Tatsuki Machida

[Maria Victoria]

Thanks for sharing, Maria. It's nice to still keep this thread alive after several months since Tatsuki's retirement.

I can definitely understand what Mills meant by Tatsuki being a better student than Michelle, because he gave several examples. Tatsuki became willing to do everything Mills told him to do and it definitely payed off in the end so their communication and understanding was the key of his success. I also agree with him and believe Tatsuki was the best blend of artist and athlete in recent years.

My favorite part of the interview was the little Ladies in Lavender story. To quote Mills directly, "last year when I finished Ladies in Lavender for Tatsuki when he was here, I had just finished the program and our rink is really crowded with pairs and dance and singles, it’s insanity. So I finished the program and I said Tatsuki, we’re gonna do the full program now. With one quad, triple lutz and triple axel. He hadn’t done a single jump. And he looked at me and I said a champion can do this. Right now, your body’s warm, let’s go. And you know, he did a brand new, full short program. It wasn’t great but he did a quad toe, he did a triple lutz and he did a triple axel."

I think this shows the competitor in him because he took the challenge even though he hadn't practiced jumps and was probably exhausted after all the work they did on the choreography. He went and landed three clean jumps, including a quad toe and a triple axel. Tatsuki often said he didn't see himself as a real competitor but I always thought he was and this story is further proof of it.

The "Ladies in Lavender" story was great including Phillip Mills' simulation of the astonishment of the people in the rink at witnessing Tatsuki's feat. :agree:

I think Tatsuki has a bit of Daisuke in him in that both do not give themselves enough credit. Tatsuki at 2014 Worlds, his first Worlds and before his home crowd to boot, was a warrior!

And speaking as a fan of Yuzuru, who is still evolving as a skater, I hope he will continue to grow in his artistry to be that special blend of athlete and artist that Tatsuki was, particularly in that glorious 2013-2014 season.

 

[Kitt]

This post makes me so sad that he has retired.

 

[ioanna]

And speaking as a fan of Yuzuru, who is still evolving as a skater, I hope he will continue to grow in his artistry to be that special blend of athlete and artist that Tatsuki was, particularly in that glorious 2013-2014 season.

I think he can be, the short program of this season was a sign that he is going in that direction. And since he admitted it was Tatsuki himself who changed his perspective on skating and performing, we can trust Tatsuki's influence to help him reach that special blend.

 

[Maria Victoria]

I think he can be, the short program of this season was a sign that he is going in that direction. And since he admitted it was Tatsuki himself who changed his perspective on skating and performing, we can trust Tatsuki's influence to help him reach that special blend.

:agree: And maybe someday Tatsuki will choreograph something for him. That will be a dream come true for me.

On a lighter note, I recently watched the "drunk commentary" on Tatsuki's "East of Eden" 2014 Worlds SP by Patrick Commentates Skating. He said this of Tatsuki: "How do you describe how he skates? Because it's not like, never say 'arrogant' or like 'ego' or any of those things, but he skates like he's nobility and that he is gracing you with his presence and that you are lucky to witness what is going on, and that is Tatsuki Machida." In vino veritas.

 

[ioanna]

:agree: And maybe someday Tatsuki will choreograph something for him. That will be a dream come true for me.

Definitely. My dream come true would be Tatsuki becoming as established and in demand as Kenji Miyamoto, that way we will always have a part of him in competitions.

On a lighter note, I recently watched the "drunk commentary" on Tatsuki's "East of Eden" 2014 Worlds SP by Patrick Commentates Skating. He said this of Tatsuki: "How do you describe how he skates? Because it's not like, never say 'arrogant' or like 'ego' or any of those things, but he skates like he's nobility and that he is gracing you with his presence and that you are lucky to witness what is going on, and that is Tatsuki Machida." In vino veritas.

I watched the video too and have to say he definitely got Tatsuki's skating. There were plenty of people who described him just like that, "arrogant" and even "narcissistic" but in reality he was a skater who simply enjoyed to skate and just felt the music to the tip of his fingers. Anybody who is familiar with Tatsuki knows that he has a fascinating personality and unique way of thinking and it obviously transcribed into what he did on the ice so he's always been authentic in his performances. And even though I've only watched it on the screen of my tv and not from the arena, I was still following the live broadcast and as soon as his 2014 Worlds SP ended I truly felt like I was lucky to witness what was going on.

 

[ioanna]

I just finished watching the second part of the Phillip Mills interview by The Skating Lesson. A few interesting points:

- Mills told Tatsuki (and other top pupils) to keep their fans close. To always smile at them, take pics and sign stuff even if practice or competition went bad because it's not their fault it went bad. "Take care of your fans and your fans will take care of you".

- One time during Worlds, Tatsuki wanted to get a coffee. The coffee shop was really close but he spent 30 minutes on the road taking pics with the people who were following and running after him.

- Mills was the one who told Tatsuki to delete his Facebook. I remember him still having his Facebook around Sochi but he deleted it as soon as he became more "famous" because Mills wanted him to stay off social media and "put his words out there on the ice" into his performances. Mills also thought social media is more hurtful than helpful for athletes and he wants his pupils to disconnect. He also told Max Aaron to do the same thing.

- Whenever Tatsuki went to train in the US he would spend his time skating and studying. When he wasn't skating he would be sitting at the table in the dining room and studying. His education is extremely important for him and this grad program was something he really wanted to do.

- He never knew Tatsuki was actually gonna retire in the middle of the season but - to quote him directly "When he got (into grad school) it was the moment where he thought well, I'm 24. Can I win the Japanese title? Probably not, Hanyu's 19. Education is very important for him. It is a top priority." So he obviously looked at his priorities and probably thought he was getting older and he had already achieved more than he even imagined in skating. Mills says he wasn't sad about it, he was happy for Tatsuki because he was going to do the grad school he always wanted to do. On the other hand he was sad for the world than he was for Tatsuki or for himself, for losing such a talent.

- At the end of the interview TSL told him a few names of skating personalities and he had to associate them with a color and explain the reason behind it. He said Michelle was gold, Sasha was platinum but "Tatsuki is a diamond. No color, just sparkles. Sparkles of talent."

 

[Maria Victoria]

Wow, I just feel so happy at all the great things Phillip Mills had to say about Tatsuki. As a fan of Tatsuki, I would also like to say "Thank you" to Phillip for being a great mentor to Tatsuki, for helping him realize his full potential and providing the choreography to showcase his brilliance on the ice like indeed a precious "diamond."

Thanks ionap for the highlights of the second part of the TSL interview with Phillip.

 

[ioanna]

Wow, I just feel so happy at all the great things Phillip Mills had to say about Tatsuki. As a fan of Tatsuki, I would also like to say "Thank you" to Phillip for being a great mentor to Tatsuki, for helping him realize his full potential and providing the choreography to showcase his brilliance on the ice like indeed a precious "diamond."

Thanks ionap for the highlights of the second part of the TSL interview with Phillip.

You're welcome. Just a couple of more days and we will also be able to watch the latest work of this precious "diamond".

 

[ioanna]

This is it. Tatsuki's new self choreographed program The Inheritor.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2qgl0h_piw2015-tatsuki-machida_sport

 

[TheGrandSophy]

Beautiful.

 

[mikaboo]

This is it. Tatsuki's new self choreographed program The Inheritor.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2qgl0h_piw2015-tatsuki-machida_sport

His 3lz at the opening at around 0:30.

3F3T at the finale at around 8:20.

 

[solani]

@ionap
Thanks for sharing!

 

[sabaism]

This is it. Tatsuki's new self choreographed program The Inheritor.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2qgl0h_piw2015-tatsuki-machida_sport

amazing!

 

[Maria Victoria]

This is it. Tatsuki's new self choreographed program The Inheritor.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2qgl0h_piw2015-tatsuki-machida_sport

Oh, it is so lovely it hurts almost. The beginning was exquisite with the beautiful arm movements, the jumps seemed to come out of nowhere and were so interwoven in the program, there was even some "en pointe" footwork. It all shows Tatsuki has learned well from his mentors, Phillip Mills and Stephane Lambiel, while making the choreography truly his own.

Thanks ionap for sharing.

His 3lz at the opening at around 0:30.

3F3T at the finale at around 8:20.

Thanks mikaboo and glad to see you are posting again

 

[ioanna]

Oh, it is so lovely it hurts almost. The beginning was exquisite with the beautiful arm movements, the jumps seemed to come out of nowhere and were so interwoven in the program, there was even some "en pointe" footwork. It all shows Tatsuki has learned well from his mentors, Phillip Mills and Stephane Lambiel, while making the choreography truly his own.

He has so much talent. I can't believe he only got interested in doing choreography about 2 years ago when he did Byakuyako. This Impromptu is a very repetitive piece yet he was able to make every note and phrasing of the music meaningful and unique. The jumps all came out of nowhere and were very carefully placed. The opening pose took my breath away. I read that he directed the lighting and the angles/shots for his program but I'm not 100% sure. I wouldn't be surprised if he did. He has the potential to do a lot of brilliant things in the future and his one of a kind nature and vision will be his success.

 

[Maria Victoria]

He has so much talent. I can't believe he only got interested in doing choreography about 2 years ago when he did Byakuyako. This Impromptu is a very repetitive piece yet he was able to make every note and phrasing of the music meaningful and unique. The jumps all came out of nowhere and were very carefully placed. The opening pose took my breath away. I read that he directed the lighting and the angles/shots for his program but I'm not 100% sure. I wouldn't be surprised if he did. He has the potential to do a lot of brilliant things in the future and his one of a kind nature and vision will be his success.

:yes:

 

[Crossover]

This is it. Tatsuki's new self choreographed program The Inheritor.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2qgl0h_piw2015-tatsuki-machida_sport

Exquisite. I miss Tatsuki so much. :hopelessness:

 

[ioanna]

If you pay attention to the jump layout of the program, aside from the 2A his triples are placed by the order of their values. He starts with a 3T then continues with 3S, 3Lo, 3F and lastly 3Lz. A pity they didn't film the finale from the May 3rd show where he jumped 3A-3T.

 

[Sandpiper]

Is it just me, or does Tatsuki's line, posture, extension, and balletic qualities get better with every performance?

Other things I noticed:
- The lighting. I love how he started and ended in darkness. Very striking.
- The choreography is very intricate, as everyone noted. It's also great to see him still challenging all the triples as well. Seems to be common in Japanese shows. By contrast, I saw only one skater (Ashley Wagner) at Stars on Ice Canada performing the harder triples.
- Truly a tribute to figure skating itself.

 

[Spiral]

This is it. Tatsuki's new self choreographed program The Inheritor.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2qgl0h_piw2015-tatsuki-machida_sport

Thank you so much for sharing this! I was afraid he'd stop skating altogether now that he'd started upon an academic career because I'd read he had some leg troubles, and I thought what a pity it was that his skating career would be so short, but this is just fantastic! He's as talented a choreographer as he's a skater. This was just mesmerizing both in concept and execution - a true work of art. It's rare when creative choreography, visually effortless technique and inspired artistry of such magnitude come together even in competitive skating, let alone in shows. He's a true professional. Actually, "professional" totally doesn't cover this. He's a genius.