Piano-Skating, emotional communication without a single word - meet Romain Gazave!
Part II
by Helga Dobor
&
Mireille Geurts
Photos © Absolute Skating
'Figure skating Fluff'
If it were completely your choice, what kind of music
would you use?
The restrictions are not so much the music, it depends on
the way to use the act to tell a story...But I would probably
use a big classical piece for the piano part, like Rachmaninov
or for example the 11th Etude by Chopin, opus 25. But there
are so many more pieces... I would love to be able to put
a mix of all styles of music in existence in my act once,
just to show the evolution of music and the link between all
the different styles, and then do the same with the skating
part! That would be fun! But it would require a lot of work
as well, and take a very big show to make it possible for
me to present it! (Collins, IMG, do you hear me??? -laughs)
How long does it usually take to put a new program
together?
It doesn’t take so long. What takes the most time is
getting the piano part to work, mostly because of the technical
issues. The “delay” I mentioned earlier makes
it necessary for me to know the piano piece that I will play
perfectly, and be able to play it after skating... I need
to be really fit and ready for the show to pull it off!
Do you feel pressure before performances?
Of course there’s a bit of pressure, but mostly because
of the audience, so it’s good pressure.
And we can experience this sensation of performing that we
miss so much when we stop competing. We skate for ourselves
and the audience first of all, that’s the best part
of it and the most fun. And we can really develop our artistic
styles. (Which some eligible skaters also need sometimes.)
I’d advice anyone who stops competing to try professional
skating!
Romain, Isa and her twin |
Is it easier to become friends at shows than
in competitions? Describe your feelings when you're out there
performing and the audience is enthusiastic! |
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What do you feel is your greatest strength in skating?
When I still competed it was the artistic expression. Now,
in the professional shows, I guess it would be my reliability
in the triple jumps, and a few different tricks. I’m
quite consistent.
Do you still follow the eligible skating of today?
Yes, as much as I can.
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Who are your favorite skaters?
|
Then of course there’s Plushenko, he’s a great
skater and I especially loved his program the first time he
won Worlds back in 2001, he really impressed me then! (But
I remain a fan of Yagudin; his short program "Winter"
by Bond is one of the best I’ve ever seen!) And I quite
like the 2 new Americans (Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir) as
well as the Canadian Buttle! I also loved what Stanick did,
it was different and very nice! But he’s not selected
to the World team anymore …
For the ladies, I really like Sasha Cohen, and can’t
wait for her to perform at her best! She’s still too
unstable. Slutskaya’s an amazing jumper and really deserved
the gold this year, but I did find her program a bit less
interesting, artistically speaking, than what she used to
do. Of course I admire Michelle Kwan for her long career,
she’s a real champion! I also like Julia Sebestyen,
and I was so happy when she won the Europeans last year.
For the pairs, Totmianina/Marinin are on top of my list and
the two Chinese pairs are getting more and more interesting
too.
In dance, Navka/ Kostomarov, and of course Isabelle and Olivier.
They are different and very much have their own style, I love
that. And I love Denkova/ Stavisky, and even if they had a
bad season and had a less good freedance, they remain an amazingly
creative team. And in exhibitions they’re especially
amazing, really! And, what I hope to be the future of ice
dancing, the French couple Pechalat/Bourzat, their “Cats”
program is so interesting! :)
Your music is a mix of classical and modern music.
This cross-over style is very popular, but also hard. The
audience likes it very much, but it's highly criticized by
the performers of both sides (classical and modern). What
do you think of it?
The best classical piano players or musicians have an open
mind, and I think that if this is well done... why not? It
is a problem of evolution! These kind of mixes are very important
for me!
Did you also get criticized for it?
Some of my "classical friends" really like what
I do... it depends, sometimes yes. But this is a good sign,
no? I just try to do what I feel and to be honest with myself.
If I listened to the others, I would never have been able
to present this act. I like people with an open mind. To be
creative, we must all be very open and interested in a lot
of things other than our own specialty. If not, most of the
time, all you’ll get is a bad copy of something already
existing! And to be curious is important! When we get to know
what we don't like, it also helps to know what we really love!
When does “Hot Ice!” end and what do
you plan to do next?
I finish my contract on the 5th of November this year. If
I sign for another year of “Hot Ice!”, I’ll
be available to do some shows or exhibitions between November
and March 2006. If not, I’ll be free and will work for
another company. I don’t know much yet, but I am in
touch with a lot of important producers about this winter!
Nothing definite yet for sure.
What do you think you'll be doing ten years down
the road?
I might be a director and choreographer (and perhaps musician)
of a show. A very creative show mixing a lot of different
things and specialties, a bit like Cirque du Soleil did at
first, that was my child’s dream and my goal once I
will stop performing.
I want to stay in touch with skating but most of all with
the "entertainment world".
Ok, so we can skip the question if you want to choreograph.
You already did some in the past too, right?
Right. I did two exhibition numbers for Vanessa Gusmeroli
and for some very young French national competitors (12- 13
year olds.) I love to choreograph for others, and sometimes
I feel that I do it better than for myself! Or less bad! -
laughs
Overall, what is your worst skating
memory? And your best? |
 |
Are there any skaters you’d like to work with?
BROWNING! YAGUDIN! Whenever they want, wherever they want!
Performers usually bring their own instrument to
performances. This is easy with a violin or a guitar, but
what about a piano (on ice nonetheless)?
Do you want a technical answer or…?
Or what?
You can always bring your piano in your head if you want!
Lol...and the technical one?
Ok, for just one or two galas we find a piano provider close
to the place of performance. For a longer tour, we can bring
it with us in a truck. Another option is a digital action
keyboard, (a digital piano with action keys, system close
to the touch of a real piano) but honestly, I prefer acoustic!
'Curiosa killed the
Cat'
What was the last good movie you saw?
Wow, I’m a movie freak so this is hard to answer. If
you mean the last really, really good one, like one of my
favorites, it would have to be "Amelie Poulain".
Do you know it? If not "Fight Club", that is a more
famous one.
And the last good book you read?
“The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown.
How would you feel if you had
to live without: |
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Please associate with one or two words:
Skating is: amazing feeling
Family is: important
Friends are: everything! ;)
Money: only a means
Sport: a drug! lol
Love: passion and fusion - Kelly!
Peace: music
Belief: wow, vital and dangerous at the same
time
What gives you more joy in life than anything else?
Wow! To be able to really touch someone emotionally and make
him or her dream for a while, escaping the "real life",
by performing the piano or skating, by expressing myself;
emotional communication without a single word...
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