Satoko Miyahara | Page 104 | Golden Skate

Satoko Miyahara

Hi everyone! This is my first message in this thread (coming from Shoma's fanfest).

Just want to say here how much I was moved by Satoko's win at Nats and by her earning the Olympic spot. What a comeback, after all her injuries and misfortunes! SP and LP are two stunning programs. I'm actually planning to write a post about her 'Madama Butterfly' (just a few remarks on her choreo, gestures, music choice etc.). I am a musicologist myself, so my focus will be mostly on the story she tells through music and choreo, on the way she interprets Puccini's opera, etc., so any help from the fanfest (info about how this program evolved, what Satoko herself thought about it, and so on) will be greatly appreciated and properly referenced!

I have to confess, her final layback spin from Madama Butterfly brings me to tears every time I watch it -- it's mesmerizing, and fits the music so well. She's a great artist and interpreter for sure.
I will be cheering for her at the Olympics!
 
Hronop said:
Hi everyone! This is my first message in this thread (coming from Shoma's fanfest).

Just want to say here how much I was moved by Satoko's win at Nats and by her earning the Olympic spot. What a comeback, after all her injuries and misfortunes! SP and LP are two stunning programs. I'm actually planning to write a post about her 'Madama Butterfly' (just a few remarks on her choreo, gestures, music choice etc.). I am a musicologist myself, so my focus will be mostly on the story she tells through music and choreo, on the way she interprets Puccini's opera, etc., so any help from the fanfest (info about how this program evolved, what Satoko herself thought about it, and so on) will be greatly appreciated and properly referenced!

I have to confess, her final layback spin from Madama Butterfly brings me to tears every time I watch it -- it's mesmerizing, and fits the music so well. She's a great artist and interpreter for sure.
I will be cheering for her at the Olympics!
Click to expand...

Hi Hronop:)

I want to thank You in advance for your post written about Satoko's FS - your knowledge and analysis are great, insightful, so good to read:bow:

If it will help - You can find some info about Satoko's programs on pages 115-116 in this thread (along with some links), then on Page 118 there's a link to Satoko's blog, on pages 129-130 You can find posters' analysis /opinions about Satoko's FS (in general, mine among those and specifically about SA performance).
:)
 
NoNameFace said:
Hi Hronop:)

I want to thank You in advance for your post written about Satoko's FS - your knowledge and analysis are great, insightful, so good to read:bow:

If it will help - You can find some info about Satoko's programs on pages 115-116 in this thread (along with some links), then on Page 118 there's a link to Satoko's blog, on pages 129-130 You can find posters' analysis /opinions about Satoko's FS (in general, mine among those and specifically about SA performance).
:)
Click to expand...

Thank you for your response, NoNameFace! Yes, I've already scrolled through this thread -- plenty of useful info and links here, yes. Is Satoko's blog in Japanese? Unfortunately, I'm not reading Japanese (although with my current interests in Shoma and Satoko, I may well consider learning this language in the future...).
I wonder if anyone had anything to say about her gestures in particular. I was thinking in the direction of geisha dance culture (like, Nihon Buyo) or the kabuki theatre in general, considering Cio-Cio-san's implied geisha background in Puccini's opera, but this is still rather unclear for me.
Anyway, thank you again for your support!
 
Hronop said:
Thank you for your response, NoNameFace! Yes, I've already scrolled through this thread -- plenty of useful info and links here, yes. Is Satoko's blog in Japanese? Unfortunately, I'm not reading Japanese (although with my current interests in Shoma and Satoko, I may well consider learning this language in the future...).
I wonder if anyone had anything to say about her gestures in particular. I was thinking in the direction of geisha dance culture (like, Nihon Buyo) or the kabuki theatre in general, considering Cio-Cio-san's implied geisha background in Puccini's opera, but this is still rather unclear for me.
Anyway, thank you again for your support!
Click to expand...

Hi Hronop, I recommend this blog for everything to do with Satoko - translations, TV appearances, interviews, clips, etc. I came across a translation of a certain interview that talked about some choreographic moves in her SP and FS, and maybe further down in the archives there could be some quotes from choreographers.

Also, you can find Satoko's blog post translations here!
 
klutzonice said:
Hi Hronop, I recommend this blog for everything to do with Satoko - translations, TV appearances, interviews, clips, etc. I came across a translation of a certain interview that talked about some choreographic moves in her SP and FS, and maybe further down in the archives there could be some quotes from choreographers.

Also, you can find Satoko's blog post translations here!
Click to expand...

Fantastic, thank you so much for all these links!
 
Satoko article on Number
http://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/829563?page=1

Some ideas:

- Even if she was still going to be selected on the Olympic team had she finished 2nd, she wanted to win and skated the long program thinking of winning
- The situation seemed hopeless in October and Pyeongchang looked impossible; Mie Hamada suggested that they start focusing on Beijing instead. Satoko didn't say anything but deep down she thought she'd make it by Japanese Nationals
- If a stress fracture reoccurs, all effort would be in vain and it would damage her skating career
- The fact that she couldn't jump at all and had to stick to practicing steps while her training colleague Rika Kihira landed 3A-3T left and right made her very impatient
- Mie Hamada says she respects Satoko for still maintaining her goal of going to the Olympics through all hardships
- Satoko's high school graduation thesis was called "The Demon at the Olympics". She said she had heard that the Olympics feels different from any other competition and that it's like a demon lives there and she wanted to know if there was a way to deal with that. She collected interviews from many Olympians, including Daisuke Takahashi and Nobunari Oda. Her conclusion was that "The demon lives inside me. It's something we create ourselves. We get influenced by the exterior, we put unnecessary expectations on ourselves. That creates nervousness and straining and the bigger the competition is, the bigger those two become and turn into a demon. It's difficult but if I could skate as usual, that would be great."
- After getting selected for the Pyeongchang Olympics, these were Satoko's thoughts: "I still lack many things and there's lots to do after the Pyeongchang Olympics. I think I can show you a mature skater at the Beijing Olympics so I think I'll be a better skater 5 years from now."
 
ioanna said:
Satoko article on Number
http://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/829563?page=1

Some ideas:

- Even if she was still going to be selected on the Olympic team had she finished 2nd, she wanted to win and skated the long program thinking of winning
- The situation seemed hopeless in October and Pyeongchang looked impossible; Mie Hamada suggested that they start focusing on Beijing instead. Satoko didn't say anything but deep down she thought she'd make it by Japanese Nationals
- If a stress fracture reoccurs, all effort would be in vain and it would damage her skating career
- The fact that she couldn't jump at all and had to stick to practicing steps while her training colleague Rika Kihira landed 3A-3T left and right made her very impatient
- Mie Hamada says she respects Satoko for still maintaining her goal of going to the Olympics through all hardships
- Satoko's high school graduation thesis was called "The Demon at the Olympics". She said she had heard that the Olympics feels different from any other competition and that it's like a demon lives there and she wanted to know if there was a way to deal with that. She collected interviews from many Olympians, including Daisuke Takahashi and Nobunari Oda. Her conclusion was that "The demon lives inside me. It's something we create ourselves. We get influenced by the exterior, we put unnecessary expectations on ourselves. That creates nervousness and straining and the bigger the competition is, the bigger those two become and turn into a demon. It's difficult but if I could skate as usual, that would be great."
- After getting selected for the Pyeongchang Olympics, these were Satoko's thoughts: "I still lack many things and there's lots to do after the Pyeongchang Olympics. I think I can show you a mature skater at the Beijing Olympics so I think I'll be a better skater 5 years from now."
Click to expand...

Wow I really love this quote of hers. These introspective thoughts really help me to understand all the pressure that comes with going to the Olympics, and how rewarding it must feel to skate well. To me, Satoko has done a great job battling nerves and skating well when it counts, so I hope she can do the same in Korea

And of course, I'm glad to hear that she plans to continue skating another quad :)
 
ioanna said:
Satoko article on Number
http://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/829563?page=1

Some ideas:
- The situation seemed hopeless in October and Pyeongchang looked impossible; Mie Hamada suggested that they start focusing on Beijing instead. Satoko didn't say anything but deep down she thought she'd make it by Japanese Nationals
- If a stress fracture reoccurs, all effort would be in vain and it would damage her skating career
- The fact that she couldn't jump at all and had to stick to practicing steps while her training colleague Rika Kihira landed 3A-3T left and right made her very impatient
- Mie Hamada says she respects Satoko for still maintaining her goal of going to the Olympics through all hardships "
Click to expand...
Satoko may be small but she's tough! Anyone else would have given up in her position but she persevered and look where she is now! Can't wait to see her skate on Olympic ice!
 
Oh wow, I thought 2018 was gonna be her only Olympics she was going for? If she's thinking of 2022, OMG!!! more seasons with Satoko :luv17:
 
my heart is broken for my second favorite skater I forget to celebrate for our tinyqueen, she did it is incredible I'm glad that the korea can see its beautiful programs, it is about to become the best arthist. and to learn that she is still going on in 2022 rejoice even more. I love the theme of her thesis she can check for herself would be fun I think XD.
:yahoo:
 
Satoko is gaining popularity in South Korea. She is the only other figure skater from Japan (apart from Yuzuru) to be getting headlines in the South Korean media. They are especially interested in her rehabilitation and comeback story and they name her the poster girl of Japanese figure skating after Mao Asada. Marin Honda used to enjoy some popularity in Korea before Japanese Nationals but now the newspapers have started focusing on Satoko.
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/byline/shinmukoeng/20171226-00079709/
 
If she plans to keep skating til the 2022 olympics, maybe learn to jump in her natural clockwise direction again? Would be an awesome talent to see someone do jumps in both directions in a routine 👌🏻
 
brens78 said:
If she plans to keep skating til the 2022 olympics, maybe learn to jump in her natural clockwise direction again? Would be an awesome talent to see someone do jumps in both directions in a routine 👌🏻
Click to expand...

i remember seeing footage of her doing some doubles in her natural direction from couple of season ago but i feel like if she actually practice it it may mess up her jumps, but if its possible i would love to see her try 3Lz2Lz (2Lz in her natural direction) combo or sth because it would be cool:biggrin:
 
brens78 said:
If she plans to keep skating til the 2022 olympics, maybe learn to jump in her natural clockwise direction again? Would be an awesome talent to see someone do jumps in both directions in a routine 👌🏻
Click to expand...

She can't jump in her natural directon anymore. I've seen some attempts but they don't look good. I think she will work on technique as it is now. She needs more power to jump bigger.
 
I wrote a post about Satoko's Madame Butterfly, covering her music choice, some gestures, also a bit of kabuki and Nihon buyo here and there... It's in Russian, but if anyone's interested, I can send a link. Thanks to NoNameFace and klutzonice for being so helpful, and huge thanks to whoever runs Satoko's tumblr fan page -- it's just amazing and so rich with materials of all kind.
 
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