◎This is her battlefield alone◎
At Clara's request, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi improvised a dance on the ice, performing unshakable single-foot steps, then moving on to waltz moves, and then starting synchronized twists.
Now they can move in unison without anyone keeping the beat or music. The ice blades moving forward at high speeds create flakes of ice and make clear, pleasant sounds.
Clara couldn't help but be amazed.
Many young contestants have the problem of not being able to relax when performing technical movements. At first glance, the movements seem fine, but their demeanor and overall look make them look like they are not dancing, but rather completing a task.
But the two kids in front of me were totally different. They were relaxed and intoxicated, as if they were really dancing on the ice. Their technical movements seemed to be improvised in accordance with the dance steps, without any sense of deliberateness.
"Great twist, I already have a lot of ideas in my mind." Choreographer Clara rubbed her hands excitedly and looked at Xu Chi beside her. "I heard that this little girl has only learned ice dance for five months? Xu, you are really amazing to cultivate such a talent."
"She already has the skills." Xu Chi was modest out of habit.
"That's right. She looks like an elegant little domestic swan, while Tang's temperament is more like a wild goose raised in the village." Clara nodded and said bluntly, "They don't look like they were brought up by the same master."
Xu Chi said awkwardly: "Tang Yi grew up like this on his own. I didn't deliberately train him in that direction."
"The styles are very different and quite interesting." Clara called a halt and waved for Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi to come to her. She looked at them with a smile and said, "Can you tell me about your recent life experience? Or what do you think about the theme of free dance? Don't be nervous, just talk about it casually. I know your thoughts, so I can choreograph a dance that is more suitable for you."
Ji Tiantian looked at Clara quietly.
Ice dance competitions consist of two events: short dance and free dance. Free dance is more flexible than short dance and focuses more on performance arrangement and performance theme. Ji Tiantian thinks that in terms of performance style, free dance choreography can be divided into two types: emotional flow and plot flow. The emotional flow focuses more on using dance steps to show delicate or intense emotions. The dancers' costumes are generally more modern, simple and elegant, and the clothes show the tension of the body and facial features.
In contrast, the plot flow, in short, focuses more on the interpretation of the role. Compared with other figure skating events, ice dancing has greater freedom in costumes. Ice dancers can directly dress up as characters from famous works or classic dramas, such as "Swan Lake", "Romeo and Juliet", "Carmen", etc., and then use skating steps to interpret dramatic conflicts and character tension. Plot flow ice dancing naturally puts more effort into costumes than emotional flow.
Both have their strengths and weaknesses. If an emotional ice dance choreographer encounters a contestant who cannot express emotions well, the whole dance will become flat. And a dancer who follows the plot flow can easily be affected by the role he plays and cannot express his own characteristics.
Ji Tiantian frowned as she thought about Clara's question. She had so many insights into life, but she didn't know what to say. And at the moment, she wasn't sure what style of choreography she was more suitable for, and she felt a little lost.
"Tang Yi, you answer first." Xu Chi called out the name, obviously wanting the key players of the national team to be an example, "What do you think about the theme of free dance?"
"The theme of ice dance," Tang Yi paused, "isn't it about the things between men and women?"
"What's wrong?" Xu Chi glanced at Tang Yi, who had an expressionless face, and patted the back of his neck. "Do you want to become a monk?"
"Let me summarize." Tang Yi frowned.
Xu Chi pouted: "I want you to summarize! You haven't even grown all your hair yet, but you're so arrogant!"
Ji Tiantian felt that Tang Yi was right. The themes of ice dance freestyle were mostly about love, hate and hatred between men and women. From the classical "Romeo and Juliet" to the later "Da Vinci and his lover" and the love story of the Duke of Windsor, they were all used as themes in ice dance.
The competition rules require a man and a woman to work together. If a man and a woman want to create a classic work on the ice, they really can't escape the things between men and women.
"Ji Tiantian, what do you think?" Xu Chi gave up on Tang Yi and turned to ask Ji Tiantian.
"I also think Tang Yi's answer is too general. There are actually many things that can be performed between men and women." Ji Tiantian paused, "Such as misunderstandings, pain, contradictions, quarrels, disappointment, and helplessness."
Xu Chi said nothing more. He had been trying to control his urge to smoke, but he couldn't help it even though he stopped smoking during training. He quietly took out a cigarette and lit it.
"Are all kids nowadays like this?" While Clara was communicating with the two young contestants, Xu Chi spoke to Jiang Lin in a low voice while smoking.
"Of course not. You should reflect on yourself." Jiang Lin looked at Xu Chi deeply. "Are you not paying attention and infecting your two children with your tired middle-aged mentality?"
"Where do I get it!" Xu Chi took a deep puff of his cigarette.
"From your conversation, I feel that you are somewhat negative about the relationship between people." Clara showed Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi an understanding smile, "But why don't you imagine why humans are still so keen on seeing the stories of men and women on stage and in works of art after thousands of years? Why can those things that seem particularly clichéd in the eyes of modern people become classics that are passed down through the ages? It will be very interesting to dig deeper. Maybe... everyone understands that some things are actually very precious and very hard to find."
Ji Tiantian fell silent. Indeed, she had never figured out the eternal love and hatred in her previous life.
"I can also feel that you two are hiding something." Clara's next words stunned Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi.
"But it doesn't matter. Your dancing on the ice has already said a lot." Clara patted the two people's shoulders and showed a mysterious smile. "I have a lot of ideas. Leave the free dance to me."
Clara went to have a preliminary discussion with the two coaches, while Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi drank water and rested on the side.
"You haven't been back to school these days. Is it okay?" Ji Tiantian asked.
Tang Yi attends an ordinary junior high school in the capital. The schedule is relatively relaxed, but the academic subjects are more difficult.
"It's okay. I used to study at home." Tang Yi paused, "Just take the midterm exam."
"Yeah." Ji Tiantian thought that Tang Yi had a solid foundation in his previous life, so his grades shouldn't be too bad.
"You haven't been back to the capital for so long. Does the national team allow it?" Ji Tiantian turned her head to look at the coach and choreographer who were in a heated discussion and asked.
"I've said hello." Tang Yi looked at Xu Chi who was devoted, and couldn't help but curl his lips, "Old Xu has always wanted to stay out of the capital for a while, and now he has got his wish."
Ji Tiantian knew what Tang Yi meant. With the current performance of ice dancing, she must be the least popular among the four events of figure skating. It is easy to imagine that the atmosphere in the team cannot always be harmonious and friendly. Once it comes to allocating resources, some conflicts are inevitable. At this time, the contempt chain of the four events will be particularly blatant.
As the head coach of the youth ice dance team, Xu Chi must have suffered a lot. During his time in South City, he was away from his leaders and coaches of other projects, so he naturally felt more comfortable.
Ji Tiantian thought about it carefully and found that Xu Chi was really not simple. Tang Yi was a self-taught dancer, and she was a dancer who learned ice dancing halfway. He found Jiang Lin, the assistant coach, from the three northeastern provinces, and borrowed Clara, the choreographer, from the national team's pair skating. He put together an ice dance team by piecing together everything. Only he knew the hardships involved.
But Xu Chi always looked confident. He seemed to believe from the bottom of his heart that his team and ice dancing would rise one day.
"Coach Xu is really amazing." Ji Tiantian said softly.
"Yeah." Tang Yi smiled lightly, "Except for not treating me as a human being, everything else is fine."
With the help of Clara, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi began free dance practice.
One month before the National Championships, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi had almost finished preparing their two programs. They successfully passed the assessments of Xu Chi and Clara, and continued to work on the details of their movements while waiting for the competition to come.
After informing her family, Ji Tiantian went to the capital with Tang Yi and two coaches. While Tang Yi was taking the midterm exam, Xu Chi took Ji Tiantian to the national team's practice venue, allowing her to experience the more intense competition atmosphere up close.
The capital city has already started to get cold in November, with a bleak autumn wind. But the ice rink is bustling with activity. Female singles, male singles and pairs skaters are practicing against the clock under the guidance of their coaches, as if time has transformed into a beast chasing them.
The National Championships are about to begin, and everyone's practice has reached a fever pitch. People of all sizes are zipping around on the ice. There is no age limit for the National Championships, and young and adult skaters compete together. Even skaters who have competed in world competitions will still participate in the National Championships, one is to practice through competitions to prove that their level has not declined, and the other is to support domestic figure skating and set an example for their younger brothers and sisters in the team.
Ji Tiantian put on her skates and stood by, watching, subconsciously pressing the position of her heart. Although she usually practices very hard, she and Tang Yi do not have the same sense of urgency as these players. The ice rink in South City is very comfortable, and there is no battlefield atmosphere here.
"Ice dancers are not like individual skaters, who are affected by development, height, weight, etc." Xu Chi stood beside Ji Tiantian and spoke, "However, there are gains and losses. Ice dancing is the least popular sport in figure skating. Because it is so detailed that it involves using the edge with your feet, the competition rules are relatively complicated, and it is relatively difficult to judge whether it is excellent or not. The threshold is relatively high for ice fans. And our country's ice dancing has not achieved any outstanding results internationally, so the enthusiasm of ice fans is not that high. Your competition with Xiongwa may not attract as much attention as other figure skating events. But you must remember that the competition waiting for you is just as fierce. The burden you have to bear is as heavy as that of athletes in other events, or even heavier. You must have this awareness."
"I know." Ji Tiantian nodded obediently, "I will practice harder."
Xu Chi nodded with satisfaction, then pointed in a certain direction. Ji Tiantian looked in that direction.
"That's the only adult ice dance team in the national team, Wei Xiao and Chang Yu." Xu Chi said, "You should know them, right? They are both 20 years old this year. They are the ice dance champions of the last National Championships. Their best result in the World Championships was 18th in the world. They just participated in the China Cup World Figure Skating Grand Prix, or COC, and got fifth place. That's pretty good. They've started practicing for the National Championships again."
COC is an adult competition, and the International Skating Union generally limits the age to 16. Only those over 16 can participate in adult competitions. Tang Yi had been struggling in the youth group before.
Ji Tiantian silently watched Wei Xiao and Chang Yu practicing without distraction. In her previous life, she also knew about the existence of this pair of ice dancers, and they were called the Smiling Group by their fans.
Wei Xiao and Chang Yu are currently the top ice dancers in China, competing fiercely in major adult competitions. The 15-year-old Tang Yi is the second-in-command, accumulating strength and waiting to be fully grown and promoted to the adult group.
Wei Xiao and Chang Yu faced each other, their movements mirrored, one moving forward and the other backward, doing three turns in a row, and the choctaw and twist were neat and tidy, and the distance between them never changed. There was no music, only the crisp sound of their skates sliding across the ice.
Their eyes were fixed on each other, as if they didn't care about their feet or their surroundings at all, and only cared about each other. The atmosphere between the two was fascinating enough.
There is a difference between those who have participated in a competition and those who have not.
Just as Ji Tiantian was thinking this, she suddenly saw an eight-year-old girl nearby who lost her balance while jumping and fell onto the ice with a "bang". The sound was so loud that Ji Tiantian's heart was shaken.
This little girl might have been sent by the local area to participate in the short-term training of the national team, or she might have been brought here by her own coach to experience the atmosphere of the game like Ji Tiantian. The little girl lay on the ice, looking at Ji Tiantian, and soon her tears as big as beans came out one by one.
Ji Tiantian quickly reached out to help the little girl up and brushed off the ice chips on her body.
"Hurry up and come back!" the little girl's coach shouted behind her.
"I don't want to practice anymore... I don't want to practice anymore." The little girl cried and hugged Ji Tiantian's legs tightly.
"If you don't practice, there are plenty of people who are! Why are you crying?" The coach stepped forward and grabbed the little girl away. The crying gradually faded away, and only the cold sound of the skates cutting the ice remained in her ears.
Ji Tiantian felt a sigh and turned her head inadvertently, and found that Tang Yi was standing behind her.
"Were you like this before?" Ji Tiantian asked.
"I've never fallen so badly before." Tang Yi took Ji Tiantian's hand, and the two of them found an open space on the ice to skate. They skated forward with the Kilian grip.
Now the two people don't need to communicate, and they don't even need to make eye contact. They can just feel the rhythm of each other's bodies and start dancing together according to the steps specified in the pattern dance.
After practicing day after day, they have clearly imprinted the 22 sets of pattern dance steps in their minds. No matter which step they start from, they can continue smoothly.
From the S-shaped turn three to the choctaw, hook step, slide step, and then turn.
The little girl who was crying just now was attracted by their figures. She secretly glanced at them from time to time during the practice, so she had no time to cry.
"If it weren't for Old Xu, I wouldn't know what to do. It seems like skating is all that's left in my life." Tang Yi held Ji Tiantian's hand and looked ahead while talking, "When I think back to my childhood, it's all blank."
"How could that be?" Ji Tiantian changed her grip and faced Tang Yi. "You have participated in many competitions. Life is colorful."
"This life will definitely be more colorful." Ji Tiantian smiled at Tang Yi.
"You too." Tang Yi also smiled.
The two men saw the open ice in front of them, so they began to twist their steps in sync. This was a tacit, synchronized, graceful and powerful movement. They spun forward at high speed together, like two lines of soldiers expanding their territory.
Many contestants who were practicing felt their momentum and stopped to watch them.
The little girl who had fallen and cried bitterly stopped and looked at the two of them blankly. Her eyes were no longer filled with sadness, but with a little bit of expectation.
"Sure thing, Tang Yi, you look at me with new eyes after three days of absence!" After Tang Yi and Ji Tiantian stopped, Chang Yu, a big boy in the adult ice dance group, came over, hugged Tang Yi tightly and patted his back, "Your twist was amazing, I felt like you were going to beat me to death on the beach!"
"We can't shoot for now." Tang Yi smiled.
"Hey, why are you so rude when speaking to your senior?" Chang Yu complained with a smile.
Tang Yi has few relatives and was relatively young when he joined the national team. To him, Xu Chi is like a father, while Wei Xiao and Chang Yu are his sister and brother. Although they inevitably compete for limited resources, they are generally harmonious.
Ji Tiantian stood by and watched Tang Yi and Chang Yu perform the happy reunion of brothers.
"Why have you grown taller again?" Wei Yu let go of Tang Yi and touched his head again, "Oh my god, you're putting too much pressure on me!" Ice dancing is different from other figure skating events. Players with tall stature have more advantages in performance.
"I've heard about you a long time ago, you're a miracle girl who has only learned ice dancing for five months." Wei Xiao, a female contestant in the adult group, skated to Ji Tiantian's side and smiled brightly at her. "Qian Xiyue and Clara kept praising you whenever they had the chance, and my ears are so tired of hearing you. I knew you had great skills, but I didn't expect you to be so beautiful too."
"Thank you." Ji Tiantian spoke softly, feeling warm in her heart.
"Xiaoxiao, let's go. We won't practice today. Tang Yi and the others are coming with such a strong force that it affects my mentality." Chang Yu wailed over there.
"I'm looking forward to seeing your show." Wei Xiao said to Ji Tiantian, then walked over and hit Chang Yu to make him quiet down and practice well. Chang Yu complained softly, and then started skating again under Wei Xiao's guidance.
Tang Yi turned his head to look at Ji Tiantian who had suddenly become quiet, and found that Ji Tiantian was staring at Wei Changzu in a trance, with an expression as if she had been hit.
After being amazed at the Capital Ice Rink, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi returned to South City to concentrate on practice.
Soon, the 2010 National Championships opened in great anticipation of all the figure skating participants. Ji Tang and his friends and coaches flew to the city where the competition was held.
"There is a talent shortage in figure skating, so the National Championships are not divided into groups like international competitions. Kids who are under 16 compete with older kids and are ranked together. But for ice dancing, the youth and adult groups are still divided into groups. The older kids do the Golden Waltz in the short dance, while the younger kids do the Vienna dance. In the free dance, the older kids do one more lift than the younger kids, so the scoring will be slightly different. Generally speaking, with the popularity of ice dancing, basically only older kids come. Occasionally, there will be one or two groups, or three or four groups of younger kids, and they have fewer opportunities to compete." At the airport, Xu Chi spoke to Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi, "As long as you perform normally, you will definitely get first place among the younger kids, and beat the mediocre players in the adult group at the same time."
"The National Championships is said to be the most important figure skating event in the country, but there's no need to be nervous." Seeing Ji Tiantian's tense face, Xu Chi continued, "In figure skating, there are only a few top talents, and the list of players going abroad is basically fixed, and they are all talents that the national team has focused on training. Those who come from other places to participate are unlikely to be able to beat them. But this doesn't mean that participating in the competition is meaningless. The players who come to participate are not competing for places with the top players. In a small sense, they are here to challenge their past selves, and in a big sense, they are here to show the strength of local ice and snow projects. Local sports bureaus that perform well will of course receive strong support from the National Sports Administration and have more resources available. The kids are also more likely to become the reserve force of the national team."
Xu Chi couldn't help but smile self-deprecatingly when he said this: "But this is useless for our ice dance project. Ice dance resources are scarce, and Wei Changdu lives a tight life. Those who come to the competition are really here to show their competitive spirit, and many of them come with the mentality of focusing on participation. The young kids in the youth group and many adult group players are not very strong. As long as you keep a calm mind, you will definitely be able to defeat them."
"Yes, coach, I understand." Ji Tiantian tried hard to smile, but her eyes were still full of nervousness.
No matter what, this was her first ice dance competition in her life. Even though Xu Chi repeatedly told her that she didn't need to be nervous in domestic competitions because her opponents were weak, she was still nervous.
After arriving at the destination and settling in the hotel, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi went to the competition venue to draw lots, which would determine the order in which they would perform in the short dance competition.
The ice dance schedule is simple, with one day for short dance and one day for free dance, interspersed with other figure skating events.
"Is the person standing next to Tang Yi Tang Yi's new dance partner?"
Ji Tiantian was queuing with Tang Yi waiting for the draw when they heard whispering behind them.
Ji Tiantian turned around and saw a group of young girls, some of whom were carrying SLR cameras and some were holding stuffed toys. They were obviously veteran ice fans.
"Why haven't I seen Brother Yi's new dance partner before? I've been following new ice dance talents from all over the world, but I've never seen her before."
"I heard that I had never ice danced before. I just started this April."
"Ah, what is the coach thinking? Finding someone who has just started ice dancing to be Tang Yi's partner is really a waste of time for Tang Yi!"
"Well, maybe Qian Xiyue left, and the coach was hit hard, so he just gave up."
"I'm so angry. They say ice dancing is about appearance, but you can't just look at the face!"
"That's right. What the hell is the coach thinking? He is not responsible at all. We can't just fool around like this just because no one is watching Yi Ge's ice dance. Even if we can just go to the local team and find an 18th-tier female companion, that would be fine."
Listening to the conversation of this group of ice fans, Ji Tiantian knew that they should be Tang Yi's fans, and they knew Tang Yi quite well.
Perhaps because they were too excited, they were careful about the volume when they first started chatting, but then they just ignored it. The content of their conversations also became more and more biased.
Tang Yi also heard it, and turned to look at the group of fans coldly. The fans immediately shut up. Tang Yi was about to walk over and say a few words, but Ji Tiantian stopped him.
In her previous life, when Ji Tiantian encountered radical fans, she could still make detours, but in this life, she seemed to be standing on the opposite side of them. There was no way to make detours.
"It's okay, Tang Yi." Ji Tiantian slowly looked into Tang Yi's eyes, "I'm fine."
"Really?" Tang Yi looked at Ji Tiantian, repeatedly confirming her thoughts.
"Yeah." Ji Tiantian slowly tightened her fingers, "In the competition, let your strength speak for itself."
She began to understand that this game was not just a battlefield between her and Tang Yi.
This is her battlefield alone. She has her own shackles to break.
She wants to prove to all domestic ice fans through this competition that she has the ability to take the first place in the female youth group of ice dance.
The future of ice dance in our country will be led by her.
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