Max & Tanya Blog update
New York, New York
Hello, everyone, as you know, we've recently been spending time in the USA working on the choreography of the new season's programmes. We left for China on June 15th to participate a show, after which we are scheduled to skate in Japan. We are going back to Moscow on July 5th. We will tell you what were we doing in the USA. It was very interesting.
Tanya: When we arrived we hired a car. It is hard to get around without one. We lived in Clifton, NJ. It's a 15 minutes drive from the rink, which is in Hackensack. Nikolai Morozov choreographed two new programmes for us. We are more of a pair now than we were last year, so we can attempt something more interesting and with greater difficulty. It was interesting and fun working with Nikolai. What are the programmes? We are keeping it a secret for the moment. We'll just say we worked with a Broadway choreographer Jermaine Brown on our SP.
Maksim: He is one of the best in NY (www.JermaineBrowne.com), he's very well known among the professionals, he worked with Christina Aguilera, Madonna, almost with all the pop stars either as a dancer or as a choreographer. We worked with him in the studio but sometimes he visited us on the rink.
Tanya: He is a very positive person, with lots of energy that he projects on to others and the atmosphere of working with him was great. It was easy and fun. Working on our SP he gave a different shape to our moves, tried to adapt the dancing lines to the ice. After all, things that are possible on the dance floor will not necessarily work on the ice.
Maksim: We also had some private lessons. They allowed us to get a better feeling for the music we will be skating to. It's very important, since our SP this season is a surprise. It's not at all what everyone expects to see a pair team to do.
Tanya: There is a whole dance studio on Broadway. A kind of a dancing centre. You can choose any dancing style there.
Maksim: The choise is very broad - from modern ballet to hip hop. We took hip hop and street jazz lessons.
Tanya: We realized we have still plenty to work on in our movements and lines. On the ice we do one thing, but dance is a completly different matter. I think the knowledge we gained will help us in figure skating.
Maksim: We were working with no days off. We spent all the days on the rink, tried new elements. Tanya learned the throw 3F. We also changed the lifts because the rules have changed. Learned new death spirals. But we should mention that the work in the USA was mostly on choreography, we'll work on the elements in Italy where we are going on 17th.
Tanya: Twice when we were supposed to have time off we went training in Conneticut. There is an Olympic sized ice there. It's where everyone prepared for the Olympics. Urmanov, Arakawa, Gordeeva/Grinkov, Navka/Kostomarov skated there.
Maksim: In the free time, which we hardly had, we toured NY.
Tanya: We had one day off when we went to get our visas for China. We had to meet Nikolai Morozov after, but still we had a couple of hours left. So we took a boat to the Statue of Liberty, and saw the park that was made from the old train station
Maksim: One of the old metro lines was turned into a modern style pedestrian area. We liked it. It's very green, which is rather unusual for NY.
Tanya: We also got to see the musical `Billy Elliott'. I saw it for the first time.
Maksim: I liked the set the most. It was very professionally made. I Can't say I was more impressed with `Billy Elliott', then, let's say, with `Monte Cristo'. On the other hand I though `Zorro' was not as good as `Billy Elliott'. Anyway, Russia can compete with the USA.
Tanya: and now as usually we'll answer some questions.
Q: Was there anything new that you haven't done before?
Tanya: Broadway dancing is new and interesting for us, as far as we know there is no such organization in Russia.
Maksim: Yes, Russia is more into the classics, floor dances and acrobatics. There is so much variety. We also spent a lot of time in the USA working on steps and stroking.
Q: How did you celebrate your birthday? What did you get from Stas, Maksim, Nina Mozer?
Tanya: First of all thank you all so much for the greetings! It was lovely to read all the warm comments! Nina Mozer gave me a gift card to one of the shops. Stas gave me something special which I will not reveal. Maksim gave me a wallet that I wanted for quite a while.
Maksim: It was a great celebration. We all met and went to a restaurant `Jekyll and Hyde' which is decorated like a horror room. The actors work there. They run around scaring you. And there are some special effects. It's a 3 floors building placed in Manhatten. It's a children's heaven- there are pictures with moving eyes, a talking shark sticking out from the walls and since most of our group are rather young they had fun. It was quite a party since all of Nikolai's pupils joined us.
Q: What do you like and dislike the most in training?
Maksim: We like skating together the most. Skating separately the least.
Q: You will have an opportunity to participate three GP events. Will you use it? After all if all the medalists will want to participate 3 events you will be facing each other.
Maksim: Right now we plan to participate two events. But if we want and will be ready we might participate the Russian event as well. Russia can have 3 local pairs and one spot will be vacant almost till the end.
Tanya: Also the scoring is important: the best 2 results are counted. The 3rd, the worst is not counted. We decided to participate two more competitions: in Germany and Slovakia to increase our standing.
Maksim: as for facing our rivals - we don't care. The most importnant thing is to do your own job. The earlier we start competing the better. We are not training so we can later choose who to face and whom not.
Q: There will be shows in June and July in Japan. Will you participate? If you will - will you be staying in Japan or going elsewhere between?
Maksim: we'll participate both shows and will be in Japan all that time. Of course if there will be an opportunity to train we will.
Q: You had an exhibition on June 11th in the USA. Tell us about it.
Maksim: there is an ice rink where Stas coached young pairs. The management of the rink are our friends. They asked us to come and hold an autograph session, to be photographed with the kids, to do a master class. We skated a bit, showed some elements. Some people came, watched and clapped. That's about it. Such things are quite popular in the USA. Rachel Flatt was there before us.
That's it, till later.
Original translation here and blog here
Hello, everyone, as you know, we've recently been spending time in the USA working on the choreography of the new season's programmes. We left for China on June 15th to participate a show, after which we are scheduled to skate in Japan. We are going back to Moscow on July 5th. We will tell you what were we doing in the USA. It was very interesting.
Tanya: When we arrived we hired a car. It is hard to get around without one. We lived in Clifton, NJ. It's a 15 minutes drive from the rink, which is in Hackensack. Nikolai Morozov choreographed two new programmes for us. We are more of a pair now than we were last year, so we can attempt something more interesting and with greater difficulty. It was interesting and fun working with Nikolai. What are the programmes? We are keeping it a secret for the moment. We'll just say we worked with a Broadway choreographer Jermaine Brown on our SP.
Maksim: He is one of the best in NY (www.JermaineBrowne.com), he's very well known among the professionals, he worked with Christina Aguilera, Madonna, almost with all the pop stars either as a dancer or as a choreographer. We worked with him in the studio but sometimes he visited us on the rink.
Tanya: He is a very positive person, with lots of energy that he projects on to others and the atmosphere of working with him was great. It was easy and fun. Working on our SP he gave a different shape to our moves, tried to adapt the dancing lines to the ice. After all, things that are possible on the dance floor will not necessarily work on the ice.
Maksim: We also had some private lessons. They allowed us to get a better feeling for the music we will be skating to. It's very important, since our SP this season is a surprise. It's not at all what everyone expects to see a pair team to do.
Tanya: There is a whole dance studio on Broadway. A kind of a dancing centre. You can choose any dancing style there.
Maksim: The choise is very broad - from modern ballet to hip hop. We took hip hop and street jazz lessons.
Tanya: We realized we have still plenty to work on in our movements and lines. On the ice we do one thing, but dance is a completly different matter. I think the knowledge we gained will help us in figure skating.
Maksim: We were working with no days off. We spent all the days on the rink, tried new elements. Tanya learned the throw 3F. We also changed the lifts because the rules have changed. Learned new death spirals. But we should mention that the work in the USA was mostly on choreography, we'll work on the elements in Italy where we are going on 17th.
Tanya: Twice when we were supposed to have time off we went training in Conneticut. There is an Olympic sized ice there. It's where everyone prepared for the Olympics. Urmanov, Arakawa, Gordeeva/Grinkov, Navka/Kostomarov skated there.
Maksim: In the free time, which we hardly had, we toured NY.
Tanya: We had one day off when we went to get our visas for China. We had to meet Nikolai Morozov after, but still we had a couple of hours left. So we took a boat to the Statue of Liberty, and saw the park that was made from the old train station
Maksim: One of the old metro lines was turned into a modern style pedestrian area. We liked it. It's very green, which is rather unusual for NY.
Tanya: We also got to see the musical `Billy Elliott'. I saw it for the first time.
Maksim: I liked the set the most. It was very professionally made. I Can't say I was more impressed with `Billy Elliott', then, let's say, with `Monte Cristo'. On the other hand I though `Zorro' was not as good as `Billy Elliott'. Anyway, Russia can compete with the USA.
Tanya: and now as usually we'll answer some questions.
Q: Was there anything new that you haven't done before?
Tanya: Broadway dancing is new and interesting for us, as far as we know there is no such organization in Russia.
Maksim: Yes, Russia is more into the classics, floor dances and acrobatics. There is so much variety. We also spent a lot of time in the USA working on steps and stroking.
Q: How did you celebrate your birthday? What did you get from Stas, Maksim, Nina Mozer?
Tanya: First of all thank you all so much for the greetings! It was lovely to read all the warm comments! Nina Mozer gave me a gift card to one of the shops. Stas gave me something special which I will not reveal. Maksim gave me a wallet that I wanted for quite a while.
Maksim: It was a great celebration. We all met and went to a restaurant `Jekyll and Hyde' which is decorated like a horror room. The actors work there. They run around scaring you. And there are some special effects. It's a 3 floors building placed in Manhatten. It's a children's heaven- there are pictures with moving eyes, a talking shark sticking out from the walls and since most of our group are rather young they had fun. It was quite a party since all of Nikolai's pupils joined us.
Q: What do you like and dislike the most in training?
Maksim: We like skating together the most. Skating separately the least.
Q: You will have an opportunity to participate three GP events. Will you use it? After all if all the medalists will want to participate 3 events you will be facing each other.
Maksim: Right now we plan to participate two events. But if we want and will be ready we might participate the Russian event as well. Russia can have 3 local pairs and one spot will be vacant almost till the end.
Tanya: Also the scoring is important: the best 2 results are counted. The 3rd, the worst is not counted. We decided to participate two more competitions: in Germany and Slovakia to increase our standing.
Maksim: as for facing our rivals - we don't care. The most importnant thing is to do your own job. The earlier we start competing the better. We are not training so we can later choose who to face and whom not.
Q: There will be shows in June and July in Japan. Will you participate? If you will - will you be staying in Japan or going elsewhere between?
Maksim: we'll participate both shows and will be in Japan all that time. Of course if there will be an opportunity to train we will.
Q: You had an exhibition on June 11th in the USA. Tell us about it.
Maksim: there is an ice rink where Stas coached young pairs. The management of the rink are our friends. They asked us to come and hold an autograph session, to be photographed with the kids, to do a master class. We skated a bit, showed some elements. Some people came, watched and clapped. That's about it. Such things are quite popular in the USA. Rachel Flatt was there before us.
That's it, till later.
Original translation here and blog here