Nice to see you that’s a big group I was such a good group yeah we tried to count how many countries there were people from and I think maybe eight or nine but it’s nice there are so many people who are from um like Canada and
The US and places that I think maybe don’t get to exactly to meet exactly yeah it’s very nice to see you have you been uh at the ring this this probably as much as as we all did right like was a pretty intense week oh my God thank you how do we do
This yeah because we talk about being an intense week udith was going to be our moderator but I think because she’s not here it will be me instead because she’s stuck in traffic now okay um but some people thought of some questions and everyone will just ask what they want to
Ask and I think I I think it’s good if we just um discuss a little bit and if you have questions feel free to ask um I I will start with a little bit of how the week went from my perspective and um I mean it was uh a
Pretty uh interesting uh competition I think I didn’t expect much coming to Montreal in the sense that um so first of all we changed the program with Dennis after Bavarian open and uh for him it was just to to get into some kind of flow and and Rhythm so
He gets to enjoy he’s skating for him it’s really about being in the right mood at the right moment so and uh he injured himself uh 10 days before world so it was very scary when we were at home and once we were able to once the
Confidence was was there just the fact that we were going was already a big big step so so yes like like I said I was not expecting much just being able to show the new program being here enjoying his skating that was one of the objective with him and uh with sha we
Spent one week um beginning of February together when we were in Japan and we worked it was also very weird to work during the night we had a few hours um of private ice in Japan and and working at night with him and seeing that doesn’t matter which hour of the day or
Of the night he’s full power all the time so intense and um I’m pretty impressed with how precise he has become over the years he used to be uh a little bit like me and uh he became so much more precise and so much more aware of
What to do and how to do and how to repeat and just go and go and go and go so this kind of uh uh mode of hard work and repetition was uh very impressive to see um and yeah and for him it was really about going out there and
Unfortunately the flow yesterday wasn’t the the right flow um he was I I wanted the image of being compact because he has this great energy of accelerating being quite compact but yesterday this compactness became a little bit too tight I think so it was lacking the
Elasticity that we know of sha um I haven’t been able to see the performance but um but yeah it’s it’s sport it’s it’s you know when when you have four minutes and you need to show the the hours and hours and hours of work in four minutes
It’s it’s uh it’s quite a task and uh I think for him now it’s to accept that this happened and to move move on to the next challenge of of his career and um and I was telling him it’s I think it’s not so much what what
Kind of metal we have around our neck it’s so much more what we do and how we React to what we do and what happens in in life so he’s a great person and he has achieved a lot and uh to achieve more or or less doesn’t make him a
Better or a worse person he’s a great person and he I I I I have so much love for him and admiration so it’s hard for me to be objective but but I mean he’s he’s a fantastic athlete and a fantastic person and I think that’s that’s what
Matters today it’s good to hear that you said that too because when we talked to sha in the mixone and afterwards he was saying that he felt mostly satisfied with everything leading into this then just sorry that he couldn’t make you happy with his skate so I’m glad that
You could share some of that with I happiness is I happiness is is doing all what we do right and uh I look forward to go home and to to practice with the skaters and I mean this is what I love to do and this is what I enjoy to
Do and of course when I was comparing also trying to explain to sh that was my feeling when I was competing and I I I retired and I retired with a fourth place at the Olympics and um and I the image of of um one day is
Your birthday and the next day is someone else birthday and success is a little bit like this it’s one day it’s your turn and the next day is someone else turn and uh being appreciative of when it’s your time and and when someone else time also being
Uh admirative to admire also I mean IIA was was just phenomenal last night so it’s it’s also being um yeah being conscious about about someone else birthday and and acknowledging it and being happy for for when someone has the moment to shine we were also thinking that it’s been four
Years it’s been 20 years since you were your fourth place at Worlds in Germany as well oh wow there are a lot of similarities which might quite quite crazy yes yeah if you think about yourself back then um do you feel like you see similarities to your students um
So if I go back to 20 years ago in Dortmund I I gave I gave it all and I think that’s a a similar feeling sha gave it all this is this is always the case um he’s 2 100% for for he skating um we were in
Different points of our our career in the sense that the fourth place in Dortmund gave me so much eager to work and to get more and I think for him it’s it’s another moment of his career where he has achieved a lot and he has done
That and and just the questioning is is a little bit different because the the time of the career is different but um but I could compare that to my fourth place at the Olympics in Vancouver definitely and um yeah I mean whatever chapter comes next
Um I told him there there will be a lot of opportunities and there are in life you have a lot of opportunities when you’re in your 20s I think you can you should not be too pecky and you should actually enjoy them and those opportunities will actually slowly bring the focus to
Something that that makes sense to you at one point you will just find a path that is more um def defined I would say so but it takes time and even when you’re in your 30s it’s it takes time and probably when I will be in my 40s I
Will say that too so and it’s going to come very soon so oh yes you see that’s the 40s coming maybe we can swap a chair everyone’s we don’t want to have you fall been standing we ALS we also wanted to know how’s your leg since you were injured back in
January are you how are you doing so my leg is actually doing much better um the actually the muscle that I pulled is connected to my knee and my knee has been bothering me since 2002 so it’s uh and yeah it’s a my weak point is my aculus is my knee actually
So but uh but in April I will do a couple of uh little like treatments uh hopefully those will will help me to yeah to to be able to use my body a little bit longer because I really like to perform and and yes I still want to perform and and skate to
Yeah you know and it’s hard to to keep all those muscles working but um but yeah teaching teaching is is something that I adore to do also and I try to skate as much as possible when I teach so I can still not only show because some skaters
It really helps to show and they are very good at observing and and uh reproducing what they see so it’s good to be able to do it myself but it’s also good to be able to feel myself because sometimes I say something to the kids
And then when I I’m able to do myself then it actually come together even sharper so it’s that feeling I want to keep as long as possible and and try to find a way to make that feeling grow into something that I will use when I
Will not be able to get there but yeah we need to anticipate a little bit I’m not a good person to anticipate things but I have this window that I need to use pleas people have questions please ask uh when you step onto the ice to
Perform or compete do you feel that your personality Remains the Same as it does office or do you feel yourself transformed in any way it’s it’s a very interesting question because I imagine that what we see when skaters are performing is actually the personality like it’s
Even though you know when when you see an actor in a movie you see the role of course but you see much more than just the role of the a actor and sometimes you see some remake and with a different actor it’s the same role but you see the
Actor right so I feel like when you’re a skater and you perform it’s really hard to not show your personality or to be some something else and um and like I was saying it’s not the medals at the end it’s really your actions and when you skate that’s what you are what you
Do is what you are and um of course the fact that there is pressure and attention and it it’s a moment of of big truth it transforms you in in a sense in the because you’re in a Zone where you’re not on a you’re not just at home having your
Coffee right so you’re you’re of course paying attention to so many details and things but at the end when you when you just perform and you push yourself it’s it’s who you are it’s what you are I see I feel I feel it’s that’s what I love about figure
It’s yes you see a lot of sim similarities between all the programs with all the same jumps and all the same spins and all the same steps and all the the the same musics over the years but each person is so different and um I remember watching figure skating in the
90s and and having all those images of of those skaters that were so strong in their personal ities I remember skaters that never won worlds like ni BC she she just had such an impact on me and and watching her just start the program was already like watching a a movie you know
So yeah no personality and musicality is two things that are so important in our Sport and um I love the sport because of that indeed Mery Stefan um I was actually in Torino in 2006 at the Winter Olympics and got the witness four of your programs um so I
Followed your career for a very very very long time I was 17 um I followed your career as a coach and whatnot my question for you is where do you see the future of figure skating going um as a whole it’s I I wish and I my my responsibility is to defend
The figure skating that I have in my mind and like I said I watched uh I actually started skating watching figure skating in the 90s and it inspired me I don’t know if if I was seven today and watch figure skating on TV I I probably
Would not want to start this sport um I would not be as inspired as I was when when we were in the 90s um but I’m in that business now so my responsibility is to defend what I believe in and I’m also my responsibility is to teach what I
Believe in and um I think we have we have problems of course and like for example material problems those plastic boots are are really a huge problem for for the quality of skating and it makes skaters jump uh after just putting their skates on they’re able to jump but they lose
Sensitivity of being connected to the ground and using actually this this ground this to to make those edges a bit deeper and some different levels of NE action so I I want to work on that and I want to defend this kind kind of skating where the gliding is it this is specific
Of figure skating we Glide we use the edges if we would not have that then we we would just put roller skate and and do roller skating but we have the possibility of using edges and for me this is the future of scating and this is also the past of skaing this is
Tradition of skaing this is the specifics and um and this is what will defend as a figures leer and a coach yes yes I would like to ask you a question which is was me for the last 20 years so I just remember and at the end of your programs
You were usually not usually but uh quite frequently uh doing this uh uh rotation with acceleration at the end at your reval program and all of that yeah like the spin at the very end of the program with the acceleration and then it is ending why nobody after your
Times is doing that and is there any secret you are also teaching your guys your students to make such an amazing rotations like I I was saying before musicality and personality um are very important in skating and I think in my case um I I I had this vision of once the Music
Stops I don’t want to have any regrets so it’s just like okay when when I still have those few seconds until it ends I just want to empty the the tank with with whatever is left right so it’s just squeezing to the last drop you know it’s
It’s really that sensation and uh and then the music is also something that inspires me so if the music calls for I will just go for it and I will not go halfway I will just go so musicality personality and um just putting yourself out there to the final drop
Who else has a question oh yes question um can you tell us something about choreography it always see seems so easy choreographer is point yes but um I think it’s lot more than the steps how do you find the music you have to cut it to the right length you have to watch
Out that the keys match that the Beats match um maybe you have to out for rights from the composer or the artists um how is that process it’s a long process and it’s a process that I really enjoy doing um I think the first step which is the probably the most important
Step is to get to know the skater and I come back to the personality but it’s really really really important to go inside that personality and to go inside you need to know you need to talk you need to see the technical abilities the physical abilities the emotional
Abilities the the Hobbies of the skater or the the sense of art the coordination is there some interest in actually music or not uh of Rhythm some skaters are going to be very rhythmical but not very expressive so how you need to get to know the skater so well and to
Understand okay is that a personality where I’m going to be able to put a character on it or will I just use the technicity because that’s the stren the strength of the skater um or some more romantic side like someone that I worked with that I think has a a very
Interesting personality is Camden pulkinen and um he has so much passion and I mean um what you need to show from him it’s this this passion that he has that he has a strong energy and he’s not very precise and it goes a little bit all over the place but he has this
Passion and you need to canaly that but you need to put that on on eyes so just to to Define this personality and to to see this is the the first point and once you have that then of course you’re going to research uh the music the theme
Whatever the skater will will wish to skate Sometimes they come with with a very specific ideas and if I’m in a good mood and I will probably accept it but um no and if it’s good of course I will I I actually love when the skater
Comes with a specific idea but it it must really come from from the guts you know it it cannot be just because uh he saw two years years ago um use roof skate to that music you know so it needs to be um for for a personal reason and not for an external
Just one image that that is probably very impactful but at the end you want to you want to connect with the music so music will be a big part of also music research will be a big part of um of this process and then when when you structure
It well then for example with the with Dennis we decided let’s go for for Lion King and um there is there are so many pieces of Lion King so you need to then come to four minutes is so short so you need to pick and you have like I don’t know how
Many hours of Lion King you can find uh if you take from the musical from the movie from whatever singer that has covered it so there are a lot of pieces so you need to come up with what what will I use for the intro how will I
Structure it to make a a story line and uh this is something also very very interesting which takes time and sometimes you have an idea you combine the musics together and then you feel this part is not great so we we adjust and sometimes it just feels like
Whatever you have put together it just feels like right because you can picture the elements and how you will combine it and I I think once the music is is um done and you’re happy you’re satisfied with it then the the process of create creation this this goes
Like it’s just writing a letter you know when you’re inspired and like so so the music is done you’re it’s already the inspiration is already on you press the button and you write the love letter and you just have things like I put my airpods um my Earp pods or how do you
Call those earpods earpods airpods is the brand the Apple ones are airpods okay whatever I put the music on and you just Let Yourself Go and um and it flows it really flows and if we would not have so many jumps and so many spins and so many
Elements I I would just dance during those four minutes uh for my skater to to to do that but um of course we have to figure out the layout of the elements and and you know that each element takes a certain amount of time so you also
Have to be not not only inspired but a mathematician that counts and uh yeah it’s it’s a long process like you like you mentioned but but can you really take all the music you want to because it’s playing in the open doesn’t it have yes you need so what we do what actually
We do is we need to write down on to the ISU the exact music so they can free the rights of but we need to write down exactly which music we have used with which composer yeah the cups I know that my mom is super interested about how the cups works
Because I’m doing a lot of music that’s why I know what you you have to you can put a a piece in say G minor against the piece in in B minor if it doesn’t fit so so do you have to watch do you watch
Like look at that yes of course yes and of the counts and you want that that the phrasing is working um it needs it needs to match with the tune sometimes you you like a cover and you want to connect with the original song but it’s not the same tune
So you have to learn things about music theory and that kind of thing or just by listening you can s I’m I’m I’m a listener yes and if I if I feel it’s like Chris for example he does a lot of editing for me and he he’s a very good
Listener but he’s a very good uh like he knows music just because he’s good at everything so um I’m I just feel yes is there anything about like certain types of music that you feel fit for your particular skaters like fora and Dennis and kir and what features know I
Remember hearing somewhere that you have like playlists for them like what makes a certain song go to the Sha playlist versus you know the dentist well I think we are we understand that they are all very different right and um when I see koshiro he is so much into
Um playing a character like he’s really good at expressing a character he’s also very good at being rhythmical and quick so anything that will allow him to expose himself this way will match so the playlist will be in that kind of uh tone um Dennis I would say
He I feel he’s capable of doing a lot of things because he’s H he has um he’s he’s emotionally a big monster so I think he can go to a lot of places but for example when we tried the blues at the beginning of the season I thought that
He was emotionally mature enough to to have that that um how can I say just coolness and uh and I think what made me realize that it’s not going to happen is when at baravarian he came out of the ice and he said I’m so happy with the
Way I I felt the music and how I played with it and I thought this was not the image I have in he thinks that this is it that is we are changing the program right now that’s it I don’t want hear about this program anymore this is like you
Know when when you’re sure about something but it’s it’s the reality of it is completely something else and you’re like I think we’ll find something else so yeah no but um but it really it depends on the person but I feel like my perception is that he would be able to
To perform it right but then not yet so maybe in a few years years we will see a great Blues from Dennis where he will be really cool yes I hope so and I will work for it um but yeah it depends also on the time I have several playist for Dennis
Since he’s been together with me since 2016 and he’s been evolving so there is a playlist of this time but there is now I think it’s my fifth playlist for him so each playlist evolves into what he is today um and for sha it’s it’s also very
How can I say connected with with his way of skating expressing uh what I admire about sha is um how how he manages his aggressivity to to accelerate and to produce inertia with be with being so calm I love that like for me like like Dennis
You see the effort on his face whenever he puts power you see the effort with sha it never shows any effort on his face it’s just like like natural flow I would say so I like that and music’s that give me that sense of uh uh ground
Ground with with also some kind of uh he is someone of Elegance and Beauty Harmony um and this the the BOK style was fitting him very well because it has Elegance aggressivity but at the same time so much um Peace and Harmony so yeah it defines him pretty well so I had
A lot of bar pieces for him and um vidi pieces that that fits him yes but it’s get getting to know the skater getting to know the personality and it’s so interesting when when I have a new skater um coming to choreograph the best part is is actually this part of getting
To know and finding out okay what is going to make their eyes shine and suddenly you see oh oh actually she likes to do that and then you can go a little bit deeper there and and develop more and yes thank you so much for talking to
Us um we’ve talked a lot about your skaters and you have a coach answer um when it comes to your programs what are what’s the toam that I think you’re the most proud of you want to share more than one I I I don’t know exactly I was watching couple of uh weeks
Ago um I was watching some videos and then some old videos of um some of my performances came up to to my feet and I was watching and I was quite impressed I forgot I forgot about it like did I really do that um and it’s funny because programs that I have
Not remembered because probably it was right after Europeans and I had to make a a choreography and I was always very conscious about putting something that matched the music and but sometimes by time pressure it went a little bit fast and and you don’t remember that you did
That but one program that impressed me because I thought I was just using the energy of the music and not putting a lot of effort in building a lot was um was last dance with Donna Summer and then when I was watching the performance I was like wow it’s not so much what
What you do or the the content but it’s really about how much you enjoy doing it and the emotions that come through from the the program so any program I think complex or less complex it’s really how you you deliver it and how you presented so that program
Was not one on the top of the list but then when I saw it I was like wow it’s it was actually much better than than um what I expect or what I remember um if I have to say the complex pieces that I that I remember and that I’m proud of
Um apparently we’re locked in here and they can’t get we it out it’s fine I’m flying only on Wednesday so I still get to spend some more time in Montreal I hope we have some food somewhere the corner um no but programs that I’m proud of
Um I enjoy the water that I did with um hers that program was was one of my favorite to perform it was pretty hard to do physically speaking and I enjoyed performing with Tom Odell the piece uh sense this I really really enjoyed every night performing it was was just so much
Joy I I I was super excited every every time to perform and then um that were two show Numbers uh that I performed during arton I um recently I enjoyed a lot This Bitter Earth um I enjoyed a lot because the person that I worked with for the choreography
Hudia she challenged me to to um improvise during that piece and I usually like to know what I do on each count of my music and on whatever accent or phrase I I have a pretty set uh sequence of steps and there she was asking me to create an intention and to
Use this intention to express myself freely without having a a specific content and at first I was scared of that and then when I was actually performing the program I I started to enjoy every time I was like okay I I want to be there and I want to
See what kind of intention is going to come to my mind and it was sometimes I was behind the curtain I had zero image of what was going on and when the curtain was opening there was just one thought that came to my mind and that
Was the thought that I used and it was such a uh yes a great experience to to have that that feeling of Performing something that I would not dare Maybe a few years ago so yeah I I remember actually this was um this was last last year when I skated to
Maletto I had my sister I started SK skating because of my sister she was um skating before me and I and I had this vision of her inspiring inspiring me to skate and she was kind of with me while I was skating and it was so weird but so
Beautiful but I really felt like I was with my sister and skating and thanking her for for making me discover this Sport and yeah during the whole performance it was this connection with her so yes I G to have one last question and then maybe we can take a group
Picture because I think we’re almost at go so fast really yes but um well and we can we can see it have time but I don’t want to uh I don’t know make Dennis be locked out in the cold but um we wanted to know about what
Your plans are next it’s almost your birthday are you going to have some time to relax and have some fun and then also about your show in the summer and anything else you can share about that yesterday before the free I was uh looking at my agenda and I was trying to
Put all the appointment I have a lot of shows that I want to actually go and see in February I I was able to uh watch many balet performances and it it inspired me a lot for this competition I have to say I was lacking some inspiration after Europeans it was a
Hard season and it was hard to keep the motivation so in February I decided each each opportunity I will take to watch ballet and um I saw for example man um in London um and it was just amazing uh I saw also a a triti in Milano in lascala which was
Also very inspiring of contemporary three contemporary choreographies and um when I was in Japan working with sha I went to see um lat dancing in Swan Lake so I had a couple of uh great moments of just watching beautiful things and I if I may I recommend to watch beautiful things because they
Are so good for our soul and so good to inspire us to do good and to to see where we’re going and to yeah to plan ourselves so my plan for for April is to to get to see some some performances um I think I’m going to go to Paris to see
Crystal pite she has a new um show with her company kid pivot and I really love her work so I’m going to do that but I have also to go to the dentist and I have to go to do my uh treatments for my knee so and I need to
Go on holiday and we have a spring camp um like a Easter camp in champi the two first weeks of April and um I need to do a lot of choreographies and um we have a camp in Torino in May and uh then I’m going to Fantasy on ni
So it’s packed but I want to pack even more in this agenda more things yes some moments just to have some some beauty and nice things for yourself exactly and spending time with my family I would love to spend more time with usually on Sunday evening so I finish working Sunday around
2:00 um and then Monday is my day off so usually Sunday I go to my mom and we have a good family dinner with my brother my sister and their kids and it’s nice to have a moment with them so that’s so nice thank you so much and
And when skating is not inspiring you anymore just watch beautiful things okay because there are so many beautiful things out there and um and from my perspective I will try to defend beautiful skating more and more and thank you for your attention and see you somewhere I don’t know when where but hopefully
I know some I know at least some people are coming to CH for the show in August a once we know more about it but there are some yes I know some plans we are announcing we are publicly announcing um the show on the 17th of April yes and uh hopefully opening the
Ticket ticket from that moment so I I hope that everything goes according to the plan thank you thank you and I wish you a great day enjoy the show if you go to the show yes see I will check if Dennis is here I want to listen
To some interesting things but I don’t want to intimidate that’s okay you know sit
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