Meet ice dancer Mina Esfandiari

In this Q&A, we introduce you to Mina Esfandiari, an ice dancer who competes within the junior solo mixed dance occasions. She completed eighth on the 2022 U.S. National Solo Dance Finals. She trains with Krigor Studio at Montclair State University and is coached by Igor Lukanin and Kristin Fraser. 

Tell us about how your skating journey started. What drew you to the ice? Do you’ve got any particular reminiscences? 
When I used to be 7 years previous, I used to be invited to a party at an ice-skating rink in Virginia. At first, I used to be holding on to the board and couldn’t even arise. Then after I walked out of that celebration, I began telling my mother that I liked it and needed to start classes. Ever since then, my love for ice skating has solely grown!

The particular reminiscences from after I was little embrace my mother taking me to the rink after I first started and I’d simply skate across the boards, not caring about anything on this planet. I had simply began and all I needed to do was skate, as a result of the sensation made me really feel so free in these moments.

When and why did you select to do solo dance?
At age 8, I used to be competing as a freestyler and after my third season, I requested my mother if I may take ice dance classes to enhance my edges and step sequences inside my program. From there, I began taking classes in January 2019 with my first coach and he thought I had potential, so he enrolled me into the solo dance collection. That 12 months I started competing Pre-Bronze Patterns, whereas I used to be nonetheless competing as a Juvenile freestyler.  My love for ice dance grew with every competitors I entered. That 12 months, I certified for Solo Nationals and gained Bronze.  From that day on, I knew that I belonged as an ice dancer, and I made the swap.

What do you want most about Solo Dance? What form of music to you prefer to skate to one of the best? Why?
Solo dance has matured me as a skater, whereas it additionally made me really feel snug in my physique. The Solo Dance neighborhood is such a beautiful group of individuals, and everybody help one another it doesn’t matter what occurs.
 
My favourite model of music consists of Latin or hip-hop. Although, I really like skating to the upbeat types of music, I get pleasure from studying all totally different sorts of packages. For instance, this 12 months I’m making an attempt one thing fully new that I’ve by no means performed earlier than.

Tell us about your coaching website. (Location, amenities, dance mates, courses, coaches, and so on.)
My head coaches are Kristen Fraser-Lukanin and Igor Lukanin. I practice at Montclair State University Ice Arena in Little Falls, New Jersey. The coaching facility is the campus of a faculty which incorporates tracks, tennis courts, and so on. To begin our morning, now we have a each day edge class and many sorts of off ice courses day-after-day. The off ice courses embrace totally different types of dance, conditioning, and stretching.

Who choreographed your packages. What do you want greatest about dancing them? 
Igor Lukanin choreographed my packages for this season. What I really like most about Igor is that the choreography comes pure to him. I study choreography fast which permits us to have extra time to good the packages. In my Rhythm Dance, I really like how I’m ready present my ardour for tango. My favourite a part of my free dance is certainly my choreo step. I take advantage of numerous physique motion that I’ve by no means performed earlier than which permits me to point out everybody what I’m able to performing.  

Solo Dance might be a global self-discipline this season? Share your ideas about this variation. 
I’m so excited solo dance is a global self-discipline this season. All my life, I’ve been ready for today as solo dance has develop into an enormous a part of my skating profession. This was an enormous step ahead, because it reveals everybody that this can be a neighborhood now. Solo dance has grown through the years and has made so many adjustments to match the dance crew guidelines.

In skating, what are you most trying ahead to this season? What might be your greatest problem(s)? 
This season, I’m trying ahead to stepping out onto competitors ice and performing one of the best packages attainable. I’ve been coaching exhausting to point out the totally different types and what I can do. My greatest challenges and targets are qualifying for Nationals and putting.

If you might have a lesson with any ice dancer previous/current, who wouldn’t it be? Why?
If I may have a lesson with any ice dancer, it might be Caroline Green & Michael Parsons or Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir. Both of these groups have distinctive physique actions and expressions, in addition to unimaginable edges and method.

What are your favourite off-ice actions?
My favourite off-ice actions embrace hanging out with my household and mates. It’s good to take my thoughts off of skating for a day and be round all of the folks that I really like.

Please share anything you prefer to our readers to find out about you as a skater?
I’m without end grateful I gave ice dance a strive, as a result of it has introduced me wonderful folks and one of the best skating household I’ve all the time needed. Thank you to Kristen, Igor, and my former coach Andrejs Sitiks who’ve made my dream come true. I’d by no means have been the place I’m now with none of them.