Shoma Uno

[rabidline]

The full Ladies in Lavender in all its glory:



To be honest my biggest fear about Shoma redoing it is that it wouldn't measure up to the 2017 Lavender. But I was wrong. 2024 Lavender is different and is magical in its own way. There was no way Shoma could have skated to the music like this in 2017, it has to be done now, in 2024. I have no more words to be honest. It's beyond everything I have ever wanted. That musicality of his is truly a God-given talent.

 

[demarinis5]

Thank you rabidline

 

[yuumagical]

The full Ladies in Lavender in all its glory:



To be honest my biggest fear about Shoma redoing it is that it wouldn't measure up to the 2017 Lavender. But I was wrong. 2024 Lavender is different and is magical in its own way. There was no way Shoma could have skated to the music like this in 2017, it has to be done now, in 2024. I have no more words to be honest. It's beyond everything I have ever wanted. That musicality of his is truly a God-given talent.

It's still so so soft despite the popped jump, those arms!!! How do they accentuate the music so well?!? Thank you very very much for uploading this!

 

[Arriba627]

I enjoyed the 2024 version of Ladies in Lavender so much! Pretty hard to hold the tears back watching that. However, the absolute top skate of that program for me will always be Worlds 2017 in Helsinki. This competitive version was magical. Besides preferring competition over shows, I loved that if people didn't already realize it, they knew now that Shoma had arrived. Although under incredible pressure, he came out and delivered a fabulous performance despite competition nerves and delighted a totally packed arena which can't even hold back their clapping 'til the end. 4F, rolling 3's into a 4T / 3T, a majestic 3A (as described by the Madre Mia Twins, Paloma and Susana). Listening to these announcers makes me smile. They are totally freaking out and saying "Incredible 3A, "beautiful entrance to the spin", "total edge mastery", "candidate for the podium, Shoma Uno", "watch out for Shoma Uno", "What a 3A", "What a program". I had to relive it again! Watch the determined look on his face and how he purses his lips before he goes into the 3A, as if to say "Come on Shoma, you know you can do this!" Shoma has had so many stellar programs. There will never be another one like LiL. If you have time, take a listen. Even if you don't understand the Spanish, the announcers are just SO over the moon for him and for his program. Thank you Shoma.

 

[Arriba627]

Wow, Shoma actually posted "See You Again" news on Instagram. What happened to Lavender? At least we know he still remembers that he has an Instagram account.

 

[rabidline]

Kazutaka Ishii, one of the Japanese musical actors who sang live at Prince Ice World posted a 2-shot with Shoma (his post also commemorates his debut as a musical actor), and the translation of his impression of Shoma is so cute:



The Deep L translation:

#ShomaUno

Shoma Uno is a world-class athlete. I have seen him many times on TV, but after meeting him and seeing his performance in person, I became even more of a fan.

He is a nobleman by nature. Eyes as clear as a lake. An unspoiled soul. If I were to compare him to an animal, I would compare him to a gentle, fluffy bunny. If I were to contrast myself with Uno, I think I am a rough gorilla compared to Uno.

After the show, I asked him, "I'm sorry to bother you, but would you mind if I take a two-shot with you? He replied, "No, I'm not tired at all. I am not tired at all." What do you think? This concern for a gorilla-shaped senior is a really gentle and good-natured young man with genius skills and sense of style, but with a low back.

In terms of musical roles, "Marius" in "Les Miserables" would be perfect for him. Don't you think so? Noble looks. Pure and innocent personality. Gentle and elegant.

I am sorry that I compare everything to musicals, but that's just how musical actors are (lol).

Anyway, I am very happy to be close to Shoma-kun. I will be standing on the same rink today. Of course, I will not skate. Because, as a comedian, I am most afraid of skating. I'm not a singer, am I?

The Marius (Les Miserables) comparison is cute. I think we know by now that Shoma's a romantic just like Marius, ha!

And well, it's hard not to compare him to a gentle fluffy bunny when he looks like this...

 

[rabidline]

Thanks Nobu for the photo from today's Prince Ice World! Shomarin being the prettiest couple, Keiji being handsome, Yuma Shun and Kao being the cutest boys. Too bad Nobu's face covered Shizuka so you can't see her

 

[rabidline]

It seemed that the last Lavender performance was very moving... a lot of fans took to Twitter to express their praise. I usually follow this X/ Twitter account for more general figure skating history and commentary since they're more of a fan of figure skating as a whole (so not a specifically hardcore Shoma fan), but they gave such high praise after watching Shoma's skate so I have to link it here:



Deep L Translation:

Today's MVP is Shoma! I can't argue with that, it's Shoma! I got goosebumps and cried lightly because it was so wonderful. What is that lavender? The dimension of expression is so different, or, I mean, I was shown something tremendous. I wanted to say, you are the king of Figure Skating now, though you are not the World Champion right now!

Also Shoma said he wants to make a new program!!!

 

[Arriba627]

@rabidline I wondered who that gentleman was, and I was reading about him yesterday. He has quite a resume and has released 6 albums and has done a lot of voiceovers. It mentioned him being one of the people who voiced "Aladdin". Now I want to hear Aladdin in Japanese! Thx for all the info on him. Very interesting.

Adding -- I felt like I should know him but didn't...My other takeaway was that I can't get over that Nobu is 37 years old!!! What?!?!

 

[Arriba627]

Twitter is absolutely on fire today with all the accolades for Sho’s Ladies in Lavender. What IS it about that program? Whether in its competitive or ice show form, it has always evoked incredibly strong emotions, possibly even more so than Mao’s or Machida’s versions. A good program starts with great choreo, and IMHO after coaching Sho for 11 years, Coach Fluffy knew exactly how to capitalize on his incredibly smooth skating and stunning skating skills and how to weave the emotional softness in with the technical. Some of the comments I’m seeing are making me cry and others really making me smile! Thank you for listening to your fans, Shoma, and for giving them this great treat! Just a few of the comments:

--He even expresses himself with movements of his head. He becomes an instrument and weaves the sound, painting the whole surface in a world of lavender.
--Shoma’s Lavender was so amazing that I couldn’t help but hold my breath and stare. These performances are a once in a lifetime experience.
--His steps were godlike, and after it was over, the cheers echoed through the venue and I was in tears.
--I wonder how Shoma can skate so smoothly. I felt a sense of greatness and dignity that showed me this is what it means to win the world championship. It gave me goosebumps.
--I was left breathless as I watched Lavender without blinking an eye. The performance was so intense and beautiful.
--Shoma’s Lavender on the final day looked perfect in every way.
--Shoma’s performance was so divine that the excitement in the venue was incredible. The moment it finished, there was a huge burst of applause and cheers. Even people who weren’t big fans of Shoma’s were crying too!!! It was really amazing.
--The hall was in an uproar and I almost cried!
--His back is eloquent and his passion is conveyed.
--When Shoma was performing, the venue was surrounded by purple light sticks, which was a really beautiful sight. It looked like a bunch of lavender flowers were blooming. It was so wonderful.
--I will never forget Shoma’s performance today.
--Shoma instantly changed the atmosphere in the venue. Each and every movement was refined, and there was a lingering feeling of melancholy to everything. Today’s performance made my heart pound.
--The sense of grandeur was overwhelming. It was over in a matter of seconds.
--It was so intense and insanely beautiful that I forgot to breathe. By the time he completed his final spin the applause hadn’t stopped. It was more like screams than cheers!

 

[Arriba627]

It seems the judges always liked Lavender (and Loco!) too. He had an amazing season with both of those programs 2016-2017. Never off the podium.

Shombardia Challenger (gold)
Couple du Printemps Challenger (gold)
Asian Winter Games (gold)
Skate America GP (gold)
Rostelecom Cup GP (silver)
GPF (bronze)
J-Nats (gold)
4CC (bronze)
Worlds (silver)

 

[Arriba627]

Oh my....Look at the landing leg / edge on that jump. He's practically on the side of his skate!

 

[rabidline]

Twitter is absolutely on fire today with all the accolades for Sho’s Ladies in Lavender. What IS it about that program? Whether in its competitive or ice show form, it has always evoked incredibly strong emotions, possibly even more so than Mao’s or Machida’s versions. A good program starts with great choreo, and IMHO after coaching Sho for 11 years, Coach Fluffy knew exactly how to capitalize on his incredibly smooth skating and stunning skating skills and how to weave the emotional softness in with the technical.

In my opinion Shoma's Ladies in Lavender is a lot less technical choreography-wise compared to his more recent programs. But when it comes to interpretation of music, the program is truly sublime, especially with the way Shoma is able to skate in 2024. Shoma truly embodied the music, instead of just going through choreographic moves or do some brackets and transitions. He is the music. As Tatiana Tarasova once said, "it is like the music is written just for him."

Truly the 2024 version of LiL exceeded my expectation. I am very happy to see that Shoma was not trying to recreate past glory of the 2017 Worlds SP, neither is he trying to show off how much he has improved since then. He simply skated the program with the him that is now, and it really resonates with me. LiL is the program that made me fall irrevocably in love with Shoma's skating. Watching it now just highlights that he has only gotten better since then, and honestly, he kept setting up new personal bests in terms of skating whenever I see him. I love, love the 2017 Worlds skate like a first love. But when I watched the 2024 PIW skate, there is no comparison. The Shoma in 2017 couldn't possibly have skated the way he does in 2024, and I'm so happy that he continued skating.

 

[16Olympics]

The full Ladies in Lavender in all its glory:



To be honest my biggest fear about Shoma redoing it is that it wouldn't measure up to the 2017 Lavender. But I was wrong. 2024 Lavender is different and is magical in its own way. There was no way Shoma could have skated to the music like this in 2017, it has to be done now, in 2024. I have no more words to be honest. It's beyond everything I have ever wanted. That musicality of his is truly a God-given talent.

Thanks for sharing. So special.

 

[Arriba627]

In my opinion Shoma's Ladies in Lavender is a lot less technical choreography-wise compared to his more recent programs. But when it comes to interpretation of music, the program is truly sublime, especially with the way Shoma is able to skate in 2024. Shoma truly embodied the music, instead of just going through choreographic moves or do some brackets and transitions. He is the music. As Tatiana Tarasova once said, "it is like the music is written just for him."

Truly the 2024 version of LiL exceeded my expectation. I am very happy to see that Shoma was not trying to recreate past glory of the 2017 Worlds SP, neither is he trying to show off how much he has improved since then. He simply skated the program with the him that is now, and it really resonates with me. LiL is the program that made me fall irrevocably in love with Shoma's skating. Watching it now just highlights that he has only gotten better since then, and honestly, he kept setting up new personal bests in terms of skating whenever I see him. I love, love the 2017 Worlds skate like a first love. But when I watched the 2024 PIW skate, there is no comparison. The Shoma in 2017 couldn't possibly have skated the way he does in 2024, and I'm so happy that he continued skating.

No need to recreate the tech in an ice show. My first love will always be the pressure of competition, especially the short program. I take each for what they are, completely different "animals".

 

[Arriba627]

And speaking of short programs, I love that the ISU loaded some clips with the Stephane cam. I love his intensity! He is working as hard as Shoma.

 

[rabidline]

No need to recreate the tech in an ice show. My first love will always be the pressure of competition, especially the short program. I take each for what they are, completely different "animals".

It's not really about only the jumping tech but also technical aspects of choreography, which his LiL doesn't have (because the music doesn't call for it). I'm just glad my first love has grown in the ways I never imagined. I dislike clinging to the past very much, so I love this new performance since it shows that Shoma has outgrown his competitive self and no longer needs to recreate it.

To be that compelling with a program designed for competition without the context and pressure of competition is not an easy thing to do, especially with the current rules. All of DOMO, Bolero and LiL have exceeded my expectations in 2024.

 

[Arriba627]

,

It's not really about only the jumping tech but also technical aspects of choreography, which his LiL doesn't have (because the music doesn't call for it). I'm just glad my first love has grown in the ways I never imagined. I dislike clinging to the past very much, so I love this new performance since it shows that Shoma has outgrown his competitive self and no longer needs to recreate it.

Cling to the past? No. Cherish a memory where you realize that you were incredibly blessed and fortunate to be a part of it -- especially something that will most likely never happen again -- YES! Absolutely! My love and appreciation has grown in ways I never thought possible.

 

[Arriba627]

Always reassuring to know that Demi san is with Sho. Next up is Kagoshima.

 

[Arriba627]

Sho's live ColanTotte event is coming up on May 11 with the release of the 2024 version of the necklace. 150 people will be selected by lottery. Event to be held in Nagoya City. I want to go!!!