“I want to skate to express my eternal love for my mother. Even at the age of 33, I think about my mother every day. I never forget her.” Mao Asada about her show “Everlasting 33”
Mao Asada about her ice show “Everlasting 33.”
original source: number.bunshun.jp 15th June 2024 by Yoshie Noguchi
In the interview posted on Sports Graphic Number Web, Mao Asada talks about the ice show, “Everlasting33”, for which she acts as the chair. Here’s a translation of her comments.
The ice show “Everlasting33” has opened at Tachikawa Stage Garden, and all performance tickets are sold out.
“When I was allowed on the stage and looked at the audience, I was convinced that ‘we can create something no one has seen before’ here, and I made a reservation immediately (laughs),” Mao says about the “theater type” venue for her show. “I wanted to exceed the framework of an ice show, so I decided to incorporate new elements. That’s aerial stunts, tap dance, and dance without ice skates. I wanted to enjoy this new expression as a part of entertainment.”
“Tap dancing is something I’ve been learning for just over four years. I’ve been thinking, ‘I want to do a stage like the old musical movies,” she shared.
“The opportunities to practice with the orchestra were limited, so I was anxious until the start, wondering ‘Will it be alright?’ However, the moment the first day of performance began, all my worries evaporated and I thought, ‘Live performances can feel this good!’ I was overcome with the impression that it was the ultimate luxury.”
As for the choice of music for the show, Asada admitted “Rather than choosing the music I wanted to skate to, I thought I’d want to present the songs that the fans would like to see me skate to.” That’s why she started a song request last fall on SNS. There were thousands of entries, and she personally looked into each one. “The moment I heard ‘Kiss the Rain,’ which only received two votes, I knew it was ‘the one.’ I thought, ‘there was such a beautiful melody. I have no choice but to skate to it.'”
“The theme of this show is to incorporate various forms of love, such as love for family, friends, skate, and dance in each program. Therefore, my immediate instinct was ‘I want to skate my solo part to my eternal love for my mother.’ The theme of the show is ‘Eternal Love’ with a motif of roses. My mother also loved roses, and my love for her is forever. Various emotions are connected which made me think, ‘Ah, I met this song because of its meaning…’. I wanted to say thank you to the two people who voted for this wonderful song, which made me encounter it.”
“Even at the age of 33, I think about my mother every day. I never forget her. It is a program filled with feelings for her, thinking about her 365 days a year.”
Another solo number was also decided by fan voting. It was Bolero. “Bolero was the overwhelming first choice in the voting. By the way, the second was ‘Masquerade,’ but since I had skated to it in a competition, I immediately decided on ‘Bolero.'” The choreography for this program was done by her sister Mai.
“Since this program was created with my sister, it also includes our sisterly love. My skate, angle, body position, and feminine adult movements and positions of beauty are all highlighted. Also included is my determination and tenacity, which has never been defeated by any difficulty in life. Bolero is a profound piece. By performing it, I feel that all of my experiences, including my private life, are seeping out. I didn’t have just a happy, fun life. I had days of battling various things, overcoming them with my strong will. I hope you can feel such things.”
Related topics: Mao Asada
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