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Post by deedeelocks on Oct 26, 2009 22:06:10 GMT 1
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Post by deedeelocks on Oct 27, 2009 16:19:32 GMT 1
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Post by deedeelocks on Oct 28, 2009 20:31:41 GMT 1
Behind the scenes: How figure skater Tomas Verner became the Godfather.
A Mafian Hairdo, black gloves a tie and a black vest. And on top of that on skates. Tomas Verner enters. This happened a week ago at the Parisian grand prix.
This time the only thing left is the skates and the gloves. With that he's dressed in a training sweater.
The music from the 37year old movie classic the godfather trilogy comes from the CD player. It's exactly the godfather Tomas Verner transfers into this olympic winter.
Natalie Karamysevova is watching from behind the boarding. She makes his costumes and is an acknowledged dancer. "the change from the gloomy to the happy parts are not highlighted good enough. You have to smile more, brighten up!" she inspires him in a mix of Russian and Czech.Tomas listens to her advice and lights up, but does stick his tongue out to her. "but she did it first!" Tomas pleads.
At the end it shreds me to pieces.
Why Godfather?
It was written to him by choreographer Lori Nichol. Already in February Lori had written in her diary: "Tomas, what about godfather?" And when he flew in in June, she showed him the diary. And he said..."why not?"
But...would that not be blasphemy, something too big for him? Because in the past, legendary frenchman Candeloro skated to that. Or "the acteur who brought this character to life" And not just that. At the Torino olympic games it was used by no other than the golden Plushenko. "but he used the music of the film only twice for 15 seconds"
In june his trainer Vlasta Koprivova stayed at home, so he sent her a mail. He assured her: "It will a very different program than Plushenko had" She replied: "You are a grown man now, you can resolve this alone"
Twice he saw the whole trilogy again. For one whole week he picked and cut music together with Lori and her team. In the following week they edited and put the finishing in touch to the choreography. He learned part by part.
In August he skated it fully for the first time. In the middle of October he skated the premiere in Paris.
He finished second. He impressed.
“I wanted to project another story this year, it's even more of a theater than it was last year with the tango” he says and immediately he starts to narrate the story.
“At the beginning I skate strong, to show what kind of power and strength the godfather has.” And here he jumps the difficult combination of the quad toe – triple toeloop. Then comes the joy, the weddings and the family visits, or Verner's footwork sequence. “then in the middle a lyrical part, it's the death of my wife, I mourn her. And at the end I have no more power to fight anymore, people close to me die and it shreds me to pieces.”
And it was the end his coach argued with. “she didn't grade the program like I was used to” he claimed and he thought about changing the music.
She came to him with a bunch of papers “these are my thoughts about it in print” she said.
And one thing stuck with him. “You will not change anything about the music, you will change yourself” hence: “Tomas focuses a lot on the edges and the jumps, but he acts as a godfather just a littlebit. Besides that he is a comediant in his soul, he just has to play the tragedy more”
He must save on the quads.
At Hasa hall in Prague, where he was for a quick visit and where the ice is not so perfect like in his second home Oberstdorf.
They don't have so much money here, and unlike in Germany, they zamboni the ice with cold water and not with warm water. It's cold, only 7 degrees celcius. During the warm up Tomas is freezing...only when his trainer starts his music, his blood warms up. “but I would welcome a few degrees more in the temperature” he says.
He doesn't have the ice for himself. There are about 6 other figure skaters on the ice. “we are used to eachother, I know where the others are. Just when my music plays, I don't know anyone...”
He stuck to his tactics to skate the free and the short every day, fully, in practice. After that they work on the parts that did not go so well. Mrs. Koprivova rewinds the music 5 times to the part of the triple axel. That one doesn't go so well today. “But the quad was fabulous!”
He tries the axel in training 6 times, he saves himself on the quads. It's an exclusive good. “it wouldn't solve anything if I'd jump it 20 times a day. It would wear out the muscles and the joints”
He falls on the ice and thus his trainer claps 3 times. For them it means that he has to come over to her. I clap, when the jump is too slow, or when he isn't tight enough in the air. Trainer Vlasta Koprivova comments.
1.5 hours after training Tomas has a ballet class with Jaroslav Langmajer. After that a short break, he drinks 2 cokes and comes back on the ice.
His music from the godfather he will hear more than 300 times. But he will play it even before going on the ice for the olympics. “off the ice I will listen to it, with my mp3 player, for my motivation”
10 months he will learn and learned the rol of a Mafian. On the 18th of february we will see, if the godfather dies in silence or if he will enrich himself with fame and an olympic medal...
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Post by Sunshine Lizzie on Oct 29, 2009 16:29:01 GMT 1
You´re getting too good, Dee  |
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(I hope I translated well haha)
) www.sportovninoviny.cz/dalsi/zpravy/verner-veri-ze-se-bude-jako-v-minulosti-zlepsovat/404579
(I hope I translated well haha)
) www.sportovninoviny.cz/dalsi/zpravy/verner-veri-ze-se-bude-jako-v-minulosti-zlepsovat/404579
