Hanyu Yuzuru going where no figure skater has gone before in 'RE_PRAY'
The two-time Olympic gold medallist will turn the page on the latest chapter of his professional skating career this weekend. Only time will tell what his third solo performance will look like.
Figure Skating
To his faithful around the world, Hanyu Yuzuru is the gift that keeps on giving - and guessing.
On Saturday (4 November 2023) at Saitama Super Arena, the Japanese skater will wheel out his third solo ice show - ‘RE_PRAY’ - that he himself is producing.
RE_PRAY follows Gift, the show that sold out Tokyo Dome in February, and Prologue in November 2022, his first performance since retiring from competitive figure skating.
But, as it has become with the two-time Olympic champion, Hanyu, the master of tease, has revealed very little about RE_PRAY.
Hanyu Yuzuru will make his first public appearance since announcing his marriage in August.
All we know about the show is its source of inspiration (and there could certainly be more than one) - gaming, the hobby which he has long professed his love for.
The official website carries a blue-black pixelised image of Hanyu like a video game but otherwise does not tell much.
Hanyu had this to say in a statement when cryptically announcing RE_PRAY in September, “In RE_PRAY, there are a lot of elements from the world of gaming, be it logic or values.
“You only live life once while games are never-ending. I believe the two contrasting worlds each have their own unique values that I can apply to skating.
“To those who watch, it may lead them to rethink their past or perhaps force them to overthink things.”
For direction and choreography, Hanyu has again turned to the critically acclaimed Mikiko, whose credits include working with the futuristic mega J-pop trio Perfume.
For Gift, Mikiko and Hanyu produced a show of unprecedented scale and proportion for a skating event in front of 35,000 fans that was difficult to put into words.
The expectation for RE_PRAY would be something similar, although fans attending the show or watching the online livestreams will have to wait to find out what will unfold over an approximate two hours at the world-class venue in the Super Arena.
Saturday’s performance will also be Hanyu’s first public appearance since announcing his marriage in August. Yet given how closely he guards his privacy, it would be a massive surprise if there is any reference to it during the show.
There are far more questions than answers. But it’s Hanyu’s world, and we’re just living in it.
“As I watched Gift, I saw an entirely new genre of expression coming to life, right here in Japan,” Mikiko said.
“It gave me joy and filled me with the desire to want to do even more. (Yuzuru’s) words, and a world only he can paint, become complete only when they are joined by the lives and experiences of the audience.”