“I wanted to skate to classical music, and I was looking for a piece that hasn’t been performed much recently.” Shun Sato about skating to “Firebird”
Shun Sato unveils new free skate “Firebird” at “Dream on Ice” show
original source: Nikkansports dd. June 28th 2025
Shun Sato (21), who placed sixth at the World Championships in March, debuted his new free skate program, “Firebird,” during the ice show “Dream on Ice” on June 27 at the KOSE Shin-Yokohama Skating Center. Here’s a translation of his comments.
As part of his program for the upcoming season, which begins in July, Sato landed two quadruple toe loops, impressing the audience. Reflecting on his performance, he shared:
“There was a six-minute warm-up, just like in competitions, so I felt nervous as if it were an actual event. But during the performance, I made few mistakes and was able to skate enjoyably,” he said with a relieved expression.
The music for “Firebird” is famously associated with Tatsuki Machida, who performed the piece as his free skate during the 2014 Sochi Olympic season. Sato expressed his reasoning for selecting the piece:
“I wanted to skate to classical music, and I was looking for a piece that hasn’t been performed much recently.”
The choreography for the program was created by Guillaume Cizeron, the 2022 Beijing Olympic ice dance gold medalist. To immerse himself in the music and its artistic nuances, Sato has been watching Machida’s iconic performances on YouTube repeatedly.
As he prepares for the Milano-Cortina Olympics next February, Sato acknowledged the work still ahead:
“I’m not yet at the level of Tatsuki Machida’s interpretation of this piece. I’m studying his performance for reference while striving to make my own program as strong as possible. The step sequence is the most important element – it’s physically demanding, but if I can’t give it my all, it wouldn’t be meaningful. I’m determined to focus on that and keep improving.”
With excitement for the new season and goals of developing his program further, Sato looks ahead to establishing himself in the next Olympic cycle as a skater capable of combining technical brilliance with artistic maturity.
Related topics: Shun Sato
Music that isn’t used frequently? Firebird? Is he having a stroke? Carmen, Firebird, and anything by Coldplay should permanently be banned from skating.