Deep Edge Plus published an extensive interview with PIW's captain, Hirokazu Kobayashi, ahead of the Yokohama shows (as part of a PIW interview series - the other interviewees were ensemble member Kiki Nakanishi and director Komei Kanno):
1978年に始まった日本で最も歴史のあるアイスショー「プリンスアイスワールド（PIW）」が、4月26日から始まる横浜公演（コーセー新横浜スケートセンター）で新シーズンを迎える。テーマは“PIW THE MUSICAL […]
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Machine translation:
[Prince Ice World New Season Pre-Event] Exclusive Interview 2: Captain for 10 Years, PIW mainstay Hirokazu Kobayashi's past, present, and future: The Path to Pursuing Entertainment - Inspiration from Koichi Domoto, Daisuke Takahashi, and others
Japan's oldest ice show which started in 1978, will open its new season with a performance in Yokohama (Kose Shin-Yokohama Skating Centre) starting on 26 April. The theme is ‘PIW THE MUSICAL The Best of BROADWAY’. The show, which is a fusion of figure skating and Broadway musicals and has been directed by Komei Kanno (68) since 2023, is finally entering its third year, which is positioned as the “culmination” of the project.
The 2023-2024 season was titled “A NEW PROGRESS BROADWAY CLASSICS”, focusing on famous songs from Broadway's golden era, while the 2024-2025 season brought rhythmical dancing to the audience under the theme 'BROADWAY ROCKS!' We spoke to PIW captain Hirokazu Kobayashi, Kiki Nakanishi, whose encounter with PIW changed her life, and director Kanno, who brought about change to PIW, about their thoughts on the final chapter, which aims to be a masterpiece. The second person to appear is Hirokazu Kobayashi (39), the mainstay of the group, who has been with the group for 16 years and captain for 10 years. He talks about PIW and his own evolution, what he pays attention to when leading the members, his experiences from his active days and in the entertainment industry, and his current situation as a professional skater. This is an interview that conveys Kobahiro's [his nickname] passion. (Interviewer: Inoue Masashi)
Hesitant at the first attempt of its kind in 16 years, but showing "something several levels more powerful"
--This is your 16th year with PIW. As captain, what are your thoughts on the new season?
"I feel that the current members, both male and female, are at the highest level in terms of skating skills of all time, so I don't feel like I have much to say about the practical aspects. If we can pursue more entertainment value and improve the performance ability of each individual, I think PIW will become a much more evolved group."
--On the first day of rehearsals, you said, "Even if the songs are familiar to the audience, I want to present something a little different."
"For me, this is the most difficult challenge, or rather, I think it will be a difficult show...Of course there are parts that feel nostalgic, like the same songs from the past 45 years, or songs that we'd performed a few years ago, but this is the first time that we're able to perform in front of an audience songs that we used last year and the year before, without making any major changes to the structure, and completely brushing them up, so I think it's extremely difficult. Among them, I want the audience and fans who come to see the show to go home thinking, 'Wow, this is several levels more powerful than when I saw it last year or the year before. The third year's show has really improved.' This is the first attempt of its kind in 16 years, so I was a bit hesitant at first, but I think the key this year is how well we can captivate the audience."
Difficulties due to the long history of PIW
--What difficulties do you feel?
"Of course, for customers who come to see us for the first time, but also for fans who have been supporting PIW for over 10 years, PIW has such a long history that they're used to seeing it, so they might think, 'Oh, I saw this last year, too,' or 'It's the same as last year.' In addition, this year's performance is also difficult as each and every cast member has to express themselves physically without dialogue and communicate with the audience. 'Les Miserables' has been made into a major film that is over two hours long, an anime, and a stage production, but now we're doing it on ice, where each person plays a character and communicates that in just under 10 minutes. I think that's a big challenge, so I asked (director) Koumei Kanno to hold a workshop. Until now, they weren't used to this kind of (theatrical) expression, so they feel embarrassed, and their expressions tend to be small. This includes me too... Also, unlike a stage performance, we have to communicate with the audience in almost 360 degrees, so it's something we should work on in the time leading up to the performance."
--What exactly is the workshop about?
"I have no knowledge of musicals or acting, so I'm a beginner, if you like. But I think that the members will improve their level rapidly once they get the hang of it, so I thought that we would watch 'Les Miserables' again and try to properly incorporate our roles, plus I was hoping that he would give us some guidance, like 'You should express yourself more like this here,' or 'You should have this kind of feeling.'"
Discoveries from Koichi Domoto's stage productions
--Kobayashi himself has experience from his days in show business, having appeared in KinKi Kids' Koichi Domoto's stage production "SHOCK". Do you still find it difficult?
"Yes. Up until that point, every year we had taken it for granted that we would be trying new songs and new things, but when we suddenly had to use songs from last year and the year before, of course I was worried. But when I talked to my old friends about it, they told me, 'On the contrary, it's amazing!' Koichi's stage show ‘Endless SHOCK’ finished at the end of last year, and I performed in ‘SHOCK’ in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Since the show became “Endless SHOCK” (in 2005), there have been a few new songs and so on, but the songs and lines have remained almost the same, just like this PIW. When I heard about this again, I felt like “Yes, we can do it” and “Okay, we're going for it”. I've been with the show for 16 years and captain for 10 years, but I still have a lot to learn, so I hope I can use what I've learned from these people and my own experiences in this PIW.
--What part of the group do you feel is unique to PIW?
"I think you can see the old-fashioned PIW in the Kids Number section, where kids skate."
--Has your feeling changed in the 16 years you've been with the group and the 10 years you've been captain?
"The kids of the past and the kids of today (even as members) have different ideas, so I try to diversify and teach in a way that suits the kids of today, rather than just passing on what I've done since I was a kid."
--That's not easy to do.
"That's right, it's really difficult... (laughs) But everyone's individual skills have really gotten stronger and they're more motivated, so I think we're a really good team."
--As the team members change from year to year, what have you been careful about as captain?
"I think that everyone is heading in the same direction. They want to do more and more performances, and tour various places. Of course, there are people who push forward straight ahead, and when they come to a fork in the road, some people go right and some people go left. I don't dare to give them a signpost that says “this is the way to go” at the moment. In the end, as long as everyone is heading in the same direction, I'm not trying to force people into a certain way."
--It's amazing to reach that level.
"I still have my share of mistakes and things I wish I had done better. But my past experiences were all thanks to the support of the other members and people at the company. I always try to keep my original intentions in mind when I work."
Synchronisation is an absolutely indispensable part of the performance. Attention should also be paid to PIW's “difference”.
--What is PIW's unique colour and appeal?
"In the 45 years of its history, PIW is the only company in Japan that has such a unified group dance and spends so much time in rehearsals. Synchronised skating is not just a matter of getting the top skaters together. It takes time to get the timing right, and if the 22 skaters don't feel united, it can lead to accidents. I think the most amazing thing about PIW is their ability to finish and show this within a one-month rehearsal period."
--Did you struggle with synchronised skating at first, Kobayashi-san?
"Yes, I did. At first, I didn't even know how to form a formation, so it was very difficult. But now I'm really enjoying it and synchronising it, so I think it's an absolutely essential part of PIW."
--What would you be happy if the audience paid attention to?
"I guess it's the 'variety'. For example, the number with the two men in the first half is a really captivating piece. It's a number that shows off their skating skills and shows the perfect harmony between the two, 'this is figure skating!' It's a number that was performed two years ago, but it feels even more polished now. Then, in the comical scene with the kids' number in the second half, there's a number that's not a joke, but that makes you laugh. There's also the sexiness of the women's number, so I think it's a show with big contrasts."
Stimulated by ‘Kassouya’ and ‘Hyoen’: ‘We can't lose.’
--When did you first see PIW?
"When I was in elementary school, I remember watching shows by people like Minoru Sano and Mitsuru Matsumura and finding them really interesting. It was a different kind of fun from the current PIW. I still learn a lot from it, so in that sense, I think this year's show has it all."
--While taking on the heavy responsibility of captain, you are also working hard to improve your individual skills.
"I still have to improve my practical skills and skating. In addition to that, I want to improve my theatrics, my performance and my appeal to the audience. Jumping and practical skills can't help but decline as I get older. But I think I can continue to improve in my ability to entertain the audience and captivate them with my acting. I want to make sure I'm not losing to the younger skaters in that area."
--Have you seen other ice shows?
"I wasn't able to see Daisuke Takahashi's 'Kassouya' this year, but I went to see last year's Fukuoka performance, Mao (Asada)'s show, and last year's 'Hyoen'. I thought it was amazing. I was particularly amazed by the acting ability of Koshiro (Shimada) and Kazuki (Tomono) in 'Hyoen'. I thought, 'What, they've never done this before, have they?' It's quite amazing that they can give it their all in a venue as big as the Yokohama Arena. I felt that I couldn't let myself be outdone in that regard. This year will be a very difficult one because there is no dialogue and we have to impress with just the acting, but if we can improve that even more, I think it will become a great show. More shows is a good thing, but I also think PIW needs to work harder."
--It would be great if you could create a synergistic effect.
"That's true. That's why I want to create a show that only PIW can do. I'm not just looking for something new or challenging, but I want people to say that they can't beat PIW in terms of performance."
--What reactions from the audience or words have made you happy?
"At last year's ROCKS, to the last song, 'Time Warp', I saw the audience's reaction and thought, 'Wow, that's great.' That was the only place where you could hear the real voices of the audience who had seen our performance live. I think the audience was more excited than ever before. First of all, it was the first time in our 16 years of doing this that the audience stood up and did our choreography together, so I felt like we'd grown a lot, or rather, we'd taken several steps up the ladder."
Professional skaters start from scratch - the big impact of their experience in showbiz
--What experiences from your active days have you been able to use as a professional skater?
"Honestly, I think that my active competitions and the ice shows I'm doing now are completely different things. When you move from being an active skater to doing shows, the only thing that remains is skating. I think that entertainment value and performance are starting from scratch again. What was once a battle with myself has now changed to wanting as many spectators as possible to enjoy themselves. It's a big difference, isn't it? Even if I do well, if the audience is left thinking, 'Huh?' then I'm finished as an entertainer. It's not enough to just be able to jump or skate beautifully; you have to turn that into a performance for the audience. I think it's a completely different world."
--Did you arrive at those ideas relatively early on?
"Yes, I did. I came to this kind of thinking quite early on, and my experience in the entertainment industry was a big part of that. But even so, I wasn't doing it with that kind of feeling when I was in the entertainment business (laughs), because my main focus was skating, and I was allowed to dance in KinKi Kids' and perform in their dome shows and so on, but at that time I didn't really think about it. However, after I left the agency, I realized that it was an incredible world. They had no idea what to do and started from nothing to become stars. When I put myself in their shoes, we have skating as our weapon, so I thought I should fill in the other areas that are lacking. I don't think there are many people who can do that on ice, so if we could make that happen, I think the world of shows would become even more exciting."
--It seems like ideas just keep coming to you.
"Yes! Yes, they do."
--As time goes on, do you feel that your experiences back then have become a great asset?
"That's right. I entered the entertainment industry when I was in the sixth grade, and it was a world that I really didn't understand, so I ended up not really understanding it and just joined PIW, but then I started to think, 'Wait a second, I've ended up in an amazing place,' and then something changed."
--A complete 180.
"In my first and second years, I was just doing what I wanted to do. Of course, I had the desire to entertain the audience from my first year, but when I became captain in my sixth year, I started to look around me more and think about how to make the younger members feel comfortable performing in the shows."
Just subtract from excess.
--Watching the rehearsal on the floor, I was impressed by how you immediately understood the director's intentions and communicated them to the other members in an easy-to-understand way.
"When we were given this number, we decided to give it our all, even if people thought we were joking, we would first give it our all, and if (director) Komei pointed out that we were doing too much, we would subtract from that. It was embarrassing at first, even for me. I was worried that people would laugh at me if I did my best when I didn't know if it was right. But if I worried about that, it would be a disaster when the curtain opened. So I just had to go all out and cut out the parts that weren't good. I'm not in a position to criticize each and every one of the actors, so I just share my own experiences. I want to do my best with what I feel. But this is really difficult. When I had experience on stage, there were times when I did exactly as I was told, but was told it was no good, and there were also times when I did something different from what I was told and was told, 'That's good,' and that happens quite a bit in the world of theater and acting. So, first of all, do your best. If you're wrong, ask the director for his judgment. No matter how much you get laughed at or what, you have to keep going, otherwise you won't see what you want to see."
--What is your stage experience?
"It was about two or three years ago. We're not active now, but we did a show with just the seven members of the PIW male group "REBEL BLADE," and the stage director who happened to be watching PIW asked me if I wanted to give it a try. At first I thought, 'What, a stage show?' You have to memorize your lines, right?" I'm really not good at lines (laughs). But I was told, "There's no way a first timer would have lines like that," and I thought, well, I guessed, but there were mountains of lines... (laughs). There was a lot of dialogue. I couldn't remember them at all, and it took me a week to memorize one line. But I did my best to act everything out and somehow made it through the nine performances. This time, there's a line in the kids' number, 'Oh, this view,' but I can't even remember that for the life of me (laughs). I asked Yuki (Sato), who's in her second year, 'What was it again?' and she told me, 'It's the view!' (LOL). But it's really fun and rewarding to do this time, so I think I can show a side of Hirokazu Kobayashi that I haven't shown in previous PIWs."
Profile
Hirokazu Kobayashi is affectionately known as "Kobahiro" for his dynamic jumps, his dance sense, and his star quality that naturally draws the attention of the audience. His grandfather was a figure skater and placed second in the All Japan Championships. He started attending Shinagawa Prince Club at the age of three, and when he was in sixth grade, his mother applied to an entertainment agency, saying, "If you get better at dancing, it will help you with figure skating." While continuing his entertainment activities, he was selected as a representative for the 2003 World Junior Championships. He made his Grand Prix (GP) debut at the NHK Trophy in 2004. After retiring from the sport at the end of the 2009-2010 season, he moved to PIW. He was born on June 29, 1985 and is 39 years old. He is from Tokyo.
Komei Kanno's interview:
https://deepedgeplus.kyodonews.jp/feature/piw2025-interview-sugano/
And Kiki Nakanishi:
https://deepedgeplus.kyodonews.jp/feature/piw2025-interview-nakanishikiki/
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So emotional
Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park (Moricoro Park) Ice Skating Rink
