“I’m going into the season” Elizaveta Tuktamysheva about new programs, her vlog and admiration for Alena Kostornaia
Interview with Elizaveta Tuktamysheva after the test skates.
source: gazeta.ru dd. 21st September 2023 by Anastasiia Pletneva
After performing at the test skates, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva told about choreographing her incredibly dramatic short program, the decision to compete in the 2023/24 season, the creation of a video blog and coaching experience.
How do you feel after the test skates?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: I’m just tired for now. I’m in a great mood because I was able to show my new short program in a positive light. I’m satisfied with my performances. I came back to Sochi now to rehearse for the show. It’s sunny here, +26°C, I just need to get emotionally ready (smiles).
Did you watch the performances of other figure skaters? Who stood out the most for you?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: Alena Kostornaia and Georgi Kunitsa really impressed me. I was so impressed by them.
I’ve missed watching Alena skate. I see the potential for an amazing pair skater who can rise this pair to the highest level.
They are a perfect match for each other. Alena is so charismatic, with excellent posture and skating skills. She has everything that a pair skater needs. Now they just need to work to keep their motivation high.
I’m happy for their coaches as well because they’ve done a great job and chosen interesting programs. Especially in the free skate – for me, it was a revelation how “The Hunger Games” sounded on a big stage. It’s a great movie, and Alena and Georgi did an excellent job, considering the limited time they had to prepare.
I’m also very glad that Sasha Stepanova and Vanya Bukin are back. They always looked great on the ice; it’s a significant event. They took a year off and looked very good.
Was it challenging for you to perform on almost competitive ice again after three months in shows?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: No, it was even nice to feel the adrenaline. Shows are still not the same. I didn’t feel any discomfort.
What was the feedback on your new short program?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: Specialists said it turned out to be a good program, everyone liked it. We didn’t discuss it too much, but from what I heard, it was mostly positive feedback. It’s incredibly pleasant.
Will the costume change in any way?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: There might be some adjustments. As for completely changing it… We’ll see how we feel.
Who came up with the idea of pulling out the red ribbon at the end of the program?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: Initially, we wanted to create a choker with a rose, to take it off and show that there is no hope left. Not just a hand gesture. Then the idea of a rose turned into the idea of a red ribbon, symbolizing hope and love. My designer suggested inserting loops into the dress from which the ribbon could be pulled out. Everyone contributed a little to this final touch: me, Artem Fedorchenko (choreographer), and designer Gala Filatova.
It’s an interesting detail that you might expect to see more in an exhibition performance.
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: I don’t know how appropriate it would be to do that in competitions. But it was test skates, and here you can do something like that to fully convey the image. Perhaps, for competitions, we will modify it somehow.
How did your collaboration with Artem Fedorchenko begin?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: I was on a show in Sochi for a long time, and Artem was here too. Alexei Nikolaevich (Mishin, Tuktamysheva’s coach) had his eye on him back then. I knew that he was a potentially good choreographer, diligent. In the summer, Mishin and I were thinking about creating some program with him.
At the show, both Ilia Averbukh and Artem were present, and they formed a good tandem. Ilia added soul, life, with nuances and his experience. He helped in terms of bringing the program to life. With Artem, we danced, created the beginning, transitions, and polished the hand movements.
We worked out all the details with him. It turned out quite well; they complemented each other.
Ilia didn’t have as much time, but with Artem, we could meet every day. We managed to rehearse together what we had screated. I enjoyed working with him: he is very responsible, takes his work seriously, and cares deeply. I wanted to perform the program in competitions just as we had envisioned it. For Artem, it was even more important than for me (smiles). I’m glad it worked out. He has the potential to become a very good choreographer.
How did you manage to create the program when you have shows almost every day?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: We found extra ice, choreographed the program, danced some parts in the hall separately. We also had rehearsals before the shows, during which I refined the performance, and during the shows, I started to skate it to feel the audience’s feedback. When I performed the program in Sochi, I liked the sensations I experienced during the performance, how the audience perceived it. I was afraid it was all due to the lighting, the fact that it’s a show. But even during the test skates with regular lighting, it turned out quite well.
You wore a black dress at the shows. Why didn’t you keep it?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: It’s very simple: it’s Evgenia Tarasova’s dress, and I borrowed it to avoid having two identical black dresses (laughs). I really liked its design, and we added the collar to the dress for the short program. It turned out that this style suits me.
You have two dramatic programs this season. Does it bother you that the mood is similar?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: It’s the only year when it’s turned out this way. I’ve always had some fun ones, usually two. It just happened so this time. I liked the music. If you have a feeling that it suits you, that you can cope with it, then you should go for it. We didn’t intentionally choose two such routines. I had a completely different idea; maybe I’ll implement it in the exhibition.
At the end of August, you mentioned that “Cumparsita” was planned for the short program. But a few days later, it was announced that there would be a new program.
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: It wasn’t deliberate, it happened by chance (laughs). At that moment, I genuinely thought we were doing “Cumparsita.” There were ideas on how to adapt the exhibition into the short program. It would have been a bit easier than creating an entirely new program. But even before that, Ilia Averbukh talked about the song “Nebо ya” (Sky me – ed) and suggested making a program to it. I didn’t dwell on it too much because we were planning to do a tango. But one evening, I just realized that I shouldn’t dismiss this idea, listened to the song, and realized that I liked this story even more.
I already had tango in my programs.
“Cumparsita” gained attention because it was an exhibition program with a ballet barre. I was afraid that in a competitive program, it might fade and turn into a rather classic tango.
Just the interview where I talked about “Cumparsita” as the short program and the final program selection didn’t align within a couple of days. It seemed as though I was trying to confuse everyone (laughs).
You mentioned that you had doubts about competing. Do you have a deadline for when you want to make a decision about that?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: I’m going into the season. I’ll finish the shows now, and I’ll have almost a month to get myself in shape, which is quite a lot of time for me. I won’t lose my shape during the shows either; I’ll skate daily here. I plan to compete in the third and sixth stages of the Grand Prix in Krasnoyarsk and Moscow.
Have you discussed your doubts with Mishin?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: Alexei Nikolaevich can hardly make me do something. It all comes from my internal feelings. But if something happens, of course, I will discuss it with him. It’s our common cause; we’ve been working together for a long time. It won’t be like, “That’s it, I don’t want to anymore, goodbye.” We’ll resolve everything in dialogue.
You had a very eventful off-season. What stood out the most?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: Of all the places I visited, it was Mexico. Swimming with sharks there was the most emotional adventure for me.
You just released a vlog from there and mentioned that you worked with a specialist for it. Why was it challenging for you? You do a lot of interviews, including on television.
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: Emotionally, it’s not difficult, but I wanted to learn to do it more professionally. When you give interviews, you usually know what questions to expect, and you feel confident. But when it’s a monologue, you need to tell something, it’s a different skill, and you need to learn it.
What’s the most valuable thing you gained from this training?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: I started making vlogs and do recordings and I became more active on social media at that time. It helped me; I saw the reaction of fans, and new people started following because they found what I recorded interesting. Vadim Denisov (a specialist in being at ease in front of the camera) gave many different tips on exercises, how to avoid filler words, various “ums,” how to pause correctly, how to improve pronunciation. It’s valuable experience, but it will work with regular practice. I still have issues with it (laughs).
You mentioned that you’re preparing a vlog from Sochi.
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: Yes, I’m recording it, everything is ready; I just need to edit it. I hope it will be interesting too. I have help with editing; it’s really not my thing. I lack the patience to watch all of that; I’m not that creative (laughs). Experience and knowledge are needed here, and my head gets overloaded with it.
Did you engage in this training with an eye on the future?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: Sure, with an eye on the future, not just for the sake of it. If there are offers, I’ll be ready for them. And if there aren’t, then it’s still useful in general. If there are meetings where I need to talk about something, this experience will come in handy.
If we return to the off-season, you were at several training camps not only as an athlete but also helping Alexei Nikolaevich Mishin as a coach. How was this experience for you?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: It was interesting to be on the ice in a different role. I liked it, but it takes a lot of energy, sometimes even more than when you’re an athlete. I don’t know if I’m ready to become a coach, but it did interest me.
Are you interested in working on technique specifically, or maybe you wanted to choreograph a program?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: I have more experience working on technique, but when I created a program for one skater, I really liked it too. It’s a creative process I’m familiar with, where I know the rules well. It was a blend of creativity and logical movement. It turned out quite well. I’m afraid to say anything about a whole program, but I enjoyed working on parts of the program.
Were there any difficulties due to the language barrier?
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: If the child knew English, there were no problems. The key is to know figure skating English: the names of technical elements, how to talk about jumps and spins. I needed to get used to speaking in another language. We know all the words.
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