Meet ice dancer Amanda City

On this Q&A, we introduce you to Amanda City, an ice dancer who competes within the junior solo mixed dance occasions. She trains with ,at Ashburn Ice Home and is coached by IKatrina Shalin, Vitaliy Shalin, and Ruslan Goncharov. 

Inform us about how your skating journey started. What drew you to the ice? Do you could have any particular recollections?
My skating journey started in 2015 when my mother and father signed me and my sister up for a be taught to skate summer season camp. I had no thought find out how to skate and had by no means actually tried it earlier than the camp. I keep in mind the primary time I stepped on the ice, it felt a lot completely different than how I anticipated it could be, however I liked it. After the week-long camp, I actually wished to proceed studying find out how to skate so my mother and father signed me up for be taught to skate courses and it just about took off from there.

When and why did you select to do solo dance?
I started my skating journey competing on a synchronized skating group. On my third season of synchro, my coach prompt that I attempt ice dance classes to assist with issues like my timing, posture, skating abilities, and so on. I ended up taking classes and I liked it! After only a few weeks of classes my coach, Vitaliy Shalin, requested if I wished to attempt competing within the solo dance sequence. He defined that I may compete within the preliminary patterns, and that if I scored excessive sufficient I may qualify for nationals. In fact I mentioned sure, and in 2019 I competed in preliminary patterns, and I ended up qualifying and competing at nationals in Provo, Utah. I’ve competed yearly since, and I’m now competing Junior Mixed. Ever since my first season, I’ve completely liked competing within the solo dance sequence. 

What do you want most about Solo Dance? What sort of music to you wish to skate to the most effective? Why?
I really like that solo dance provides dancers the chance to nonetheless compete and not using a associate. I like to compete and whereas I’m looking for a associate, I’m so grateful I’m nonetheless capable of carry out and keep aggressive. In solo dance, the junior and senior ranges have a rhythm dance and a free dance, identical to the ice dance groups. This season the junior rhythm dance theme was tango together with your alternative of favor from the choices they gave. I selected to skate to a flamenco together with the tango, and I actually have loved it! I wish to skate to all types of music however I feel the flamenco and tango types this 12 months have been certainly one of my favorites. After I hear my music I really feel I have to skate with a lot of energy, I must be quick and fierce, and I actually take pleasure in that. I additionally actually like skating to up to date or lyrical items of music, I like to simply skate and really feel the music, it’s among the finest issues about skating. 

Inform us about your coaching website. 
I’ve skated on the Ashburn Ice Home in Ashburn, Virginia because the first time I’ve ever stepped foot on the ice. This summer season, I’ve began coaching extra at SkateQuest in Reston, as we now have dance solely ice time Monday by Thursday which has been tremendous useful because it will get fairly busy on summer season freestyle classes. My teaching group consists of Katrina Shalin, Vitaliy Shalin, and Ruslan Goncharov. I can’t think about a greater group of coaches, all of them contribute various things to my skating/applications and are simply so useful to me. They’re every extraordinarily devoted at what they do and spend a lot of their time perfecting my skating, and all of their different skaters as properly.  It is extremely essential to me to not solely have coaches who can educate properly, however to have coaches who really care about their college students and wish the most effective for them. Now we have a reasonably large group of solo dancers, skaters from the decrease ranges to the upper ranges, however all of us assist each other. This season we even have 5 junior dancers, together with myself. All of us are aggressive, after all, however we’re all mates and we cheer one another on. We’re all a group and really supportive of one another, it’s an excellent group!

Who choreographed your applications. What do you want greatest about dancing to them?
Katrina Shalin and Ruslan Goncharov did my choreography this season. They’re very inventive and know precisely what every program wants. This 12 months I selected to skate to the “Avatar” film soundtrack for my free dance. Initially I selected a recent type of music, we choreographed rather less than half this system however then I made a decision it simply didn’t really feel proper. In an effort to skate to music, it is advisable to have a reference to it, which I didn’t really feel to that piece of music. I informed my coaches and we instantly started looking for new music. I used to be looking for one thing with extra of a storyline.  I wished one thing distinctive and funky, one thing that will actually be attention-grabbing to observe. I heard the “Avatar” soundtrack and I actually preferred the thought. I then informed my coach, Katrina, about this concept and he or she helped discover some extra songs and brainstorm new concepts. We bought this program accomplished in a short time, simply in time for the 2023 Solo Dance Camp in Dallas, Texas. At solo dance camp I had the chance to work with Randi Sturdy who was additionally very useful in including issues to each of my applications.

Solo Dance shall be a world self-discipline this season? Share your ideas about this modification.
I’m so excited to listen to about Solo Dance changing into a world self-discipline! I feel this actually helps open the door for a lot of dancers who’re struggling to discover a associate, or simply wish to compete in ice dance and not using a associate. Since my first 12 months of solo dance, again in 2019, I’ve seen it develop.  I consider since it will likely be on the worldwide stage, extra consideration shall be delivered to it, and extra individuals will wish to attempt it. I feel it’s additionally nice to not solely compete in opposition to skaters out of your area or inside your nation, however to have the chance to compete in opposition to skaters from different nations as properly. I’m simply so glad to see that solo dance shall be worldwide, and might’t await the alternatives that this may carry.

In skating, what are you most wanting ahead to this season? What shall be your greatest problem(s)?
I’m most wanting ahead to competing at my final couple of qualifying competitions, and hopefully the Nationwide Solo Dance remaining in Chicago, IL. I’m actually excited to compete in Lake Placid, New York. It’s a enjoyable competitors, and skating on the rink the Olympics passed off is mostly a nice expertise. I feel my greatest problem shall be nationals.  I’ve been working tougher than I ever have in previous seasons and I actually do really feel it’s paying off. My purpose this season is to skate two skates that I’m happy with and earn a medal at nationals; I’d like to win. To date I’ve earned a gold medal from all six of my competitions, and I’m actually happy with that. In case you had been to inform me final season and even simply earlier than this season began, the place I’m at proper now, I’d not consider you. I’ve actually stunned myself to this point and I’m excited for what’s subsequent!

In case you may have a lesson with any ice dancer previous/current, who would it not be? Why?
This can be a laborious choice as there are such a lot of superb ice dancers I look as much as. However, If I had been to choose, I’d say both Maddison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue or Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron. Each groups have such distinctive types of skating that basically encourage me. I really like their energy and easy types of skating. 

What are your favourite off-ice actions?
This can be a query I get requested usually and I by no means know what to reply as a result of I wish to be on the ice just about all day on a regular basis. It’s one thing I don’t get uninterested in, but when I needed to choose I’d say procuring and touring. I journey so much for competitions and I’ve gone to actually cool locations, a few of my favorites have been Provo, UT, Lake Placid, NY and Nashville, TN. All of them are actually fairly areas and I’ve actually loved visiting there. 

Please share anything you desire to our readers to find out about you as a skater?
One thing I need individuals to see once they watch me skate is my ardour for skating. I don’t simply skate as a result of I’ve been doing it for some time or for another motive. I skate as a result of I really like it and luxuriate in coming to apply day-after-day. I feel that’s what actually could make a skater stand out.