The Future of Figure Skating Anna Kellar

Episode Notes
Maja Luther is a creative working in performative arts creating interdisciplinary work with ice, and working in figure skating, focusing on movement skills and efficiency. Maja has an MA in Creative Practice and a diploma in dance studies from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of music and dance inLondon, UK. She performed over a decade in professional shows as soloist, and in that time managed and led ice shows and choreographed professional performances.

Maja was previously a guest on episode 26, as part of the Contemporary Skating Alliance, and I wanted to have her back on the podcast to discuss the article she recently published in the journal of Dance and Somatic Practice, called “Body Melts: A Somatic Approach to Figure Skating”.

Episode transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cP6djxpGE4XY-Xc_2OyA7WJHXUynvSrVvGeadKiC5g0/edit?usp=sharing

You can follow Maja's work on YouTube and Instagram at Studio Maja Luther. Her article, called “Body Melts: A Somatic Approach to Figure Skating” is in the most recent issue of the Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices. https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/jdsp_00108_1

You can watch a video of the Body Melts installation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ5yTEO7XOw

We also referenced Sonja Hilmer's Matrix program (filmed here by On Ice Perspectives: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLNJLyJqAPU) and Deniss Vasiljevs' In the Air Tonight program, which is partially improvised in each performance.

You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com or on Instagram and Twitter @futurefspodcast If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends!

Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating

Find out more at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

Episode Notes
I’m so excited to bring you this conversation with Gabriella Papadakis. With her ice dance partner Guillaume Cizeron, Gabi is the 2022 Olympic champion, the 2018 Olympic Silver Medalist, and a five time World Champion. She’s been taking a break from competition the last two seasons, skating in shows with Guillaume and exploring life away from the rink. Gabi has been vocal about support for opening up dance to teams of any gender, and in 2023, she and Madison Hubbell shared a video of them building a program together. We talked about partnering and improv, the process of coming out as queer, and the pressure put on women skaters to conform to rigid standards of femininity. This was such a delightful conversation and I really hope you enjoy it!

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/

You can see clips of her recent show skating on her Instagram @gabriellapapadakis and via On Ice Perspectives.

You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com or on Instagram and Twitter @futurefspodcast

If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating

Find out more at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

Episode Notes
Part 2 of my conversation with choreographer, director, and producer Sandra Bezic! We talked about the World Championships in Montreal and the moments that made Sandra more optimistic about pairs skating and the future of the sport. We also got into the proposals from the ISU Technical Committee for Singles and Pairs to add a choreographic lift and spin to the pairs free skate.

Transcript of our conversation at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vylQQ1GQQrbSsXatPIKzVA0_V6YcksIfUHt0E1HDY_E/edit#heading=h.eweywq5frae5

My article on the proposed changes to pairs and interview with Fabio Bianchetti of the ISU Technical Committee: https://anythinggoe.com/isu-congress-to-decide-big-changes-for-pairs/

You can follow Sandra on Twitter and Instagram @SandraBezic . Her website is smbcreative.ca

You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com or on Instagram and Twitter @futurefspodcast 

Thanks to Ivan Danilyuk for editing this episode.

If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends!

Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating

Find out more at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

Episode Notes
Part 1 of my conversation with choreographer, director, and producer Sandra Bezic! With her brother Val, Sandra was a four-time Canadian pairs champion and competed in the 1972 Olympics. She is most well known, however, as a choreographer and the creative force behind many skating shows and TV programs. She has choreographed for champions like Brian Boitano, Kurt Browning, Katarina Witt, Lu Chen, and Tara Lipinksi. Most recently, she made Lindsay Thorngren’s short program for the 23/24 season. She was the director of Stars on Ice for many years and collaborated with David Wilson on Yuna Kim’s All That Skate and Javier Fernandez’s Revolution on Ice. Sandra also produced the Canadian TV program Battle of the Blades and in 2023 made the series  “I Have Nothing” alongside comedian Carolyn Taylor.

Sandra has a unique understanding of how to make skating appeal to general audiences, and we had a great conversation about choreography, entertainment, and the changes she’d like to see in the sport. 

Transcript of our conversation at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16tp4AuF159XJuNPMNxgpq82pGFxA9GOUTNMFLfJESvE/edit#heading=h.tje8hivsf0d

I’ve made a playlist of a few of Sandra's choreographies that is accessible on our YouTube page. 

You can follow Sandra on Twitter and Instagram @SandraBezic . Her website is smbcreative.ca

You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com or on Instagram and Twitter @futurefspodcast 

If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends!

Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating

Find out more at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

Episode Notes
My guest today is journalist and author Christine Brennan. Christine is a USA Today columnist and frequently appears on ABC, CNN, and PBS. She has covered figure skating since the Calgary Olympics, and her books Inside Edge and Edge of Glory are classics. Christine is also actively reporting on the sexual abuse scandals in figure skating, and we talked about covering these difficult topics and holding institutions accountable.

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RLvetYplX8JsLwfD6OwkoGEUbWLsPLN5d--xdrCZ68o/edit#heading=h.am5hlkrye8qq

You can follow Christine on X/Twitter @cbrennansports . Her website is www.christinebrennan.com

You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com or on Instagram and Twitter @futurefspodcast If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating

Find out more at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

Episode Notes
What will it take to end the crisis of abuse in sports? This issue has been reverberating in the skating world, as more survivors have come forward with their stories, and the institutions charged with protecting athletes have largely failed to make the needed changes. Gymnasts for Change Canada advocates for eradicating maltreatment and misconduct in sport and is at the forefront of the campaign for a national inquiry into sport in Canada. Their sister organization, Figure Skaters for Change Canada, which is anonymous, has also published an open letter pushing Skate Canada to address specific cases of abuse, as well as making systemic changes.

My guests, Amelia Cline and Abby Spadafora, are board members of Gymnasts for Change Canada, and are themselves survivors of abuse during their careers in elite gymnastics. We discussed the pathways to making change in this seemingly intractable problem, and what fans of skating can do to support survivors.

You can follow their work at their website, https://www.gymnasts4changecanada.com/ and @Gym4ChangeCan

Amelia Cline is on Twitter at @ameliagrace1989 
Abby Spadafora is at @abbyspadafora 

You can also learn more about the sibling organization Figure Skaters for Change Canada at
@FSforchangeCan

Report by Global Athlete and Gym4ChangeCanada:
Canadian Safe Sport Think Tank Report

You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com or on Instagram and Twitter @futurefspodcast 

If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends!

Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating

Find out more at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co