The circle is the most fundamental skating figure that gave the sport its name and is the basis of all compulsory figures. It is unkown when the circle was first performed, but it is expected to exist since the invention of skating edges by the Dutch around the 13th and 14th century. It was officially named and described for the first time by British skater Robert Jones in his instructional book The Art of Skating in 1772 (s. Hines 2006).

It can be executed on two feet in a spread eagle position or on one foot using the inside or outside edge of the blade. The one-foot gliding on the outside edge was also referred to as “rolling” by Jones (s. Jones 1772). In competition, skaters had to trace circles three times on one foot with a diameter of about three times their body height (ca. 5–6 metres), focussing on high precision and balance at reasonable speed (s. U.S. Figure Skating, p. 2). Until 1947, compulsory figures made up 60 percent of the total score in international skating competitions. However, experiencing a continuous decline in value, they were eventually discontinued as a competition segment in 1990 (s. Kestnbaum 2003).

In “Notte Stellata”, Hanyu has revived this historical skating figure and merged it into the choreography, executing it as a forward rolling on the outside edge of the left foot. His circle figure stands out for its high skating speed, large diameter, smooth gliding on a deep edge, and elegant body position with spread arms. The circle transitions into a short logarithmic spiral, concluding with a full stop at its center.

The upright twizzle is a difficult multirotational skating turn performed on one foot and is charactarized by continuous, uninterrupted movement, resembling a spin with controlled traveling across the ice. It is the technically most demanding element in ice dance, usually consisting of a set of three twizzles with four revolutions each (s. Springer 2016).

The term “twizzle” first appeared in the tango Argentino pattern dance in 1934 and was defined as a one-foot turn with one revolution at that time. However, it took more than half a decade until a twizzle was presented in competition for the first time, performed by David Grant in 1990. While twizzles of three to four revolutions are also common in single skating, it is rare to see twizzles with more rotations. At the 2016 World Championships, American ice dancers Maia and Alex Shibutani performed a set of three twizzles with six revolutions each (s. Springer 2016). In their short dance of the 2018 Winter Olympics, the first twizzle of the sequence counted eight revolutions.

In his “Notte Stellata” performance at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Hanyu performed a twizzle with an impressive number of 10 ½ revolutions. With its high rotation speed and large ice coverage, it had more the characteristics of a movement in the field rather than a typical skating turn. The twizzle was executed on the right foot with a forward entrance and backward exit.

In his ice show Yuzuru Hanyu Notte Stellata in 2023, Hanyu presented a triple Axel jump entered and exited by a twizzle, the latter counting remarkable 11 ½ revolutions with a backward entry and forward exit. It is one of the most complex sequences of jumps and turns in figure skating to date, requiring exceptional coordination, jumping precision, balance, and knee action to maintain enough skating speed until the end of the sequence.

The Ina Bauer is a skating movement in the field and is performed sideways on two feet. It originates from the open fourth position in ballet dance, invented by French choreographer Pierre Beauchamp in the 17th century (s. Harris-Warrick & Brown 2005, p. 115). German single skater Ina Bauer utilized the position for figure skating in the 1950s, creating a new move that was named after her.

The Ina Bauer can be performed either on the inside or outside edge of the skating foot that is placed in front. The layback variation is usually done on the outside edge, requiring high flexibility in the upper body, which is why it is more commonly performed among women. Olympic champion Shizuka Arakawa from Japan popularized it in the 2000s and was known for the exceptionally deep arching of her back during the Ina Bauer move (s. Wessling 2007).

Hanyu’s Ina Bauer in the “Notte Stellata” program stands out for its deep layback position, excellent extension and ice coverage as well as a creative variation of arm and hand movements.

The swizzle is a basic two-footed skating progressive, executed on the inside edge of the blades with the legs being spread sideways and pulled together again. It is one of the first movements that skaters learn before they start stroking and gliding, requiring them to bend their knees and turn their feet outward and inward. In roller skating, swizzles are usually called scissors. In figure skating, they are also known as lemons, sculling, or fishes for their fish-shaped ice marks (s. Schneider Farris 2017).

Swizzles can be perfomed forward and backward; doing them back-to-back is also known as the “rocking horse”. While a regular swizzle is symmetric in shape with extended legs at the change from outside to inside edge, a half-swizzle is executed with one leg being bent throughout the movement, resulting in an asymmetric shape and ice marks.

In “Notte Stellata”, Hanyu performs a cascade of four backward half-swizzles with characteristics of a side lunge, executing the first two clockwise, with the right leg being bent, and the last two counterclockwise with a bent left leg. Unlike regular swizzles, Hanyu’s half-swizzles begin in a spread position and conclude with crossed feet. The cascade is entered from a difficult layback Ina Bauer⁠-3-turn sequence and is performed on deep edges with beautiful, light movements of the arms and upper body.

The traveling camel is a multirotational skating movement consisting of a series of 3-turns and is mainly used as a difficult entry into camel spins. The 3-turn is a basic one-foot turn with a change of direction and the skating edge. During the traveling camel, the skater is in a forward camel position with the torso and free leg being parallel to the ice. The free leg supports the movement with small toe assists after each full revolution.

The move was originally invented by American roller skater Rick Mullican in 1958 as an entry into the arabesque position. It was later adapted in figure skating by skaters with a background in roller skating, including German Marina Kielmann (s. Stevens 2017a).

In “Notte Stellata”, Hanyu uses the traveling camel as an entry into a spin combination, performing it on the left foot and completing two revolutions with four 3-turns in total. The move is very efficiently used to pick up speed and gain rotational momentum for the following camel spin position.

The camel spin, also known as the “parallel spin”, is one of the three basic spin positions, executed on one foot with the torso and free leg being parallel to the ice. The first to perform it in competition was British figure skater Cecilia Colledge in 1935 (s. Hines 2006). At that time, the camel spin was mostly executed in a difficult arabesque position, making it more common among women.

In the 1940s, two-time Olympic champion Dick Button introduced the forward camel as a new variation of the spin, also known as the Button camel, and eventually popularized the camel position in men’s skating (s. Kestnbaum 2003). In modern times, many new variations have been invented, including the difficult camel doughnut and camel Biellmann spin (s. ISU 2023).

Hanyu’s camel spin stands out for its precise centering, high rotation speed, strong body position, and a creative use of arms and hands during the spin. In “Notte Stellata”, he performs two different camel spins, both as part of a spin combination. They are executed sideways with the free leg and upper body being fully parallel to the ice. The first camel spin is entered by a traveling camel and followed by a sit spin, while the second one has a flying entry and transitions into an upright (layover) camel variation.

The sit spin is the second of the three basic spin positions besides the camel and the upright spin. It is executed in a sitting position with a bent skating leg and the knee being at hip level or above (s. Petkevich 1989). The earliest sit spin was performed by American skater Jackson Haines in the 1860s. It was part of the first spin combination in history, changing from a sit to an upright position (s. Stevens 2017a).

The sit spin can be performed in many different variations, including the basic forward sit position and cannonball-variation, the pancake spin with the free leg being propped over the skating leg, the “tuck-behind”-variation, and the “broken leg”-spin as a common sideways variation (s. ISU 2023).

Hanyu’s sit spins are known for their excellent positions, high rotation speed, great centering, and creative use of arms and hands. “Notte Stellata” includes three different sit spins that are all part of a combination. The first one is a very deep forward sit spin with the free leg being fully parallel and close to the ice surface. In the same combination, Hanyu performs a pancake spin with the arms raised and extended backward, creating the image of a swan spreading its wings. The third sit spin is also the final element of the program, performed in a “tuck-behind”-position and using the arms in a similar, aesthetic way.

The layback Biellmann spin is a special variation of the upright layback spin, executed on one foot with the free leg being raised above the head from behind, and the blade being cought by one or both hands, forming the shape of a circle or tulip. This spin variation requires high flexibility in the back and shoulders (s. Hines 2006), with only few male skaters being able to perform it, among them Michael Christian Martinez from the Philippines, who is known for his exceptional body extension during the Biellmann spin (s. Gasgonia 2014).

The first to perform a layback Biellmann spin in competition was Russian skater Tamara Moskvina in 1960. Cecilia Colledge from Great Britain had already performed a one-handed Biellmann at the 1937 World Championships (s. Stevens 2017a), however, that spin was executed from a camel instead of a layback position. The Biellmann spin was named after Swiss skater Denise Biellmann, who popularized it in the 1970s.

In “Notte Stellata”, Hanyu performs a layback Biellmann spin as the final position of a spin combination, entered from a sit spin with a change of foot between them. His Biellmann position has a circular shape, which is less common than the full extension or tulip shape.

The hydroblading or Hanyublading is a skating movement in the field that is executed backward in a very low sit position, usually on the inside edge of the blade, with the skating leg deeply bent and the free leg crossed behind. The upper body can either lean forward with both hands skimming the ice, or remain slightly upright, performing a one-handed or free-handed hydroblading (s. Skate Canada). With its long gliding movement on one foot and the free leg being raised to hip level, the hydroblading can be understood as a special spiral variation in sit position.

The first skater to perform a hydroblading was American Ronnie Robertson at the 1958 World Championships in Nottingham. Almost half a decade later, Canadian ice dancers Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraaz popularized the element in the 1990s and early 2000s (s. Stevens 2017b). Since the 2022–23 figure skating season, it is mandatory to include two different field movements or non-listed elements in the senior men’s and women’s choreographic sequence, with the hydroblading being among the suggestions in the ISU’s technical panel handbook (s. ISU 2023).

Hanyu is known for his remarkable number of difficult and creative variations of this field move, including a difficult execution with both hands tuck behind the back, a variation with the free foot being grabbed with one hand or a deep lean forward while kissing the ice, which inspired the move’s new name “Hanyublading”. In “Notte Stellata”, he performs a one-handed hydroblading with spread arms, resembling a swan with spread wings gliding across a lake. The light execution and huge ice coverage with a diameter of about 20 meters make it one of the most impressive and visually appealing elements in figure skating.

The spread eagle is probably the oldest and most frequently used skating movement in the field, being already described by Robert Jones in his book The Art of Skating in 1772. It is executed sideways in an upright body position with spread skating feet in one line and the toes pointing outward, resulting ideally in one circular ice mark. It can be executed on the inside or outside edge of the blades (s. Jones 1772). In many European countries, the spread eagle is called the “moon” for its moon-shaped ice mark.

In his “Notte Stellata” performance at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Hanyu performs a cascade of three spread eagles on an exceptionally deep inside edge with an angle of less than 50 degrees between his body and the ice surface. The cascade is entered immediately from a hydroblading and executed with a change of direction from clockwise to counterclockwise movement and vice versa, resulting in a skating sequence with beautiful rhythm and flow.

The sit twizzle is a very rare twizzle variation developed over the last few decades. It is a fusion of the upright twizzle and the sit spin, usually performed either in a basic forward or pancake position with the free leg bring crossed and propped over the skating leg. Russian ice dancers Alexandra Stephanova and Ivan Bukin performed impressive side-by-side sit twizzles in various free dance programs.

Hanyu is the first figure skater to use a sit twizzle as a spin entry in competition. He performed it as a transition into a camel spin in his free skate program Origin at the 2018 Autumn Classic and as a sit spin entry in the short program “Let Me Entertain You” in the 2020–21 season. In his “Notte Stellata” performance at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Hanyu included a sit twizzle in a basic forward position, executing 4 ½ revolutions with a forward entry and backward exit.

The single Axel jump is the oldest of the six basic figure skating jumps, invented by and named after Norwegian skater Axel Paulsen (s. Petkevich 1989). The Axel is the only basic jump with a forward take-off, making it the easiest one to identify (s. Abad-Santos 2014). It is an edge jump with no toe-assist, executed on the outside edge of the blade and landed backward on the opposite foot, completing 1 ½ revolutions in the air in the case of a single Axel. The dangerous forward edge take-off and extra half revolution make it the most difficult of the six basic jumps. Paulsen was the first skater to land a single Axel in competition in 1882 (s. Hines 2011).

The delayed single Axel is a special variation, where the skater takes off with an open body position and delays the rotation until reaching the peak of the jump, achieving a feeling of weightlessness called ballon. Then they either pull in to complete the rotation or maintain an open position until the landing. This special technique was tought by former ski jumper and famous skating coach Gustave Lussi, who guided Dick Button, John Curry, and Dorothy Hamill among others (s. Button 2013). One of the most notable skaters to perform a delayed single Axel was Austrian Felix Kaspar, who achieved incredible trajectories of up to 1.20 meters height and six meters distance (s. Hines 2015). However, due to the increasing value of multirotational jumps, the single Axel has disappeared from competition and is rarely performed in exhibitions or ice shows today.

In “Notte Stellata”, Hanyu performs a delayed single Axel with an open body position from take-off to landing. The jump stands out for its remarkable ice coverage, long maintained running edge, and elegant use of arms and hands in the air.

The triple Axel is an Axel jump with 3 ½ revolutions in the air. The first skater to land it successfully in international competition was Canadian skater Vern Taylor at the 1978 World Championships. The following decades, the triple Axel has become a common jump in the men’s short and free skate program. However, many skaters still struggle to land it consistently in competition, and very few include it in exhibition programs.

Hanyu’s triple Axel jump is widely regarded as the greatest in history for its exceptional quality, difficulty, variety, and consistency. The clean edge take-off with minimal pre-rotation on the ice and a strong vaulting technique help him perform triple Axels of very large trajectories. His efficient stroking technique allows him to enter the jump from a variety of difficult entries and land it with creative exits. In “Notte Stellata”, he mostly uses a sandwich of upright twizzles as a transition in and out of the triple Axel. At the 2017 Rostelecom Cup in Moscow, he replaced the first twizzle by a Mohawk-entry with a preceding change of edge.

The pancake sit spiral is a very rare skating movement in the field of unknown origin. It is executed as a backward spiral in the pancake sit position, with the free leg being crossed at hip level and propped over the skating leg. American figure skater Johnny Weir performed this skating movement in some of his exhibition programs.

In “Notte Stellata”, Hanyu performs this sit spiral with the arms being raised and extended backward, creating the image of a swan spreading its wings. In his performances at the ice shows GIFT and Yuzuru Hanyu Notte Stellata in 2023, he added more details to his arm and hand movements and extended the duration of the sit spiral from four to impressive eight seconds.

The flying spin entry is one of the most frequently used spin entries in figure skating and a mandatory technical feature in competition. The flying entry is a jump that takes off from a forward outside edge and lands in the spinning position (s. Petkevich 1989). The earliest version of a flying spin was performed as a hop (half-turn) into a backward sit spin, invented by three-time Olympic champion Gillis Grafström from Sweden in the 1920s.

The actual flying sit spin (one revolution) and the Axel sit spin (1 ½ revolutions) were first performed by the American skaters Arthur Vaughn Jr. and William Grimditch in the 1940s. Two-time Olympic champion Dick Button introduced and popularized the flying camel entry in the same period, a jump with one revolution in the air that transitions into a camel spin (s. Stevens 2017a).

In “Notte Stellata”, Hanyu performs an impressive sequence of a pancake sit spiral followed by a flying camel as an entry into the final spin combination of the program.

The Grafström camel spin was the predecessor of the basic camel spin, invented in the 1920s by Swedish figure skater Gillis Grafström. The Grafström camel is executed in a forward position with a bent skating leg. Due to the narrow competition rules in modern times, this spin variation has mostly disappeared from the landscape of figure skating.

In “Notte Stellata”, Hanyu performs a new variation of the Grafström camel as part of a spin combination, entering it from a difficult sideways layover camel position and bending the skating leg while facing upward. He concludes the Grafström spin with a change of foot, transitioning into the final sit spin.