Dancing With Myself

The U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships presented by Prevagen are mostly comprised of open events which don't require qualification. For select events, though, athletes must qualify through Adult Sectional Championships to compete in a highly anticipated championship event, in which the pressure is elevated and the stakes are high.
                                                         
Since 2016, there have have been 10 championship events. However, at the 2023 Adult Championships in Salt Lake City, an 11th championship event will be welcomed into the schedule: championship adult solo dance.

"With the growth of solo dance events, it seemed only right to give our highest-level adult solo dancers their own championship event," Adult Skating Committee Chair Cara Scudner said. "This event is the culmination of years of hard work by the Adult Skating Committee and some collaboration from the Dance Development and Technical Committee."
  While adults are welcome to compete in the National Solo Dance Series, the series doesn't include any categories specifically for adults. Naturally, the U.S. Adult Championships provides the perfect atmosphere for these athletes, and 2023 marks the first time that an all-adult solo dance event exists at a championship level.

The event is comprised of two rounds – one pattern dance and one solo free dance, with this year's pattern dance being the quickstep. In early March, 20 athletes competed across three Adult Sectional Championships, with the top four from each section advancing to Salt Lake City.

Jill Ahlbrecht (Great Falls FSC) has been skating for over three decades. She has one test left – the Westminster Waltz – to round out her gold pattern dances. In 2019, she and Erich Bookwalter placed fourth in championship adult dance.
 
After moving to different cities and putting her partnered dancing days behind her, Ahlbrecht originally intended to only come to Salt Lake City as a coach. When championship adult solo dance was announced, one of her competitors, Dawn Bailey, encouraged Ahlbrecht to give it a shot.
 
"My free dance is to 'Burn' by Redamancy," Ahlbrecht said. "Back when I coached in Colorado, my student Portia Ewing used it for her free dance test. It's a waltzy, bluesy breakup song, and despite ending a long-term relationship around the time Portia skated to it, I don't skate it today in the spirit of that at all. I've happily moved on and I'm engaged to Stephanie Kazior, who qualified for championship adult silver ladies this year. To me, the song represents that: the freedom of moving on and finding joy again!"

Like Ahlbrecht, Midwestern Adult Sectional Champion Carly Harris-Koleczko (Mt. Clemens FSC)  has one test remaining to complete the gold pattern dances: the Westminster Waltz. She began her dance test journey in 2016 and has been skating for 34 years.
  In the past, Harris-Koleczko competed in championship masters junior-senior ladies, but this was her first dance competition ever.

"When I saw that the championship adult solo dance event was added, I said, 'why not?' I had just passed my quickstep. The timing was perfect," said Harris-Koleczko, who skated professionally in shows at Sea World and Busch Gardens. "I have always loved performing. This last year had been emotionally very rough for me. I was missing the joy I had always felt in the past when skating and I wanted to rekindle those emotions. Both programs make me feel very optimistic and eager to perform them for others."

With Salt Lake City on the horizon, Harris-Koleczko remarked, "I'm most looking forward to performing my programs, engaging the audience and hopefully making others feel the joy I'm also experiencing when I'm skating. My goals are to accomplish two clean programs, including smooth twizzles!"
 
Similar to Harris-Koleczko, Eastern Adult Sectional Champion Taryn Brandt is also a past competitor in championship masters junior-senior ladies. She has been skating for nearly 30 years and completed her gold solo pattern dance test in 2021.
  "I had failed the Canasta Tango as a 9-year-old and vowed never to ice dance again, but apparently you can teach an old dog new tricks," Brandt remarked. "When championship adult solo dance was announced, it seemed like the perfect way to blend my new love for ice dance with the competitive nature of a championship event."
 
Brandt collaborated with Kate McSwain of the American Ice Theatre to create her free dance, which is set to "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Daisy Grey.
 
"I absolutely love the way it has both played to my strengths and pushed me out of my comfort zone," Brandt said. "To me, the music represents the internal pain human beings experience when they feel unable to be authentically themselves."
 

At the Adult Championships, spectators can look forward to seeing a remarkable caliber of talent and skill from the 12 qualifiers who are eager to display their hard work and passion on the biggest stage yet.

"I'm really excited to see the creativity our solo dancers bring to this event, in particular the free dance portion of it," Scudner said. "By enhancing the competitive adult solo dance experience with the first-ever, all-adult solo dance event within our qualifying structure, we are ensuring the fact that everyone can skate for a lifetime."
 
Championship adult solo dance will be held on Thursday, April 13 and Friday, April 14, with the inaugural championship adult solo dance champion being crowned on Friday. Viewers can tune into the livestream on the U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone's Video Corner.

Championship Adult Solo Dance Qualifiers (listed in order of qualification)

Eastern Adult Sectional Championships
Taryn Brandt (Individual Member)
Grace Stuever (Pittsburgh FSC)
Maria Reynolds (The SC of Saugerties)
Helena Fisher (Atlanta FSC)
 
Midwestern Adult Sectional Championships
Carly Harris-Koleczko (Mt. Clemens FSC)
Ashley Grazutis (Glenwood FSC)
Alyssa Miller (Wisconsin FSC)
Dianna-lynne Wells (Centennial SC)

  Pacific Coast Adult Sectional Championships
Jill Ahlbrecht (Great Falls FSC)
Justin Ly (Los Angeles FSC)
Elizabeth Murdock (Wasatch FSC)
Dawn Bailey (Utah FSC)