#yuzuru hanyu
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gosh I have always loved this program and to see it explained so beautifully is just amazing
Ballade No.1 in G Minor
Let’s talk about Ballade today, because I just received yet another question and it finally woke me up to the fact that the number of asks sitting in my inbox on which version of Ballade is your favorite has exceeded a morally acceptable limit.
But first, allow me to make an excuse: the main reason why I’ve been procrastinating on answering that question is: I can’t. I don’t have any children (yet) but I assume this is what it feels like for a parent to be asked to choose their favorite kid: no matter which answer I give, it’d be wrong.
So today I will simply try to tell you what it is I like about each version of Ballade, and then, with your permission, I’d turn the question on you, and ask you to tell me which version is your favorite. How’s that for a nice change of atmosphere?
Version 1.0
The Presentation
v1.0 was a program which earned my undying love from the very first time I saw it, in its work-in-progress form, at Dream on Ice 2014.
In the context of that season, in both music choice and choreographic style, Ballade 1.0 presented a stark contrast to Yuzu’s SP of the previous 2 seasons, Parisienne Walkways. It impressed me because it displayed an entirely new level of development in Yuzu’s skating skills and interpretation. Parisienne Walkways, in my opinion, was a program tailor-made to Yuzu’s best strengths: speed, agility, lightness of movements. It was a fast, playful, and somewhat whimsical program that was a perfect fit for a teenager. Ballade, on the other hand, showed me strengths I wasn’t even aware that Yuzu possessed: flow, control, and musical sensitivity. It was an incredibly mature composition, and one fit for the reigning Olympic and World champion.
I guess that versatility was something Yuzu and his team truly wanted to present with his SP that season, because it showed in the ambiance of v1.0: the impression I got from that version was always one of delicacy and tenderness. While PW was a very outward-looking program which built on a lot of interaction between Yuzu and the audience, Ballade 1.0 was much more introverted. It was 3 minutes of Yuzu having an internal dialogue with the piano music, a conversation which we, the audience, were allowed the privilege of listening in. I’m talking about moments like this:
This poetic and, I’d even say, romantic, sense, incidentally, is something unique to v1.0, because the later versions of Ballade all have a much different energy to them.
One more presentation highlight: the v1.0 outfit is by far my favorite.
The Technical
In terms of layout, v1.0 was of course the easiest version of Ballade, containing only one quad. The finalized layout Yuzu went with was 4T / Sit Spin / Flying Camel Spin || 3A / 3Lz+3T / Step Sequence / Combination Spin.
That doesn’t mean v1.0 didn’t come with any technical highlight. The triple Axel in this version is my absolute favorite, not just among the Ballades, but very possibly among all of Yuzu’s programs.
Back counter - 3A - spread eagle, what’s not to love? And look at this choreographic detail at the end of the spread eagle, see the way he let the music move him in that subtle but emotive gesture which mirrored his opening pose:
Version 2.0
The Presentation
Ballade 2.0 was, in one word, perfect. It’s what happens when all the stars align: a great skater at the height of his technical prowess working with a piece of music that exquisitely complements his personal style.
v2.0 also benefited from Yuzu’s existing familiarity with Ballade and his rekindled competitiveness (it was never gone, but was tempered somewhat by all the struggles he had to go through in the 2014-2015 season). 2015 was, in some sense, the comeback year for Yuzu after a disappointing post-Olympic season (it was not disappointing to us, but to him, it certainly was). This was the reason why, as mentioned, v2.0 felt a lot more powerful and commanding compared to the ethereal atmosphere of v1.0. This is what pops up immediately in my mind when I think about v2.0:
Yuzu dominating the sport, making history and inventing legend as he goes.
v2.0, especially in its consummate form at Grand Prix Final 2015, was Yuzuru Hanyu’s skating at its finest: the perfect balance of skills and emotions, technical elements of textbook quality performed to fit every note of the music, all elevated by the sheer brilliance of his presence on the ice. If you were one of those who experienced in real time Yuzuru’s record-breaking streak in late 2015, you probably would agree with me that it was at some point during that period that you realized you were not just watching an Olympic champion, you were witnessing the making of the Greatest Skater of All Time.
The Technical
v2.0 marked the first time Yuzu attempted two quads in a short program. The addition of the second quad was a decision made mid-season. The finalized layout, formed only before his second Grand Prix, was 4S / 4T+3T / Flying Camel Spin || 3A / Sit Spin / Step Sequence / Combination Spin.
The entry for the solo quad Salchow was partly a throwback to the one used for v1.0′s solo quad toe. The 4T entry in v1.0 was outside spread eagle - choctaw - three-turn. The 4S entry was inside spread eagle - three-turn - mohawk. The exit was the spread eagle sequence from v1.0′s 3A.
It was an immaculate quad Salchow and it earned Yuzu the full +3 in GOE at both GPF15 and WC16, and would do so once again when he reused it in v3.0 at ACI17.
The quad toe in combination was done from an entry no less complex than the one he used for the triple Lutz combo in v1.0: cross roll - choctaw - mohawk - chasse - three-turn, and landed with the flourish that has since become a trademark of this program:
This combo, at GPF15, earned Yuzu a perfect GOE.
Version 3.0
The Presentation
v3.0 was Yuzu’s answer to an age-old question: how do you improve perfection? His response: you don’t improve it, you make it something new.
In terms of impression, my image of Ballade 3.0 was one of tranquility. It was the etherealness of v1.0 combined with the confidence Yuzu cultivated with v2.0. It was this:
The two occasions Yuzu delivered a complete performance of v3.0 in 2017-2018 were two statements he made, loud and clear: at ACI, it said I am ready to defend my Olympic title, and at PyeongChang, it said I am here to defend my Olympic title.
Unlike back in 2015, at the beginning of last season Yuzu didn’t have much else he needed to prove. Everybody in the skating world was already well aware of his genius, he was going into the OG as the unequivocal favorite, and his performance at ACI was a way to acknowledge that position. Most of the adjustments Yuzu and Jeff worked into v3.0 were in refinement: picking the best details from all previous versions of Ballade and in the process, inventing new intricacy to bind them together.
v3.0 benefited from the fact that Yuzu was not only familiar with Chopin’s music, he had lived with it and immersed in it and it had become a part of him. Everything he did in this version felt natural and just right.
The airiness and the freedom in that footwork said I no longer need to assert my dominance because you already know by heart that I am the best skater in the world.
The Technical
At its root, v3.0′s layout was a return to the original intention of v1.0. Its structure was very similar to v1.0, with two back-to-back spins after the opening jump, pushing two jumping passes to the second half: 4S / Flying Camel Spin / Sit Spin || 3A / 4T+3T / Step Sequence / Combination Spin.
Slotting the combo as the last jumping element was highly risky, but it was spot on from a composition perspective, since that allowed the combo to serve as the emotional climax of the program. Think about it, when you watch v3.0, were you not on the edge of your seat the entire time waiting for the combo to happen? When it finally did and Yuzu landed it beautifully, you were at the same time relieved and exhilarated, and that tide of emotions was immediately carried over to the step sequence, which provided the celebration you knew you deserved.
And that, in a nutshell, was how one wins one’s second Olympic title as well as the utter adoration of one’s audience: by creating the kind of moments that will stay in their hearts long after the exact number on the scoreboard has faded from their memories.
I freely admit that I was also an emotional casualty of Mr Hanyu’s special drama effect, so my technical highlight from v3.0 is the step sequence.
My other highlight is all of his spins in this version because every one of them was magnificently choreographed, and Yuzu’s spin is a craft that ages like fine wine.
Come to think of it, I’ve made a comparison gifset between the v2.0 and v3.0 StSq here and a gifset for all the spins in v3.0 here so I’ll just let you guys take a look (if you want) and stop the gif spam.
One final fun fact: a crude indicator of the evolution in Ballade can be the number of crossovers in each version. It goes like this: 14-15 in v1.0, 12-13 in v2.0, 9-10 in v3.0, and I believe 9-10 is right at the limit of how few crossovers you can physically include in a short program.
#this man is such an inspiration#literally one of the original reasons I got into figure skating#his programs are half the motivation I have for my au#Yuzuru Hanyu
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Yuzu for GOETHE magazine, April 2025 issue
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I drew this after seeing Yuzuru perform history maker next to Dean Fujioka singing 🦅
#yuri on ice#victuuri#viktuuri#victor nikiforov#yuuri katsuki#history maker#dean fujioka#yuzuru hanyu
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Yuzuru Hanyu delayed axel
Ice King's signature figure
#visual stim#stimboard#stimblr#stim gifs#gif#my gifs#gifset#stim#ice skating#figure skating#yuzuru hanyu#delayed axel#purple stim#dance stim#blue stim
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yuzuru hanyu: echoes of life // saitama, 2024.12.07
#yuzuru hanyu#hanyu yuzuru#fskateedit#figure skating#echoes of life#program#haven't stopped thinking about this since i watched it#i think it might be my favorite of his shows#there's less skating in a conventional sense but a more cohesive story#his shows are really hard to gif because you have to watch the whole thing to get the intended experience#love to see all the creative things my retired faves are doing lately#(just saw that papadakis/hubbell are doing art on ice and i'm so excited)
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There are moments that make me miss Yuzu viscerally. This is one of them.
#figure skating#yuzuru hanyu#I know Otonal is special but there is something about Chopin that owns a tiny piece of my soul#also back counter 3A how we miss you
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youtube
happy 9 years to yuzuru hanyu's record breaking free skate to all who celebrate
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Okay, I'll bite
#skatetheonion#yuzuru hanyu#beijing 2022#screams were scrumpt#garments were rended#my family won't watch skating with me anymore because of the truly impressive amount of swear words that I bellowed#i cringed hard all over again just from making this meme#figure skating
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Love his moves.🖤
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"You're so quiet today darling, what's on your mind?"
I was busy thinking about the manga/anime male characters whose physical appearance were inspired by real people...
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#gilbert cocteau#kaze to ki no uta#the poem of the wind and the trees#keiko takemiya#bjorn andresen#ash lynx#aslan jade callenreese#eiji okumura#banana fish#akimi yoshida#river phoenix#river jude phoenix#hironobu nomura#yuri on ice#victor nikiforov#yuuri katsuki#yuri katsuki#john cameron mitchell#yuzuru hanyu#mappa studio#anime characters
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10 years ago Yuzuru Hanyu was getting his first Olympic gold 🥇🥹
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from AERA behind the scenes video
#today is a good time to die from overdose of beauty#yuzuru hanyu#羽生結弦#aera 2024#photoshoot#aera 2024 bts#gif
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👑👑👑👑👑
From AERA magazine November 2024
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yuzuru hanyu: cutscenes from echoes of life // saitama, 2024.12.07
#yuzuru hanyu#hanyu yuzuru#echoes of life#figure skating#idek how to tag this#love how he just shot an entire scifi short film for his ice show#just yuzu things
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