Dmitri Aliev: “My dream program is called “Purely Executed Program”.
Interview with European Champion Dmitri Aliev.
source: sport24.ru dd.4th July 2022 by Konstantin Lesik
European champion Dmitri Aliev is actively preparing for the new season – the skater is working on new programs and rocks at summer shows. During one of these shows, Sport24 talked to Aliev. They talked about not getting to the Olympics, pair skating with Alena Kostornaia and Mark Kondratiuk, a nice meeting with an elderly first coach in Voronezh, a vacation in Egypt, Ilia Malinin’s quadruple axel and a dream program. And we started talking about the program, which caused standing ovation on the ice arena.
Your program “Seventh Petal” performed by Anton Tokarev rocks all summer shows. How was it created?
Dmitri Aliev: The idea came spontaneously. On my birthday, I sailed on a ship around St. Petersburg and suddenly remembered that I had recently heard an amazing song that really touches me. I thought I wanted to change my plans for the next show, called the coaches and asked them to change the previous program to this one.
I didn’t choreographed anything on purpose. Each show is pure improvisation. I do whatever comes to my mind.
The only thing I repeat from time to time is that I put on a sweater at the beginning of the program. And this jacket is all the time from Mark Kondratiuk (smiles). But it’s different all the time. Depends on what kind of clothes Mark takes with him.
So you did not turn to choreographers. Just go on the ice and improvise?
Dmitri Aliev: Yes. Of course I have some kind of mock-up in my head so that it doesn’t look completely stupid. And that’s all. I start doing what I like, what I enjoy.
Your vacation was in Egypt. What is the main impression left from the rest?
Dmitri Aliev: The most striking impression is that my friends were next to me. Vacations with friends are always interesting and exciting. I experienced a lot of positive emotions.
And so, the main event of my vacations is diving. I tried it for the first time, and I really liked it. The underwater world is beautiful.
What can you tell us about your programs for the upcoming season?
Dmitri Aliev: Nothing! Nothing, haha. I think I’ll take a pause. I will announce it, probably, through social networks. Now everything is in the process, I really like what I already have. I just need to approve all this now and I will voice it. The process is underway.
On the show, you try lifts with Alena Kostornaia and Mark Kondratiuk. Any ideas to try pair skating?
Dmitri Aliev: Nope. Although there were such thoughts before. But now – no. I respect pair skating and all types of our figure skating. And I try lifts for the sake of interest.
You said that before you thought about pair skating?
Dmitri Aliev: Yes, I had such thoughts before. For example, in juniors, when I started going to some competitions, I thought: “What if I, for example, will be a pair skater? How would I skate? Who would be my partner? And so on. But I didn’t take any concrete steps.
Can you tell us about these pair elements with Alena, with Mark, how did you come to this?
Dmitri Aliev: At first it was like a joke, and then we started doing it at the end of the show, so that the audience saw something new, laughed. I dropped Mark a couple of times, haha. I apologize to Mark’s fans! But in general, everything was fine. Most importantly, it’s fun.
Is Mark heavy?
Dmitri Aliev: As a person or as an athlete?
We know that as a person he is cool. What if you lift him?
Dmitri Aliev: Same. He’s got cool weight, haha. He’s light.
Sasha Trusova is not jealous?
Dmitri Aliev: To be honest, no. Maybe. But I didn’t ask.
You had a photo in your telegram channel where you are relaxing on barbecue. Do you love to cook it?
Dmitri Aliev: Yes. Usually, when we go outdoor, on nature with friends, I try to cook meat myself. The only thing is, if I am very tired, then I will say: “Here, guys, please do this business.” Well, I do most of the cooking myself.
Is there a special dish?
Dmitri Aliev: Dumplings. For sure I can boil them (laughs).
Do you start to think differently about nutrition as you get older?
Dmitri Aliev: I am an omnivore, but the body matures, something rebuilts inside. I won’t say that I specifically go on diets, but if I understand that there is a lot of weight, then I need to remove something from my diet and switch to some less high-calorie diet.
But I did not notice global changes. For example, now there are vending machines with food next to us. I would buy something for myself after the show.
During a trip to one of the shows, you visited your first coach, bought him food. Can you tell about this story?
Dmitri Aliev: My first coach Vyacheslav Evgenievich Maksimov is from Voronezh, and when the show took place, he, unfortunately, could not come.
Unfortunately, he is already old, and his leg was bothering him. I understood that I had time to come, so I decided to visit, hug, listen, chat.
He is already aged, and I understand that support is important for such people. I’m pretty close to him. In general, I wanted to do something pleasant, good emotions, brought food for him to eat.
During the Olympics, you shared several posts on social networks – about Mark Kondratiuk, our skaters. Did you calmly watch the Games, or did it hurt that you were not in Beijing?
Dmitri Aliev: Of course, it hurted that I did not go to the Olympics. I watched only Mark, Nathan Chen, if we are talking about boys. I also watched free programs of all our girls. That’s all I watched.
What did you feel watching?
Dmitri Aliev: I was very happy for my friend, who achieved such a result this season. And in no way envious! This is his success. And I needed to support him in this success – to show that I have no envy, that I am sincerely happy.
As for Nathan… Honestly, I really wanted this person to win the individual event, despite the fact that I have friends from Russia. He did a lot for figure skating, pushed our sport to a huge leap forward. He showed how many jumps you can do, how you can jump and how you can and should skate. So I really wanted this man to win.
Mark Kondratyuk admitted in an interview that after winning the Russian Nationals, he was uncomfortable feeling like the first number. Did you have any conversations with him about this?
Dmitri Aliev: We had some conversations, but I don’t remember them now. We communicate very well and support each other in different moments.
I can say one thing: when you win something for the first time, you get somewhere to a new level, you are in a place where you have not been before, of course, you feel uncomfortable. So here you just need to accept everything as it is. And I think he succeeded. He hit a jackpot this season, so he should be proud that he did it.
Have you seen the quadruple axel of Ilia Malinin?
Dmitri Aliev: Of course, I saw it. Beautiful, well done.
Can you do something like that?
Dmitri Aliev: I can do a back flip from the spot! I haven’t tried it on ice. But Ilia is a great man. The quadruple axel is something unique. It’s not even an ultra-c element, it’s an ultra-ultra-ultra-c element. In the past, people haven’t even thought that skaters would do quads. Progress does not stand still, the guys are working. And here’s what can come of it.
Do you have a dream program with a certain number of quadruple jumps that you could do in one performance?
Dmitri Aliev: I can’t say, because content is such a thing … But there is just a dream program, and it is called “Purely Executed Program”. That’s all.
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“Purely Executed Program” is a nice one