Caroline Green and Michael Parsons saw early success when they teamed up in 2019. They won two Challenger Series medals in their first season and placed in the top five at the past two U.S. Figure Skating Championships®. The couple was already on the right track, it seemed. But this season, Green and Parsons decided to step off the standard path and create something truly unique for their 2021-22 programs--especially their free dance. This year's programs push Green and Parsons out of their comfort zone and into new territory. The team showed their programs on the Grand Prix circuit last week at Skate Canada International, placing fourth. This week, they are excited to compete again at Gran Premio d'Italia.
For their rhythm dance, Green and Parsons are skating to music from Janet Jackson and En Vogue. It's the duo's second venture into street dance rhythms; their free dance last season was set to music by Prince.
"Last year's free dance was a warm-up, for me, in terms of that style of movement," Parsons said. "That was a huge step out of my comfort zone. I think Caroline got that [style] much more naturally than I did. Because I eventually adapted to that dance, it helped make this rhythm dance easier to learn."
"Our rhythm dance this year takes us so far out of our comfort zone that it's a totally different beast," Green said.
Both skaters credit Jimmie Manners--a new coach on their team and professional hip-hop dancer--with bringing a different flair.
"He did an amazing job of translating all these [hip-hop] steps that he knows off the ice, onto the ice," Parsons said. "He's pushing us every day to do new moves. He can tell, from our body types and styles of skating, what will and won't work. That's invaluable."
Green said that bringing hip-hop to the ice is challenging: "It's such a non-traditional way to skate. Figuring out how we can maintain speed and power and deep edges and nice lobes, and still have that attack and sharpness … We're still trying to find our sweet spot. Our biggest thing is to stay true to Janet [Jackson]. Above all else."
Green and Parsons didn't know until Champs Camp that U.S. teammates Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue also have a Janet Jackson-themed rhythm dance.
"We were on a practice at Champs Camp, and we did our music first. Zach skated by and said: 'You're going to hear something very similar.' I think both of us have good taste in music," Parsons joked.
Both teams will be showcasing their rendition this week in Torino, Italy, as the sole U.S. competitors.
Green and Parsons' free dance this year is inspired by the modern dance of Martha Graham and draws on Graham's specific technique for dance. The creative process began when Elena Novak, one of their head coaches, suggested music by composer Ezio Bosso.
"Elena said: 'Just try moving to this music, and see if you connect with it,'" Green recalled. "And we took to it quickly. Then it turned into experimentation--moving with each other, on our own, with the music, without. The program was born out of that."
"We took our time to really listen to the music and think, 'How do we want to move with this?'" Parsons added.
The couple had learned about the Martha Graham style of modern dance from their off-ice dance coach, Meredith Jones. Parsons describes the style as featuring "a lot of contraction, where we put a lot of emotion into almost sparse movements." The Martha Graham technique is characterized by its use of contraction (gathering energy in the body), followed by release (of energy). Another aspect is using purposeful hand movements to express emotion.
Prior to the pandemic, Green and Parsons attended a live performance by the Martha Graham Dance Company at the Kennedy Center.
The couple adapted the Martha Graham style for their free dance. "We tried to translate that whole style of movement into a program on the ice," said Parsons. "It's about having sustained movements--while moving, and making it look effortless."
"One thing that we drew from [Graham's] work is how, even through moments of stillness, there can be so much power and depth. Transferring that to the ice, while we still have to be powerful and have a lot of speed, has been a challenge. But it's one that we are fully capable of tackling," Green added.
Green and Parsons' goals for their free dance go beyond strictly competitive aspects.
After they debuted the dance at Lake Placid Ice Dance International, Parsons said: "We wanted to create a program that was a piece of art and something that no other team can do. Not only so we can progress as a team, but to progress the sport. It's a leap of faith."
Green and Parsons feel that the sport of ice dance can go further and deeper in creativity.
"I want to see more variety in programs and in styles. When you look at the top dancers of the 1980s and 90s, even early 2000s, every program is so unique and powerful. I think we've kind of lost that recently," said Parsons, who cites Torvill and Dean and the Duchesnays as key influences. "There's some incredible skaters in the sport. But I think there's room to really grow and become more individual. I think any team could do it. I wanted to do it this year."
"With all the technical requirements, it is easy to fall into not expressing your creative potential," Green agreed.
The couple knew that choosing such an unusual style held risk, and the initial monitoring feedback was mixed.
"It's very different from what we've done in the past, and what is the norm for ice dance," Green noted. "I think with any big change, you're bound to be met with hesitancy. Above all else, we wanted to stay true to our original creative vision."
"The first few monitoring sessions, we didn't really have the program polished enough to show the theme," Parsons said. "But this year especially, we've become much more confident in our skating and with each other. And we stuck to it, instead of changing anything. The next time the judges saw it, they gave us much better reviews."
Green and Parsons' free dance scored well in their first two competitions at Lake Placid and Autumn Classic. Former World medalist Kaitlyn Weaver called it "incredible" and "an absolute standout" at Autumn Classic, adding: "I felt like we were seeing snapshots from a modern dance performance." Now, Green and Parsons look forward to sharing their work with a wider audience.
"We're both very excited for this season," Parsons said. "This feels like our true second season. We haven't really shown ourselves yet to the world as much as we'd like."
Parsons looks forward to competing at Gran Premio d'Italia in Torino, site of the 2006 Winter Olympics. "It will be incredible being in Torino," he said. "When I was little, one of the people at the rink went to the Torino Olympics and brought me back the tickets to the ice dance event there. I still have those tickets on my wall."
Green and Parsons hope to qualify for the 2022 Olympic team.
"I realize that we are definitely longshots for these Olympic Games," Parsons said candidly. "But I couldn't be more proud of what we're doing right now. And as our performances grow, I think our scores will follow. If we keep along this trajectory, we'll be fighting for it."
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