The Dance Hall 14: Waltz Tango Foxtrot

[Wyliefan]

Oh wait, Neset/Markelov. How soon we forget!

 

[Marta24]

Oh wait, Neset/Markelov. How soon we forget!

Didn't they get married after moving up to Seniors?

 

[Wyliefan]

They had two weddings, one private and one public. The first one was in 2022, while they were still juniors.

 

[jmtfti]

Lauriault/Le Gac were also married (publicly) while still juniors.

 

[Belsornia]

A little update on Russian Ice Dance since the ISU update on AIN / neutral status

Ekaterina Mironova / Evgeny Ustenko
Coached by Elena Sokolova. Fourth place at RusNats, third place at the Russian Cup Final. They have been actively seeking international opportunities over the years and have been going to training camps in the US. They have just spent a few weeks at WISA with Tanith and Greg
FD from Russian Cup Final: https://www.1tv.ru/sport/final-gran...al-gran-pri-rossii-po-figurnomu-kataniyu-2026

Thank you for the update @Ka3sha . I remember enjoying Mironova/Ustenko during the Beijing quad - they had sone interesting programmes (they were the time with the A Chorus Line Finnstep RD, right?) but at the time were quite weak technically compared with other teams being sent out internationally. I guess sticking together has paid off when most of the other teams were back on the partnership merry-go-round.

Is Devid Naryzhnyy still injured?

Still that Khudaiberdieva retired so young.

 

[Bigbird]

Thank you for the update @Ka3sha . I remember enjoying Mironova/Ustenko during the Beijing quad - they had sone interesting programmes (they were the time with the A Chorus Line Finnstep RD, right?) but at the time were quite weak technically compared with other teams being sent out internationally. I guess sticking together has paid off when most of the other teams were back on the partnership merry-go-round.

Is Devid Naryzhnyy still injured?

Still that Khudaiberdieva retired so young.

I think David is on the mend. Hoping he can recover. OTOH, it may have been good for Khuda; she struggled so publicly with eating disorders as she climbed the ranks. I wonder if her challenges contributed to her poor posture issues? It was very distracting for me; I couldn't get into her at all. Pity, though, that Katashinskaya couldn't keep going. She was lovely to watch, if only she had continued to develop.

 

[Ka3sha]

Narizhny had a knee surgery and him/Khavronina had to sit out a season and a half. If I am not mistaken, he is back on the ice now.

Khudaberdieva is now on the junior ice dance supervision team (aka junior head coach or so)

 

[coralline]

Are there any other junior teams that may be in the mix for one of the 2 JGP spots?

And are they good enough to medal against the current JGP field (Aboian/Veselukhin, Perrier Gianesini/Blanc Klaperman, Mouaden/Bigot, Soldati/Tagliabue, Bianchi/Basile, Robertson/Rohner?

There may be an opportunity for a talented Russian team to make the JGPF but they're going to need a bit of luck that the USFS, FFSG and FISG don't send their top teams to either China or Thailand, I think.

Well Benoit Richaud choreographed for Fefelova & Valov this season and he said something like no one in the current international jr field is better than them.

Back when they were both in Russia with different partners, Rodin had a clear lead over Veselukhin. It will be interesting to see where he would be now with Grimm.

I have heard rumors that USFS was considering sending Aboian/Veselukhin to Thailand (and Calhoun/Zheltysev, Stapert/Korotcov to China). But it may change with the comeback of Russia.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

The Skating Stan IG account has videos of all the new IAM dance teams in her stories. First look at Bakerie:

Instagram

Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.

www.instagram.com

 

[Wyliefan]

Thanks for sharing that! Great to see them all. Jean-Luc is a dynamo out there. To match him, Marjorie's going to have to up her energy level. And that's something I never thought I'd say about Marjorie Lajoie.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

In the Loop on X is posting quotes and photos from the skaters at the media day:

In The Loop (@InTheLoPodcast) on X

Covering what there is to know about figure skating, from an international team of figure skating fans. Support us: https://t.co/CMkrTQ8Td4

x.com

#MarjorieLajoie / #JeanLucBaker’s goals is to be smart. They want to get in shape, prevent injury, and be comfortable with each other. Results wise, they want to win Canadian Nationals, make the 4CC podium, and have a top eight finish at Worlds.

#HannahLim / #ZakLagha said that they like LiLa as a team name but also accept HanZa! They didn’t like the idea of LimGha, Hack, or HaZak

#SandrineGauthier / #PaulAyer will be skating to a Queen medley for their rhythm dance (starting with We Will Rock You to get the crowd going), and The Hunger Games for their free dance. Paul was asked if he considered representing Mexico as he got citizenship this summer but said that representing Canada means a lot to him. Donovan Carrillo apparently keeps begging Paul to switch though

Alicia Fabbri and Marko Jevgeni Gaidajenko made a pros and cons list to decide if they’d represent Estonia or Canada but eventually Canada landed on top! They are looking at working hard to hopefully make the Worlds team and are making an eight year plan

 

[her grace]

I have heard rumors that USFS was considering sending Aboian/Veselukhin to Thailand (and Calhoun/Zheltysev, Stapert/Korotcov to China). But it may change with the comeback of Russia.

Skaters representing America who have Russian passports could have difficulty gaining entry to some of the JGP host nations, which could limit where these teams are sent. That was reported as the reason that Calhoun/Zheltyshev had to withdraw from junior worlds.

 

[Karen-W]

Skaters representing America who have Russian passports could have difficulty gaining entry to some of the JGP host nations, which could limit where these teams are sent. That was reported as the reason that Calhoun/Zheltyshev had to withdraw from junior worlds.

Poland and Latvia are the two JGP countries where I'd expect there to be issues for any skaters with Russian passports, regardless of the country they now represent. I'd expect Grimm/Rodin to have similar issues.

 

[Alilou]

Hannah Lim makes Zac Lagha laugh! Wow!

Hannah Lim (임해나 ♡⋆˚✿˖°) on Instagram: "Who do you think won? 🤭 (it was actually “wow ok” but you get the idea) #reels #trend #icedance #iceskating #figureskating"

1,234 likes, 32 comments - h.annahlim on July 7, 2026: "Who do you think won? 🤭 (it was actually “wow ok” but you get the idea) #reels #trend #icedance #iceskating #figureskating".

www.instagram.com

 

[marshallpond]

New junior ice dance team for Israel: Blake Gilman and Rebecca Lichtman. Training in Philly

 

[Debbie S]

New junior ice dance team for Israel: Blake Gilman and Rebecca Lichtman. Training in Philly

Has Julia Epps quit or is she looking for a new partner?

 

[Belsornia]

Has Julia Epps quit or is she looking for a new partner?

When she announced the split she said she was looking for a new partner.