How New York Fabrics Led to the Olympics

Once day, when Beata was three, Tomoko took her shopping with her at New York Fabrics in Larkspur. “See all the pretty fabrics, Peachiko. Isn’t this fleece soft?” Peachiko, Beata's pet name, was amazed at all the colors as her mother  swept through the store. As they left the building, Beata pointed left. “What’s that place?" 

Tomoko answered, “Raydine Ice Skating Rink.” Then she had an inspiration. Always looking for some activity for Beata, Tomoko thought, “Peachiko is very coordinated, and she likes to move to music, so this might be fun.” She and Beata walked across the street, and entered the main lobby. Following the music and sound of skating, Tomoko and Beata peered into the rink, and sat down on a bleacher to watch. Tomoko could see Beata shiver a little, and she pulled the sweater over her daughter’s head.  “Look, Mummy! It’s a girl like me!”  

“Would you like to skate too, Peachiko?” Tomoko never skated.  

“Yes, Mummy, can I?” 

 Tomoko took Beata’s hand, and asked at the service desk, “Do you have teachers and skates?” 

“Of course,” answered the young clerk. Then he motioned over a friendly looking gentleman in his forties wearing a big black overcoat and Russian style hat, learning on a guard rail. 

“How do you do? My name is Tony Howard.” He took Tomoko’s hand warmly, as she greeted him. Tomoko recognized a British accent in his voice. He had immigrated from London to San Francisco in 1955, and made his living teaching skating at the Bay area skating rink.  

Tony bent his knees to greet Beata. “And  what is your name?  Would you like to skate?” Beata nodded solemnly. 

“My daughter Beata would like to try. Could you give her a lesson?” Somehow, Tomoko felt that she should use Beata’s formal name. 

“Let’s see what we can do, all right?”   

With that, Tony walked her onto the ice. Tomoko watched as Tony guided Beata to the middle, away from the other skaters, and then showed her how to balance and walk on the ice. He got her to swivel a bit, had her try jumping, and made her practice how to bend and fall – and get back up again without hurting herself. Beata stuck right by Tony, once in a while waving at her mother.  Then Tony swooped Beata up in his arms and glided once around the rink, letting Beata feel the wind in her face. “Whee!” she cried. 

That was the start. Beata couldn’t wait to tell her Daddy about ice skating that night. “And I jumped and I turned and I went all around!” Beata said breathlessly as she acted out each part. She stretched out her arm, “And breezes come in!”  

Twenty years later, after thousands of hours of practicing, thousands of dollars in  competition and other expenses, and the perfect ice dance partner and husband, Beata and and Charles climbed up the competition ranks: from tenth to second place in the U.S. Championships. “The Olympics actually looked promising,” thought the two, even though Charles was pushing the usual age limit for such high-stakes competitions. Then Charles experienced two setbacks: a knee surgery that resulted in a blood  in his calf, and a torn meniscus the month after; he missed two months of practice. Nevertheless, they placed fourth in the Four Continents Championships and fourth place in the Olympic team. “So close!” the couple sighed, since only two couples would be sent to Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Games. But then, the two top teams were eliminated because of citizenship programs, so Beata and Charles were granted the second spot. They were also the only married couple in the American delegation. “We’re actually going to compete in the Olympics!” they cheered. Once the reality set in, Beata and Charles were more sober, “It’s not much time to prepare; we’ll have to ‘up’ our game even more.”               

The pressure was worth it. The Olympics experience was a high point for the whole family. 

And It all started with the fabric store. 

Awarding Piano Performance Internationally

Particularly when Tomoko was young, she participated in several piano performance competitions. Besides the regional competitions, Tomoko had the honor Tomoko had the honor to participate in the Long-Thibaud International Piano Competition in Paris, which promoted classical music. This biennial contest was

created in 1943, in the midst of World War II.

The following year she entered her most memorable international competition: the 1968 Queen Elizabeth International Piano Competition. First of all, this Queen did not rule in England. She was born in Bavaria, and was the wife of Belgium’s King Albert I. This Queen Elisabeth as a patron of the arts and set up the competition in 1937, only to have it interrupted by World War II.  In 1951 it was re-activated and named in honor of the queen.

A more recent international award is the program of Excellence Piano Awards, which awards piano solos, duos and trios from around the world. Categories include classical, jazz, film music, minimalist, pop covers and original compositions. Unlike Tomoko who had to fly to these international competitions, current competitors submit their recorded performances online.

The website Musical Chairs (https://www.musicalchairs.info/piano/competitions) lists national and international piano competitions for performers of classical music.

Tomoko’s daughter also completed professionally – in ice dancing. She won several awards nationally, and even competed in the 2002 Winter OIympics.

When asked why she did such competitions, Tomoko replied, “Humans need competition. Pressure transforms to energy.” She continued, “Enjoy life with its challenges – then succeed.” 

Choosing Music to Skate to

Music comes alive and takes form when it is performed – by musicians and by dancers, including on the ice. Olympian ice dancer Beata and her pianist mother Tomoko know this all too well.

The recent Olympics showcased the impact of music on rhythm skating and ice dancing performance. The music itself should have a rhythmic beat and change in tempo and expression. Skaters are judged on their interpretation of the music, including how the piece is expressed in the relationship of the skating pairs. The wrong choice in music can distract from the performance, but a wise choice can highlight their accomplishments.

So how do ice skaters choose their music? They usually start with their own skating assets, which shapes their choreography. The ideal music accentuates those assets, such as startling lifts and spins. The music also has to resonate with the skaters. Not surprisingly, then, skaters with their coaches and choreographers spend many hours matching a music piece – or a mix of related pieces – to their movements. The team also has to consider judges’ own preferences as well as the audience’s.

There is so much music to choose from: traditional songs, classical instrumental music, “classic” and current pop songs, and abstract pieces. In international competitions, skaters may choose music written by their country’s composers. Only recently have skaters been able to use music with lyrics in the Olympics. Of course, skaters want to provide a unique experience in their performance; even the same composition such as the popular “Swan Lake,” which might be performed in the same composition, undergoes a singular transformation by each skater.

Musicians certainly benefit from such exposure, especially when the skater wins a medal. Elton John, for instance, tweeted Nathan Chen “for winning Gold skating to Rocket Man.” Composers also benefit monetarily because the skaters have to pay a royalty for each time that piece is performed publicly. Even for compositions in the public domain, the performers are due royalties.

The symbiotic relationship between skater and musician is keenly appreciated by millions.

 

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Olympican Recitals

                Millions of people watch and read about the Olympics. This time is particularly special for Tomoko and her family because in 2002 her daughter Beata and husband Charles exhibited their ice dancing expertise at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

               In a way, piano recitals mirror that same kind of high-stakes public performance. To motivate students and give them opportunities to perform in public, Tomoko plans recitals twice a year to display her students’ efforts and encourage others to learn how to play the piano for their own enjoyment. As the impresario for her students’ recitals, Tomoko chooses pieces according to each student’s ability, wherever they were on the performance spectrum. She puts together the program with a clear path in mind, and then matches the details, preparing all the music. Tomoko says: “I see myself as a designer and fashioner of the musical program.” It takes up to four months to get ready for the recital. “Students need time to memorize well, but they can’t peak too early,” Tomoko knows by experience. By the time of the performance, everyone is be excited: the students, the parents, and Tomoko herself. The recitals are stimulating, like a good game; all the students try their best. Tomoko concludes: “Recitals are not the time to criticize but rather a time to celebrate, like the holidays.”

Japan, the Olympics and the Paralympics: Family Affairs

 

The world is watching the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, thanks to the media. Especially with the pandemic, few people get to set foot at the actual venue, but billions can watch – even on a cell phone!

For Tomoko and her family, this event has special meaning. The Olympic Games are being played in their native country, and she attended the university in Tokyo. For Tomoko’s whole family, the Olympic Games have special meaning because Tomoko’s daughter Beata and her husband Charles competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics as ice dancers. Of course, Tomoko and her husband Desi watched Beata and Charles ringside. The family was particularly lucky because the 2002 Olympics were held in Salt Lake City: as close to their homes as possible.

But the connections don’t stop there.

In 1948 the Paralympic Games was launched, mainly to benefit injured war veterans. By 1960 23 countries were represented in the Paralympic Games. Since 1992 both the winter and summer Paralympic Games take place a fortnight after the Olympic Games, in the same arenas and other competition venues.

Since the 2002 Olympics, Handra and Charles have had the opportunity to skate in the Opening Ceremonies for the Paralympic Games. “We felt very lucky to have been able to return to Salt Lake City again and see the Paralympians experience the same exhilaration we did in our Opening Ceremonies,” said Charles.

Beata and Charles returned from the Olympian and Paralympian trip to Washington D.C. feeling refreshed. “For three fun days we hung out with fellow U.S. Olympians and made new Paralympian friends, said Beata. “We all attended two black tie dinners, a lunch hosted by the Speaker of the House, and visited the White House where the President gave a speech to the athletes on the South Lawn.”

Tomoko’s family demonstrates their own great achievements through talent, discipline and perseverance – and they applaud other’s determination and passion as well. It is truly the Olympic/Paralympic spirit!

Skating to the Music

Tomoko's daughter Beata performs and coaches ice dancing, echoing Tomoko's double professional life as piano performer and teacher. Both of them have a long-long love of music. Both choose their music pieces carefully to showcase their own performance expertise.

Among Beata's accomplishments was her -- and husband Charles' -- performances at the 2002 Olympics. That year their show performances included: "Tango: Fugata" by Astor Piazzolla and "Samson and Delilah" by Camille Saint-Saëns.

 Astor Piazzolla was a 20th century Argentinian tango composer, possibly the world's greatest. He created a new style of tango, which incorporated classical music and jazz. His new sound was controversial in his country, but his music was accepted in North America and Europe.. Written in the 1980s for a virtuoso guitar duo, Piazzolla's Tango Suite includes Fugata (meaning "fugue"), Milonga, and Libertango. "Fugata" introduces a short melody that is developed by interweaving several parts. The piece offered a suspenseful way to build up dance drama and showcase final bravura performance by Beata and Charles.

French composer Saint-Saëns wrote the opera "Sanson and Delilah" as choral music was experiencing high interest, although Biblical subjects were not popular on the French stage. Instead, in 1877 the opera opened in Weimar, Germany, thanks to Liszt's support. The work is framed as a duet between the protagonists, which Beata and Charles leveraged in their dance routine.  

The pieces also echo Beata's and Charles' -- as well as Tomoko's -- years of work to be accepted and applauded.

Olympians and Pianists

It’s time for the winter Olympics again. Tomoko’s daughter Beata competed as an ice dancer in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City (convenient for her, but not as exotic as South Korea). Tomoko attended those Olympic Games, naturally, and often accompanied Beata to other skating competitions. In the process, Tomoko has seen many parallels between Olympians and pianists.

Fundamentally, both fields depend on the body and its mastery. Both fields require detailed physical coordination. Just as there is a correct foot position, there is also a correct hand position. Furthermore, training the body requires discipline and daily practice.  Basic moves need to become automatic, and even an entire performance has to be mastered so well that that one can depend on muscle memory. Both fields also involve rhythmic movement, and music certainly facilitates the body’s flow. 

Training and support are also similar. The teacher makes a significant difference in the student’s learning experience. In both cases, students need to learn the basic techniques, and practice them dutifully – and correctly.  The teacher selects the developmentally appropriate pieces or routines for the student to master, and there is a “canon” of classics in each case. The teacher is both supportive and challenging; targeting the trouble spots – and helping the student see them as personal challenges to overcome. The teacher has to be sure that the student pays attention to every detail, and master it, at which point the student can add personal interpretation to deepen the performance.

Competition is another shared hallmark. In both cases, competition usually starts locally and low-stakes. Years of practice and performance are needed before one can enter and succeed at the national level. The higher the stakes, the more complicated the performance and the more exacting the judging. Both the stress level and the level of accomplishment are higher. But the payoff and the exhilarating feeling are worth the effort hopefully.

So when you hear the music of an ice skating or ice dancing performance at the Olympics, think of the music and the musicians too. They are all professionals in spirit.