◎I once ruled the world◎
The hem of the costume that Lin Aili wore was fluffier and shorter than Ji Tiantian's, and it formed a round shape at the waist and hips. It was a classic tutu skirt that showed off her slender legs.
"Actually, we..."
"Wow, what a coincidence! We are indeed going to skate to Swan Lake." Xia Qiu interrupted Ji Tiantian who was about to explain, with uncontrollable excitement in her voice, "Then let's wait for the competition to decide the winner!"
After saying that, he pulled Lin Aili away.
"Don't be upset, I told you, we can turn the tables in the free dance!" Not far away, Xia Qiu and Lin Aili were whispering. After the quarrel, the two became close again, and it seemed that they had reconciled.
But maybe because he was too excited about winning, Xia Qiu's voice was so loud that it could be heard within a 10-mile radius. "Ji Tiantian has not studied ballet and ice dancing for as long as you have, and the white swan is not as expressive as your black swan. We can definitely do it!" Xia Qiu's voice sounded confident, "It's only 4 points, it's nothing..."
Lin Aili spoke up to stop him, so Xia Qiu's voice became quieter. The two of them whispered a few words, and Xia Qiu's confident voice rang out again: "What's so scary about Tang Yi! He used to be a street dancer, how can he know ballet..."
Ji Tiantian listened for a while and then stopped listening.
"So you guys are also skating to Swan Lake?" Chang Yu tilted his head and looked at Tang Yi. "I remember looking at the repertoire everyone had signed up for the competition, and it seems like you didn't sign up for Swan Lake."
"You'll know when the time comes." Tang Yi said calmly.
"Yeah, that's right. We'll see when the time comes. Anyway, you two and Lin Xia are the dark horses this year. Thanks to you, I'm starting to get nervous. It's really rare. I never had this feeling in the National Championships before." Chang Yu rubbed his hands, "But Xia Qiu is really lucky this year."
"How do you mean?" Tang Yi asked.
"There's a mixed-race girl team, and they're skiing on Swan Lake." Chang Yu paused, "Did you know that the movie Black Swan, which was released in September, is very popular?"
Ji Tiantian then remembered that the popular movie "Black Swan" was actually released in 2010. The movie mainly portrayed a girl who was obsessed with dancing the role of the black swan in the ballet. Ji Tiantian had watched it many times in her previous life.
"I'm not saying anything bad about you, Tang Yi. If you have time, you really need to pay more attention to current trends. That movie has made Swan Lake and Black Swan soar in popularity!" Chang Yu continued, "If Lin Xia has the opportunity to compete abroad, she might be loved by the judges and foreign audiences because of this popularity!"
Tang Yi looked at Chang Yu silently.
"Ah, I just said it casually. I definitely support you." Chang Yu immediately followed up.
Ji Tiantian looked at the ice not far away and fell into deep thought. "Swan Lake" tells the story of a princess who was cursed to become a swan and her touching love story with the prince. After this work was put on stage, it immediately became a classic ballet. Not only the princess who was cursed to become a white swan became a classic role, but the popularity of the black swan played by the devil's daughter who was responsible for seducing the prince also increased year by year. After so many years of refinement, "Swan Lake" is no longer just a ballet. It symbolizes the highest achievement of art and is the pearl of human civilization.
Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake Suite has been performed countless times in performances and arenas. Newcomers can never go wrong by choosing Swan Lake as the theme of their performances, while veterans may also want to challenge the classics and become the most famous performer among the many performers who have performed Swan Lake.
For Ji Tiantian, Swan Lake is also a beacon in her life. She has danced the dance segments of Swan Lake with her classmates countless times, and she has never gotten rid of the influence of Swan Lake when she was working in her previous life. For her, Swan Lake Suite has a profound meaning. It was not unexpected for her to meet a contestant dancing to Swan Lake in the ice dance competition.
The music of Swan Lake is graceful and relaxing, allowing athletes with slender limbs to fully demonstrate their advantages on the field. Doing a few graceful movements on the ice to stretch the limbs and show the shape of the legs is enough to add points, which is more eye-catching than deliberately using skills and large movements, and can achieve twice the result with half the effort.
I wonder what Lin Aili’s Swan Lake will be like, Ji Tiantian thought silently, and she began to look forward to it.
"By the way, Tang Yi, your look today is a little revealing." Chang Yu looked at the deep V on Tang Yi's chest, "I think you can break a world record."
Tang Yi frowned and looked at Chang Yu.
"If the clothing is too sexy, extra points will be deducted, but as far as I know, no male contestant has been deducted points because of this rule. You can be the first one." Chang Yu said as he pulled Tang Yi's collar.
Tang Yi slapped Chang Yu's hand away.
"It's okay. This is our game now. We won't deduct points from you for this." Chang Yu encouraged Tang Yi, "It's okay. Show as much as you want. Show more!"
"Chang Yu, what are you hesitating about!" Wei Xiao's voice came from not far away. Chang Yu said goodbye to the two and ran to his dance partner.
Ji Tiantian looked over and saw that Wei Xiao was also wearing a costume for the free dance.
She had her hair in a bun, and wore a little smoky makeup. She was wearing a red short skirt with petal-shaped hems folded at the hips, which looked particularly gorgeous. Together with Chang Yu, who was dressed in black, it was a classic red and black combination, and it was full of hormones.
"The free dance competition is about to begin. Please invite the first group of contestants to warm up." The cold announcement sounded. The first group of four teams of contestants skated onto the ice in their own brightly colored costumes, and the pale ice surface suddenly became colorful.
The atmosphere in the audience also became heated.
This time, Ji Tiantian did not sit with her family and friends. She, Tang Yi and the coaches stood at the edge of the ice, waiting to go on stage.
Soon the competition began. The free dance competition required three lifts, a joint rotation, a set of straight-line steps and a set of arc steps, and finally a set of synchronized twists.
Although the free dance is more free than the short dance in terms of content and has no music requirements, many contestants' dance styles are still relatively conservative. For example, they dance tango steps to tango music and blues steps to blues music. It doesn't seem to have any special highlights, but it's safe and not easy to make mistakes. The contestants all try their best to complete the choreographed technical moves.
The order of free dance performance is in reverse order of the short dance, so the first contestants to perform are those with lower short dance scores, with scores of over 40 and 50 being awarded one after another.
"I remember the highest score for the free dance at the Vancouver Winter Olympics was over 110." An ice fan in the audience said this.
"Several teams were evenly matched... Our country's ice dance industry still has a long way to go."
"What about the short dance?"
"The Winter Olympics had not changed the rules at that time, so there was no short dance. But at the just-concluded Grand Prix in China, the highest score for the short dance was over 60, and the free dance was over 90. In short, there is still a long way to go."
There was another feeling in the audience.
Soon the second group of players finished warming up and prepared to go on stage.
It was their turn soon. Ji Tiantian was a little nervous, she lowered her head and blew a breath into her palm.
Tang Yi turned his head to look at Ji Tiantian, then asked: "How did you become interested in ice dancing in the past?" Ice dancing is relatively niche, so she must have had some special experience in becoming interested in ice dancing.
"I haven't told you before?" Ji Tiantian asked.
"It's not very clear."
"Hmm..." Ji Tiantian blinked and began to think, "When I first entered the dance school, my class was selecting people to participate in a dance competition, and I was listed as a candidate. The teacher hesitated for a long time between me and a girl with beautiful insteps, and finally chose that girl."
Ji Tiantian lowered her head and raised her palm to gesture attentively, "It's the pointe shoes we use for dancing. Because of hardness and other issues, the curve of the instep is not so obvious. People who normally look like they have a nice instep, when they put on pointe shoes and stand on their toes, their instep doesn't look like a curve. But that girl is amazing. When she wears pointe shoes, her feet still have a nice curve, and her instep is so arched that it's scary."
"I understand why your mother cares so much about other people's insteps." Tang Yi nodded.
"Yes, at the moment when I was eliminated, I deeply understood my mother. She must have had similar experiences. Everyone's body shape and skills are similar, so of course the more talented people will be selected." Ji Tiantian smiled slightly and raised her eyes to look at the place where Zhang Lilian was sitting in the audience, and waved her little hand with a smile.
Zhang Lilian immediately waved to Ji Tiantian and mouthed to her not to be nervous. She seemed even more excited than Ji Tiantian who was about to go on stage.
"Ji Tiantian, you are very talented." Tang Yi whispered in Ji Tiantian's ear, "Otherwise, the teacher would not have hesitated between you two for so long."
"I think so too," Ji Tiantian curled her lips, "but geniuses also come in different levels."
"The girl who went to the competition actually had severe arthritis and her ankles were often swollen, but she worked very hard. In the end, she successfully won the gold medal. She deserves this award." Ji Tiantian continued, "Although I knew this, I was still unhappy during that time. I couldn't help but have wild thoughts. Will I miss the top stage because of my poor instep? Where is my future? Will I dance in a group for the rest of my life? I was a little confused and didn't know what to do at that time. Then, by chance, I watched a live broadcast of the Ice Dance World Championships."
She hugged her arms subconsciously and murmured softly: "I still remember the feeling at that time. Goose bumps appeared all over my body."
The World Championships is the highest event where the world's top figure skaters gather together, and its influence is second only to the Winter Olympics.
The monotonous ice surface became colorful because of the beautiful contestants. On that day, she opened the door to the world of ice dance, and her love and her longing became vivid and concrete.
And behind that beautiful door, she saw him.
"I saw you and your partner at the World Championships. You both looked great, and every move you made was beautiful. Although there weren't many Asians in the audience, and not many people applauded you, you looked... so tough." Ji Tiantian recalled with a faint smile on her lips, "Looking at you, I couldn't help but think, to become that beautiful and tough, how many falls and hardships you have to endure. The hardships I've endured are actually nothing, right?"
Ji Tiantian looked up at Tang Yi and smiled with her eyes curved.
"Please invite the third group of players to come on stage to warm up." The broadcast sounded.
Here it comes.
Ji Tiantian heard her heart beating violently in her chest, and at the same time, screams rang out again from the audience.
"Tang Yi!"
"Ji Tiantian!"
“Always smile!”
"Go! Lin Xia, go!"
One wave is higher than the other, and the voices of relatives and friends are full of momentum.
"Finally we've reached the last group. I wonder what the final ranking will be."
"I'm so looking forward to it." The ice fans also cheered up and looked at the ice more attentively.
The last group of free dance was the strongest group. Tang Yi and Ji Tiantian took off the hard blade covers on their skates and handed them to the coach. After checking the decorations on his body again, Tang Yi extended his hand to Ji Tiantian.
Amid the cheers, Ji Tiantian took a deep breath, looked into Tang Yi's dark eyes, and then handed her hand to him. He pulled her onto the ice, their battlefield of ice and snow.
Lin Xia and Wei Chang's group skated onto the ice one after another, and everyone began to warm up and practice technical movements.
"Huh? Are the two most powerful young teams both skating at Swan Lake this time?" Some ice fans expressed confusion when looking at the two skaters wearing TUTU skirts.
"Then I like the black swan. It looks so beautiful."
"I like the sweet, cute and refreshing little white swan. She is thirteen years old and hasn't grown up yet."
"But don't you think that's the problem? Ice dancing is about showing the relationship between a male and female dancer. Ji Tiantian is so young, how is she going to interpret the relationship with her partner? She's definitely not as good as Lin Xia's group."
"Hey, that seems to make sense. Let's watch their performance first."
"Warm-ups are over. Please leave the ice. The first group of players are ready."
Ji Tang and Wei Chang's team left one after another. Lin Xia's team stood at the entrance, waiting for the announcement to let them go on the ice before stepping onto the ice together.
"Aili! Lin Xia!" Ice fans in the audience shouted for support.
As one of the dark horses in the youth group of this national championship, the Lin Xia duo, especially Lin Aili, who appeared in the inland area for the first time, gained a group of fans at the scene with her short dance. When they skated on the stage, the atmosphere naturally became lively.
Lin Aili's skate leg was in front, her floating leg was behind, and the ice teeth at the toe of her skates gently touched the ice. Xia Qiu was behind her, hugging her gently with his arms. The two began to perform in this posture.
At first glance, there seems to be nothing special, but when the beautiful Swan Lake Suite sounds, the familiar sad and romantic atmosphere instantly spreads on the ice.
The prince played by Xia Qiu put away his arms, wanting to hug the evil and beautiful Black Swan, but the Black Swan turned around and broke free from his restraints, giving him an ambiguous smile.
Temptation lies only in every frown and smile.
Ji Tiantian stood at the edge of the ice and watched her opponent's posture intently. As expected, Lin Xia's group paid special attention to stretching their limbs in their free dance.
Lin Aili's ballet skills were well demonstrated in this program. When she did the swallow-style balance step and the swing step in which her floating leg swung back and forth, her floating leg was raised higher than the previous groups of contestants. It was long and straight, and it looked completely effortless and exceptionally moving.
Their first technical move was a lift. Xia Qiu slid forward with a squat step, while Lin Aili first bent backwards in his arms, then changed her movements and did a handstand on his shoulders similar to a golden hook. Her long, straight legs stretched high into the air, showing off her physical advantages and ballet skills to the extreme.
There was rare and enthusiastic applause and cheers at the scene.
"The male partner performed a difficult posture of a straight line, and the female partner performed a difficult posture of a handstand. They changed movements in between naturally and smoothly. The 4th level grading for the lift has been secured, and the GOE is estimated to be not low." Xu Chi, who was standing on the edge of the ice and watching silently, spoke.
"They are quite capable. They hadn't formed a team in June and July, but they completed the choreography in just a few months," said Jiang Lin.
"We're not bad either." Xu Chi said with a smile, "I think we're still quite competitive."
"That's true, but you know the choreographer of the national team after all, and they don't have that many resources." Jiang Lin glanced at Xu Chi. Xu Chi still had a faint smile on his face.
"How long does it usually take a contestant to prepare for a free dance?" Chen Yusheng asked Qian Xiyue in the audience.
Now that Ji Tang is gone, Qian Xiyue sits next to Chen Yusheng, ready to answer questions from Ji Tiantian's family and friends at any time.
"Well, the figure skating season is usually from August to March of the following year. Most skaters will prepare their programs from March to August, which means about four months to prepare a short dance and a free dance. Skilled skaters can usually get it done quickly. Then they will compete with these two programs for the entire season. The next year, they will choreograph a new program according to the new regulations. If you want to be lazy, you can use the choreography from the previous season for the free dance and make slight changes. But the judges may not give you a very high score."
"Oh...that feels good. Tiantian and the others have had plenty of time to prepare." Chen Yusheng thought about it and felt relieved.
"What are they doing?" asked Wang Hao on the other side of Chen Yusheng.
At this time, Xia Qiu and Lin Aili were facing each other on the ice, skating diagonally along the ice, constantly changing their steps.
"They are doing diagonal step sequences. This is a type of straight-line step sequence, just like the center-line step sequence." Qian Xiyue answered, "Step sequence requirements vary from season to season. This season, the players are required to complete four levels of straight-line and arc step sequences, with a maximum of one pause. The male and female partners can be separated by a maximum of two arm lengths and can touch the ice, but they cannot step back or interrupt. While skating along a straight line or arc, they must complete five difficult steps: bracket, inside hook, outside hook, choctaw, mohawk, and two-week twist. Some seasons require step sequences to be held, while others do not. For step sequences that are held, players must also consider the frequency of changing the grip. If there are mistakes or the footwork and grip changes are not rich enough, they will be downgraded."
"I can't even do this on land." Chen Yusheng gasped, "I only practiced footwork combinations in the training camp. I never thought that I would skate in a straight line or arc in the competition."
“That’s why they say the step sequence is the most difficult.” Qian Xiyue said with a smile.
On the ice, Lin Xia began to perform a unique technical move in free dance - combined rotation.
The joint rotation is divided into two parts, with the change of feet as the node. In the first part, the male and female partners need to hold each other, maintain a difficult posture, and do at least three rotations on one foot. Then change legs and directions to do the second set of three rotations. The rotation posture needs to be different from the first set.
Lin Aili and Xia Qiu held each other face to face, and performed a squatting rotation with one leg backwards. After three turns, they stood up and switched legs, and began a coordinated swallow rotation. The two rotated on one leg, and Xia Qiu's floating leg straight backwards was parallel to Lin Aili's upper body and head facing up. Correspondingly, Lin Aili's floating leg also remained parallel to Xia Qiu's upper body. The combination of the two was graceful and sharp, like two knives spinning on the ice.
"It's really pretty," Chen Yusheng said with some emotion, "Their P score should be quite high, right?"
"It depends on who they are competing with. They are certainly better than the previous groups, but if we look at it from the perspective of an international competition, the tacit understanding between the two is far from enough." Qian Xiyue said, "Xia Qiu doesn't look like a prince, but more like a princess's attendant. In terms of performance, his aura is completely overshadowed by his female partner, and he himself has no characteristics. The content of the program emphasizes the interpretation of music and the coordination between male and female dancers, and they did not do enough in this regard."
"It seems so." Chen Yusheng nodded, thought for a moment and asked again, "So, ice dancers must also be actors who can interpret the role well?"
"If it is a choreography with character characteristics, then yes. Even the most classic drama needs the contestants to perform." Qian Xiyue nodded, "Unlike your ballet, ice dance only has 4 minutes to express the content of the entire program. In such a short time, the contestants have to complete the technical movements and play their roles well. Without talent and hard work, it will not work."
"Ah..." Chen Yusheng couldn't help but let out a sigh.
She and other friends and relatives of Ji Tiantian looked at the ice surface. They were all looking forward to Lin Xia's team's score.
They began to twirl on the ice. This time, they made no mistakes.
The four turns of four plus three twists were completed cleanly.
Lin Xia's group finished their performance.
"Come on, Lin Aili!" As the players saluted, many stuffed dolls were thrown from the audience seats and landed on the ice. This was the audience's way of expressing their love.
Unlike the forced smile after the short dance, this time Lin Aili smiled from the heart, her smile was extremely bright, and with the eye makeup, she looked charming. It was clear that she was very satisfied with her performance in the free dance today.
The two left the ice and went to the waiting area accompanied by their coach to wait for their results. The results display screen immediately showed their results.
The free dance technical score was 36.30, the program content score was 35.88, and the total score was 72.18.
Including the short dance score of 45.86, the total score is 118.04 points. Currently ranked first.
There was a cheer from the audience. Lin Aili was also waiting for the division to hug her coach excitedly.
“Although there is still a gap compared with the top international teams, this result is already good. We are the only pair that has scored over 70 points.” The ice fans applauded and exclaimed in admiration.
"Yeah, this mixed-race girl is really good. Xia Qiu seems a little behind, but she's not bad either. At least she performed some of her technical moves well, and she was also pretty stable as the male partner."
"I remember that Xiaokou Changkai only scored 75 points in the COC China Grand Prix. The gap is not big. They are still very young and have a promising future."
"Tang Yi and the others must be feeling a lot of pressure. Lin Xia performed really well in the free dance this time. Not only her performance and technical moves, but also her looks were remarkable. She put a lot of thought into it. I wonder if they can handle the pressure."
At this time, Ji Tiantian was looking at the display screen intently, waiting for the announcement to be made for them to go on stage.
"What are you looking at?" Tang Yi asked.
"I think Lin Xia and her classmates skated really well. They didn't make any mistakes in their technical moves, and their ballet steps were smooth and beautiful," said Ji Tiantian. "I think the score should be a little higher, right? The highest score for the free dance at the Winter Olympics is 110!"
"Close your eyes now." Seeing Ji Tiantian close her eyes, Tang Yi continued to speak, "How many of the movements of Lin Aili and Xia Qiu's cooperation are imprinted in your mind?"
"It seems not." Ji Tiantian pondered for a moment and shook her head, "I just remember that Lin Aili's smile and swallow-style balance steps were very beautiful."
"Yes, that's the judge's impression as well." Tang Yi nodded, "They don't have tacit understanding. This performance is more like Lin Aili's personal show."
"Well, no wonder they broke up in their previous life."
"The next group is Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi."
Finally, the tense and anticipated broadcast sounded.
"It's our turn." Tang Yi said.
"Yeah." Ji Tiantian took a deep breath, adjusted herself, and smiled brightly, "Let's fight it out."
Let fate witness how high I can stand.
Everyone was looking forward to which domestic youth group would win in the end. When Ji Tang appeared on stage, the applause was so grand.
"Tang Yi!"
"Ji Tiantian!"
Tang Yi and Ji Tiantian went onto the ice hand in hand, then separated, standing arm's length apart with their backs to each other. This was their preparation posture.
"Are Ji Tiantian and the others going to skate to Swan Lake?" Wang Hao looked at Chen Yusheng in confusion. In his opinion, the swan princess and prince in Swan Lake did not have such a starting move.
"You have watched Ji Tiantian's training, so you should know what they will skate, right?" Teacher Shen, the homeroom teacher, glanced at Ji Tiantian's parents and asked.
"Tiantian is not old enough to play the charming, rebellious and seductive role of Black Swan." Zhang Lilian couldn't help but smile, "But she has her magic weapon."
Listening to Zhang Lilian's words, the others all lowered their heads to look at Ji Tiantian on the ice. Unlike Lin Aili's gorgeous and voluptuous black swan, Ji Tiantian looked very plain, with light makeup on her face and her hair tightly tied behind her head, like a well-behaved junior in a dance school.
With this kind of outfit...how many points can I get in the end? Chen Yusheng felt nervous. "You must win, Tiantian." She clenched her fist subconsciously.
"Hahaha what is this? The collar of Tang Yi's clothes is too open."
"It looks like it was taken out from Chang Yu's closet."
"No wonder, he looks familiar." The ice fans in the audience couldn't help but burst into laughter as they looked at Tang Yi on the ice.
And there was a sense of tension and anticipation in this laughter.
Soon, music began to sound, a burst of exciting and intense violin music.
"So familiar... This is a song by Coldplay!" One ice fan opened his eyes wide in shock, "They are actually skating to rock and roll!"
Ice dance competitions have always been allowed to use vocal music, so the selection range is extremely wide. It can include musicals, rock and roll, hip-hop, and more.
This time, Ji Tang used the single "VIVA LA VIDA" which became a global hit by the band COLDPLAY in 2009.
To the sound of exciting violins, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi began their performance on the ice.
At first, Ji Tiantian was doing ballet poses and spinning and somersaults on the spot. She held her chin high and lifted her legs, looking so proud and light.
Tang Yi turned his back to Ji Tiantian and glided around her, with his eyes lowered, looking a little depressed.
Then he turned his head, and inadvertently, the two of them looked at each other.
Tang Yi reached out his hand to Ji Tiantian, but Ji Tiantian dodged it cautiously and moved her floating leg backward to do a swallow-style balance step. Tang Yi reached out and grabbed her floating leg, while he also did a swallow-style balance step with his floating leg backward.
The height of their legs was the same, which showed their perfect tacit understanding. They skated together, one in front and one behind, and the audience burst into applause.
Ji Tiantian looked back at Tang Yi, her expression gradually relaxed, and finally she smiled with relief.
The restless little swan seemed to have finally found its own stage.
Then they began to slide together.
"I know, they are skating their stories!" An ice fan on the field made a sound of sudden enlightenment, with an unbearable excitement in his voice, "Tang Yi, wearing the clothes of a senior, is an ice dancer in the trough, and Ji Tiantian, wearing the swan clothes, is a ballet dancer. They met each other on the ice rink! They are going to perform their stories!"
"What should I do? I want to cry." The ice fans with strong empathy had their eyes red under the influence of the music and performance.
"VIVA LA VIDA", the name of this song is Spanish, which means long live life when translated into Chinese.
At this time, a powerful male voice echoed in the arena——
I used to rule the world
I once ruled the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
The huge waves also surged because of my fate
Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi looked at each other face to face and smiled. They stretched out their hands and held them tightly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
