Johnny as Kai in The Snow King,
bewitched by the shards of the enchanted mirror.
Please click for beautiful full-size image.
Exclusive photo © Elena Vasileva.
OK! So much going on this week! And we have so much amazing Snow King coverage from St. Petersburg to catch up with that I actually gave up and split it into two posts.
So today we’ll savor gorgeous exclusive photos from the first part of the show, and then enjoy yet more Snow King pics, featuring the happy ending and various curtain calls, in the next post. But first: Johnny is competing this week in the Medal Winners Open in Tokyo! He previously announced that he’d be skating to “Ave Maria Païen,” and has given us a few glimpses of the program in progress:
Started work on my program from Medal Winner's Open today! 'Ave Maria Païen"
2,279 Likes, 62 Comments - *JOHNNY WEIR* (@johnnygweir) on Instagram: "Started work on my program from Medal Winner's Open today! 'Ave Maria Païen""
Ave Maria Païen. #steps
2,407 Likes, 60 Comments - *JOHNNY WEIR* (@johnnygweir) on Instagram: "Ave Maria Païen. #steps"
Not bad for a jet-lagged costume test!
3,176 Likes, 76 Comments - *JOHNNY WEIR* (@johnnygweir) on Instagram: "Not bad for a jet-lagged costume test!"
Apparently the competition will be broadcast on Japan’s TBS at 3 pm Saturday in Tokyo (1 am ET in the US), so we’re keeping a lookout for a possible livestream or a video of the show after it airs (yes to either one, or preferably both please).
UPDATE! TBS has announced additional air dates: Saturday, January 24, at 3 pm (I think, which again would be 1 am ET) and Friday, February 6, at 8 pm Japan / 6 am ET!
GANBATTE, Johnny!! So excited for you, and wishing you the best of luck and a beautiful performance!
Meanwhile: immediately after Medal Winners Open on Friday, US Nats coverage begins this Saturday with—for the first time that I’m aware of—not one but TWO preview shows to get people up to speed for the live coverage the following weekend (see NBC broadcast schedule above and on Johnny’s official website).
Our teasers for the preview programming began with this from Johnny:
Via Johnny: “Look of the day: Blazer @ysl, Neck @joomilim,
Leathers @currentelliott, Loafers @LouboutinWorld.
Styled by @whathewears”
Via Tara: “@AshWagner2010 giving us a fierce look.
Preview show in the books Tune into @NBC
nxt Sat & Sun @USFigureSkating”
Via Tara: “Talking about the talented Miss @graciegold95.
Preview show in the books...tune into @nbc next
Sat and Sun. @johnnygweir @taraandjohnny”
Via @emilycolt: “Fun with #johnnyandtara
@ yesterday’s shoot :)”
Via Johnny: “I love this pretty lady so much.
@taralipinski @taraandjohnny
Photo and hair courtesy @mariolazysk”
Via @mariolazysk.
And also we continue to get cryptic hints about whatever amazeballs project this is:
Via Marlon Gobel: “@johnnygweir in a @marlongobel
swarovski crystal bow tie with the lovely
@teralipinski! @taraandjohnny”
(More sneak peeks here...!)
UPDATE!! Now we know: this is part of
Johnny & Tara's preview of US Nats!
And finally, speaking of amazeballs (as you’ll see on the video): ICYMI, at last we have video of all the Johnny and Tara moments from NBC’s New Year’s Eve special, “A Toast to 2014!”
And they are perfection. This New Year’s Eve I’d love to see them
host this whole thing as well as the next Golden Globes.
Video link.
The Snow King
in St. Petersburg: Part 1
Exclusive practice clip courtesy of Elena.
Video link.
Johnny and Zhenya rehearsing simultaneous triple axels!
Video link.
Johnny and Irina Slutskaya: “Gerda and Angry Kai.”
Video link.
“A Cascade of Four Jumps by Johnny Weir.”
Beautiful!
Video link.
Enchanted Kai and the Snow King.
Video link.
More videos here and here!
The St. Petersburg leg of The Snow King tour was a tad grueling: two sold-out shows a day, nonstop, for five days. The exclusive photo series below is from a number of different St. Petersburg performances and covers the first sections of the show, from bewitched Kai’s fight with Gerda through his surrender to The Snow King at the palace. More exclusive photos of the remainder of the show coming up on the next post!
All photos courtesy of Elena Vasileva and Tatiana Edrenkina, as noted. Please click any photo twice for the full-size image. Most are huge, and all of these are simply gorgeous. Thank you, Elena and Tatiana! ♥
Pierced in the eye and the heart by shattered fragments
of the trolls’ magic mirror, Kai is transformed into an angry
and spiteful person who rejects his beloved friend, Gerda.
And now comes the Snow King in his flying carriage....
....and Kai is compelled to follow.
At the Snow King’s palace.
Kai surrenders.
Bonus pics!!
Stunning black-and-whites tweeted by Elena Vasileva.
And via Tatiana Edrenkina: “I think this calls
for an artist to paint a picture. #snowking #снежныйкороль
#JohnnyWeir #ДжониВейр #emotions
(I don’t think Kai chose to follow Snow King. He had to)”
Gorgeous photo.
Gorgeous photo.
Very special thanks to amazing video ninja
Jenn Kittler for the Johnny & Tara NYE vid!
