Yuzuru Hanyu: “During my competitive days, I always believed that competitions were not meant to be enjoyed. I felt less serious if I enjoyed it too much.”
Yuzuru Hanyu on his development as a professional skater.
original source: news.yahoo.co.jp dd. 8th May 2024
Since 2022 Yuzuru Hanyu has been a professional skater, held various ice shows and solo performances at venues like Tokyo Dome and Saitama Super Arena, which he produced himself. In the interview he spoke about his development as a pro. Here’s a translation of his comments.
“I believe the fundamental parts of myself haven’t changed even after turning professional. The world I want to express, and the artistic and athletic nature of figure skating remain unchanged. However, I feel that these have deepened and expanded. During competitions, there were always rules, and certain performances had to be done, but in the world of shows, I can throw those away. At the same time, I must satisfy all 360-degree spectators and I have to think about the production of the images that will be shown in the venue, and ponder my words to convey my thoughts. I’m broadening and deepening my thinking to areas I’ve never considered before.”
“It’s fun because you can see all kinds of reactions and discussions from the audience, and each person has their own interpretation,” Hanyu said about expressesing himself using his own body. “I think what I am creating is a ‘path.’ It could be about values, backgrounds, past or future. There might be discoveries or feelings along that path. I want the audience to see and share it. If they enjoyed the path and are glad they walked it, that makes me happy. It makes me feel fulfilled and motivates me to continue on this path.”
When asked whether he finds more joy now that he can express himself more freely than when he competed under restrictive rules, Hanyu contemplated before denying it. “It can’t just be fun. During my competitive days, I always believed that competitions were not meant to be enjoyed, and this philosophy is absolutely steadfast. Some people can perform well because they enjoy it, and I understand that’s the right approach for them. But in my case, I feel less serious if I enjoy it too much. There are performances born of tension, as if failing means falling off a cliff. That’s why I can practice and refine daily. Even in the creative field, just having fun isn’t enough. Of course, I enjoy it, and I can create because people enjoy it too. It brings me joy and happiness. However, if I only continue to taste that happiness, in the end, I’ll end up with empty, false words, a false worldview.”
Hanyu also feels that as an artist, he still lacks certain things. One is “vocabulary.”
“Vocabulary is needed even in body expression. To show a scenery by moving my hand just a bit, I need to know the techniques. I learn how to move my hands to make them look beautiful, inscribe that into my body, educate my nerves and brain until I can finally do it. I may not dance like professional dancers or ballerinas, but because I’ve been figure skating for over 20 years, learning their techniques could bring about new expressions. If I study diligently and can perform it on ice, I might become a truly unique existence.”
“The ice is like my ‘mother tongue’ (laughs), so if I stray from it, I’m no longer Yuzuru Hanyu. The knowledge, experience, and soul I have cultivated since I was four years old exist there, and it’s a place where I can express myself from the depths of my heart. Of course, physical decline might come with age. However, if I continue to engage with the ‘language’ of figure skating for another 30 years, expressions that can only emerge at that age, a kind of figure skating possible only then, might exist. I believe in that possibility and feel I must continue to challenge it.”
Related topics: Yuzuru Hanyu
Leave a Reply