Daisuke Takahashi

daphenaxa said:

I am seeing on Daisuke Takahashi road to Sochi twitter that Dai has been kinda covering the US presidential inauguration??
https://twitter.com/ntvnewszero/status/824592945743491072
https://twitter.com/AkiAqui/status/824587474714271744
What's that about?

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Yes, Dai was in Washington D.C. last week to cover the US Pres. inauguration, focusing on its backstage in particular. from 22:16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKPh4rx2CL0

deedee1 said:

Yes, Dai was in Washington D.C. last week to cover the US Pres. inauguration, focusing on its backstage in particular. from 22:16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKPh4rx2CL0

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He was in DC while I was in Japan (I'm from DC, lol).

Daisuke is currently in Suisse and skating for Art on Ice shows. Some video links, though I can't watch them at all with my PC, all of sudden all YT and dailymotions blackened out! Blame it to darn Windows VISTA...

Caravan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HhMmmofC_E&feature=youtu.be
The Person I Should Have Been: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lke2y45kSMc
Fancam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_KeJIBxWGA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoWiZxvT3qU

Hi deedee! Not sure if these are the same links that you posted but they are both
good quality and from the 2/5 show hope you can watch. We never can have to much Dai!

"Person that I should have been"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A245KsmzrMU&nohtml5=1

and "Caravan"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7ol9GeDn1k&nohtml5=1

Great photos of Dai and all the skaters/artists here:

https://newinzurich.com/news/more-photos-from-art-on-ice-2017/

https://photoya.de/galleries/art-on-ice-2017/

^^^Great videos of Uncle Dai. Almost thought he was wearing Mura's famous costume in Person I Should Have Been.

demarinis5 said:

Hi deedee! Not sure if these are the same links that you posted but they are both
good quality and from the 2/5 show hope you can watch. We never can have to much Dai!

"Person that I should have been"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A245KsmzrMU&nohtml5=1

and "Caravan"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7ol9GeDn1k&nohtml5=1

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The ones you've posted miraculously work for me! Thank you thank you, demarinis!

The one with Mura's famous costume, what's the concept? Misery? We all know Dai can skate to any music, can make a so-so program a masterpiece, can even change typical Nikolai's over-the-top choregraphies into heavenly, but in that costume?! A nightmare for me... Did he go to all the way to US to work with Sean Cheesman for THIS??? :disapp::gaah: Now my heart is in the future already, to look forward to Art o Ice 2018! :scard7:

I really like The Person I Should Have Been. Jim Morrison's explanation is that it is about having no regrets, trying to reach the potential in yourself, and not to be scared of who you really are. I would probably rename it to The Costume That Should Never Have Been.

deedee1 said:

The ones you've posted miraculously work for me! Thank you thank you, demarinis!

The one with Mura's famous costume, what's the concept? Misery? We all know Dai can skate to any music, can make a so-so program a masterpiece, can even change typical Nikolai's over-the-top choregraphies into heavenly, but in that costume?! A nightmare for me... Did he go to all the way to US to work with Sean Cheesman for THIS??? :disapp::gaah: Now my heart is in the future already, to look forward to Art o Ice 2018! :scard7:

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LOL deedee! As soon as I saw a clip of "homeless man a/k/a the person I should have been" from the first show I said to myself "Cheesman" I know he is quite popular but I think he is overrated.
Just my opinion. Anyway the song is nice and Dai's skating is amazing but that costume is outrageous. I have seen a lot of homeless folks and none of them are dressed like that.
The costume is more reminiscence of clowns in circuses who portray "tramps" for laughs.

Arriba627 said:

I really like The Person I Should Have Been. Jim Morrison's explanation is that it is about having no regrets, trying to reach the potential in yourself, and not to be scared of who you really are. I would probably rename it to The Costume That Should Never Have Been.

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demarinis5 said:

[/B]

LOL deedee! As soon as I saw a clip of "homeless man a/k/a the person I should have been" from the first show I said to myself "Cheesman" I know he is quite popular but I think he is overrated.
Just my opinion. Anyway the song is nice and Dai's skating is amazing but that costume is outrageous. I have seen a lot of homeless folks and none of them are dressed like that.
The costume is more reminiscence of clowns in circuses who portray "tramps" for laughs.

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And that's two years in a row! https://newinzurich.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/late.jpg :furious:

As for the program itself, I did expect too much I guess, but naturally so after we had seen Cheryl did wonders to Dai, Meryl, Charlie and Kristi; how great they can also dance on the floor... Mr Cheeseman could have done a much much better job on Dai, since he once was a skater himself too wasn't he? :sarcasm:
I agree the song is very nice. Good to know is when the song and performance was over, the crowds seemed to love it and gave an ovation. I want to believe the ovation was to BOTH Jim Morrison AND Daisuke. That's the bottom line for me.

Anyway re Art On Ice, I'll go back to the future! Forgot about 2017 already. No problem.

deedee the program was very well received by the audience, this is what I heard from reliable Dai fans on twitter who were at the show.

I am just happy to see him on the ice performing because who knows how long he will be performing. I feel that Dai has moved on and his skating
days may be numbered. Of course I hope I am wrong.

*ahem* An extremely belated happy new year to everyone in here! (Had a rather hectic start into the year, so I wasn't able to post, but I diligently followed everyone's contributions in the Dai, Shoma and Deniss fan-fests. Major thanks to everyone, who's keeping these threads alive!)




Now that I'm back from Zürich and also have a little more room to breathe (and after chuckling away at the wave of indignation re. Sean Cheesman's latest "crime" against our favourite uncle), I decided to write a summary of my impressions of this brand new edition of "Art on Ice".

First of all, I feel kinda deflated, that it's all over again, even if imo the show wasn't as good overall as the one in 2015 or "Ice Legends" last year and I'm coming away with rather mixed feelings. I attended the performances on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon and somehow I felt, that Dai was a little off in both of them or at least he didn't get to show-off everything he can do when he's really on fire (like during "Mambo" at IL). On Saturday he was expressive and engaging - so in that regard basically the good ole' Dai-chan we know - but he flubbed most of his jumps and very uncharacteristically made a mistake on his steps and on a flying camel spin and that took a bit away from the impact he otherwise could and would have had. And he wasn't the only one - there were quite a few stumbles and falls throughout the show. (Maybe the cast partied a little too hard the night before. What with the torn pants and who knows what else happened there. ) Still, Dai was definitely working it during "Caravan" with his hip-swivelling, smooth dance-moves and marvelous foot-work. He also had loads of energy and speed! (I would say next to Deniss he was the fastest skater in the show!)



When I heard beforehand, which two programs he would do, I was pretty much in the same boat as many other fans I talked to, i.e. disappointed with the James Morrison song he was given and not convinced of the concept behind it at all, continually cursing Sean Cheesman during the remaining time before my departure to Zürich. On top of this I would have to endure Dai wearing that thing they apparently call a "costume". (Didn't Shoma punish us already with his Dai-inspired plucked chicken replica? Is this a vicious cycle? They must be trying to outdo each other! What's next? Now that its Shoma's turn again, he might wear a sequined used garbage bag to Worlds! *lolsob*) When we first heard about Dai working with Mr. Cheesman in LA, I had such glorious ideas in my head, imagining him doing a funky, combined floor/skating routine, looking smoking-hot in a lavish, sexy rockstar-outfit. *sigh*

Consequently my anticipation was dampened a little, basically looking forward to "Caravan" and preparing myself to be completely indifferent towards "Person I should have been" (I refrained from watching videos before I headed off to Zürich). So it's needless to say, that I found myself very surprised to be drawn in by Dai's interpretation of PISHB to the point he nearly made me cry! (I should probably state, that this doesn't happen frequently to me.) Even with the imperfections, it was a very emotional rendition, and I could only imagine how powerful it might have been, had everything fallen into place. Nevertheless it still left me in shock, because I really didn't expect this kind of impact at all! There were many little moments, that sent shivers down my spine, like when he throws his hat down on the ice in desperation, throws himself down on his knees and especially that move towards the end, where he leans backward, skating on a deep edge on one foot with his other one crossed behind. (Awkward description, I know - is there a name for this move? It was also a highlight in "Luv Letter".) He was really into this moment with visible anguish on his face. I also really liked the ending, when he sits down on the edge of the stage, burying his head in his hands exhaustedly. I usually don't like this type of program, that requires the performer to ham up the emotions, but somehow this worked for me, because - as we all know - Dai has this extraordinary gift to make anything believable while still staying subtle enough!



On Sunday his jumps were much better, but he was less engaging. (Can't have everything at the same time I guess!) Esp. during "Caravan" I didn't feel the passion and abandon he's so famous for. He seemed to hold back and didn't incorporate all of the flirty facial expressions, which are so essential for the number to unfold it's full flair. It was a good performance, but not a swoon-inducing one. So in the end I came away liking his once again heartfelt rendition of PISHB (even if a little less powerful than the day before) more than "Caravan" - *gasp* - life is strange!

I already wrote in Deniss' fan-fest that the audience didn't support all skaters equally and I would even go so far to say, that the atmosphere was generally pretty subdued during large parts of the show, especially on Sunday during the first half, and this sure wasn't helping a sensitive performer, who really feeds off the audience like Dai, to give it his all. There was also a much smaller amount of japanese fans this time - so this might have been another reason for the lack of ecstatic feedback. And I guess a few fans' singular shouts of encouragement (including mine) weren't enough to make up for that. (Maybe it's just my imagination, but Dai didn't look too happy during the finale on Sunday afternoon either.) Furthermore neither Chaka Kahn, nor James Morrison had much of a connection with the skaters, unlike Marc Sway, Tom Odell and particularly Nelly Furtado in 2015, who were constantly aware of what was happening on the ice and improvised their own performances accordingly.

Come to think of it, judging from my own experience at "Ice Legends" and past AOI fan-reports the crowd in the Lausanne/Genève area seems to be way more appreciative of the sport, so that's where I'll be headed next time to spare myself having to deal with a disheartened look on the face of my favourite skater.



Before this report starts to sound overly negative, I should probably put things a little bit into perspective, because there was still plenty to enjoy! I loved Stéphane's and Deniss' "Four Seasons" collaboration (both of them were wonderful, but I want to emphasize, that Deniss made the most of his opportunity to shine in his relatively short part here and was one of the outstanding performers of the entire show and a ray of sunshine). Despite the flaws I still liked both of Dai's programs (well, eventually even fell in love with PISHB *hallelujah*). Both of Meryl's & Charlie's numbers were gorgeous (especially the 2nd one). Aljona was radiant in both of her's & Bruno's performances and they even attempted and nailed most of their spectacular triple twist lifts and throw jumps with incredible height/distance. Stéphane had a rousing solo number in the 2nd half and Nelli's & Alexander's aerial act to "Broken Strings" was truly enthralling & beautiful. Overall the 2nd show-half worked better for me than the 1st one. It also needs to be mentioned how great all of the supporting skaters and dancers were - special shout-out to Elladj Balde, Shawn Sawyer and (dancer) Michelle Dawley, whose obvious joy and passion were very infectuous! Elladj and Shawn entertained us with their awesome signature backflips and spirals/cantilevers respectively. Last, but not least there was the obligatory, testosterone-driven "quad battle" between Stéph and Elladj at the very end of the show, which finally got even the most unmotivated audience-members going. ;-) I liked many songs by both Chaka Kahn and James Morrison - the live arrangements worked well, sometimes subtly covering the flawed vocal performance by the former. (Oops, can't help it, sorry! )

I also sat next to an extremely nice japanese fellow Dai-fan on Sunday, who I had a very pleasant chat with before and after the show. When it was time to part, she offered me her "d1sk"-towel as a present, which I initially refused to accept, but as she kept insisting I "gave in" in the end. So from now on I can show my support by waving my very own "d1sk"-towel!



Saving the best for last: I was lucky to meet Dai again, which was quite a bit of a surprise to me, because I was convinced, that the skaters would be using some sort of secret back-door to enter the official hotel this time. In 2015 the organization was such a mess with fans almost constantly crowding around the performers in droves, because the Swissotel provided only one passage to get to the rooms. (From my experience most skaters are very approachable, but the situation back then went pretty much off the rails.) I was sure, that the persons in charge had learned their lesson and wouldn't want to make the same mistakes again.

So when I found my way to the Kameha Grand after the show on Saturday, all I intended to do was to explore the hotel's accessible areas a bit, have a drink at the bar and listen to the music from the party next door. Finding myself in the company of Elladj, Florent and Shawn after entering the lobby, was a pleasant surprise, but most certainly not what I had pictured. While I was unsuspectingly watching them chatting to a small group of fans more people kept coming through the main entrance. I didn't realize, that among them were Dai and Nagamitsu-sensei, who had snuck behind my back until I became aware of a minor commotion in front of the elevators. Aaaah, Dai-chan!!! Several fans had quickly gathered around him, holding their AOI programmes out for him to sign. At first I was taken aback so much, that I couldn't decide what to do! Ask for an autograph as well? Hmm, I already have his autograph. Maybe I could try to properly talk to him for a change? After I made that decision I was surprisingly calm. Heaven knows where that sudden courage came from, but I'm sure proud of myself, that I managed to get over my social awkwardness, speak coherently and even look into his eyes while doing so for the first time! I complimented him for his touching performance of PISHB, assuring him, that it had left a deep impression despite the "mistakes", which he responded to with a humble "thank you" and his trademark gentle smile. :luv17: Somehow I even found the confidence to jokingly tell him, that he had one more chance to land his jumps the next day, because I would be attending the show for a second time, thus making him laugh out loud. Finally he graciously complied with my polite request to have my picture taken with him and because the first person to come into view at that point was Nagamitsu-sensei, I entrusted her with my camera. A short tutorial and two pictures later, Dai and his entourage were ready to head to their rooms, but not before I had taken the opportunity to thank Ms. Nagamitsu for her wonderful coaching of Dai-chan, giving her major credit for his success. It was only after Dai was out of sight, that I became a little jittery, but by my own standard, I was still remarkably composed. (Is this some sort of habituation effect after meeting your favourite skater three years in a row? The last two times I was a nervous wreck! )

After this equally unexpected and exciting event, I proceeded to take a drink at the bar, as originally planned. From my table I had a nice overview of the lobby allowing me to observe another group of fans, who had set up camp in front of the elevators armed with their AOI programmes, ready to collect as many autographs as possible. Among the familiar faces passing through on their way to the aftershow-party were a gorgeous looking Anna Pogorilaya, a radiant Sarah Meier, Valentina Marchei (!) looking very pretty in a black dress, Bruno Massot being his handsome self, Queen Meryl and several minutes later a very dapper Charlie. For I had finished my drink by that time, I joined the group of admirers to greet the last three and we separately had a brief chat with Meryl and Charlie. While both of them were very kind, I was particularly impressed with Charlie, who came across as extremely genuine and conversational. In spite of the lack of enhanced safety-measures - compared to 2015 - the atmosphere was completely laid-back this time!

A little while later the elevator doors opened once again and it was Dai, who stepped out looking illegally handsome in a black suit and dark blue-greyish shirt. : Of course he couldn't escape his adoring fans without another round of pictures and autographs and so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have another picture taken with him. (Which I admittedly felt a little bad about, but he looked SO nice. *sigh* I know, I'm bad! Don't judge me. ) Finally I wished him a lot of fun at the party before he disappeared through the front doors out of sight.


Round midnight I set off back to my hotel with a bucket full of nice fresh memories in my heart and a smile on my face.


And that was.....a very long report. I hope someone made it through all of it without nodding off!




Edit: Adding a few photos (The show-pics aren't high quality - no flash obviously, but the ones from the hotel turned out well! Click photos to enlarge.)

Caravan: 1 2
Finale: 1 2 3


Dai at the Kameha Grand:
after the show
looking smart on his way to the party

:clapper: What an amazing adventure! I'm sure you must have skipped (and not walked!) back to your hotel. It's pretty hard to keep your composure when you meet your favorites, but it sounds like you managed to do it. Thank you for writing all that. I found that during Person I Should Have Been, it was really distracting to have Morrison standing right there singing. I found myself wondering how hard it was for Dai to have to skate around that little stage / platform. I thought it really took away from his performance and his being able to let go and just fly.

Charlie is really super nice, isn't he? Very friendly and so personable. He looks so different from his Olympic days when he had his blond, bushy hairstyle. Here he is at Nationals after he did a segment at the Icenetwork desk. https://pic.twitter.com/XwuoRCKnix

OMG @synesthesia what a detailed report! Reading along I felt like I was right there with you! Thank you so much!

deedee1 said:

The one with Mura's famous costume, what's the concept? Misery? We all know Dai can skate to any music, can make a so-so program a masterpiece, can even change typical Nikolai's over-the-top choregraphies into heavenly, but in that costume?! A nightmare for me... Did he go to all the way to US to work with Sean Cheesman for THIS??? Now my heart is in the future already, to look forward to Art o Ice 2018! :scard7:

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deedee1 said:

As for the program itself, I did expect too much I guess, but naturally so after we had seen Cheryl did wonders to Dai, Meryl, Charlie and Kristi; how great they can also dance on the floor... Mr Cheeseman could have done a much much better job on Dai, since he once was a skater himself too wasn't he? :sarcasm:
I agree the song is very nice. Good to know is when the song and performance was over, the crowds seemed to love it and gave an ovation. I want to believe the ovation was to BOTH Jim Morrison AND Daisuke. That's the bottom line for me.

Anyway re Art On Ice, I'll go back to the future! Forgot about 2017 already. No problem.

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It's a shame, that you're so disappointed and can't seem to find anything to like about the program at all. (apart from the song itself) Is it any consolation for you to hear, that being there in person it could be felt, that Dai was putting his heart into it, making the most of what he had to work with?

And yeah, Arriba627 summarized James' explanation of the song's meaning, which he gave on Sunday, but I think that Mr. Cheesman actually disregarded the "artist's vision" here and invented his own clichéd story-line. But I think, that Dai is so talented, that he was once again able to give an initially shallow story a deeper meaning.

Let's look forward to Hyoen - I'm sure that show will be spectacular!

Arriba627 said:

I would probably rename it to The Costume That Should Never Have Been.

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demarinis5 said:

[/B]
I have seen a lot of homeless folks and none of them are dressed like that.
The costume is more reminiscence of clowns in circuses who portray "tramps" for laughs.

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Can't deny, that it's a rather "interesting" and sorta caricaturesque excuse of a costume and there indeed are certain similarities to Mura's infamous one, but after having seen it live I don't mind it as much anymore, because Dai's interpretation managed to distract me from its atrocity and he's such a handsome fella - he even looks good in fake rags! On the bright side of things the loose shreds of fabric revealed a lot of belly-button during his jumps and spins, so I certainly didn't mind that. (We should probably reconsider our ingratefulness and show more appreciation for the designer's grand vision! )


PS: Arriba627, did you read my response to your private message? (Asking, because I know they can get buried in all those notifications sometimes. )

synesthesia said:

PS: Arriba627, did you read my response to your private message? (Asking, because I know they can get buried in all those notfications sometimes. )

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Yes, thank you, I did! My apologies for not acknowledging that I had received it. I had begun to worry about you since you had been Missing In Action in the Shoma thread for awhile. Sounds like you have been VERY busy though. Also Christmas / New Year's is always a super busy time.

No need to apologize, it's all good!

Yes, I was deeply buried in work, but now there's finally a light at the end of the tunnel. So expect me to post more often again (maybe not as much as before, but I'll try to contribute sth. "useful" every now and then ). It's very regrettable, that hamaguri decided to leave though...

synesthesia said:

It's very regrettable, that hamaguri decided to leave though...

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I'm still :sad4: :gaah:

Hi everybody!!! Long time silent, but always reading. Thanks to you all for always supporting Dai-chan with such love.

@synesthesia, thanks your your report, so full of love and enthusiasm!! Soooooo glad you had the double chance to meet Dai-chan, talk with him and take some pics. Above all, thanks for sharing them!!!

I was in Lausanne for 07 Feb. show. I was so thrilled last October, when AOI announced he was back!!! AOI 2015 was my first "live Dai-chan" and I still have wonderful memories both of shows in Lausanne and personal meeting with Dai at the hotel in Montreux.

Unfortunately for many personal issues this time I could afford only one show and one night out. No chance to meet him :sad4: as I arrived on the same day of the show and was back to Italy the morning after with first train.

Happy he decided to skate Caravan, as I always loved his flirting, alluring and sexy aura, while skating at the speed of light with incredible footwork. Of course, I was aware he would have never been so boiling hot as he was in Japan, with his own fandom.

I had hints he would portray a homeless, as he told in a interview the day before premiere. And of course I was curious about Cheesman's choreo.

I watched premiere's streaming on Swissinfo.ch FB page - not at all good quality but all the same it was heaven for a hungry fan!! It was so clear that Dai skated Caravan quite restrained - nothing new, he is always a bit nervous at premiere and it was not "his" audience (Fans I met in Lausanne confirmed that, just like two years ago, audience in Zurich was cheering basically only for Stéphane and Sarah, the two home idols. And we all know how Dai is sensible to the atmosphere of arena). I loved PISHB from the start. Yes, it's a clichè and choreo is nothing really "new" (Lacrimosa is far far ahead, imo) a part from the "dance steps" around the platform and that cool spin collapsing on his knees in full desperation. But... you know... it's Daisuke Takahashi he is Artistry in flesh and he can transform everything into magic. I was disappointed in the end, because I felt Morrison did not give enough enthusiasm in introducing Dai to audience in the end. And Dai was there sitting alone in a dark corner and disappeared quickly after a brief bow. Remembering how loud Nelly Furtado shouted Dai's name, being the first cheering and applauding and keeping him long under limelight.

So I was pleased to notice that soon the day after they changed the finale, with the man consoling the poor homeless. So attention (and light!!) is still focused on Dai when he bows and leaves the ice.

Once again, my "live experience" with Dai-chan left me speechless. Yes, he was not perfect in jumps, but I don't care. He captured my heart as only he is able to do with his great and speed skating, his footwork and his ever-changing expressions. Sexy, flirting and then sorrow and despair. At the end of PISHB I dryed my eyes in D1SK towel, before frantically move it during Dai's bow.

Rags are welcome as they reveal so much of Dai's skin!!!! No illusionary mesh and loose shirt that goes up and up and up during spins and jumps :hap93:

Fan cam video from first row ice level. Thanks a lot to kind uploader!! Try not to faint when Dai-chan collapses few inches far from camera

https://youtu.be/Brt76nR2vR0

My very short videos - poor quality and short but I preferred to watch directly. Anyway, they are "my" Dai-chan!! He looks rather "small" but indeed I was in quite good place and I had perfect vision of his "illegaly handsome" face!!!

https://www.facebook.com/lapat.skate/videos/vb.100007100232982/1859086627671327/?type=2&theater

https://www.facebook.com/lapat.skate/videos/vb.100007100232982/1859109857669004/?type=2&theater

Great pics here of first show in Lausanne in this photo-gallery https://www.facebook.com/pg/bydomsPhotography/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1250376181743240

Dai has updated his IG during these days!! 3 pics!! He is in good mood, apparently. And when he is happy, I'm happy!!

https://www.instagram.com/d1sk_t/

Apologize for long and boring post!! but when it deals with Dai-chan.. I just cannot stop!!

Arriba627, demarinis5 and Pattina for the nice feedback! It means a lot!

Arriba627 said:

It's pretty hard to keep your composure when you meet your favorites, but it sounds like you managed to do it.

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Yes, I'm usually a complete mess in such situations - I don't know what happened here. I hope I can keep my cool during future encounters as well! (probably not )

Arriba627 said:

I found that during Person I Should Have Been, it was really distracting to have Morrison standing right there singing. I found myself wondering how hard it was for Dai to have to skate around that little stage / platform. I thought it really took away from his performance and his being able to let go and just fly.

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I get what you mean - it might have been a bit of a hindrance as he had to calculate his path carefully in order to avoid crashing into the stage. hwell:

Who knows, if this was the intended concept (it probably wasn't, because - what concept? ), but I saw it as having the story materialize directly from the narrator's words, i.e. J. Morrison's lyrics and Dai portraying the story's protagonist. It's a stylistic device, which is utilized in many types of media, e.g. in many music videos, where the singer is in the middle of the scenery, narrating the unfolding story around him/her whith the protagonists unaware of his/her presence. I can't explain this very well, so I'll give an example.

I liked this approach very much, but it probably would've made even more sense, if Dai's portrayal/Cheesman's concept had actually kept closer to the song's original meaning.

Arriba627 said:

Charlie is really super nice, isn't he? Very friendly and so personable. He looks so different from his Olympic days when he had his blond, bushy hairstyle. Here he is at Nationals after he did a segment at the Icenetwork desk. https://pic.twitter.com/XwuoRCKnix

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Absolutely! I had an inkling he would be pleasant to talk to judging from his interviews and the way he presents himself in all sorts of situations. Great you got to meet him at Nationals (that's a nice picture as well)! Did you have the opportunity to chat for a while?

Your post isn't boring at all, Pattina! It's good to hear a different perspective, especially because we attended the show in different locations. Thank you very much for your lively account, your videos and the link to the photo gallery. Your choice of words reveals how passionate you feel about Dai's skating! It's great you got to go, even if it was "only" for one day! :agree:

Pattina said:

He looks rather "small" but indeed I was in quite good place and I had perfect vision of his "illegaly handsome" face!!!

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This time I found sitting a little farther from the ice provided a better feel for the show. I sat in the 13th row on Saturday (which was actually the 6th row with the aisle inbetween the ice-level seats and the first tier) & in the 3rd on Sunday (on ice-level). From the 13th row I could still see most facial expressions and was able to take in the scenery much better than on Sunday. I also think, that several programs took more of an effect from that distance - especially PISHB, Four Seasons and Meryl's/Charlie's performance to Adagio for strings.

Pattina said:

I watched premiere's streaming on Swissinfo.ch FB page - not at all good quality but all the same it was heaven for a hungry fan!! It was so clear that Dai skated Caravan quite restrained - nothing new, he is always a bit nervous at premiere and it was not "his" audience

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I didn't want to spoil the experience for myself, so I did not watch the premiere - only the backstage-report. I like being surprised. Judging from your account, I think it was a good decision or else I might've had a preconceived opinion based on a blurry video and not yet fully developed performances.

Pattina said:

Fans I met in Lausanne confirmed that, just like two years ago, audience in Zurich was cheering basically only for Stéphane and Sarah, the two home idols.

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Fortunately it wasn't that bad! It's true, that the Zürich-audience favours their national heroes quite obviously (especially Stéphane), but they did acknowledge the other veterans as well, even if less enthusiastically. The "newcomers" Deniss and Anna had it toughest. Dai received as much acclaim as the other non-swiss well known names after his programs. Still there was almost zero feedback during his performance of "Caravan", esp. on Sunday and that seemed to suck the life out of it.

The general atmosphere was noticably more enthusiastic in 2015 and I think this had a lot to do with the singers and the considerably larger amount of japanese fans, who are always equally supportive of all performers.

Pattina said:

Of course, I was aware he would have never been so boiling hot as he was in Japan, with his own fandom.

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In 2015 Dai improved quickly after the premiere. Back then as of Saturday, I felt that he was pretty much on fire during both of his solo-programs as well as during the "Maneater" group-number. And his "Mambo" at Ice Legends in 2016 was off the charts, despite not performing in front of his home audience and there being only one show (so basically a premiere). This year, however, he didn't seem to fully find his groove. It probably also wasn't helping, that he was developing a cold. I think, it was a combination of several unfortunate circumstances this time.

His many off-ice obligations atm sure sap a lot of his energy as well, add to that the jet-lag and the constant partying and drinking during the tour (and it seems to get pretty wild judging from the latest glimpses on several social media outlets ) - I think he'll be pretty much dead when he gets back home - except, that he doesn't even have time for that, because he has to be in Pyeongchang a few days after the tour! I'm exhausted just from listing all of this!