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Seimei: Skating the Line Between Legend and Reality

Writer's picture: Aashina SinghAashina Singh



Yuruzu Hanyu - a figure skater from Japan - loves to dive into challenging familiar concepts by breathing life into them through an immaculate display of technical prowess and seamless transitions and thinks of himself as not only an athlete but an artist. He has already proven himself to be the leader in the sport while predominantly using western classics as program themes. However, there is always one piece an artist is remembered by. For Hanyu, it was the 2015 Grand Prix Final( Barcelona) free program performance which he called ‘Seimei’. The memories of the Great East Japan Earthquake hitting while practicing in the home rink, violently shaking the ice beneath, the aftermath of the disaster are a reminder of the despair and hope the disaster brought, fueled his desire to delve into his ever-present Japanese identity through his program, showing both fragility and strength.


BARCELONA: The audience holding placards curiously and anxiously waiting for the most anticipated program of the year. The program is conventionally known to be inspired by the character Onmyoji Abe no Seimei from the movie ‘Onmyoji’ who is also one of the most venerated historical figures of Japan- a warrior of the mind. This formed the basis of the costume, imitating ‘Kariginu’- clothing worn by the Japanese officials during the Heian period-with a white patterned base and inclusion of a pentagram - a symbol of Onmyoji. The color overlap like that in a kimono is white, green and gold with purple mesh material at the chest. The slender, long-legged Yuzuru enters the arena and composes himself in the ready position with little to no expression and yet one could feel the piercing resolve in his eyes.


He made the beginning pose of the Sealing Gesture by placing his right hand on the chest and left, relaxed on the side as though embodying an aura of both relaxation and tension. The music- a medley of soundtracks from the movie itself-




begins with a big gasp of air. Shigeru Umebayashi’s Taiko and piccolo rich score creates a highly textured soundscape combined with Hanyu’s seamless transitions from Salchows to Triple Axel with back counter entrance makes one care about each balletic shapes nuanced with distinct characteristics to the Japanese culture. The First part of the routine feels like a grandiose display of forces in mind - with Doughnut camel and Bielllmann layback spins -coming in unison with the physical to muster the potential energy for the battle up ahead. Sort of like two independent entities- body and mind- collapsing together in a highly explosive yet harmonious fashion.


The second part, though, brings a calmer tempo, portraying a space for when one is at the peak amidst a battle - having mastered the enemy’s mind and thus the fight. A meditative state of emanating primordial connection with the classical elements rendered tranquillity by Hanyu in the forms like Lunge Pistol pose, almost surpassing the combatant. And then, all that is left are the dramatic moments of the climax encapsulated by the percussion-heavy section featuring Umebayashi’s Rambling God, thus, the grandiosity and dramatization come with the skater’s breathtaking moments of highlight like the Ina Bauer Layback, the Twizzle, Hydroblading with spread arms.


The environment created by the partnership of sound and gestures is illuminated by the participation of the audience. It has a powerful current that the entire audience, even the one watching on the laptop, has no choice but to be conveyed with the wave expression and grandiosity and that we end up becoming a part of the performance- a roaring audience, thumping with the beat- no longer a spectator.


What is the reason that this performance felt transcendent? Surely, the repetition of the recording should eliminate the element of awe, but on the contrary, it not only manages to but smashes the expectations each time. Why is that? Perhaps this paper is my endeavor to finding that out. Although there are many thought provoking interpretations, I have whittled them down to 3 points:

1. The essence of performance: The first element is in the naming of the piece - it could have simply been ‘Onmyoji’ which would have reduced it to a single meaning. However, ’Seimei’ which can mean Abe no Seimei or life opens up the interpretation to the audience. The second is the gestures cultivated from the expressiveness of the Kyogen art form. The beginning of the routine is with the sealing gesture and then one can’t help but feel directed to the fingertips, followed the movement of the whole body stimulating audience’s imagination. The left hand faces upwards while the right remains horizontal. But what is the meaning behind these gestures? The understanding comes from the complimentary methodologies of entering the performance from emotions and the approach that the artist enters the performance from moves. The aforementioned act is about focusing the spirit on the fingertips. The consciousness is like on the ground or on the feet and the left hand, open towards the sky, giving the profound meaning of heaven, earth and human. Perhaps it is the combination of the skaters whose choreography is like that of a gymnast and those who are enthusiastic and passionate; the goal being not to personify the athletic identity but also, the artistic one, is where Yuzuru Hanyu’s essence of performance lies.


2. Sound & Performance: The philosophy of figure skating has multiplied from this point forth by staging introduced by the skater. The difference is in the usage of the body to express music. According to Nomura Mansai(the actor playing Abe no Seimei in the movie and a Kyogen theatre artist), the Western culture focuses on the choreography by marking all the rhythm points, whereas, the Japanese culture is “Simplify”; purposely rushing into the silent passage through a sound, sometimes without a sign- having a sudden landing when one might think it should be a jump- inculcating the moments where there are tremendous energies. Burst something when it’s ‘nothing’ or ‘silence’. There will be some times when the audience is following the rhythm. Suddenly, the rhythm disappears and the observer would enter a state of nothingness. At this time, the display of a heavy landing when it should be a light jump, in a sense, neither acceptance nor rejection of the music; pursuit of a balance between rising and falling in cadence. ‘Sanbansou’ - a Kyogen-based drama - showcases the concept of three continuous jumps. The first two are soft but explosive, but only the third one makes the sound. A balance of relaxation and tension; strong and fragile. In my personal opinion, these can be bouts of elements of disorientation. Compared with the performance which is loyal to the rhythm, the counterpart is about highlighting a special moment and then reverting to the rhythm. ‘Mastering the rhythm’ is what Mansai called this. One example of the former philosophy is the figure skating duet- Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron’s world record short program performance in the Beijing Olympics 2022 featuring John Legend’s You & I.


3. Smooth performance: Yuzuru’s flow throughout the routine feels like huge fluctuations or huge waves whether it is the music or inter- and intra-segment transitions. ‘Jo-Ha Kya’(beginning-break-end) - a ‘Noh’ Drama’s concept. The moments of spins which feel like the state of nothingness and; a flow of time- reminiscent to flow of energy just like planetary oscillation are a moment to show the grander worldview and then highlight specific moves on specific nodes making the meaning clearer or even elusive.


The culmination of everything as the cognitive processes of keeping in mind the universal nature which includes the atmosphere inside the competition arena, the sky beyond the ceiling, the ground and everything which is on the same horizontal line as him, all living and Seimei (meaning life) into making them as partners in the performance; feeling the ‘life’ in competing. Yuzuru challenged the forms of identity - both national and gender - by bringing genealogical forms in a sport which is superbly solid in its grounding- localizing the sport and globalizing the spirit; using both what may be considered feminine and masculine forms of expression and not to say that this is not done commonly, but making the consciousness of mind disappear makes one forget about these things and just be in the moment- experience collectiveness. This is the spirit of Japan one might think as and this is what makes me want to keep going back to this wonder with the same vigor each time.


Drawing on the above evaluation, I want to draw attention to the curatorial practices in a museum setting for non-western artifacts. shows the statue of Lord Ganesh - who is a venerated symbol across the southern part of Asia - is currently on display at the Art Institute of Chicago. The statue is displayed on a pedestal with the text of a few lines, surrounded by emptiness separate from the elements that make it a living, breathing entity and what gives it purpose. Surrounded by the synchronized beating of ‘Nagada’ drums, the chanting of Shloka’s in unison, and people bowing down, one is dissolved into the energies of collectiveness, witnessing a world beyond the individual, which is what the idol symbolizes. But if that is taken away then what is left of it? It makes sense for artwork like Tippoo’s Tiger in the Victoria and Albert Museum as it acts as a reminder, the purpose of it outside is served.


Some would argue that the beauty lies in the transient nature and aging of the art like the statue of Lord Ganesh for which it was created. Comparing and contrasting this example and ‘Seimei’ it is prudent to say that some encounters are meant to be in the communion otherwise they lose their identity if they are set up in a structure that ironically is for preservation and propagation and yet it fails to do so. Maybe the answer lies in the homogeneity of expressions or maybe not having a single system be burdened with the representation of all the Identities. Hanyu’s performance was one such example of combing of the two world, expression of identity through a western art form which would have been incomplete without the aura of surrounding elements. The atmosphere of an entity is as important as the physical form itself.



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