Siblings Oona and Gage Brow been attracting attention for a while, but especially after performing their 2020-2021 free dance to Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" in Bryant Park, New York City, this December. Captured by On-Ice Perspectives, the dance was picked up by several media outlets and celebrated for its dynamism and the unexpected pairing of hard rock and ice dance.
"We didn't expect to reach this many people with our skating, and are very humbled by the response it's been getting," said Gage.
In comparison, their rhythm dance is more traditional, a jazzy and energetic program set to "When I Get My Name in Lights" and "Everything Old Is New Again" from
The Boy From Oz.
"Since the theme for the rhythm dance is Broadway, we thought this would be a good fit for both of us," said Gage.
The petite but powerful junior ice dance team from Long Island, New York, will look to earn the U.S. junior ice dance title this week at the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships. And things are looking up after their recent win at the 2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championship Series presented by Toyota.
"We were surprised, but the first place motivates us even more for the U.S. Championships," Gage commented.
Their win was a continuation of their steady improvement last season; they competed in two Junior Grand Prix events in Italy and Russia, placing in the top 10 in both, then went on to the 2020 U.S. Ice Dance Final, finishing in fourth place. Then there was the 2020 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, where they placed third, qualifying for the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2020 in Tallinn, Estonia.
"We were pleased with our results (overall), and enjoyed visiting Italy and Russia for the Junior Grand Prix events," said Oona. "Obviously we were very excited to qualify for the World Championships, it was one of our season goals."
The team considered both the U.S. Championships and the World Junior Championships "amazing experiences," but the U.S. Championships will always be their highlight.
"We felt our performance was pretty good, and we were so surprised to place, especially considering that we had only been to the Championships (at that level) one other time before," said Gage.
No matter what they are skating to, the Browns bring something unique to the ice dance table. Their skating feels expansive as if they are growing throughout their performance and perhaps they are. They have a style and uncommonly mature presence that has only improved, and after a difficult year when many events were canceled due to COVID-19, they are looking forward to competing in Las Vegas.
"Our goals are definitely to place first at the Championships this year," said Oona.
Like other skaters around the world, the Browns had their training routine upended in March. After a successful debut at the World Junior Championships, they returned from Estonia, and shortly after, New York state went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"With New York being one of the first states to lock down and probably one of the first to-reopen, we were off the ice for about four months," said Gage. "But we live together, so it was easier to continue our training routine."
The team's training routine included lots of off-ice work, including choreography, and even rollerblading, which Gage noted required an "adjustment" compared to figure skating. But throughout they were concerned about how they would make progress during a time when skating was literally impossible, and started to think about free dance musical choices, deciding upon the bold choice of skating to the powerful Metallica song.
"During the lockdown, we started to panic when we couldn't get on the ice. We brainstormed daily about moving near a rink that was open anywhere in the country. We made do with plastic ice and alternate training at home. It was obvious how important skating really was to the both of us and that 'nothing else mattered,'" explained Gage. "The title was fitting for the situation we were in and equally as important, we enjoy listening and skating to this type of music."
Perhaps one of the few bright sides in such a difficult time was that it reminded people of what is important, and for the Browns, it was skating. When the rinks reopened, they were especially motivated and ready to continue training in their Dix Hills rink with coaches Inese Bucevica and Joel Dear.
Like other Team USA skaters, they competed in a few virtual competitions this season, the International Selection Pool (ISP) Points Challenge and the Championship Series. They found the adjustment to virtual competition easier in some ways but more challenging in others.
"It's only a little bit easier, knowing that judges will still see it. Also you get more energy from a crowd so it's different to be skating for a video rather than for an audience, but it was still good to compete somehow," said Gage.
After the U.S. Championships and other potential competitions, they look forward to resuming training and continuing to improve and push their boundaries.
"We want to practice and expand our lifts, (we have some ideas for new lifts), and improve our elements as a whole," said Gage.
"We're also excited about next year's dance styles in the rhythm dance, which include options like hip hop and disco – that will be a fun new experience for us," Oona added.
But for now, they are focused on the U.S. Championships.
"We are so excited to be competing (in person) again," said Gage. "We are excited to perform at this year's Championships, and plan to achieve personal best scores on both programs."
Watch Oona and Gage Brown skate this week on
Peacock Premium and follow along with the backstage action on the
2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships Virtual Fan Experience.
