“As a single skater, you can skate and spin on your own. But the moment you add a partner, everything becomes incredibly difficult.” Shoma Uno reflects on his ice dance journey with Marin Honda in Ice Brave
Shoma Uno reflects on his ice dance journey as he prepares for “Ice Brave 2”
original source: sportiva.shueisha.co.jp dd July 27th by Komiya Yoshiyuki
Shoma Uno spoke about his newest ice show, “Ice Brave 2.” The show, which emerged as a bold challenge for Uno after his competitive career, has highlighted his debut in ice dance alongside Marin Honda. Here’s a translation of an article posted on Web Sporttiva.
“Ice Brave,” as its name suggests, embodies the spirit of courage and artistry. For Uno, the journey into ice dance has become a defining feature of the show, symbolizing risk-taking and passion. As the producer and performer, Uno shared his commitment to surprising and delighting audiences through his spectacles.
The collaboration with Marin Honda became a centerpiece of the show, adding to its vibrancy and appeal. “I wanted to create something that would amaze people and bring them joy,” Uno said about his approach to crafting “Ice Brave.”
Reflecting on his venture into ice dance, Uno admitted that it initially proved to be more difficult than he imagined: “At first, I felt like I couldn’t do anything. Ice dance seems easy to understand from the outside, but the reality is very different. As a single skater, you can skate and spin on your own. But the moment you add a partner, everything becomes incredibly difficult,” he said.
Pointing out how demanding it was to synchronize with another skater, Uno recalled: “During our final performance, my twizzles fell out of sync because I mistakenly did five rotations at first. From then on, everything was misaligned. It’s frustrating because the audience might think it’s something simple, but it’s really not.”
Despite these struggles, Uno delivered performances of unexpectedly high quality, even from the beginning. “We told ourselves, ‘Don’t try to aim higher than what we’ve practiced – it’s okay if it’s not perfect.’ That confidence came from knowing we’d prepared something solid enough to impress people,” he explained.
Uno shared how he started learning ice dance: “I was a complete beginner. At first, it was all about holding hands and skating together. Watching great ice dancers and athletes like Daisuke Takahashi perform helped me understand the dynamics.”
He described the physical challenges, noting the extreme speed and coordination required: “As a single skater, your axis is centered within your body. But in ice dance, the axis is in the middle between the two partners. This creates an entirely different experience, especially for spins, which require extraordinary speed. From the outside, it may not look as fast, but for those doing it, it feels overwhelming,” Uno said with a laugh.
Through these difficulties, Uno found joy in progress: “One thing I love is the moment when I can finally do something I couldn’t before. That growth pushes me forward.”
Marin Honda had some prior experience with ice dance, which Uno admitted gave their pairing an advantage – but not without its challenges: “Her experience should have been an advantage, but I held her back too much. I couldn’t remember where to be or how to move. Thinking about how not to get in each other’s way made everything even harder.”
Many observed Uno’s physique has changed, much like Daisuke Takahashi’s transformation when he transitioned to ice dance. “I haven’t been doing any specific training, but I think the lifts naturally helped me build muscle. We chose lifts that weren’t dangerous, but I still wanted to show something that felt authentic to ice dance.”
Reflecting on his first ice dance program, Uno expressed satisfaction but also signaled room for growth: “For a first attempt at ice dance, I think the program was very satisfying, both in content and performance. But with ‘Ice Brave 2,’ I want to deliver something far more developed and show clear progress compared to the first.”
Related topics: Marin Honda, Shoma Uno
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