Talk between Yuzu and Mansai Nomura on News Every (22 Sept 2015), translated by yuzuland and slightly edited by me:
Video: https://www.dailymotion.com/
Video with Chinese subs: http://v.youku.com/
Y= Yuzuru, M= Mansai
(preview) Y: This is incredible. I have come to an incredible place. It’s chaotic inside my head now. What should I do?
(start) Before the first competition of the upcoming season, Yuzuru
Hanyu had a talk with Mansai Nomura, a Kyogen performer. Figure skater
Yuzuru Hanyu will participate his first competition of the season next
month. Hanyu, who will be using the soundtrack of the movie “Onmyoji”
for his new programme, talked with the lead actor [of the movie] Mansai
Nomura and asked for advice for expressing the character.
This talk between a figure skater and a Kyogen performer took place in a Noh theatre last month.
Y: Hello.
M: Hello.
Y: Nice to meet you. I’m Hanyu.
M: I’m Nomura. Welcome to this Noh theatre. Is it your first time [in a Noh theatre]?
Y: Yes
This is the first meeting between Yuzuru Hanyu and Mansai Nomura.
Y: I am very nervous. Oh dear. Really nervous. I am really nervous.
M: Are you?
Y: I’m really nervous. Is it okay?
M: Feel free to ask me anything.
It is rare to see Hanyu in a fluster. This interview was requested by Hanyu himself. It is because…
Y: This season[’s programme] is based on Onmyoji, although the name of the programme is “SEIMEI”..…
Onmyoji is the theme of his new programme this season. This season,
Sochi Olympics gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu will perform a Japanese style
programme for the first time. The music is the theme song from the movie
“Onmyoji”. In “Onmyoji”, which was released in 2001, Nomura was the
actor for the main character, Abe no Seimei. This pose he made when he
was chanting a spell became familiar [to the public]. Hanyu also
includes this pose in his choreography. Nomura, who was born into a
family of famous Kyogen actors, contributed a lot in increasing the
level of familiarity of Kyogen. Hanyu watched Nomura’s performance many
times. He received advice regarding his pose from Nomura, whom he
admires since he was young.
Y: This is incredible. I have come to an incredible place. It’s chaotic inside my head now. What should I do? (preview cut)
Gold medalist [Yuzuru Hanyu] asked for advice from the Kyogen performer [Mansai Nomura]!
Nomura, who had his first performance when he was 3, said that it is
important to have an opposite “vector” when performing Kyogen.
M: When you are trying to jump down to that side, your hand of the
opposite side will be important. If you merely want to jump, then you
can just jump like that. (showed jump) But when you jump, you will have
this kind of vector (from up right to bottom left).
The
important point is that the performer captures the audience’s attention
with his raised hand, but then he will jump to the opposite side from
the hand.
Y: So you go the opposite way from where you drew the [audience’s] attention to?
M: Take an example in skating, it’s not like you skate to the same
direction as your approaching run, but more like, you were making your
approach run [in one direction] but then you turn and go the opposite
direction. For a moment it is like a surprise [to the audience].
Y:
This advice is so, so useful. Now it’s chaotic inside my head. I
actually have a headache. Ah… what should I do? Really….
Nomura performed as a child monkey when he had his first Kyogen
performance. He was 3. (photo) He learnt the form from his father, who is
a living national treasure. (photo of Nomura in junior high learning from
father)
Y: How did you feel about the pressure from the fact
that you are performing an art that has a long history or the pressure
from your ancestors?
M: You can’t even stand on the start line
unless you learn about the basics that is passed on through generations.
It is a very important part.
Y: So they taught you the form and the basics thoroughly?
M: [They taught me to] perform the forms really well, so there will not
be errors. I can do it automatically every time. This is how a form
should be.
Hanyu also received training for the basics of skating when he was young.
Y: We also trained and practised a lot, eventually we can jump like a
machine. That’s like the form [in Kyogen], exactly like that.
In both Kyogen and skating, “Form” is very important. That’s precisely why [Kyogen and skating] are so difficult, Hanyu said.
Y: We skate to the same programmes in different competitions
[throughout the season]. So the audience will know [the programme].
M: They would be “Oh here it comes, here it comes”
Y: They would think “here the quad is coming!”
M: So you have to make them go “Ohhh” even though they knew that it was
coming. This is the fate of any sport/performing art that has a form.
Although you don’t know whether it is actually above their expectation
but you have to show them something that is beyond their expectations.
That’s what you have to do.
With the example from “Sanbansou”, a
Kyogen act, Nomura explained what is important in order to effectively
express what’s inside the form.
M: So there is the element of the
instrument (music). There is the design of the sound here so when I
jump, the sound is there too. Of course sometimes we jump without the
stomping sound. In “Sanbansou”, there are 3 consecutive jumps. So (*jumps 3 times*), only the last one will have the landing sound.
This is the actual footage from the 3 consecutive jumps from Sanbansou. He emphasises on the sound of the last jump.
M: And you don’t always “push” when you perform, you should also have
the expression of pulling*. In order to highlight the part you are
emphasising, you have to have parts that you are not explicitly showing.
This makes it more effective when you want to highlight something.
Y: It is the variation in expression; so it will emphasise the last bit.
Ah this is great. This is incredible. I have come to an incredible
place. I’m very much in awe right now.
Later, Nomura will give advice to Hanyu’s new programme.
The figure skating season is about to start. Yuzuru Hanyu challenges
himself with a Japanese style programme. He received comments from
Mansai Nomura, regarding his new programme. This is the choreography of
the beginning of Hanyu’s new programme. This is taken from Nomura’s pose
from the movie “Onmyoji”. There is a part in Hanyu’s choreography that
caught Nomura’s attention.
M: (making the starting pose with left
hand above head) I thought “what’s with that left hand?” For me,
there is a eboshi (the tall black hat) and a large sleeve behind my
back.
Nomura thought of that pose in the movie because he wants
to maintain the balance between his eboshi (the hat) and the long sleeve
from the Kariginu (the costume). But Hanyu, who does the same
choreography, doesn’t have those elements in his costume.
M: If
you are wearing something different, then you have the need to arrange
your choreography according to that. It is important that you are aware
of where you want to emphasise. If I don’t have my Kariginu, then this
pose will just look like I’m doing the Flamenco. (Yuzu laughs)
If there is change in costume, the same choreography will not be as effective [as it was].
M: I think you should analyse the form yourself. Don’t ignore but try
to understand the meaning behind every form. For example, this
[starting] pose, you shouldn’t do it just because Seimei did it in the
movie. You should not just imitate the appearance; you have to have the
awareness of “mastering the heaven, the earth and the people”.
Y: So I have to know the meaning behind the choreography that I do.
Hanyu also struggles with another part of his programme, which is the ending pose that concludes the programme.
Y: In the last pose, I try to make a sound with my foot. But there is a
drum beat from the taiko, so you cannot actually hear the sound [from
my foot]. So I struggle to find a way to highlight the sound.
M:
Although it might be important to highlight the sound, but you yourself
must be seen at the end after the sound. If you don’t use your foot but
use your hand and look up to the sky as the sound echoes.
Y: So how should I express it…? It is not chasing after the sound but it is something like that.
M: So it is like you master the sound. After the drumbeat, the sound
echoes and reflects [in space]. As a director and a choreographer, I
think this way of portraying the sound like it is spreading away will be
better.
Y: Ah I want to change my choreography. (laughter) I want to change many things in my choreography.
On the other hand, figure skating is a judged sports. It is important to have a balance between techniques and expression.
Y: Although the most important part is the result, I still have to put
up a remarkable performance in order to get the result that I want.
Nomura believes the essential thing to a remarkable performance is…
M: The spirituality aspect of it is very important. The evil judges…maybe they are not evil but…
Y: Evil, evil. (laughter)
M: It is important to feel the air of the entire
surroundings, not only from the people. In order to dominate ‘place’, you make ‘place’ your ally. You have to
be aware of the entire arena. You get into the place, the
time and the air.
Y: Like the audience and the atmosphere of the place?
M: Yes. If you can make that air and that place your ally, and get into it, people will be happy.
Y: Yes.
Being aware not only of the judges and the audience but also the whole arena, it is a thought that Hanyu never had.
Y: Thank you very much.
M: Same here, I just talked as I wished.
Y: No, not at all. This has been very useful.
M: Hopefully [my advice] will not bring you any harm.
Y: No, not at all.
This interview has changed the gold medalist’s awareness.
Y: I am so thankful. Just as Mansai-san said, I have to put meaning to
every single form that I do. I can put meaning to jumps, and also to spins
and steps. I think I can change it with my own explanations within myself.
Showing a new expression this season, Hanyu will participate in his first competition in Canada next month.
Note: *They were describing the expression as like push and pull. In order to
emphasise something you don’t just go like “HEY LOOK AT THIS” but also
for some parts you want to pull away from expressing it very explicitly
so you can highlight your topic. (tbh I don’t know much about Kyogen so…very likely to have mistakes)
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Thank you very much to yuzuland for allowing me to edit her translation and post it in my blog!
