IGNATEVA & SZEMKO WANT TO BE DIFFERENT

By Matteo Morelli | Photos by Yoriko Suzuki

Mariia Ignateva & Danijil Szemko have been skating collectively for 2 years representing Hungary, working laborious to develop as a staff and create their very own identification. We met them after the European Championships to seek out out extra about their journey collectively thus far and what they need to convey to the ice.

Mariia and Danijil, did you take pleasure in taking part at your second European Championships, the place you secured a tenth place end?

Mariia Ignateva (MI): It was a stupendous occasion and essential for us as a result of it was an enormous competitors. The organising was actually good, every little thing from the bus schedules to the lodge was nicely organised and the organising was excellent.

Danijil Szemko (DS): We loved it. We had an enormous accountability on our again as a result of the following European Championships goes to be in Budapest (Hungary) and with our tenth place we are able to convey two {couples} now. Mostly we wished to take pleasure in it and I believe it occurred, there was a very heat and good viewers there.

Your free programme this season is predicated on music from Cirque du Soleil, which you carry out on the ice bringing in your personal interpretation, alongside very distinctive make-up and purple costumes. How did you provide you with it?

DS: It was me and our choreographer, Maxim Staviyski. He got here to Budapest and we have been doing the brief programme, actually concentrating on method and easy methods to do it clear. We had one concept to do one other music for the free, however then I later met with Maxim in his lodge for a drink and we randomly got here up with the Cirque du Soleil concept, desirous about the choreography and chopping the music. The subsequent morning, we went to see Mariia and advised her we had an important concept and music to convey to the ice! Overall, there’s a massive distinction between our rhythm dance and free dance. We wished to do one thing for the viewers to recollect.

MI: I couldn’t even think about I might have skated one thing like this! Maxim wished to do one thing totally different, one thing that individuals would discover, a dance that they might keep in mind. 

You are nonetheless a comparatively new staff, with this being your second yr collectively. How did you discover one another and resolve to skate collectively?

MI: I used to be in search of a accomplice for greater than half a yr. I hoped to seek out somebody tall: it was essential for me however I knew it’s uncommon to seek out tall ice dancers!

DS: Mariia is sort of tall too, it could possibly be laborious to seek out somebody who would match. We discovered one another via the Ice Partners Search and earlier than then we discovered one another on Instagram. Mariia was the one which wrote to me.

MI: I used to be updating my profile twice a day at the moment! I actually wished to seek out somebody and I instantly noticed when Danijil created a accomplice search request: I used to be the primary woman to write down to him. 

DS: It was nonetheless the pandemic time, there have been no flights, however we managed to get Mariia to Budapest for a check out.

MI: We based our couple on Christmas Eve! It was December twenty fourth after we determined to skate collectively. 

We are pleased that you simply discovered one another by way of Ice Partner Search, the now twenty years previous portal managed by our editor Daphne Backman that has helped numerous skaters to seek out one another.

DS: Wow, that’s cool! We have to thank her then!

Have you all the time been ice dancers? 

DS: I’ve all the time been an ice dancer! I used to be fairly tall and got here late into determine skating, I began skating after I was seven years previous. My coaches have been attempting to show me the jumps, however I used to be extra into the music and was shifting rather a lot and doing choreographies for myself and one other child, so my coaches advised me to go to ice dance.

MI: I used to be a single skater from the age of three to 12. I’m nineteen now and this September will probably be sixteen years of skating for me! When I used to be in single skating, I used to be afraid to leap: I may do all triple jumps besides the triple axel, I may additionally do triple-triple and triple-double combos and a double axel. I used to be a very good skater however I used to be already tall, so if I have been a single skater now I might wrestle as it’s tough to leap with my top. 

How would you say your partnership has been creating because you determined to hitch forces?

DS: We are engaged on our partnership, continually! We come to the ice on daily basis to follow. Mariia and I are very totally different, however I believe we work nicely collectively.

MI: Every day, we’re studying to grasp one another and our physique language. It is in stress scenario like competitions that when one thing adjustments you need to perceive the physique language and the mindset of the particular person subsequent to you.

DS: We can see that we’re positively beginning to perceive one another. 

With this being your second aggressive yr, you’ve already earned two nationwide titles and took part in numerous totally different competitions together with the Four Nationals Championships, two European Championships and one World Championships. What did you be taught from these competitions and what do you intention to attain for the longer term?

MI: After each competitors, we be taught an increasing number of to be collectively, how we skate and the way we really feel. 

DS: We go to the ice on daily basis and do what we be taught and what we work laborious for. We are studying to not stress ourselves an excessive amount of with the large competitions. I maintain Mariia’s arms, get on the ice, focus and do what we’ve got to do. Our intention is to slowly get to the highest!

MI: Everybody desires to be on the prime! We will attempt, step-by-step.

Are there any groups that you simply take inspiration from?

DS: For me, the Italians, Charlene (Guignard) and Marco (Fabbri). They are nice, the way in which they do what they do. The method they take care of stress is outstanding. At Europeans, that they had a lot stress on them, however they did it for one another and their coach. There are numerous actually good {couples} this yr, for instance the Finnish couple (Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis).

MI: I additionally like Charlene and Marco, and Juulia and Matthias. 

DS: This is at European degree, however at world degree there are such a lot of nice groups, it will be fascinating on the World Championships. Everybody is looking for their very own model and strategy to impress the viewers. After 2014, everybody was attempting to repeat Papadakis and Cizeron, however now everyone seems to be looking for their very own model.

MI: It is a very optimistic improvement in ice dance, as a result of all people tries to be totally different, it’s good.

What do you take pleasure in essentially the most when not coaching? Mariia, we are able to see out of your social media that you simply like to color? 

MI: Yes! I like it, I can present you [she shows a work in progress], this can be a portray of my canine. I paint at dwelling and in studio. It is just not simple however I attempt!

And you Danijil, what do you want doing? 

DS: I’m doing music and dealing on teaching youngsters.  I actually love Budapest, so I really like strolling and discovering new locations on the town. 

Thank you a lot for sharing all this with us, it was nice to seek out out extra about you. There is one thing else you wish to say that’s essential to you.

DS: I wished to say a few phrases of help for Solène (Mazingue) and Marko (Gaidajenko), the couple from Estonia. She had a horrible damage this season: they’re very nice younger folks and she or he goes via such a tough scenario. We need to share our help to them: Solène is a bit of hero and we hope they are going to be again quickly.