2016 PROGRESSIVE SKATE AMERICA
distinct and sharp, there’s little room for error. And some international judges, more accus- tomed to tangos and waltzes, might not respond to the dance movement born in the streets of the South Bronx. “Pretty much the top of U.S. ice dance is
trying hip-hop, and I think the reason is we’re all pretty strong, we’re all willing to take that risk,” Hubbell said. “It’s the season before the Olym- pics. It’s the time to try new things.” Te Shibutanis welcomed the challenge.
Teir choice: Frank Sinatra’s “Tat’s Life,” used for both the blues portion of their short dance, including the pattern dance steps, and in a hip-hop remix by rapper and songwriter Jay-Z. Te siblings, who won their first U.S. ti-
tle and a World silver medal last season after a five-season absence from the World podium, think Sinatra’s worldly wise but hopeful ballad could be their anthem. “It reflects who we are, what we’ve been
through,” Alex said. “It took a certain life experi- ence we’ve had in our career to really relate to it.” Maia and Alex took several trips to Los An-
elements and 106.99 points. Tey overtook the Russians to win silver with 175.77 points. “We went into this kind of saying, ‘We
have nothing to lose, let’s go in with as much in- tention as we can, don’t try to save any energy,’” Hubbell said. “It taught me a lot about what this program
is capable of, if that is what we can put out in less-than-perfect circumstances,” Donohue said after the free dance. “I think this program has incredible potential.” Two-time U.S. junior bronze medalists El-
liana Pogrebinsky and Alex Benoit performed a fun short dance to an Elvis Presley medley, paired with an exotic free dance to Rimsky-Kor- sakov’s Sadko and “Te Feeling Begins” by Peter Gabriel. Te couple placed seventh in their se- nior Grand Prix debut with 151.76 points. “It’s forced us to be stronger, to push our-
selves,” Pogrebinsky said of graduating to the senior level. “We’re not really thinking about scores. Our goal is to get out there and show that we belong, show what we can do.”
Ice dancers chase the hip-hop beat
By Lynn Rutherford Twizzles and swing rolls are important, but
this season it’s all about locking, pumping and grooving. Hip-hop comes to ice dance big time as one
of the approved rhythms for the short dance, and Alex Shibutani and Maia Shibutani, and Madi- son Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, were quick to take the plunge. Te style isn’t for everyone. Te beat is so
geles in the spring, building connections with artists in the hip-hop world. Among them: Ho- kuto “Hok” Konishi of Quest Crew, winners of the third and eighth seasons of “America’s Best Dance Crew.” “We worked with Hok in L.A. in the
spring, and he’s also visited us in (Canton) Mich- igan,” Maia said. “We want to be as authentic as possible.” Te Shibutanis also wanted to carry the
message of “Tat’s Life” throughout the pro- gram, and sought a way to use Sinatra’s classic in the hip-hop section as well. So another member of Quest Crew, Ryan “Ryanimay” Conferido, worked with them to create a mash-up of the two artists. “We thought, ‘What would a collaboration
sound like between Frank Sinatra and Jay-Z, two such iconic artists?’ And Ryan created a mix for us,” Alex said. “He did a lot of amazing sampling to create a one-of-a-kind piece.” Viewers should watch carefully as the sib-
lings add more detail during the season: a saucy flip of Maia’s ponytail, Alex flicking imaginary dirt off of his black tux. “We’re just hanging loose, having a good
time,” Alex said. “Tere are so many Easter eggs layered in the choreography and music of this program, we’re excited to go throughout the sea- son and let people discover them for themselves. We’ll work hard to ensure they are visible.” According to their bio, Hubbell and Dono-
hue’s short dance includes a “hip-hop medley by various artists,” but there’s a bit more to the sto- ry.
“We’re doing a progression of time, start-
ing in the 1960s and going until now, and so we have nine different music selections,” Hubbell said. “In a true hip-hop performance, a lot of times they put just a few seconds of each song together to create their own unique music, and that’s what we’ve done.” Te medley of nine selections starts with
Elliana Pogrebinsky and Alex Benoit
James Brown, Salt-N-Pepa and MC Hammer, goes into LL Cool J and finishes up with “Turn Down for What” by Lil Jon and DJ Snake. “Our goal is to appeal to every audience
group,” Hubbell said. “Judges from an older generation don’t always know modern hip-hop songs, so it’s harder for them to relate. Tey love the beginning and the middle, and the end ap- peals to the younger crowd.” Like the Shibutanis, Hubbell and Donohue
sought help to bring hip-hop to the ice, working with dancer and choreographer Samuel Choui- nard at their training base in Montreal. “We wanted to go into very modern
hip-hop, not kind of a fusion, and he’s really helped us with that,” Hubbell said. “You know, this program is a real pain to
write up on the music forms,” she added. “But it’s fun to perform.”
SKATING 15 Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue
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