The world didn’t know it at the time, but on December 7, 1994 one of the greatest artists of all time was born: professional figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu (羽生結弦). I promise I’m not exaggerating! I feel truly lucky to be alive at the same time as Yuzuru because of all of the wonderful gifts he has given to figure skating, art, and humanity. Rather than list his always growing accomplishments1 I want to celebrate his birthday by sharing a some videos of his work from the past few years that fill my heart with gratitude. Watching Yuzuru skate is difficult to describe, but it feels…transcendent to me. I will never forget the feeling I had the first time I saw him on the ice. Since leaving the world of competition behind, Yuzuru has flourished as an artist and an athlete in ways I never could have imagined. The spectacle of his groundbreaking ice shows is always exciting, beautiful, and unexpected. You can see for yourself if you watch GIFT – Ice Story, 20232 or you can watch the news clips here to get a glimpse. I’ll have some skating videos for you to enjoy in the Night Thread too.
The whole video is great, but if you start at 7:23 you can see clips of a very special collaboration with actor Mansai Nomura (野村萬斎) from earlier this year.
This is what Yuzuru was doing on his birthday last year. Skating, dancing, and singing along with his fans during Echoes of Life. 🥹
Right now Yuzuru is focusing on rest as he works towards the future. Whatever steps he takes next, I’ll be cheering him on and hoping for his happiness. 羽生さん、誕生日おめでとうございます！
I also have to mention that today is the third anniversary of &TEAM’s debut.3
Can it be simply be a coincidence that two perfect and beautiful things started on December 7th? Maybe it’s just a particularly lucky day. What it means for me is that I have twice as much to celebrate!
What’s that you say? It’s also GIFTMAS??? What a day this is! The stars have clearly aligned.
Have a nice day/night! 🐺💖🌙
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