LA NOTTE MAGAZINE

This year’s European Figure Skating Championships silver medalist Nikolaj Memola from Italy impresses with his grace on the ice, being a tall skater, he has an impressive sense of balance and musicality. We spoke to Nikolaj about his dedication to figure skating, his involvement in creating his own programs, his love for ballet and a little about his personality.

Hi, Nikolaj! How are you after this very bright season?
I’m good! Very tired but super happy and satisfied with it.

Your mother, Olga Romanova, dedicated her life to figure skating… and did your journey start? Was it your idea?
Not really, it wasn’t my idea! My mum took me to the ice rink because she was working there so I sometimes I had to be there and I skated sometimes.
I didn’t really like it and I was really not interested in the sport. I went to the rink because I had my friends there so I was enjoying their company.
After a while I started to enjoy skating and it became my passion.

You aren’t only a skater but a choreographer of some of your programs. How does it feel to create your program from the very beginning?
I feel like it’s very important for a skater to put their personal touch in every program because if not in my opinion the work will lack of personality.
I always give my opinion to my choreographer and also I try to come up with new stuff that I feel comfortable doing.
I love to listen to music and try to imagine movement and choreography that would fit it, that’s why it’s very easy for me to create new programs because even before starting somehow I already have in mind how the program would look like.

You perform and compete with very interesting music: from the classical and neoclassical repertoire to the Argentinian tango. What music is more about your personal vibe?
I love classical music; it’s my favorite genre. If I had an opportunity I would change program every competition just to be able to skate to all of my favorite pieces of music.
Even if I prefer classical, sometimes I like to use stronger music that requires more character. I’m a very passionate skater and I feel like expressing myself better with stronger musics.

And what do you listen to out of ice?
As I said I love classical music but I really enjoy every kind of music.
My playlists are really various and I change type of songs everyday.
I love pop, indie, rock, I also love old music like from the ‘60’s to the ‘90’s.
It really depends on my mood but I would consider my music taste very flexible and various.

The classical dance and figure skating are often connected… Have you ever thought about dancing ballet?
When I was a child I enjoyed more ballet then figure skating. I used to go to a ballet school in Monza and I was really good.
I always had a good sense of rhythm and I was very coordinated so I was probably the best kid in the class. When I started to grow up I was winning more in figure skating and that was giving me more satisfaction and motivation so that’s why I decided to put aside ballet because I couldn’t do booth for scheduling problems.
I still love ballet and I often go to the theater.

What does your training include? Your plastique and balance are impressive…
Due to my size I have to work a lot on balance and core strength. I work a lot off ice with my mum for these aspects and I try to improve every day.
Last season was harder for me because I had to get back into shape quickly after the injury so I couldn’t work on these a lot, but this season I have a good plan and it will definitely help me.

How can you characterize your skating style?
I try to be myself on the ice every time. I’m very outgoing and confident so I try to portray this part of me.
Overall I try not to force anything because I think that when someone tries to force these aspects it will result very fake on the ice. That’s why I just try not to make up a fake “me” and just try to stick to my real version.
I feel like this helps me a lot.

What inspires you?
Hard work inspires me. I love to watch others train, it’s like fuel for me.
I love to see people work hard and really persuade goals, it makes me really inspired and I want to do my best to try to be one of those athletes.
In general I love to watch documentaries and competitions to try to put myself in a competitive mood.

You seem like a person from another epoch when you’re performing. Is there a historical period which attracts you the most?
I love renaissance.
Italy was the heart of this period and I as an Italian feel very attached to it.
I love the music, I love the art and the architecture, the literature and in general the idea of it.

Can you describe yourself in three words?
Determined
Curious
Fun

Your favorite…

film: Les Miserables
food: Sushi
drink: Coke Zero
fashion designer/brand: Dior
perfume: Parisian Musc by Matiere Premier
city: Paris
leisure time activities: going for walks in Milan with my friends, trying new restaurants and drinking matcha.

Interview: Julia Sumzina

Photos: Nikolaj’s personal archive