Fan Interview with Deniss Vasiljevs after the Figure Skating Grand Prix in Grenoble, France, Sunday, November 25th 2018
- by Judith Dombrowski -
Sitting back home in Germany in front of my computer the last weekend seems still unreal for me. It was my first Figure Skating live event since 2007 and if I regret an only thing about this weekend it would be that it took me so long to go again. The main reason for my journey to Grenoble was the attendance of my favorite Skater - Deniss Vasiljevs from Latvia. I follow his career for two years now, since he started working with my former favorite skater Stéphane Lambiel. It was absolutely emotional and amazing to see him perform live, even though the competition itself didn’t turn out for Deniss as he probably would have hoped for. Still he was able to create absolute magic on the ice.
On very short note I had the luck to organize a very spontaneous fan-meeting on sunday morning. Thanks so much to Deniss’ manager Christopher Trevisan to make it possible and for the great cooperation.
Here is now the transcript of the interview we had with Deniss. I hope as many fans as possible will enjoy reading it. You can probably tell only from reading that Deniss and I were both still a bit nervous and shy at the beginning (well I definitely was, and he seemed as well) but it got into a very nice and relaxed conversation really soon.
Also please notice, that this was the first time in my life that I did such an interview, and it’s also my first time ever I am doing such a transcript. I decided to write everything down word by word just as they were spoken. Of course you will notice some grammar mistakes from my and from Deniss’ side since we are both no native speakers, and spoken sentences are always different from written sentences. I still decided to change absolutely nothing and just type it down as everything was said, that nothing Deniss said would be changed in any way. In case you are interested to translate this into another language, please try to do the same. I would also kindly ask you to ask for permission if you wish to translate it or publish it anywhere else. Thanks so much and I hope you will enjoy this. :)
Approximatly 25 - 30 people joined the meeting. I waited for Deniss outside of the hotel were we held the meeting at. Once Deniss and Christopher arrived and we came up the stairs everyone stood up and clapped. After some small greetings the interview started.
Me: Alright… I am a little bit nervous, so I wrote something down (referring to my notes). We all really appreciated your great programs. For me it was the first time seeing you perform live. It was really something special, much better than on TV. Your two programs this year are absolutely wonderful and appealing, so thank you. (Everyone was clapping.) I want to tell you some greetings from the Fan community. There are fans in Latvia, from Russia, someone wrote from Peru, (he really looked amazed when he heart Peru) from Mexico, from Hungary and they all send you their dearest greetings.
I will just start with the questions and of course everyone who has some questions can just join in and ask. I - and I think many of you here as well - read the transcript of the fan - meeting at NHK and there you talked a lot about the samurai program and I thought it’s really impressive that you shared some really deep thoughts about the programs and you can really see it when you perform. So there was a question from the internet who asked if you were personally involved in creating the costume or who created the costume for the samurai program.
Deniss: Well, it was the designer together with my whole circle who worked with the program. We put a lot of energy in it and we all came up with this very interesting - I guess - idea and all together that’s formed this…
Me: yea. you also drew the samurai very well…
Deniss: I love to draw. So my idea is very often to remind it on the paper and I am happy to share it for example for the work. For the things that I need to… It’s a place that can help..
Me: So you talked about the samurai program quite a lot in Japan already so you don’t need to repeat yourself again now. But we would love to know also a little bit more about the short program because it’s a really unusual choice of music for skating so how did you come up with the idea for the short program and this specific piece of music.
Deniss: How I came up with it? I don’t know it was a suggestion. But why we accepted it rather was because it is quite a challenge. It’s unique in it’s own style and so far I haven’t seen someone trying to really make it in this specific way so for me it’s really a big ( ) (I really can’t understand the word he is using here, maybe it’s „curiosity") how I can improve it to the level I want. How I can show all this emotion be clean and sharp because the music is very groovy and more like whatever… feeling this kind of just enjoy the moment and that’s I guess the biggest contrast in this part that I find very attractive but I try to work to do my best.
Me: So you said you want to improve something? So what do you think needs to be improved?
Deniss: There is no limit to perfection. And I try to improve everywhere I can. But I guess what I would love to define is to make the skating a little bit more.. probably not simpler but easier for me to execute from the right… like the music always has this dynamics and just a little bit better on my breathing and movement to this flow. That would hopefully help me having more power when I need it later on. And having the step sequence.. it has already been changed quite a bit after the last competition to suit the technical panel better and also takes a big part of the program and it’s a moment when you still head towards the second part of the program which also is very energy consuming so this kind of balancing out is required anyways.
Me: Well good luck for that. For us it seems already very perfect and you are really groovy in the program. I especially like the ending pose… it’s.. so unique. (laughter)
Deniss: Yea I very close to kiss the board. (laughter from everyone)
Me: Yea, especially at NHK, I thought there it was really close.. I thought two days ago it was a bit shorter (I re-watched the SP yesterday and saw that I had been wrong. He really had been very close to the board in Grenoble) but we also thought.. it maybe could cause some time problems… when you are sliding too long… not to go over time…
Deniss: No, the movement just has to stop… so technically when you are sliding… (laughter)
Me:… you are not moving…
Deniss: It depends how you look on it.. but I understand by the word movement.. that your body is not moving. You can slide on the ice because… ice is slippery..
Me: yeah….
Deniss: … so you slide… right? (laughter)
Me: So… hopefully the judges will be on your side… and… One comment I guess on the yellow pants… because it’s really controversy. I personally really really like it and it really suits the program and the music and it is an eye catcher.. so.. did you like the idea of the yellow pants from the beginning… or how did you come up with that?
Deniss: Initially I think that the match of the colors yellow and shiny is very into the mood of that time. Maybe today it is less popular and a little bit going away from that. But at that time the kind of moment of this very sparky time labs that I try to present to the audience it’s exactly that very shiny and really kind of… Cause I heard the… I am not sure if it’s completely sure if it is the correct word… but the „cheap disco“..
Me: … from the 70s / 80s…
Deniss: Yea kind of if you have this kind of colored and all of this in a sense represents that period of time.
Me: yea, that’s true.
Deniss: And you have those pants that go like… (shows with his hands the shape of flares)
Me: Oh yeah.. I know only the German word (for flares) but I know what you mean.
Deniss: So, all of that is that time and I heard different opinions on it… some people love it, some people cannot stand it. But the point is.. overall this atmosphere I am trying to create is related to that what I already mentioned.. and..
Me: That time was also controversy, right?
Deniss: It is like a theater. When you try so represent as best as you can that moment, that spirit, that fun moment.. so and this costume.. yellow pants… I find them really a good illustration of what exactly that time means and having actually in my point of view a very nice balance of colors, because I have yellow pants, the purple shirt which is also in this kind of style and i also think it gives a little bit of elegance that I have the black jacket it at least helps to make the lines better. So all of that is a combination of a costume that I actually imagined on my own and thought it would be a great way…
Me: Well, wow!
Deniss: I am honestly very happy and glad..
Me: So it’s your own work and you really feel represented by it. Or the it represents the program…
Deniss: That’s almost the way I feel that time. I have one show program, one of the firsts I’ve got and I have this costume which was basically light blue with a lot of different colors and to me that’s a disco.
Me: Yes!
Deniss: I see that sparky or this shiny…blablablabla… too much things… too much everything… to me that is the time I heard from my grandfather even a little bit touched by my father. He told me how he saw it and that overall created my understanding of that time.
Me: Very good explanation actually.
So I told you before that I will unfortunately miss the Gala but I guess (referring to the other Fans) a lot of you are coming and… are you going to perform the same Gala program as at NHK? The Woodkid?
Deniss: Yes… yes. I would like to skate that one.
Me: Yes! It was amazing. I really watched it like 10 times after it came out. And we had - my mother and I - tried to interpret it a little bit and we would like to know if that’s the way….
Deniss: If it matches me..?
Me: Yes, exactly. So we thought that you are representing the soldier who on the one side likes his profession but on the other side sees als the disadvantages that come with it like not being able to see his family and his love so he is really torn between liking what he does and missing home…
Deniss: That would be also a nice addition but it’s not exactly what I thought it would be. The first time I encountered this music and in general this idea I got behind it was I guess 5 or 6 years ago when I was following one game what was called „Assassin’s Creed: Revelations“ for the opening of that song or the trailer for that game was exactly this piece of music that I am skating to - „Iron“ by Woodkid. For me that’s the moment for me to form the opinion about it in general for me the story is that he’s a worrier and he is searching for something in the game at least and he is in a sense suffering. He has a lot of challenges and he’s not living kind of a happy life in the sense that he has constant struggles, he has to get food and has a very like big bandage and he is still fighting for it. He is in a sense a surviver and at the same time he has this… at some point anyone having that much stress in their life… they break. So and this is a sense a scream of soul which I try to partly represent in my performance.. this nasty feeling like it’s too much and at the same time you have no escape from it and you have to continue. So it’s kind of very dark and very touchy moment. For me personally when I skated.. I really try to put it more towards the… like very deep soul harming moment.
Me: Yea, you can definitely see that you are feeling it.. you’re really into it… your whole face… your emotions…
Deniss: Yes, that’s the best way to make it good to live it…
Me: yea to live it in the moment. Exactly. You are really in the song… and… it’s a great song, as well.. it’s really catchy…
Deniss: Yea, I really love the power that it has, it’s really impressive. I really like the author…
Me: Yea.. Woodkid… yea…
Deniss: Yea, he has quite a few great songs.
Me: Yea definitely.
Deniss: Skating to one of his creations is a big joy.
Me: Yea, it’s getting quite popular in skating and I only knew him from skating and now I listened to all of his songs and they are really amazing. I am really wondering why he isn’t more popular in general…
Well, good luck for all of you seeing it live this afternoon. I wish I would, but I hopefully will one day.. well I have more questions written down but maybe some of you want to join in and ask something?
Charlie: Okay, this Short Program for this season is the „Papa was a rolling stone“ and you also used Jimmy Hendrix two years ago and it’s a very curious choice for a guy like you and where does the inspiration come from? Who's idea is that? Your idea or Stéphanes idea?
Deniss: This music was found in a sense by Stéphs choreographer, Salome, and it was just a very good piece of music that would be interesting if I can make it… so we accepted this kind of challenge and did our best to present it the best way we can.
Charlie: And you really succeeded. When I first heard the song I didn’t even know the song „Papa was a rolling stone“ so I googled it and searched for it on youtube and I was like: This??? I am not sure! But then I saw your performance and I totally changed the idea, it was so awesome.
Deniss: One of the biggest challenges for this program like music wise was that actually music never starts… it starts and starts and starts and then it finishes and it still starts, so it’s never getting actually a peak so that’s probably was the hardest part doing it maybe… maybe the music works… so…
Charlie: You succeeded.
Deniss: We kind of found the right way.
Me: Anything else?… Alright… then I will go on… Probably we all gratulate you on graduating last summer from school.. I heard you did very well..
Deniss: Yes… I was really impressed by my marks.
Everyone clapping
Deniss: It was far more than I expected, especially I invested in the education.. because I was… well figure skating life is kind of busy… although it might sound on the paper that it’s not too much but actually it takes far more than that…
Me: Yea, it’s a whole lifestyle….
Deniss: Yea, it’s completely different. And the point that I actually managed to write the tests that well… actually a big thank you to everyone that helped me to prepare and actually kind of tutored me.. so I am very grateful for all their input… and miracle…. (points to his head)
Me: Yea, your good brain…
Deniss: That managed to squeeze all the information and delivered it at the right time..
Me: You learn that in figure skating as well… that you maybe concentrate at the right moment… Well, congrats. We are interested in… how is your studying now going? What are your plans? I heard that want to study in Switzerland… I think now it’s really hard…
Deniss: Education is a pretty big question and I constantly like switched for the last ten years changing what I want to do, where I want to go, what is my heard wish and for example right now since I am dedicated to figure skating all the time. I can not attempt a full time very serious education the way I would normally do it in Switzerland although it might sound that it’s not far with the schedule I have it’s massive… so..
Me: Yea, I studied.. so, I know what it takes…
Deniss: So, in my opinion like I plan for now about for getting a really important degree that I will enjoy that’s basically after I am done with my career which will take hopefully another 7 years. I really want to enjoy this road as long as I can and be perfecting it. So education has another standing than in usual life as an athlete it’s kind of a bit pushed in that part but nevertheless I am really really into learning more about art. Art has many varieties and ways to develop for example one of them is cooking, drawing and writing. There is just so many things I have done even looking from the perspective of figure skating. So I kind of anyway by staying and working full-time as a figure skater and do my best to improve that. And also I am attending, I am trying to have the same way I managed to finish the school to get a university a degree in Daugavpils which right now I am kind of a bit behind but soon I will hopefully catch up, now where I have a little bit of time and I am getting the degree on social skills and… (he said a word here that I didn’t understand)
Me: Sorry, the last I didn’t understand.
Other Fans joining in: Teaching!
Me: Ah, good, nice!
Deniss: Not exactly yet where I will use it but still I think it’s good to keep myself busy with something else except from skating because at some point when you do the same thing over and over again sometimes your brain gets overwhelmed, so I need something different and that is my kind of way to escape from it. So I am attending that. In the future I guess I will have after my career the education in business and management or something that is more relating to the being a self managing… not a firm but something like your own established small business. Sometime…
Me: Good luck, but I think it is a good decision like that and… you are young…
Deniss: Everything comes at the right time.
Me: Yea… So you are now living in Champéry for like 2 1/2 years, something like that…
Deniss: Yea…
Me: How is your learning French going actually?
Deniss: Slowly… little by little… I think I understand French pretty well I am actually starting to start talking back a little bit. From other points of views I am doing better than I am telling everyone. But I think it’s still a long long journey to actually fully completing the education of French. So far I am a bit scared in a good way to learn writing and grammar. Because I heard it’s pretty complex and so far I don’t really use it so much. The world is switching to the international language English. So it’s more I think a bigger priority to have the potential to communicate and talking rather than writing.
Me: Yea. Good luck on that as well, because I think it’s such a big opportunity when you live in another county to learn another language.
Deniss: But Switzerland has… French.. and German and even a little part of Italian… so…
Me: So yea.. and I guess within your skating group everyone is speaking English since they are coming from all over the world.
Deniss: yea!
Me: It seems like such a nice team actually.
Deniss: Yea. We have a really nice group of people that we have a really good relationship between each other and be rather supportive than on each others way. And it’s really a beneficial.. and we really enjoy each others company and it helps to progress better and faster. So I really enjoy having this set to my side. It’s a big joy.
Me: You can really see this even only from the pictures that it’s a good atmosphere. And I think.. Champéry is a really small village.. So there is not so much going on there, so you kind of have to get along with your people..
Deniss: Yes, when you choose your way more like a self improvement person and you are really focused a lot on learning and a knowledge that would reflect.. then your life has a… being a figure skater you rather spend a lot of time on that and then probably a little bit shorter amount of time that we actually spend together and doing something together. But from time to time.. we have a really incredible time together where we are really enjoying each others company.
Me: Do you like hiking in the mountains?
Deniss: Yes! I adore that activity!
Me: Yea.. definitely, I am coming from an hiking family… So I know.. been in the Alpes a lot…
Deniss: Maybe I am not such a hiking hiker.. but I love to walk around. With the amazing nature around and enjoy the sound of the morning birds at least during the spring or summer yet when the sun is rising. So during the winter it’s probably a bit harder…
Me: Yea… are you skiing?
Deniss: I never tried.
Me: Yea, it’s dangerous…
Deniss: So far as I remember I was not allowed to do that activity because of the Olympic season. And still, if I am correct, I am a little bit shortened on the activity because I am a very much beginner. And I have to take care of my physical condition in order to practice. So… it’s very important to be careful with such fun things.
Me: Yea, well I can understand, I am also kind of a beginner with skiing.. and… you fall a lot.. at the beginning… so.. you probably shouldn’t risk it.
Deniss: I heard if I will use the shorter skies it could be more similar to the blades.. so probably…. (he smiled very brightly and everyone laughed)
Some girl from the back: Except for the trees coming in your way…
Deniss: It’s not my job to move from the trees. It’s the job of the trees… (everyone laughing really loud)
Me: Yea, just tell them that… and we’ll have the next Fan meeting right at the hospital. So… after some more laughter there was recently… we all know you like cooking and baking and recently on instagram there was a cooking battle or a cake battle between you and some woman… How did that come along and who won that.. actually?
Deniss: It was more like a joke, I guess…
Me: Yea, of course.
Deniss: Because I mean… I didn’t see it that much as a competition, I in general enjoy the process… And I think it’s even worse than figure skating to judge because everyone has a different taste, different preferences, and.. completely two different styles. She is from the United States, for her cake primarily must be super sweet and rock solid. And for me cake must be nice and fluffy, very well balanced and not too sweet. So… It’s like a… someone likes that more, someone that… And this baking, cooking in general, it’s a big part of my lifestyle, because unfortunately like usual way you approach it I guess… as people don’t usually work that much hard physical activity. There are a lot of.. so you have to kind of know what you eat, how to balance, how to nutrition, and for me just because of this necessity it brings me a big part of enjoyment to figure that out the best way I can and achieve this supplementary kind of super important part of my real performance that you see afterwards on the competition on the ice. So all this cooking thing is more like… not just a hobby but a necessity that I have to really be careful with. An although I love baking and I do that I think not enough that I would love to. But I have to be kind of limited with that and so far it works… partly I guess…
Well unfortunately the time for questions was up then. I apologized that we didn’t have a proper gift for him anymore because the meeting had been on such a short notice. But we bought him - as it had been a suggestion from the Facebook Fan group - honey and oranges. So I explained him why: Honey, because we heard he loved honey, and oranges because he needs a lot of vitamins. There he laughed and said that he actually got a little bit sick during the last days and that the vitamins where a perfect idea.
We then still took some group pictures and Deniss signed some banners and some flags,
then they left.
Thank you so much Deniss for taking so much time for your Fans. Your thoughtful and deep answers to every question really impressed me. You are really able to make everyone around you happy and smiling, not just with your performances on the ice, but also with your great personality off the ice! All the best for this season, your future on and off the ice, and always keep as you are!!
