Pictures by Yoriko Suzuki
Welcome to IDC’s New Group Sequence! For this collection, we interview athletes who entered the 2024-25 season in a brand new partnership, or debuted final season. On this interview, we meet Daniela Ivanitskiy & Matthew Sperry, senior ice dancers who signify Finland.
Inform us about your particular person skating journeys, together with any early particular recollections.
Daniela Ivanitskiy (DI): I began skating at age 5, if I keep in mind accurately. My first self-discipline was single skating, and I switched to bop at round age 10. My dad and mom steered I’d give ballroom dancing a shot and I made a decision I needed ballroom dancing, however on the ice, in order that’s how I ended up in ice dance. I skilled in my hometown of Helsinki and competed for Finland with my earlier companions. After COVID in spring of 2021 I got here to Novi for a tryout and simply ended up staying right here. I don’t assume my dad and mom have been anticipating that the tryout would end in me shifting internationally, however I’m glad the whole lot labored out.
A few of my favourite recollections as a younger skater are from attending coaching seminars resembling Oberstdorf. Travelling to those camps gave me the chance to satisfy new folks and make mates that I’m nonetheless shut with to today.
Matthew Sperry (MS): My skating journey began after I was 5 and attended a good friend’s ice skating celebration. On that first day I found the surprise of shifting on ice and adamantly refused to depart the rink till my dad and mom signed me up for classes. I went on to play hockey for eight years and in direction of the tip of that I additionally picked up freestyle and theatre on ice. Theatre is what actually drew me into determine skating after hockey. I liked the performing and being a part of a group. I carried out with Virginia Ice Theatre for eight years, serving to my group to win 3 Nationwide medals, 1 Nationwide Championship, and compete on the World Championships. I started ice dance after I was 12 years previous. I skilled in Maryland and Virginia for a few years after which moved to Novi, Michigan after highschool. I’ve been coaching in Michigan ever since and adore it right here!
What drew you to ice dance?
DI: I actually love how I can discover all totally different types of dancing and performing. That’s what initially drew me to ballroom dancing, however I didn’t need to solely be restricted to Latin or customary types. With ice dancing I can discover something from ballet, hip-hop and Latin to musical theater and disco dancing. My second favourite factor is working and interacting with a accomplice, I really feel that it opens so many extra potentialities of interacting and storytelling in comparison with simply skating alone. (Additionally, I’m a yapper so this sport has a built-in particular person to speak and joke round with)
MS: I used to be drawn to ice dance over freestyle by the emphasis on footwork and the technical element of the turns. I really like determining the most effective approach for every flip or twizzle. I additionally actually preferred that ice dance has a theatrical part to it which lets me use the abilities I discovered from theatre on ice. Ice dance can also be a partnered sport that necessitates teamwork. This appeals to me as I’ve discovered skating by myself isn’t as a lot enjoyable.
Inform us how your partnership began. Describe the tryout.
DI: Funnily sufficient, Matthew was the particular person I initially got here to Novi to have a tryout with three years in the past. My accomplice in Finland give up skating proper across the time of the primary COVID lockdown, so I used to be wanting round on PartnerSearch for a brand new accomplice and I ended up getting contacted by Matthew. After our first tryout, we didn’t find yourself skating collectively and located totally different companions. Nonetheless, each of our companions finally determined to cease skating to pursue training and Igor steered we’ve got a tryout. I feel Novi tryouts are sort of distinctive as Igor has skaters improvise with one another, and surprisingly it was actually good. From there issues moved fairly shortly and we went from tryout to new group inside the span of per week. Issues have a humorous manner of understanding and I assume we actually got here full circle.
MS: We truly first tried out three years in the past in Michigan with our coach Igor. We ended up skating with totally different companions after that for a couple of years however when our companions each stopped skating, we tried out once more and it clicked immediately. Having each been coached by Igor for 3 years earlier than we teamed up meant our methods have been very related and we matched properly. When skating with a brand new accomplice who’s a great match, there’s a sure simple circulate that occurs which I actually get pleasure from.
What’s it that you just already like most about dancing together with your new accomplice?
DI: Matthew actually absolutely commits to performing no matter type or character he desires to painting, and I feel that openness and willingness to carry out stands out essentially the most to me. Seeing that makes me actually excited for all of the packages and types we might skate sooner or later. He’s additionally the extra level-headed and calm out of the 2 of us, so I feel he actually balances out my extra temperamental persona. Lastly (I feel this may come from his engineer facet) Matthew is a tough employee and all the time has a plan or a step-by-step course of. I feel his manner of working and pondering is an effective way to continue learning and progressing, and his calculated type of coaching has helped us put together for competitors.
MS: What I like most about dancing with Daniela is her vitality on the ice. It’s a contented contagious vitality that helps makes essentially the most grueling follow days pleasing. I additionally actually respect how pushed she is. She has numerous initiative and brings a way of objective to what she does. I’m wanting ahead to the continued development of our connection as we preserve dancing collectively.
What experiences do every of you carry to the partnership?
DI: Since Finland doesn’t have loads of groups, I’ve been competing internationally for fairly a while, together with at 4 JGP occasions. I feel I’ve discovered about teamwork and communication from my previous partnerships, and I hope I can use these experiences to proceed to make us a stronger and extra environment friendly group.
MS: I competed for Group USA for 2 years on the JGP circuit which has given me some worldwide competitors expertise. My theatre expertise provides one other degree to our dancing. Dani has had extra worldwide publicity when it comes to coaching and competitions which I respect loads since she is aware of what to anticipate. She additionally speaks a number of languages and infrequently might help translate after we go to new locations.
What has been the largest adjustment for every of you to this point within the partnership?
DI: I feel the largest adjustment when forming a brand new group is studying a complete new particular person. Seeing how the opposite particular person trains, what sort of teaching strategies they reply to, what sort of communication works the most effective, how a lot bodily contact they’re okay with, and many others. It’s all a studying course of and it takes time. Fortunately, we’ve got each been on the identical coaching location for a while, so a minimum of the approach and magnificence should not too totally different.
MS: I’d say the largest adjustment for me has been altering nations from the USA to Finland. It’s meant much more touring to locations I by no means thought I’d go, which has been superb!
Inform us about your coaching website.
DI: We prepare in Novi, Michigan on the Novi Ice Enviornment. Along with classes on the ice we’ve got lifts, ballet, dance, pilates and exercise. We sometimes even have performing/expression classes.
Theres fairly a couple of groups right here, however I feel the environment is absolutely good. All of us get alongside and cheer for one another (particularly throughout doubles week) Throughout off season we’ve got fairly a couple of skaters visiting for coaching and choreography which is good for motivation and to see how different groups are coaching.
MS: We’ve received a giant group of wonderful coaching mates right here. I’m typically impressed by the extra skilled groups we skate with and am always pushed to enhance by my friends. We’re all a close-knit group in Novi and help one another on and off the ice.
Who’re your coaches? Did both or each should relocate? In that case, inform us concerning the transfer(s).
DI: Our fundamental teaching group consists of Igor Shpilband, Pasquale Camerlengo, Adrienne Lenda, Natalia Deller and Renee Petkovski.
I relocated from Helsinki to Novi about three and a half years in the past. As I discussed earlier, I got here to Novi for our first tryout. On account of journey restrictions organising our tryout took a while, throughout which Matthew relocated to Novi. I received an e-mail from Natalia Deller (shoutout bestie Natalia!) asking if I used to be nonetheless to attempt, however at a brand new coaching facility. I didn’t acknowledge the sender and forwarded the message to Maurizio Margaglio to ask for recommendation. His reply was: Are you loopy? Have you learnt what teaching group that’s, in fact you must go. and that’s how I ended up right here.
MS: After I moved from Virginia to Michigan over three years in the past, I selected to relocate to Michigan for each college and skating. After I was searching for schools, I utilized to College of Michigan as a result of it was close to a top-notch ice dance teaching group and had a really sturdy mechanical engineering division. After I received accepted, I selected to maneuver to Michigan because it had the most effective mixture of skating alternatives and teachers.
Who’s choreographing your packages. Is another person arranging your music? In that case, please share these experiences.
DI: Our rhythm dance is choreographed by Igor Shpilband and our free dance is choreographed by Pasquale Camerlengo. For RD Igor reduce the music, however we despatched it out for finalization. As for FD Pasquale had the music already pre-cut because it was created years in the past for one in every of his groups by Maxim Rodriguez.
MS: Our choreographers are Igor Shpilband and Pasquale Camerlengo. Our rhythm dance music was reduce by Igor and finalized by Hugo. Our free dance was a chunk Pasquale had from a few years in the past.
When you might have a lesson with any ice dancer previous/current, who would it not be? Why?
DI: There are too many selections, however I feel it could be a lesson from Guillaume Cizeron. He has such a good looking manner of shifting and flowing on the ice, and that effortlessness is absolutely one thing I’d love to include into my very own skating.
MS: I wish to have a lesson with Jean-Luc Baker. His means to create such a robust presence on the ice and develop a novel character and stylization to his skating is phenomenal. I actually admire the grace and power with which he skates.
What’s every of you wanting ahead to most this skating season? What will probably be your largest problem(s)?
DI: I’m wanting ahead to getting again to competing, as I didn’t compete final season. It’s additionally our first senior season so I’m excited for that. Our purpose is to make a great impression, and I feel our largest problem will probably be to make ourselves memorable and to ascertain ourselves.
MS: I’m most wanting ahead to having the ability to present who we’re as senior skaters on the worldwide stage. Additionally I’m actually wanting ahead to persevering with to gel additional as a brand new group and bettering our connection on the ice. I assume the largest challenges would be the struggles most new groups face like integrating skating types and establishing unison.
What’s your debut competitors this season?
DI: Our first occasion of the season was Denis Ten Memorial in Astana, Kazakhstan.
MS: Our subsequent competitors would be the Egna Ice Dance Trophy in February.
Please share something you desire to our readers to learn about you as a group?
DI: We’re excited to get on the market and begin making a reputation for ourselves. We additionally love reveals and hopefully getting onto the worldwide scene will give us extra alternatives to take part in them.
MS: We’re actually wanting ahead to rising collectively as a group and sharing our love of skating with our audiences by performances that make them need to dance too!
