from the original Japanese article if JSF intends to send Kana/Dai to CC even if they don't win Nationals. They would want to have at least one substitute team for Worlds, though.
 
^ Great picture! Kana, Rikako, Utana, Shingo and Tim posted it on their sns accounts too (only Dai seems to have forgotten about his ig account again 😉).


____________________________________

There was a short segment about Kana and Dai on yesterday's edition of Fuji's "Figure Skate TV". They talked about the challenges they're facing, the music selection process ("The Mask" was their own choice) and their approach to skating with each other. Here it is with English subs (tysm izayukam! thankyou.gif):



Video in better resolution on youtube (no subs):
youtube.com

Kana MURAMOTO & Daisuke TAKAHASHI - interview - 全日本選手権への道 - 村元哉中 & 高橋大輔

2020年
youtube.com youtube.com


____________________________________

Tatsuki was interviewed about KanaDai's debut and the state of ice dance in Japan. A fan translated a few bits on twitter (thank you!):



Rough translation of the complete interview provided by DTRtS:

facebook.com

Daisuke Takahashi Road to Sochi

Daisuke Takahashi's ice dance debut "His attitude of living out of the comfort zone is cool" Tatsuki Machida was impressed 2020.12.4 [Commentary on NHK Trophy by Tatsuki Machida] Tatsuki Machida...
facebook.com facebook.com


Tatsuki is spot on about how Dai (once again) didn't choose the easy route / doesn't rest on his laurels. His constant desire to reinvent himself and explore new avenues is one of the characteristics I admire the most about him.


Here's the full interview in Japanese on youtube:

youtube.com

【町田樹のNHK杯解説①】髙橋大輔がアイスダンスデビュー戦「全く別の言語を習得するようなもの」

フィギュアスケートファンの皆さま、お待たせしました。先日テレビで放送した町田樹さんの解説。時間に収まりきらないほどたくさんお話しいただいたので、ほぼノーカットでお届けします。 まずは、アイスダンスデビューを果たした髙橋大輔選手について。先輩の新たなスタートに、嬉しそうな町田さんの表情にも注目です。 【追跡LIVE...
youtube.com youtube.com

Transcript:

www.tv-tokyo.co.jp

髙橋大輔アイスダンスデビュー「安住しない姿勢がかっこいい」町田樹が感銘を受けたこと｜テレビ東京スポーツ：テレビ東京

【町田樹のNHK杯解説】先日、アイスダンスデビューを果たした髙橋大輔選手について町田樹さんに話を聞いた。先輩の新たなスタートに、嬉しそうな町田さん。シングルとカップル競技の大きな違いや、髙橋さんへの期待などを語ってくれた。ー髙橋大輔選手のアイスダンスデビューについてデビュー戦がNHK杯という、これ以上ない舞台が用意されたのではないかと思います。村元・髙橋組が始動してまだ10ヶ月、1年に満たない中でこれだけのパフォーマンスができるというのは素直に驚きました。それは私だけではなくてスケート関係者、一般視聴者の方々も思われたと思います。コロナ禍ということも…
www.tv-tokyo.co.jp


____________________________________

Small Hyoen reunion - Ayaka and Dai got together and apparently had a lot of fun:


Nice matching face-masks!
 
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Kana and Dai attended the opening ceremony of a new ice rink named "Mitsui Fudosan Ice Park Funabashi" ("fudosan" means real estate) near Tokyo today, and held an open practice session. :love2:
According to this article, Oleg Epstein went back to Florida after NHK Trophy and they are training with remote instruction until Oleg will come back for Nationals. It's never easy for them, especially for Dai with very limited experience as a male ice dancer. Dai fell and dropped Kana during a lift this morning's practice. Please be careful. :pray:

MFIP’s twitter
MFIP's Instagram

TV news clip (low quality)
Another (high quality)
 
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Yikes! The google translated article I read about the opening and their practice said nothing
about Dai falling and dropping Kana during a lift.

Thanks for the clips mikeko, always a treat to see Kana and Dai on the ice.:hap10:
 
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