Chapter 102 Direction: Idealism and Realism
As soon as Yang Yiyan stepped onto the ice in her bright red Costume, the commentators for the China Cup began their work.
"Yang Yiyan's free skate program this season is 'Chasing Dreams Without Regret,' which is taken from the Broadway musical 'Man of La Mancha.' This piece also has a more widely known name, 'The Dream That Will Never Come True.' Whether from the perspective of literary classics or musicals, it is a very classic piece."
"At the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Chinese pairs skaters Mei Yu and Zhao Lingkun, as well as women's singles skater Zhu Chen, all chose this piece of music. And at the Sochi Winter Olympics that just ended, the free dance music for the ice dance champions AK was also selected from this musical."
This statement is also equivalent to telling all skating fans who are unfamiliar with this piece that many predecessors have skated "Don Quixote" and even left behind many classic programs.
The song "No Regrets in Pursuing Dreams" is sung twice in the entire musical. The first time is when Don Quixote confesses his feelings to Aldonza before he is forced into mental treatment, and the other time is during the grand chorus with all the prisoners before the final court hearing.
Yang Yiyan chose the first time, and unlike the other contestants, she chose the role of Aldonza instead of Don Quixote.
The music she chose for the show was a piano piece. Compared to the grand orchestral music or chorus at a musical, the gentle piano music that gradually builds up the emotions is more suitable for the role and fits her style.
However, Xia Yuezi was more worried that the densely packed orchestral passages would expose her shortcomings in footwork even more.
As the piano music began, the commentary paused. Yang Yiyan looked up, her eyes shining brightly under the lights, filled with longing for the journey ahead.
The lyrics begin with a parallel structure, and to match the lyrics, the melody is almost identical, except that as the pitch rises, the emotions are gradually brought to life.
Yang Yiyan landed on the last line of the lyrics, completing her first jump 3F+3lo, and after landing, she raised her free leg and used the momentum to push off the ice and glide out.
The musical version of "Don Quixote" creates two parallel worlds, placing the author and the character in the same space, bringing the intertwining of reality and ideals to the screen, making the story richer and more accessible to the general public.
Among them, Aldonsa is a character with a strong sense of contrast. She is a woman oppressed by reality, and also a princess awakened by Don Quixote.
Xia Yuezi had seen Yang Yiyan's Ice Music Concert, and she felt that this character was not only an idealistic princess, but also a knight who dared to rebel against reality, just like Don Quixote.
Now, the knight is about to begin her journey, and Xia Yuezi stands by, watching silently.
The piano music remained soothing, and Yang Yiyan's gliding was a bit slower than before. However, the constant hand movements accompanied by footwork made her resemble a rose with its thorns still attached—beautiful, yet wary of the world, not allowing anyone to get close.
This emotion has appeared in Yang Yiyan many times, but there has never been a moment when fans felt that this girl carried a sense of destruction, as if she had been crushed by life to the point of having no dignity left, and wished she could die together with everyone else.
The person who brought the Russian athlete to the competition this time was Davil. He stood next to his junior sister, looking at the athlete on the field, touching his chin, with a hint of inquiry on his face.
"Lisa, you've been following her for a while now. What do you think of her performance?"
Elizabeth sat on the sofa in first place, holding a doll, staring intently at the field: "It's novel. I've never seen a Don Quixote like this before. It doesn't seem romantic at all."
Davil's gaze fell on the Chinese coach on the sidelines, and he guessed, "Does choosing 'Don Quixote' mean you'll necessarily skate the main character? Your thinking is too limited; no wonder your artistic expression has never stood out."
Mature figure skaters typically develop a unique skating style and technique after the age of twenty, which contradicts the nature of women's singles.
In order to help young contestants get higher scores, the coaching team usually lets them choose more popular songs and roles. If there is a highly respected senior in the country, the successors will choose the songs they used as a way of paying tribute to them, resulting in a lot of repetition in the arrangement.
This is why older female singles skaters are more loved and tolerated by skating fans, not only because their experiences and willpower are inspiring, but also because they possess a unique skating style among female singles skaters.
For example, Polina only skated a less common program this season, but look at Claire, she was able to choose her own music a long time ago, and even if her performance wasn't that great, she didn't lose the style she had already established.
The Chinese player standing on the field now has clearly found a direction that suits her.
Elizabeth sat there, silently enduring a scolding from her senior and coach, her lips pursed.
Davil sighed, his expression softening for once: "Lisa, we don't necessarily have to focus on the main character. As long as the character is well-developed or their appearance is crucial, there's something worth exploring. Often, even minor characters are protagonists in their own worlds."
"Of course, it's a bit early to tell you this now, but if you can grasp these things sooner, you might be able to refine your skills sooner."
Yang Yiyan finished her Y-turn at the right moment, the music stopped for about two seconds, and then a deep sound like a chime being struck appeared. The girl slowly raised her hands to cover her eyes, and then slowly opened them again.
The piano music started again. The first two notes seemed to be probing, but then it became more intense, like maggots crawling out of a filthy environment. A body that had been immersed in darkness for years suddenly came into contact with light. Even though it knew that it was not a place for them, they had to endure the pain and try to crawl forward.
With a whoosh, a swallow-style move appeared before everyone's eyes. Accompanied by the sound of the piano, the ice fans gradually saw a glimmer of life in Yang Yiyan.
After her triple jump, Yang Yiyan landed on the 3F again. She struck a large "I" shape with her landing posture, and whether it was intentional or not, this action completely swept across the nine judges' table.
After writing down a string of numbers on a piece of paper, a referee habitually looked up and met Yang Yiyan's gaze. This girl from the East had a stubborn look in her eyes, with just the right amount of fierceness.
For a split second, the referee's eyes trembled slightly, and he subconsciously looked away. When he realized something was wrong and looked over again, Yang Yiyan had already finished her jump and entered her footwork.
Essentially, Aldonsa is a realistic character awakened by idealism. Even when Don Quixote calls her Princess Dulcinea countless times, she will bluntly say, "I am just a dishwashing Aldonsa."
Now, her stagnant life has been completely stirred up by Don Quixote's fervor, but is it really Don Quixote who saves her?
No, for her, Don Quixote was just a symbol. What truly made her accept Dulcinea's identity was the power of ideals; it was idealism that gave her courage.
Yang Yiyan, keeping time with the rhythm, completed her final jump, spreading her arms wide as if to declare her victory—
I am Aldonsa, Princess Dulcinea, and a knight who charges forward. Even if this is a dream that will never come true, I will not regret this decision.
Why are you crying?
Meng Xin's voice came from the side, and she took a tissue from the tissue box in front of her and handed it to Xia Yuezi.
Xia Yuezi was stunned. She subconsciously reached out and touched her face. The upper part of her mask was obviously damp. She sniffed, took the paper from Meng Xin, and did not explain the matter.
Looking at the program, which was nearing its end, and then at Claire at the entrance of the ice rink, who was waiting to go on stage with a serious expression, Meng Xin could roughly guess what was going on.
She joked, "If I'm not around for a little while, Xiaoyan will make you cry?"
Faced with such distorted and untrue words, Xia Yuezi didn't argue. She took off her mask, wiped her face clean with a tissue, shook her head, and remained silent.
This was the first time Yang Yiyan had ever made her cry with a complete program on the ice, something even Feng Simai had never done.
It may be related to the choice of song, or it may be related to Xia Yuezi's understanding of the contestants, but in any case, the twelve-year-old girl has completed her transformation.
Yang Yiyan knelt on the ice, raising her hands excitedly. After bowing to the audience around her, she couldn't help but cover her face and cry.
Meng Xin was busy doing things on the side, and she couldn't stop talking: "Really, what day is it today? Why is everyone crying? Aren't they behaving quite well?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Yiyan, who was still trying to compose herself and refused to go to the waiting area, quickly raised her head and fixed her gaze on the seemingly calm Xia Yuezi.
The next second, Yang Yiyan, who was already about the same height as Xia Yuezi, pounced on her, put her head on the coach's shoulder, and gently rubbed against him.
"Alright, you're all sweaty. Aren't you afraid I'll give you a cold?" Xia Yuezi said with a hint of disgust, but she didn't resist at all and let her hug her.
"Anyway, I've finished the competition, so I'm not afraid."
Yang Yiyan hugged him even tighter until they had to wait for the next section before she slowly let go.
With a technical score of 73.63, a program component score of 68.64, a free skate score of 142.27, and a total score of 210.72, he is currently in first place.
Upon seeing the score, all three members of the team breathed a sigh of relief, and even gasped after recovering.
This score is not much different from the score Yang Yiyan got at the Sochi Winter Olympics. At that time, she hadn't lost her 3A yet, and all her technical skills were at the highest difficulty level. Now, even with her health depleted, she can still reach 210, which shows how good treatment can be.
Xia Yuezi took the opportunity to calculate her technical score. With this score, she was probably going to be ranked in all four categories this time. Goe didn't drag her down.
Her gaze involuntarily shifted to Claire, the Canadian star, who was making the sign of the cross with a solemn and focused expression.
Meng Xin noticed Xia Yuezi's gaze and said softly, "Claire is under a lot of pressure now."
Xia Yuezi nodded gently: "But she's not an easy opponent to fool."
The older women's singles players have great performance, but they also have a significant weakness – physical fitness.
Yang Yiyan was able to land four jumps in the second half of her free skate, including a combination jump, but Claire could only land three, all of which were single jumps. This created a gap in technical scores, but the two were still more than three points apart in the short program, which put them almost on the same starting line.
Unfortunately, Claire's 2A+3T missed the first jump, which was the last jump in the first half. She didn't dare to gamble on a consecutive jump in the second half, so she just followed up with the 3T.
It seems the American judges wanted to protect her, as the waiting time for the score was exceptionally long. However, they couldn't win against the other judges, and Yang Yiyan ultimately won the gold medal by a difference of two points.
Yang Yiyan stood in the aisle, so excited that she wanted to shout, but considering Claire and her group sitting on the sofa, she directed all her excitement at the coach.
Xia Yuezi and Meng Xin looked at the "hamster arch" in their arms and patted her back helplessly and indulgently: "Alright, if you keep rubbing against it, your makeup will be ruined. There are so many cameras around. If Claire comes over later, remember to say hello to her."
"knew."
Yang Yiyan leaned on Xia Yuezi's shoulder, still trying to calm herself down, while also thinking about the training plan for the future.
She really wants to bring back 3A before the next season.
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