Chapter Text
Yuri Katsuki, Short Program - "Nyah"
But within the risky choice of the flamenco piece entitled "Nyah", one that was not unlike the “Eros” piece from the year before which could have had skating critics calling the Japanese skater a one-trick-pony, Yuri had shown a massive amount of growth. Whereas “Eros” had carried the presentation of a young man finding his sensuality, “Nyah” was straight up sex on ice. Katsuki was no longer tentative, but rather almost brash in laying out his newly provocative persona – one that was extremely similar to Nikiforov or even Giacometti's sex appeal, but with a spark that was all Katsuki's own.
I didn't want to go stereotypical flamenco for this costume. From the beginning I'd pictured a flowy, black satin shirt, his hair just long enough to slick back into a ponytail (which didn't translate very well in the drawing, but it's there). I did give a little nod to the Spanish roots of the music by doing a bit of a matator-esque paisley design on the sash at his waist.
Yuri Katsuki, Free Program - "East of Eden"
But it had been Katsuki's free program that told Yura what he would need to do to knock Yuri off the top of the podium, and Plisetsky wasn't sure he had it in him. He had thought Katsuki was at his most ethereal and artistic in his performance of “Yuri On Ice” at Worlds, but that was before he'd seen Yuri's Olympic season free program, "East of Eden". In even its first performance before an audience at Skate Canada, which had evoked a standing ovation from the crowd before Katsuki had even begun his final spin combination, the program was simply on another level artistically. Yuri had worked with the extremely sought-after Russian choreographer Arsenyi Mikhailovich Gallanov, who had gone on record in an interview with the Russian press as saying that Katsuki was quite possibly the most artistic, balletic skater he had ever worked with. To add to the sacrilege the same Russian press accused Gallanov of, he added that his assessment of Katsuki even included Victor Nikiforov.
I always pictured this costume with a mix of blues and greens as a subtle "garden of Eden" type reference (mostly the garden part). The green bodysuit top represents lush greenery/grass, and the blue draped part is meant to evoke a waterfall and the pool rippling out from it at the bottom. The performance pictured is 2017 Skate Canada, as mentioned in the above paragraph.
Victor Nikiforov, Free Program - "The Beast Dies/Transformation"
The ending of the program had been the same for Victor all season. The surge of emotion in his chest as he completed the final, lightning-fast scratch spin manifested in a lump in his throat and the need to fight back a surge of tears. Only this time, it felt a bit stronger as he held his ending pose for the requisite five seconds due to the glimpse out of the corner of his eye of the Olympic Rings to his right on the boards and then beneath his feet, frozen under the ice as he took his bows. When he turned to the side where the teams were seated he broke into a grin when he saw all of Team OAR on their feet for him – with an extra bit of warmth sparking in his heart as he saw Yura punching the air with a fist. He found himself smiling broadly with the absent thought in his mind that he hadn't smiled after an Olympic program since his first one in 2006.
Victor's "voice" in my head had a very specific idea for this costume from the time my friend Ally chose this music for him. The bodysuit fades up from blue to nude, representing the blue sparks that enveloped the Beast during his transformation; it also bears mentioning that Victor knows blue is Yuri's favorite color and that Yuri is the reason for the transformation. The sheer overlay represents the tattered shirt Prince Adam ends up in; likewise, the pants are frayed at the bottom and the boots covered with nude fabric to represent Adam's torn pants and bare feet. Victor's voice in my head kept repeating: "It's very literal. So what. That's what I want and you're not changing my mind." And who am I to disagree? 😆
Phichit Chulanont, Short Program - "Eclipse"
Phichit had wanted at least one of his two programs to be different than what he'd become known for in his previous seasons, and "Eclipse" from Cirque du Soliel was just that. He had worked with a rhythmic gymnast to create some of the choreography and as a result the movements flowed while fitting the urgency of the staccato-based rhythm, the music edited down to the 2:40 required time in a way that built more effectively. The quieter first section was utilized to showcase Phichit's much-improved choreographic and footwork sequences, the presentation they were delivered with infused with some hand and arm movements that gave reference to dances from his Thai heritage.
When I wrote the description of Phichit's costume, I didn't have a clear idea for it; I only mentioned that it was blue and black because those were the colors of Elvis Stojko's costume when he used this music back in the late 90s so the association stuck with me. I loved the idea of a deep blue sky filled with stars, but thought that alone looked too plain. I tried the stylized eclipse on the shirt and loved the way it turned out, so I kept it. And let's be real here, Phichit would absolutely love all those chunky gems glittering up a storm. The performance pictured is from the 2017 Grand Prix Final.