Shoma Uno | Page 91 | Golden Skate

Shoma Uno

Shoma and Marin had to abort one of their lifts in their program yesterday, and after Shoma apologized on his knees, they did a revenge lift at the finale of the show 🤭 Today's two performances went without any issues though!



The way Shoma looks at Marin is just so full of love, hehe 🥰

 
Shoma's episode of "The Best Restaurant in Life" aired yesterday, and I haven't watched but the reactions on Twitter was pretty good! He's getting really good at variety shows like this especially when he can talk a lot, hahaha. The show was about Shoma's career summary and what he's up to now, with some childhood stories sprinkled in. And because the show revolves around food and restaurants the guest remember / frequents, 3 Nagoya restaurants Shoma frequented also appears: Yakiniku Rion, CENTRO (Italian restaurant) and a fried cutlet place.



 
Flashback to the past too on Twitter with GPF 2016 Loco!



This musical precision—
I think this 2016 Loco program is where you can most clearly see just how incredible Shoma Uno is as a dancer on the ice.
What’s amazing isn’t just matching hand movements to the music.
He’s literally hitting the beat with the technique itself—
the takeoff and landing of his jumps, the speed of his spins.
That’s why, for me, Shoma Uno’s performances feel like a complete, unified “song” from start to finish.


Anyone who’s ever watched even one of Shoma Uno’s interviews during his competitive years would probably think he has absolutely no hint of “Latin” in him.
And yet, for some reason, he has an unusually high compatibility with Latin music — he manages to capture that kind of power that wells up from deep in the gut through his skating, which is honestly mysterious.
 
Thanks rabidline for all the updates on Ice Brave 2, much appreciated. I found Shizuka IG post it looks like
she and Dai attended one of the shows. It so nice how the pro skaters in Japan support each other.

 
Video of Shoma's visit to Izumo to pray at the Izumo Taisha Shrine for the show, which will be held in Shimane this December. This visit was done right after the Kyoto shows, and he also visited Koyukan - the rink they are using for the show in Shimane.




Before the Izumo Ice Show: Wishing for Success — A Closer Look at the Feelings of Pro Figure Skater Shoma Uno (Shimane)​


Shoma Uno, who has shone on the world stage at the Olympics and other major competitions and has been a leading figure in Japanese figure skating, has been working as a professional since last year. He now produces his own ice shows as well.

Ahead of his show to be held this December in Izumo City, we asked Uno about the thoughts he has poured into the production.


On November 5, Shoma Uno visited Izumo Taisha Shrine.

A two-time Olympic medalist, two-time World Champion, and six-time All-Japan Champion, Uno transitioned to professional skating in 2024. Now, as a producer and creator of his own ice shows, he’s guiding the figure skating world from a completely different position than during his amateur career.

With his upcoming December ice show in Izumo approaching, Uno visited Izumo Taisha together with city officials and event staff to pray for the show’s success.

Shoma: “It means a lot to have people wishing for our success. It makes me want to do my best even more.”



Uno’s first self-produced show, Ice Brave, debuted in 2024.
It toured three cities across Japan, and fans were enthralled by the overwhelming performances into which he poured all his energy—from structure to direction.

Its sequel, Ice Brave 2, will be held in Izumo City on December 6 and 7.

On this day, Uno visited the venue, Koyukan Ice Arena, to check the condition of the rink and get a feel for the atmosphere inside the building.

Shoma: “The ice is beautifully maintained, and everything seems in great shape. As for the size, right now it’s in competition configuration, but during the show, the audience seating will also extend onto the ice, so it becomes much narrower—really right in front of us. I mean this close when I’m skating.”

With seating installed on the rink surface, Uno and the other skaters will perform extremely close to the audience—allowing spectators to feel the full impact of their skating up close.

Shoma: “No matter the environment or the ice, we’re here with the intention of giving everyone in Shimane the best possible time. Honestly, we’re excited to skate here too.”



This is Uno’s second time visiting Shimane Prefecture, and his first-ever visit to Izumo Taisha.
The show takes place the week after the shrine’s traditional Kami-mukae Shinji (the welcoming of the gods), a period when all the deities are said to gather in Izumo.

Shoma: “It’s a tremendous honor, but at the same time it feels almost too much. I want to handle my own responsibilities myself, so if anything, I’d be grateful if the gods could help the people other than me.”



Ice Brave 2 runs December 6–7.
Uno continues refining the performance so audiences can have fun and—hopefully—grow to love skating even more.

Shoma: “It’s rare for figure skating events to be held in Shimane, so this is a precious opportunity. I want to create a show that will make everyone feel, ‘I want to see skating again.’”
 
As with the running on ice bit, today apparently it snowed pretty hard in Sapporo so the roads are covered by ice and... some people in Japanese Twitter remembered Shoma's viral Tweet of wishing roads can turn to ice when he's running late (so he can skate and make it on time)...

And of course it summoned Shoma out 😂 he's asking if he can be considered as a pedestrian when the road is that icy.

 


Number Web had an interview with Shoma after Ice Brave 2 Kyoto, and they actually have some pretty good footage of Gravity, Your Last Kiss, Bolero and Wild Side from Kyoto, but that's under paywall. The bits of interview is quite good, and Shoma talked about why he chose to skate Gravity and Your Last Kiss as his solo numbers for Ice Brave 2:

“It reminds me of my competitive days.” In Ice Brave 2, where he performs nine numbers, which memorable piece did Shoma Uno say he “wanted to skate”? “Because it was a difficult time, the music really moved me.” — Exclusive Interview
By Yoshie Noguchi
Figure Skating
2025/11/16

Shoma Uno’s second self-produced ice show, Ice Brave 2, began on November 1 with its opening performance in Kyoto. The show features eight top-level male and female skaters who blaze through 19 numbers—its sharp, driving momentum being one of its biggest draws.
Right after the first performance, Uno sat down with Number PREMIER for an exclusive interview to share his thoughts. (Please also check out the “Ice Brave 2” cast roundtable videos, Parts 1 and 2. Number PREMIER will continue following Shoma Uno’s upcoming activities.)

As the leader of the show, Uno performed two solo programs, “Gravity” and “Your Last Kiss”, plus an ice dance with Marin Honda and numbers featuring choreography by off-ice dancers such as “Narco.” Altogether, he appeared in an impressive nine numbers—pushing his physical limits.

The solo “Gravity” was originally skated by his mentor, Stéphane Lambiel, in the first Ice Brave, but in this second edition, Uno takes over the role. The piece was his own short program from the 2022–23 competitive season.

Shoma: “Since Stéphane isn’t here this time, I thought it might be interesting—or stir something emotionally—for people who have been watching Ice Brave from the start to see me skate a program that he performed. That’s why I chose it.”

Asked whether Lambiel’s interpretation or performance influenced his own, Uno said he skated it with the same feeling he had during competition, without being affected.

Shoma: “Even though it’s been so long, I felt I could skate it almost the same. I’ve never disliked the movements in ‘Gravity,’ so it was actually pretty comfortable to skate. But I did find myself wondering what it would be like if Stéphane and I were to skate it together.”

Indeed, Lambiel’s performance in Ice Brave and Uno’s performance in Ice Brave 2 each had their own world and charm. His comment sparks curiosity about what kind of chemistry a collaboration between the two might create.




“When I heard the music, I thought, ‘I want to do this.’”​


The other solo Uno added this time was “Your Last Kiss,” part of his free program medley with “Dancing On My Own” from the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons. He performed the portion originally used in the latter half of the program, now arranged as one continuous piece.

Shoma: “When I heard the music, I just thought, ‘I want to skate this.’ The last step sequence brings back so many memories from when I was competing. I wouldn’t say I was struggling, but I practiced a lot, and there were many things that didn’t go well. All sorts of memories come up when I skate it, and that emotion makes me want to perform it.”

It was the music from the period when he distanced himself from coaches Machiko Yamada and Mihoko Higuchi, went through trial and error, and eventually began training under Lambiel. He performs it now while looking back on that turbulent chapter.

Shoma: “The fact that I had a rough period—for me, I like that way more than a program where everything just goes smoothly. Maybe that’s why I’m so attached to this piece.”



“Ice Brave 2” begins with brilliance​


In the solo interview video from opening night in Kyoto, Uno also talks about
  • How his approach changed after seeing Lambiel skate “Gravity” in Ice Brave
  • Why he chose the solo “Your Last Kiss,” and how even the tough times became good memories
  • Putting everything into the final steps of “Bolero”
  • Trying a new lift in the ice dance number
It’s an interview packed with insights for those who have already seen the upgraded second edition of the show, as well as those planning to. Please take a look. (Interview conducted November 1.)



_________________________


Some thoughts:

- That's a big hint for a new duet with Stephane for Ice Brave Special Edition......... Shoma said back in June, that he and his team considered Gravity as his duet number with Stephane before finally choosing Legends instead while Gravity was skated solo by Stephane. If they really do it I really want to see it...... but also Shoma needs to change that pink-purple Gravity shirt if he really does it as a duet lol. Follow Stephane for inspiration on what to wear for Gravity, Shoma!

- This is probably Shoma's first time going "I want to skate to this" re: Your Last Kiss. Your Last Kiss is fascinating because it's not the full DOMO program, it's just the accompanying part composed by Karl Hugo specifically for Shoma's program, and Shoma skated just to that part. So it's a hybrid between a familiar piece, but a new program for the show (with the new white costume).

A little throwback. It is a beautiful piece:

 
Number has a short excerpt of their Roundtable Interview with Shoma, Yoji Nakano, and Yoshiki Sato after Ice Brave 2 Kyoto. The automatic translation is quite good, and most importantly there are some new footage from the Kyoto performances on the group numbers: Great Spirit, Come Together, Buenos Aires Hora Cero (first half of Loco reworked to become an all-male tango group number), and Michael Jackson.



Also today Shoma was on TBS Voicelog Radio for an hour, looking good and the contents were pretty good as well!

 
Fuji TV Two is airing a full compilation of Shoma's programs from his 13 (!!!!) Senior Japanese Nationals on December 13 (lol).

That would make it from 2011 up to 2023 Nationals... there are some gems in the past, like his Tanguera SP from JNats 2012, usually it's out there after the compilation has aired.

 
Watching the men's FS today made me miss Shoma. Nothing against the men competing today
but it was a bit of a splat fest. That said, in between the splats there was some really good programs and skating.
With Shoma we got beautiful artistry and programs along with very good technique and consistency. He was not perfect
but pretty damn close. ❤️ ❤️
 
Watching the men's FS today made me miss Shoma. Nothing against the men competing today
but it was a bit of a splat fest. That said, in between the splats there was some really good programs and skating.
With Shoma we got beautiful artistry and programs along with very good technique and consistency. He was not perfect
but pretty damn close. ❤️ ❤️
I felt the same. I watched Mea Tormenta and thought "Imagine one of these guys from today trying to do a skate like that." And I probably never appreciated enough how mentally tough he was. A brilliant skater who isn't mentally tough won't get the job done. Sigh. And he was a class act to boot! ❤️
 
I felt the same. I watched Mea Tormenta and thought "Imagine one of these guys from today trying to do a skate like that." And I probably never appreciated enough how mentally tough he was. A brilliant skater who isn't mentally tough won't get the job done. Sigh. And he was a class act to boot! ❤️
Can't agree more! I think it's only when he's gone that we really can understand just how tough and dependable Shoma was as a competitor. He had his ups and downs and growing pains during his competitive career, but I admire how he took them on honestly and was able to find ways to fight back to the top. And when you think about how older skaters usually physically struggle until the end, Shoma was able to gracefully balance his more mature artistry and his physical ability in his final seasons.
 
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