In their second season in the junior division, U.S. ice dancers Anaelle Kouevi, 14, and Yann Homawoo, 16, competed at last week’s Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships, coming away with a strong second-place finish. This summer, the duo have focused on training and the results of their hard work are clear.
“The competition was fun for us because we had all of our friends around. I think it was our best competition so far this season,” said Homawoo. “We’re progressing pretty well as a team and individually. We’ve made major improvements since last season, even since our first competitions” (this was their third competition of the summer).
The theme for the rhythm dance (the first part of the competition) is the music, dance styles, and feeling of the 1990s. Kouevi and Homawoo are using the music of Kris Kross, “Jump,” and Boyz II Men, “Motownphilly.” Both say even the judges smile when they hear the music.
“We’ve been using the time that we have very efficiently and it’s shown in the performances that we’ve given,” said Kouevi. “We’ve found music videos to inspire a lot of the movements in our rhythm dance. We’re trying to make it authentic.”
Their free dance is classical, set to Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” “What we really like about the music is that it holds room for a lot of different interpretations,” Kouevi said. “We’ve worked a lot with our coach to bring a more modern vibe to the music, which shows off our strength throughout the program. We want to bring a stronger presence.”
Summer involves both on-ice and off-ice training. Their dance training has included ballet, ballroom, and hip hop, and they’ve also spent time working on strength and conditioning.
Next up, the team will be heading to Ankara, Turkey, at the end of this month for an ISU Junior Grand Prix competition, their first international event. They’ve both switched to online schooling, which will give them more flexibility in terms of their schedules.
“We’re looking forward to new experiences, especially representing the United States overseas,” said Homawoo.
Added Kouevi, “Not only our first Junior Grand Prix assignment, but also our first international competition, so it’s pretty exciting. I want to show what we’ve been working on and have fun in the process.”
I would like to see a live performance. They have my best wishes for winning the gold. Nashville would be a cool city that would support ice dancing. Check us out.