Daisuke Takahashi - Clip of the Week

Last season I kept hearing that Japan's Daisuke Takahashi (高橋 大輔 or たかはし だいすけ) had the "program of the year." My friends would call me and ask, "Did you see his Swan Lake? Oh my god!" I thought, "Swan Lake? Must have been some interpretation." Well, when I did finally see it, I went "Oh...I see what you mean." Daisuke, with coach/choreographer Nikolai Morozov's genius, created a short program called Swan Lake Hip Hop Version that had everyone talking. Daisuke's Swan Lake was not graceful or balletic, but was powerful, aggressive, rhythmic, and well, hip hop! Sadly, he broke with Nikolai a few months ago so we won't see their collaboration at work this season. But we'll always have Swan Lake Hip Hop Version and I do believe Tchaikovsky would have approved of this program.

Comments

[Aaron Harris]

When I saw this program for the first time I had the good fortune of being in the arena! He brought down the house that night at Skate America in Reading and it was just amazing. I remember watching the program and all I could say afterward was "That was sick! Ridiculously sick (sick meaning really good of course)!" Everyone called that the short program of the year last year...I call it the short program of the decade!