Photo by Christina Valdez

Future Stages Festival Performance Group Gains International Attention

Crescendo in Motion to perform Yuzuru Hanyu tribute at the Kauffman Center on Sunday, June 16 at 2:30 p.m.

Crescendo Conservatory, a school performing at the Kauffman Center’s upcoming Future Stages Festival has gone viral for their ballet tribute to Yuzuru Hanyu, a renowned Japanese figure skater and two-time Olympic gold medalist.

The co-artistic director of the conservatory, Christina Valdez, first became a fan of Hanyu after watching him in the 2018 Winter Olympics. She was drawn to his athleticism and also found many similarities between his skating and ballet.

As a tribute to the consecutive Olympic gold medalist, Valdez choreographed a piece inspired by his performance at the PyeongChang figure skating gala. After tweeting a photo from a rehearsal of the ballet, Crescendo in Motion quickly attracted attention from Hanyu fans around the world.

After posting the tweet, Crescendo then shared a video of their piece, Notte Stellata – A Ballet Tribute to Yuzuru Hanyu which now has over 25,000 views on YouTube. Viewers can even spot a Winnie the Pooh bear in the background which fans traditionally throw on the rink after Hanyu’s performances.

The story went worldwide when The Japan Times and the Olympic Channel covered the tribute. The Olympic Channel noted how Hanyu is now a muse for artists in all different mediums across the world.

The Kauffman Center is thrilled that Crescendo in Motion will perform Notte Stellata – A Ballet Tribute to Yuzuru Hanyu in Muriel Kauffman Theatre at Future Stages Festival on June 16,2019 at 2:30 p.m.