"Notte stellata" more than just an ice show for Hanyu Yuzuru
The 10–12 March performance is the two-time Olympic champion's way of paying homage and respect to all those affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake - including Hanyu himself, whose hometown Sendai was hit hard by the disaster.
Figure Skating
This one will be special for Hanyu Yuzuru.
Twelve years after a M9.0 earthquake levelled the eastern coastline of Japan on 11 March, Miyagi Prefecture native Hanyu will skate on that fateful date before his hometown crowd.
The two-time Olympic figure skating champion on Monday (9 January) announced his plan to hold three shows during 10-12 March at Miyagi Sekisui Heim Super Arena - titled "notte stellata", which in Italian is starry night.
It will be the first time in his career that the Japanese star performs on 11 March.
Hanyu explained that he had not been able to skate on the day of national mourning because of commitments to his competitive career. But now that he has turned professional, the 28-year-old from Sendai is getting his chance.
The first-ever male Super Slam winner, Hanyu won just about everything there is to win in figure skating. He’s been there, done that.
But this skate two months from now may hold a more special place in his heart than any title he won prior to his retirement from the competitive sport.
Hanyu has regularly donated his earnings to Sendai and Miyagi, including his hometown rink that shaped him into an Olympic gold medallist, his boyhood dream.
He still vividly remembers living out of an evacuation centre with his family in a well of hopelessness following the catastrophe 12 years ago.
“There is a story I want to tell of course but more than that, I want this to be about everyone’s remembrance of 3.11, like what they thought when they were looking up at the sky that evening”, Hanyu said in his comments Monday.
“I want this to be an opportunity to bring people together. As someone who lives in Sendai, I can’t remember the last time I saw as many stars as I did that night.
“It turned pitch black just like that and the electricity was out. It was so dark in the city but I remember thinking how bright the stars were then”.
Team Hanyu
Notte stellata will also be Hanyu's first collaboration with other skaters since retiring competitively.
His first professional show, "Prologue", and the upcoming "Gift" at Tokyo Dome on 26 February, are both self-produced with Hanyu the lone performer.
For notte stellata, Hanyu will perform with his former choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne Turok and former training mate Jason Brown.
The Japanese skaters joining him will be: Miyahara Satoko, Suzuki Akiko, Tanaka Keiji, Mura Takahito and Hongo Rika.
Tickets for the three shows go on sale 20 January. Details are here.