Daisuke Takahashi

[synesthesia]

Welcome back and thank you so very much for the "Hyoen" glimpses, Pattina!


Our mighty warrior and the whole production look absolutely stunning and the live reports have all been overwhelmingly enthusiastic so far!


The show was featured on "Going!" TV news!!! Woah!


Dai and Kenji after the first performance

The cast practicing some sort of battle chant

I'm so impressed by these Kabuki actors. Honestly, doing this on-ice for a non-pro must be so intimidating. They really went out of their comfort zone.

It is really impressive! The show looks very demanding and it seems that in addition to the kabuki actors and skaters there are also professional stuntmen involved to perform the most spectacular "tricks" during the battle scenes? They all must have been practicing relentlessly for this!

A dear Japanese lady is preparing a gift box for Daisuke. She will bring it to show on Monday.
She is willing to write messages from overseas fans, too. If you wish, please write here your message or send me a PM and in turn I will submit it to her. In case, please, be quick, she has not much time to prepare the gift box.

I sent you a PM via Dai's forum.





EDIT:

A RAVING review from a spectator!

It is SO regrettable that we most likely won't get a complete recording. :disapp:

Apparently the first two shows were nearly sold out. Hopefully this and all of the positive reception means there will be a follow up in the near future!

 

[MaiKatze]

They all look so gorgeous, not only Dai! I love the transformation of Goddess Shizuka and all these mystical creatures. It's so japanese, I think I would love this so much. Would buy a DVD....oh, and Kanako looks so fresh. Ahhh...they all did great!

 

[mikeko666]

A news clip
https://youtu.be/RXQB1tbMIkc

 

[Arriba627]

^^^Thx so much for posting the news clip. Not only are there wonderful skaters, but this seems to me it would be worth it just to see the beautiful costumes! Very impressive. It's amazing to me how Dai just keeps "stretching" himself in terms of all the experiences he is having -- whether in skating, broadcasting, dance (LOTFL), etc.

 

[deedee1]

It is SO regrettable that we most likely won't get a complete recording. :disapp:

Apparently the first two shows were nearly sold out. Hopefully this and all of the positive reception means there will be a follow up in the near future!

Agreed... :disapp::disapp:

I do remember Somegoro Ichikawa did Kabuki shows in Las Vegas already https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tudvHsTZbUk, I strongly recomend they should consider going abroad and doing shows, too. Either in New York, London, Paris or anywhere, they'll be very well received for sure. Seriously. Like Arriba said above, just watching costumes, listening to the music, typical Kabuki chants and tapping sounds are simply !

 

[MaiKatze]

They should tour with this. Really. Such starpower, really, all the household names and Figure Skaters are not only popular in Japan. I would definitely go!

It just shows once more that Daisuke is so much MORE than 'just' a figure skater. He's an artist in every sense of the word. At least to me.

 

[Pattina]

They should tour with this. Really. Such starpower, really, all the household names and Figure Skaters are not only popular in Japan. I would definitely go!

It just shows once more that Daisuke is so much MORE than 'just' a figure skater. He's an artist in every sense of the word. At least to me.

Not only to you! I second your words. His artistry on the ice was well known and appreciated always!! But since he returned from NY he has challenged himself in many ways, finding more and more ways to express himself and his art. I wish him to shine always brighter!!

This fan posted many tweets in English.


https://twitter.com/itsakurinut/status/866219504598044672

https://twitter.com/itsakurinut/status/866245861021368320

Not only HYOEN - this is an excerpt (in Japanese) from Frau Magazine (June issue) featuring an interview with Dai.

Be careful when opening: two stunning pics!!

https://frau.tokyo/_ct/17076068

 

[Pattina]

Dai updated his IG!!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUX-dG1jhpj/?taken-by=d1sk_t&hl=it

 

[mikeko666]

I saw two shows last Saturday, and decided to see the last show this evening because I couldn't get enough. The tickets are expensive but well worth it This show is something no one has ever seen before. It is a spectacle, one surprise after another. The closest thing I could think of may be Cirque du Soleil. The show was a dream which I never wanted to wake up from.

Unfortunately, there will be no more shows for some time because Ichikawa Somegoro's schedule is very packed next year. I hope they will have some shows before 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games because this project is part of the promotion of the Games. I also heard that they will release something internationally in English.

 

[MaiKatze]

I saw two shows last Saturday, and decided to see the last show this evening because I couldn't get enough. The tickets are expensive but well worth it This show is something no one has ever seen before. It is a spectacle, one surprise after another. The closest thing I could think of may be Cirque du Soleil. The show was a dream which I never wanted to wake up from.

Unfortunately, there will be no more shows for some time because Ichikawa Somegoro's schedule is very packed next year. I hope they will have some shows before 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games because this project is part of the promotion of the Games. I also heard that they will release something internationally in English.

Woah, you were there? So happy for you - for the expensive part, I say, if this is something that means a lot to you it is money well spent. These moments NEVER come back. It's the philosophy I had when my favourite band went touring after 20 years and I was sure I'd never see them like this again. Was it expensive? Oh yes. But the memories can not be taken away. It was truly magical. So I really do get where you're coming from. If you can somehow afford it, it's worth it. There is also the big regret if you don't go.

 

[synesthesia]

I do remember Somegoro Ichikawa did Kabuki shows in Las Vegas already https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tudvHsTZbUk,

This is so interesting! Thank you for the video link! I gotta admit I hadn't heard of Somegoro Ichikawa before Hyoen. He seems to be quite the pioneer when it comes to fusing kabuki with other genres and expanding the audience appeal of this traditional Japanese art internationally. What a brilliant, visionary artist!

It just shows once more that Daisuke is so much MORE than 'just' a figure skater. He's an artist in every sense of the word. At least to me.

Not only to you! I second your words. His artistry on the ice was well known and appreciated always!! But since he returned from NY he has challenged himself in many ways, finding more and more ways to express himself and his art. I wish him to shine always brighter!!

Thirded! He kept saying he did not find any new life-goals in NY, but since he's come back he's been on such a roll! He's not shying away from "scary", new challenges to find out what clicks with him. As Arriba said: he's really stretching himself in all sorts of directions. I agree, Dai is just so special and such an artist at heart and I am so excited to follow his future path. Maybe all of these experiences provide him with an abundance of ideas to launch his own innovative projects one day!

Not only HYOEN - this is an excerpt (in Japanese) from Frau Magazine (June issue) featuring an interview with Dai.

Be careful when opening: two stunning pics!!

https://frau.tokyo/_ct/17076068

The first one has been my desktop wallpaper for a week now and I haven't been getting done much since then. Maybe I should change it to something less distracting!


Cantilover kindly translated the interview btw:
https://cantilovertranslations.tumblr.com/post/160904652368/daisukes-interview-in-frau-magazine-0521

He unsurprisingly says he's always considered himself more of a performer than an athlete and that his heart is closer to that of a ballet dancer or other performance artists. I guess it's not only us, who perceive him that way.

 

[synesthesia]

I saw two shows last Saturday, and decided to see the last show this evening because I couldn't get enough. The tickets are expensive but well worth it This show is something no one has ever seen before. It is a spectacle, one surprise after another. The closest thing I could think of may be Cirque du Soleil. This show is a dream from which I never want to wake up.

Unfortunately, there will be no more shows for some time because Ichikawa Somegoro's schedule is very packed next year. I hope they will have some shows before 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games because this project is part of the promotion of the Games. I also heard that they will release something internationally in English.

Thank you so very much for reporting your first-hand experience and the additional infos about the show and its future prospects! I didn't know Hyoen was part of a series of events to promote the Games in 2020.

Wow, they've really gone all out, if Hyoen elicits comparisons to Cirque du Soleil! It would be interesting to know on which sort of budget they realized this. It might have been pretty tight, which would explain the high ticket prices. I bet it was quite a risk and this is where Somegoro-san's and his team's experience pays off - they really seem to know what they're doing! It is exciting to hear that they're planning something internationally at some point.

Enjoy the final performance tonight! :yay:

It's the philosophy I had when my favourite band went touring after 20 years and I was sure I'd never see them like this again. Was it expensive? Oh yes. But the memories can not be taken away. It was truly magical. So I really do get where you're coming from. If you can somehow afford it, it's worth it. There is also the big regret if you don't go.

Oooh, I can relate! I've done this sort of thing several times now - always telling myself I would never do it again, but then... Can't be helped! Travelling to Switzerland three years in a row to see Daisuke live is just the tip of the iceberg. I could've afforded an at least two week long cruise to the Canary Islands for the amount of money spent on these three trips. Goodness, I've been called crazy more than once, that's for sure! It's defnitely worth it, but it's probably a good thing I resisted the temptation to book a flight to Japan to see Hyoen live...

 

[synesthesia]

Sorry for third post in a row. More Hyoen tidbits are trickling in! arty:



More chanting from Mai's twitter (Is that Kenji in the middle? Does he appear in the show?)

Daisuke and Akio Sasaki



Kiss & Cry article with several fantastic pictures

Bigger versions of the pictures





ETA:

Three more clips featuring backstage material and scenes from the show, including Dai dancing Kabuki style!!! Such gorgeous "stage" scenery and look at Shizuka - she's an actual goddess!

https://twitter.com/moco0611chi/status/866588671268470784
https://twitter.com/moco0611chi/status/866589690987593728
https://twitter.com/moco0611chi/status/866590167628365824



ETA no. 2:

Better version on dailymotion: https://dai.ly/x5ndroa

 

[MaiKatze]

Perhaps Hyoen deserves its own thread. So many great skaters participate. I just wouldn't know which section of this forum would be best. As far as I see there are no threads for ice-shows either. :scratch3:

 

[synesthesia]

Perhaps Hyoen deserves its own thread. So many great skaters participate. I just wouldn't know which section of this forum would be best. As far as I see there are no threads for ice-shows either. :scratch3:

I thought of opening a thread in The Edge a couple of days ago, but wasn't sure, if there'd be enough interest...

Now that we have several clips and such, maybe it does make sense! Shall I do it?

 

[MaiKatze]

Go for it!

 

[synesthesia]

I'm on it!

 

[Pattina]

I saw two shows last Saturday, and decided to see the last show this evening because I couldn't get enough. The tickets are expensive but well worth it This show is something no one has ever seen before. It is a spectacle, one surprise after another. The closest thing I could think of may be Cirque du Soleil. The show was a dream which I never wanted to wake up from.

Glad you were there and thank you for your comment!!! Every tweet I tried to translate with Google expresses the same feelings you write here.

Unfortunately, there will be no more shows for some time because Ichikawa Somegoro's schedule is very packed next year. I hope they will have some shows before 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games because this project is part of the promotion of the Games. I also heard that they will release something internationally in English.

Maybe this article? Could you or some other kind Japanese fan translate?

http://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/singi/tokyo2020_suishin_honbu/beyond2020/effort/detail/000195.html

I understand well the "economic" issue :agree2: like @synesthesia I went to Swizerland (me from Italy) 3 years in a row for Daisuke. Expensive, but every second was worthing it. I met him in person the first time and shook hand the second...memories that will never fade

 

[synesthesia]

I'm a little disappointed the "Hyoen" thread was moved. It makes sense to have it in the "Share it!" section, but I suppose not many people will see it there. Guess we should have opened the thread in advance of the show taking place to have it categorized as "news".

 

[MaiKatze]

It's a bit frustrating, I agree. I didn't even know they had this section here on GS. That shows how frequented it is. But you're also right it makes sense to leave it there. And look at it that way, I think topics in The Edge disappear quite quickly and get archived. The Hyoen topic will remain!