Realive (ice show)

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Realive
Realive logo.png
Ice show typeSolo show
FormatOn-screen narration with live figure skating performances
ThemeGrowth of skating programs as "living beings"
Start dateApril 11, 2026
End dateApril 12, 2026
No. of shows2
CountryJapan
Venue Sekisui Heim Super Arena
Broadcast CS TV Asahi
ProducerYuzuru Hanyu (performer)
Organizer
Sponsor
Website realive-icestory.jp
Yuzuru Hanyu article series
Skating career
Other works
Solo ice shows
Ensemble ice shows

Realive (full title stylized as Yuzuru Hanyu "REALIVE" an ICE STORY project) is an upcoming solo ice show by Japanese figure skater and two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu in 2026, organized by TV Asahi, KHB, CIC Co., Ltd., and Team Sirius. The show is scheduled to be held at Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Rifu near Hanyu's hometown of Sendai on April 11–12.

Contents

Realive is announced to pick up on the first three main installments of the Yuzuru Hanyu Ice Story series, featuring a selection of Hanyu's former skating programs, presented in a new shape. The event is sponsored by Tōwa Pharmaceutical and Phiten.

Background

Hanyu's signature Seimei program, performed in each show of the Ice Story series 2018 Winter Olympics - Yuzuru Hanyu FS (1).jpg
Hanyu's signature Seimei program, performed in each show of the Ice Story series

Yuzuru Hanyu is a Japanese figure skater and ice show producer who competed in the men's singles discipline and turned professional in 2022. Regarded as one of the greatest skaters in the sport's history, he is the first two-time Olympic men's champion in 66 years with back-to-back gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics, and the first male single skater to complete the Super Slam, having won all major international senior and junior titles in the course of his career. [1] [2]

His first major work as a professional skater is the ongoing Yuzuru Hanyu Ice Story, a series of solo ice shows produced and directed by himself in collaboration with renowned Japanese choreographer Mikiko, who is known for her involvement in the Tokyo handover segment at the 2016 Summer Olympics closing ceremony among others. [3] [4] The Ice Story series consists of an introductory show titled Prologue (2022), the first solo ice show production in the history of figure skating, [5] followed by three main installments with Gift (2023), the Repray Tour (2023–24) and the Echoes of Life Tour (2024–25). [3] [6] Each show featured 12 to 15 skating programs that were merged into a cohesive, sophisticated story supported with video narration by Hanyu on screen. [6] [7] The Ice Story series was a huge commercial success, with all live performances being sold out by lottery and more than 180,000 spectators in attendance, as of February 2025. [3] [7]

Venue

Outdoor view of the Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Rifu, Miyagi Sekisui Heim Super Arena viewed from the southeast cropped.jpg
Outdoor view of the Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Rifu, Miyagi

Realive is scheduled to be held on April 11 and 12 at Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Rifu, Miyagi, near Hanyu's hometown of Sendai. The venue served as the final stop of the Repray Tour in 2024 and is home to the annual ensemble ice show Yuzuru Hanyu Notte Stellata, a commemoration event of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the most powerful earthquake recorded in Japan, which cost more than 19,000 people's lives. [8] The disaster has fundamentally shaped Hanyu's life and career, having experienced the 9.1-magnitude earthquake and following blackout in his hometown at 16 years old. [9]

The Sekisui Heim Super Arena has a maximum capacity of 7,800 seats. [10] For the Repray Tour, the number of seats was reduced to 5,800 due to the size of the skating rink and limited viewing angles at the video screen. [11]

Promotion and ticket sales

The Realive solo show was officially announced on January 11, 2026, at 11:11 local time, confirming Hanyu as the executive producer and Mikiko as the director of the two-day event. The performance is revealed to feature a selection of programs from the Ice Story series, focussing on their development and growth throughout the years with Hanyu carefully referring to them as "living beings". [12] [13]

Tickets are distributed by lottery, with prices ranging from ¥22,000 to ¥30,000 (US$140–190 as of January 2026). Sales are handled by the show's official organizer TV Asahi . The event is organized by Hanyu's management company Team Sirius in partnership with TV Asahi, KHB and CIC Co., Ltd. It is sponsored by Tōwa Pharmaceutical and Phiten. [14] [15]

Notes and references

Citations

  1. Macur, Juliet (July 20, 2022). "Oh, Pooh. We May Never See Another Skater Like This One" . The New York Times . New York City. ISSN   1553-8095. Archived from the original on July 21, 2022.
  2. Russell 2022, p. 23–25.
  3. 1 2 3 "Figure skating hero Hanyu Yuzuru to start gaming-inspired 'RE_PRAY' solo ice tour in Saitama". International Olympic Committee . Lausanne. September 4, 2023. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023.
  4. St. Michel, Patrick (July 22, 2021). "The Olympic opening ceremony that wasn't" . Japan Times . Chiyoda, Tokyo. ISSN   0447-5763. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021.
  5. Matsubara, Takaomi (January 12, 2023). "Going Pro: Hanyū Yuzuru Reinvents What It Means to Be a Figure Skater". Nippon Communications Foundation. Minato, Tokyo. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Kano, Shintaro (December 7, 2024). "Hanyu Yuzuru celebrates turning 30 with 'Echoes of Life' opening". International Olympic Committee . Lausanne. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Frammartino, Martina (June 5, 2024). "I videogiochi come rappresentazione della vita: il tour RE_PRAY di Yuzuru Hanyu" [Video Games as a Representation of Life: Yuzuru Hanyu's RE_PRAY Tour]. Fantasy Magazine (in Italian). Tremestieri Etneo: EADV. ISSN   1974-823X. Archived from the original on June 5, 2024.
  8. "29,000 Still Evacuated 13 Years after March 2011 Disaster". The Japan News. Chiyoda, Tokyo: Yomiuri Shimbun. Jiji Press. March 10, 2024. Archived from the original on March 10, 2024.
  9. "Hanyu Yuzuru to bring new ice show "notte stellata" to home prefecture Miyagi in March". International Olympic Committee . Lausanne. January 10, 2023. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023.
  10. "Sekisui Heim Super Arena". Miyagi Sports Association (in Japanese). Rifu. 2010. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024.
  11. 「やはり地元 とても力のこもった公演になった」羽生結弦さん、故郷でツアー追加公演 ['Finally in my hometown, it was a very powerful performance' Yuzuru Hanyu with additional tour performance in his hometown]. Kahoku Shimpo (in Japanese). Sendai. April 7, 2024. Archived from the original on April 7, 2024.
  12. Kurasawa, Hitoshi (January 11, 2026). 羽生結弦さんが新たなアイスショーを発表 4月に宮城で [Yuzuru Hanyu announces a new ice show in Miyagi in April]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo. Archived from the original on January 12, 2026.
  13. 羽生結弦さん4月に宮城で「REALIVE」「いまの私の身体を通して、魂込めて、全体力を込めて」 [Yuzuru Hanyu in Miyagi in April "REALIVE" "Through my body now, with all my soul, with all my strength"]. Sports Hochi (in Japanese). Minato, Tokyo. January 11, 2026. Archived from the original on January 12, 2026.
  14. 単独公演が再始動「Yuzuru Hanyu "REALIVE" an ICE STORY project」4月11日(土)、12日(日)にセキスイハイムスーパーアリーナ(宮城県利府町)で [Solo performance resumes "Yuzuru Hanyu "REALIVE" an ICE STORY project" on April 11th (Sat) and 12th (Sun) at Sekisui Heim Super Arena (Rifu Town, Miyagi Prefecture)]. Art Exhibition Japan (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo: Yomiuri Shimbun. January 11, 2026. Archived from the original on January 12, 2026.
  15. "Realive Official". 'Realive' executive committee (in Japanese). Sendai. 2026. Archived from the original on January 12, 2026.

Works cited