Kana Muramoto and Daisuke Takahashi: “Several judges had approached me at the banquet and said, “You’ve become an ice dancer. You’re going to continue, right?'”
Kana Muramoto and Daisuke Takahashi about their free dance to the Phantom of the Opera.
source: dot.asahi.com dd. 17 April 2023 by Satoko Sawada
After finishing their performance at World Team Trophy, Kana Muramoto struck a pose as if taking off a mask. This gesture was an homage to the final pose of “The Phantom of the Opera,” a program that Takahashi performed during his singles career.
Sixteen years ago, at the 2007 World Championships held at the same Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium as this event (World Team Trophy), Takahashi skated to “The Phantom of the Opera” in the free program and won the silver medal in men’s singles.
In the mixed zone after the free dance, Takahashi mentioned this and said, “I wanted to make it an absolutely good memory.”
“This time, with Kana-chan, we performed ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ as ice dancers, and we were able to perform the best performance for ourselves, which will be the best memory for me,” Takahashi said. “I’m very happy that we were able to perform our best performance in this place, which is a place that I have fond memories of. I feel like I could say, ‘Did I do this season to come here?’ (laughs).”
Muramoto says that like Christine, who was able to shine thanks to the help of the Phantom, she was able to return to the ice as an ice dancer thanks to teaming up with Takahashi. She prepared for the free program watching Takahashi’s “The Phantom of the Opera.”
“I really wanted to watch it, so this free skate was one of the things I watched… It’s been 16 years since then, and I was really moved by how great it was. It was truly a happy four minutes,” Muramoto said.
Furthermore, there is another “Phantom of the Opera” that is significant to the two of them. Marina Zueva, their coach, coached Meryl Davis and Charlie White (2014 Sochi Olympic gold medalists, United States), who skated to “The Phantom of the Opera” in the free dance during the 2009-2010 season. When Zueva recommended “The Phantom of the Opera” for their free dance this season, the two of them thought of their program.
Muramoto recalls Maryl and Charlie’s “Phantom of the Opera” program and says, “It was a program choreographed by Marina Zueva, and it was my favorite program. so I started by asking, ‘Are you sure?’.
Muramoto says that her goal throughout her skating career was to perform a memorable performance, and she feels that she was able to achieve that with this program. As for Davis & White’s program, the impression it left on Takahashi was strong, and although there was pressure, his love for the music surpassed it.
“I like this music more than that, so I didn’t think too much about it. We have been pursuing our own version of ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ and it finally took shape. As a result, I think it was really good that we chose this music,” said Takahashi.
At the press conference the next day, Takahashi was asked how it was to perform “Phantom of the Opera,” a program he had performed in his singles career. He replied, “I didn’t intend to skate ‘Phantom of the Opera’ at all, but as I continued to skate it, I felt like it was leading to something fatefully. I think it was fate that I was able to perform this program.”
Takahashi has not yet stated their plans for next season, but at the press conference the following day, he revealed that several judges had approached him at the banquet and said, “You’ve become an ice dancer.” “They said things like, ‘You’re going to continue, right?'”
Related topics: Kana Muramoto Daisuke Takahashi
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