Winter Wonderland: heartwarming memories

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Sorry for being such a latecomer to the party. But I have some excuses. I do talk about Christmas here, but this post is more focused on ice skating and is thus titled "Winter Wonderland". Plus, I couldn't wait for the next year to write about it, and I found people do celebrate it past Dec. 25 until Jan. 6th (Epiphany) at the latest, so... Let's not be so commercially defined !

What has Santa given you this year? Who was your Santa?

I was drained from work during the week of Christmas Eve, thought I would be a zombie on the holy night without having something to cheer me up. I was searching what's on for Christmas on the internet during my Friday lunch break, and I came across a show that would take place on Saturday evening with a good pair of balcony seats still available. I didn't hesitate for a moment and I asked my Mom, who failed to attend Nutcracker (ballet) this year, to come with me.

The result? Thankfully, I came back to life. To be honest, it took me a while to get into the show, since they all appeared to be too flashy for my taste at first, but the stage props are fancy none the less, perfect fit for festive mood, and the love for dance and songs the actors expressed soon captured my heart.

My mom, who claimed this was just like a show at Disneyland, was a little puzzled, "What's so merry about Christmas?" Obviously, it has something to do with Jesus, but seeing how Santa clause is replacing Mickey and Christ on stage, let's just say we all need something to be happy about.

What we got was a kindergarten size compared to the grand spectacle they have at Broadway, the original show at Radio City in NYC, titled "Christmas Spectacular" is celebrating 90ty anniversary this year, so it is a classic piece. Even with that downsizing, it didn't stop the entertainers from giving it all, and their passion impressed me the most. It reminded me how we human beings love expressing joy vocally and physically, as if we would die without them, and their happy faces made my heart smile, too.

The video below shows how they get ready for a show in NYC.

A trailer (2017) for a show in Tokyo

Have you caught the skating scene in the video above? That's what I want to feature since it was a masterpiece of romance to me. But before that, let's take a look at what Steo did on the ice.

Dancing on Ice

In 2007, two years before Steo passed away, he had a chance to entertain us on ice with his skilled ska..no, "skewed" actions with Kristina Lenko, a professional dance skater who performed on cruise ships after her retirement from competitions a few years earlier.

By the way, figure skating is a big thing in my country, with quite a handful of athletes aiming fo titles. I am actually not a fan of the sport, precisely because it is focused so much on winning and skills. It wasn't like that when I was small and enjoyed the competitions on TV. People were more relaxed about it back then, and I was able to appreciate it as a piece of art. Today they call for grit so much that they like to talk about how dreadful the upcoming "fights" are. Seriously, if I want to watch athletes battle on ice, I'd rather watch hockey. (I used to be a huge hockey fan) I can understand why some may choose sexy outfits, but whatever the reason, they all seem to appeal like swimsuit contestants. Maybe they can't wait for summer anyway.

Kristina is indeed lovely and pretty here, and I felt sorry watching her being treated like heavy cargo to be dumped when Steo, despite his endless efforts, could not help but end up making her look as such. So I more than anything praise Kristina's courage, but I do think Steo did all he could to put on the best show together with her. Thank God it resulted in comedy, not tragedy!!

(1) (2) (3)	Steo is a great dancer, I know. Apparent since the begging. I enjoy watching him dance as much as listening to his voice.

On a side note, Hyde Park runs Winter Wonderland during the festive season, and of course it has an ice rink!

So, figure skating games have been frequently shown on TV, drawing many fans, but it was the tiny ice rink set in a theater on which the skaters danced to the song "O Holy Night" which was simply aesthetic and moved my heart. It was a pure beauty watching the pairs slowly dance in a dark navy sky with lighted trees twinkling behind. With a layer of mist rising from the surface, the ice shining like a white moon, and the tenor (not bass, I think) singer's voice gently swaying, it has created the essence of romance in great harmony.

It was sung more like this tenor singer from California does here.

..and, the background was more like this;

Holy Night scene

The show “Christmas Wonderland” held in Tokyo has ended its run since 2016, and the reason for its termination was not officially mentioned. It may not have been commercially successful, as there were many events to compete with, and I doubt it was well promoted. However, I cannot help but think that this may have something to do with Tokyo’s declining status as one of the world’s greatest cities. Many locals love to believe that we’re still No. 1 (as the world’s economic leader) and that we’re special, but reality has proven otherwise, with many neighboring and resource-rich countries doing way better than us. Many people think Japan is exceptionally beautiful, and that’s why foreigners flock here, but again, the reality is that things are so cheap here compared to where the majority of them come from. So let’s at least admit that any country is beautiful and special to those who live there. Once quite an egalitarian country, the gap between the rich and the have-nots has been alarmingly growing, becoming almost like the U.S. If we’re ignorant of this, then I’m afraid we will indeed lose the treasure we should not give up: being one of the safest big cities in the world.

So, it is my sincere wish that people can have access to entertainment like this to remember that singing and dancing bring joy to our lives, and watching others do so on shows equally does. Arts don't need to serve only the elite. When people forget to sing and dance, and have nothing to cheer for, that will be the end of the world.

The message shown after the song ended in the GENTRI's video below shows the heart of Christ's teaching, I believe.

Finally, words can't describe the beauty I witnessed on the stage, and I tried to find a skating video with the song on the internet to no avail. However, I found a great alternative that would be equally, or to some, more elegant and romantic. It is not season-limited, so you can enjoy it all year long, too!

Thank you for the memory,the casts from NYC !
Love can touch us one time And last for a lifetime !

P.S. They gave away Santa Claus hats for us to wear during the show. I sort of got the message that everyone is everyone's Santa Claus. Nice to remember!