It was the first solo ice show in the sport of figure skating and the prologue to the Yuzuru Hanyu Ice Story series, produced and directed by Hanyu. Each show had a duration of 90 minutes and featured 8–10 programs performed at the athletic level of skating competitions, opening with a six-minute warm-up session and a challenge of Hanyu's free skate program Seimei from the 2018 Winter Olympics.
The show was sold out with 24,800 spectators at the two venues in total. The final day of the show in each city was screened live at cinemas in Japan and aired live on the subscription channel CS TV Asahi. A DVD and Blu-ray of the show was released on July 19, 2024. The broadcast of the Hachinohe show was awarded the Grand Prize in the category "best relay broadcast" at the 13th JSBA Original Programs Awards[ja] in 2023. The event was sponsored by Kosé, Ajinomoto, and Nishikawa, with the Yokohama shows receiving special sponsorship by Tōwa Pharmaceutical.
Background
Prologue is the first solo ice show to be produced in figure skating,[1] with Hanyu as the only scheduled skater, which is an unusual approach compared to established show formats.[2][3] The first major era of ice shows, headlined by Ice Follies and Ice Capades from the 1930s to 1980s, typically featured large skating ensembles inspired by ballet and theater. Since the late 1980s, ice shows experienced a shift towards smaller casts with elite international skaters, including multiple Olympic and world champions.[4] However, a solo ice show of 90 minutes was considered impractical due to the physical limits of skating and performing for a longer period.[3][5]:2 Hanyu's preparations included a significant improvement of his stamina, five practice run-throughs of the full show, and a new approach to commitment and pacing,[6][7] stating: "I'm used to emptying the tank for one skate. I've never thought about heading back out immediately after. But I managed to add the strength and stamina I needed to get through it all."[8] Three-time world champion Patrick Chan from Canada expressed his respect for Hanyu's accomplishment: "Just one person, without any group dancing in the middle? How is that possible? I think, Yuzu is the only person in the world who can do that. It's unbelievable stamina."[9]:1–2
The show was produced and directed by Hanyu.[10]:2Tsugaru-shamisen player Kōki Nakamura co-starred as a guest artist and performed live with Hanyu to the song "Change[ja]" from Monkey Majik and the Yoshida Brothers.[11]:3 The title Prologue was selected by Hanyu, marking the beginning of his professional career.[11]
According to Hanyu, the priority at Prologue was to adapt to the new show format and get through the planned content without injuries or overstrain.[2][12] He performed eight to ten programs on one day,[6][12] some of them being trimmed in length and technical content to match his physical capacity.[11]:2 His free skate program Romeo + Juliet was arranged as a split performance, with the first half being screened as a recording from the 2011–12 Grand Prix Final and the second half skated live in the arena.[3][5]:2 Another challenge was the limited number of breaks for recovery.[5][12] He bridged the time between his programs with a "talk corner", answering selected questions from fans, and a live voting round, with the audience choosing a program for Hanyu to skate on each day.[10][7] In addition, a series of video segments were shown on screen, featuring scenes of Hanyu's childhood and competitive career.[11][6]
Unlike most ice shows where skaters perform in a dimly lit arena,[10] Hanyu opened Prologue at full lighting with an unconventional six-minute warm-up session and a four-minute version of his Olympic free skate program Seimei, reproducing the setting and atmosphere of a competition.[13][14] Despite the physical strain of a 90-minute solo show, the program featured two quadruple jumps and three triple Axels, a technical merit that exceeded the difficulty of a common exhibition performance.[3][15]:2 The show setting allowed Hanyu to circumvent the repetition rules of figure skating competitions and include more than two triple Axel jumps in his program.[11]:2[15]:2 Also notable was the implementation of projection mapping in two programs,[16] directed by Japanese choreographer Mikiko, who had previously worked with the Japanese pop trio Perfume among others. The skating was filmed from a distant, aerial perspective, being captured together with the projected text elements and images.[13] Hanyu used this technology in his performances to "[[[Haru yo, koi]][ja]] Error: {{Transliteration}}: transliteration text not Latin script (pos 91) (help)" and his new, self-choreographed program to "Itsuka owaru yume" (lit.'A dream that ends one day') from the soundtrack of the video game Final Fantasy X.[11]:5[14] The choreography was motivated by Hanyu's practice cool-down routines, which enjoy great popularity among fans.[11]:4[13]
Critical reception
The show received universal praise among Japanese media,[5][17] who pointed out Hanyu's ability to skate full shows at high quality and technical difficulty, making no major mistakes on multiple days,[11]:5 which earned him standing ovations from the audience.[16][14] Writer Takaomi Matsubara from the magazine Sports Graphic Number named Prologue a new milestone in professional skating.[5] In June 2023, the broadcast of the Hachinohe show was awarded the Grand Prize in the category "relay broadcast" at the 13th JSBA Original Programs Awards[ja].[18]
The show was sold out on all five days,[19][20] with prices ranging from 15,000 to 25,000 yen ($107–178 as of 2022) and tickets being distributed by lottery sale.[21] The Pia Arena MM in Yokohama accommodated 7,900 viewers, the Flat Hachinohe 3,000.[14][22] Due to the small venue capacity and high ticket demand for the Hachinohe shows, an additional third show on December5 was added to the initial schedule.[19][23] The final days of the two stops were screened live in movie theaters nationwide,[19][20] with 81 participating cinemas for the Hachinohe show. In addition, they were aired live on CS TV Asahi, leading to a significant increase in subscribers on the Japanese television channel.[21][17]
A full recording of the final show in Yokohama as well as behind-the-scenes footage and a digital photo book was released on DVD and Blu-ray on the second anniversary of Hanyu's professional career on July 19, 2024.[24] It sold more than 11,000 copies in the first week ranking second on Oricon's Blu-ray weekly chart and fourth on the DVD weekly chart.[25] The event was organized by Hanyu's management company Team Sirius in partnership with TV Asahi and CIC Co., Ltd.[21][26] It was sponsored by Kosé, Ajinomoto, and Nishikawa Co., Ltd. The shows in Yokohama received special sponsorship from Tōwa Pharmaceutical.[21]
Prologue official (November 1, 2022a). 「プロローグ」オフィシャルガイドブック[Prologue – official guidebook] (in Japanese). Shibuya, Tokyo: Axel Entermedia Co., Ltd. ID 3410. 64 p.
Prologue official (December 2, 2022b). 「プロローグ」愛蔵版ブック[Prologue – collector's edition book] (in Japanese). Shibuya, Tokyo: Axel Entermedia Co., Ltd. ID 3475.
1 2 Tanaka, Mitsuru (October 19, 2023). 単独公演ツアー初開催へ プロ２年目、羽生結弦の進化[First solo show tour – Yuzuru Hanyu's evolution in his second year as a professional]. Wedge (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo. pp.1–4. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023.
1 2 Shinozuka, Hiroshi (November 29, 2022). 篠塚浩社長 社長会見(11月29日)要旨[President Hiroshi Shinozuka's Press Conference (November 29)]. TV Asahi (in Japanese). Minato, Tokyo. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022.
Matsubara, Takaomi (January 23, 2023). Yuzuru Hanyu's collaboration with sound designer Keiichi Yano for Prologue. Number article series (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo: Bungeishunjū.
"Le cygne", pronounced[ləsiɲ], or "The Swan", is the 13th and penultimate movement of The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns. Originally scored for solo cello accompanied by two pianos, it has been arranged and transcribed for many instruments but remains best known as a cello solo.
Cheryline Ernestine Lim, known by her stage name Che'Nelle, is a Malaysian-Australian singer-songwriter. She gained popularity in Japan with the release of her debut studio album, Things Happen for a Reason (2007).
Yuzuru Hanyu is a Japanese figure skater and ice show producer. Universally regarded as one of the greatest figure skaters in history for his well-rounded skills, achievements, innovations, longevity, popularity, and impact on the sport, he started skating at four years old and competed in the men's singles discipline from 2004 to 2022. Hanyu is the first male single skater in 66years since Dick Button to win back-to-back Olympic titles, and also the youngest and first Asian Olympic champion in that discipline. He is a two-time World champion, six-time Japanese national champion, and the first single skater to win four consecutive Grand Prix Finals (2014–2017). With his win at the 2020Four Continents Championships, he became the first skater in men's singles to complete the Super Slam, having won all major international junior and senior titles in the course of his career. He is also the first and only single skater to be ranked first in the ISU World Standings for five consecutive seasons (2014–2018). Hanyu broke world records 19times, the most in singles since the introduction of the ISU Judging System in 2003, and was the first skater to land a quadruple loop jump in international competition among other achievements.
Keiji Tanaka is a retired Japanese figure skater. He is the 2016 NHK Trophy bronze medalist, 2019 Skate Canada bronze medalist, three-time ISU Challenger Series medalist, 2017 Winter Universiade silver medalist, 2011 World Junior silver medalist, six-time medalist on the ISU Junior Grand Prix, and a two-time Japanese national silver medalist. He represented his country at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Norimasa Fujisawa is a Japanese singer and composer. He is known for his works in the style of pop opera, fusing pop music and operatic singing in one song.
Fumiya Sashida is a Japanese singer-songwriter. He is represented with Stardust Promotion and his record label is Warner Music Japan.
Keizo Nakanishi is a Japanese singer-songwriter and composer. He graduated from Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Amagi High School and Nihon University College of Economics.
Satoshi Takebe is a Japanese musician, keyboard player, arranger, music director and producer from Tokyo.
Yuzuru Hanyu, a former competitive figure skater from Japan, participated in the Winter Olympic Games three times, winning two gold medals and placing fourth in 2022. In 2014, he became the first Asian men's singles skater to win at the Olympics. At 19 years old, he was also the youngest male skater to win the Olympic title since American Dick Button in 1948. In 2018, Hanyu became the first male single skater in 66 years to win two consecutive Olympic gold medals since Button in 1952.
Fantasy on Ice (ファンタジー・オン・アイス) is an annual touring ice show in Japan produced by CIC Co., Ltd. The show emerged from the "Philippe Candeloro Japan Tour 2001", named after retired French figure skater Philippe Candeloro, and was held under the name "Fantasy on Ice" the following two years. After a seven-year break, the tour was revived in 2010 and got expanded to larger venues in the metropolitan area of Tokyo in 2014 and Kobe in 2015.
Gift was a solo ice show by Japanese figure skater and two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu, organized by TV Asahi, CIC Co., Ltd., and Team Sirius. It was the first ice skating event at Tokyo Dome, one of Japan's largest and most prestigious entertainment venues, held on February 26, 2023.
Continues with Ｗings was an ice show produced by Japanese figure skater and two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu in collaboration with TV Asahi and CIC Co., Ltd. The one-off event was held on April13–15, 2018, at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in Chōfu, Tokyo. It was Hanyu's first self-produced ice show, commemorating his win of back-to-back Olympic titles in 2014 and 2018, and to express his gratitude to fans and skaters who had inspired and supported him in the course of his career.
Yuzuru Hanyu Notte Stellata is an annual ensemble ice show led by Japanese figure skater and two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu, and organized by Nippon TV and its local station Miyagi TV. The show is a commemoration event of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, also known as the "Great East Japan Earthquake" or "3.11", and is held on three days in March at Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Rifu, Miyagi, which served as a morgue at the time of the disaster. The show has a duration of 90 minutes and features a cast of international professional skaters as well as a special guest from another sport or performing art field, teaming up for new unique collaborations with figure skating.
Satomi Ito is a Japanese fashion and costume designer known for her works in the sports of figure skating as well as artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, equestrian vaulting, ballet, and ballroom dance. Inspired by the dresses and skating performances of three-time World champion Mao Asada, Ito has designed costumes for multiple renowned figure skaters from Japan and overseas, including a series of more than 30 costumes for two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu, which has been featured in multiple exhibitions and publications in Japan. Two of her works for Hanyu were nominated at the 2020 and 2023 ISU Skating Awards in the category Best Costume, respectively.
Keiichi Yano is a Japanese sound designer and music programmer. Since 1978, he has been in charge of sound at the Tokyo branch of the Yamaha Music Foundation. He is best known for his works in the sport of figure skating.
The Repray Tour was a solo ice show tour by Japanese figure skater and two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu, organized by TV Asahi, CIC Co., Ltd., and Team Sirius. The tour initially consisted of three stops across Japan from November 2023 to February 2024 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama City, Saga Arena in Saga City, and Pia Arena MM in Yokohama. Upon the commercial success of the first three stops, it was decided to add another two shows at Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Rifu, held in April 2024.
Japanese figure skater and two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu has written a best-selling autobiography series titled Blue Flames that consists of four volumes and has been sold with over 400,000 copies by June 2023. All royalties of the series were donated to his local skating rink, Ice Rink Sendai, which had been severely damaged during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. In 2023, Hanyu also wrote a picture book titled Gift with illustrations by the famous mangaka group Clamp. The story was based on his own solo ice show production Gift, which was held at Tokyo Dome the same year.
The Echoes of Life Tour is a solo ice show tour by Japanese figure skater and two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu, organized by TV Asahi, CIC Co., Ltd., and Team Sirius. The tour is scheduled with three stops from December 2024 to February 2025 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama City, at Hiroshima Green Arena in Hiroshima, and LaLa Arena Tokyo-Bay in Funabashi.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
