Ice dance is a discipline that requires patience; it can take years for new teams to build their skill set. But Katarina Wolfkostin and Dmitry Tsarevski's new partnership appears to be on the fast track.
The duo has only been skating together since May, but has already won two competitions. This week, they'll compete at the 2023 Autumn Classic in Montreal, their first Challenger Series event. For both skaters, the new partnership is an adventure they're enjoying.
Last season, Wolfkostin placed seventh in senior ice dance at the 2023 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships with former partner Jeffrey Chen. A few weeks later, Wolfkostin and Chen ended their four-year partnership. They were the 2021 U.S. junior ice dance champions.
"I think we accomplished a lot in our partnership," Wolfkostin said. "But we had different goals in mind, and just a couple things that weren't going to work out. So I think it was definitely necessary for a change."
Wolfkostin – known as "Kaya"-- soon began looking for a new partner. But she wasn't looking for a new training location; she wanted to stay with coaches Charlie White, Tanith White and Greg Zuerlein at the Michigan Ice Dance Academy (MIDA) in Canton.
"I never had any thought of changing rinks, because the environment at MIDA is so positive, and it's such an amazing place," said Wolfkostin, who lives in nearby Ann Arbor, Michigan. "I was set on staying, depending on the partnership."
Wolfkostin had several tryouts, but nothing stuck. Until she heard from Dmitry "Dima" Tsarevski.
Tsarevski was a successful junior-level skater with former partner Isabella Flores. The team won two Junior Grand Prix medals and the 2021 U.S. junior pewter medal. But their partnership ended in December 2021 when Tsarevski took a break from the sport.
"I was a bit burned out and not quite happy at the time, so I needed a little bit of a break and just to chill," Tsarevski said of his decision.
He also wanted to spend more time on his music studies. Tsarevski has played the cello since he was seven and is considering applying to colleges with specialized music programs.
During his break, Tsarevski skated at a rink in the Denver, Colorado, area, where his family lives. At first, it was just for exercise; but soon, he felt his competitive mojo returning. He had some tryouts. Then he reached out to Wolfkostin.
"I'd known Kaya from afar for quite a while, because she was the novice national champion at one point [2018, with former partner Howard Zhao]. We competed against each other and met each other. But nothing more than just saying hello," Tsarevski recalled.
Their tryout was an instant success.
"After about one session, we knew it would be the right decision," Tsarevski concurred. "The coaches thought it was a great match, physically and skating-wise."
For Tsarevski, the partnership meant leaving his home base in Colorado, where he comes from a large family of seven children. His family supported the decision to move.
"It's been a transition. My family and I are close-knit, and it's the first time living away from them," Tsarevski said. "It's all working out. I go back and visit every so often. It was a hard change, but not too hard."
Tsarevski relishes the chance to work with the coaches and skaters at MIDA, including reigning U.S. silver medalists Caroline Green and Michael Parsons and international competitors Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville.
"Growing up, Charlie [White] was one of my favorite skaters of all time," Tsarevski said. "I was 10 or 11 when he was in his prime, and he was just this iconic skater. Tanith, too. And Greg is an amazing coach. It's very motivating to get out there every day and see great teams like Caroline and Michael, and Emily and Ian."
With the 2023-24 season approaching, Wolfkostin and Tsarevski had to work fast to create programs. For the rhythm dance, they chose "Call Me" by Blondie and "Love Is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar (after first trying another Benatar song).
The duo are all-in on this season's 1980s rhythm dance theme.
"It's super fun," Wolfkostin enthused. "We really like our program. It's fun to skate."
"I've noticed a lot of the audience will sing along with the songs," Tsarevski said. "I think that's pretty special, that everyone already knows many of the songs. And they're just loving it."
This season, the ice dancers perform a choreographic rhythm sequence based on the Silver Samba. They have considerable freedom in how to present the sequence within the rhythm dance.
"Only one partner has to do the [pattern] steps at a time. And it can be either the guy's or the girl's steps. The rest can be choreography," Wolfkostin explained.
He and Wolfkostin elected to switch off doing pattern steps throughout their sequence. Both skaters said they enjoy pattern dances but appreciate the artistic potential of this year's sequence.
"It opens up so many possibilities for what to create, using the pattern dance as a base," Wolfkostin said.
"Because there's so much freedom, I don't even think you necessarily need to know the pattern," Tsarevski commented. "You just know the steps, and then anything goes. Choreographic freedom."
For their free dance, the MIDA coaches brought in two tango pieces – "Tanguera" and "Invierno Porteno" – which the team immediately loved. Wolfkostin described the music selections as "majestic."
"They have a sweeping feel," she said. "Everyone was in agreement – yes, we're skating to this, no question."
Wolfkostin, 18, and Tsarevski, 20, could have competed in juniors or seniors this season. With their eyes on the future, they chose seniors.
"The current U.S. ice dance field is very strong," Tsarevski observed. "Our goals were to begin moving up that ladder, which is very difficult to climb. So we and our coaches decided it was a good idea to go senior."
Off the ice, Wolfkostin is a sophomore at the University of Michigan, studying applied exercise science. She's taking a reduced class schedule this fall to allow time for skating.
Meanwhile, Tsarevski is doing online classes at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado.
Wolfkostin and Tsarevski share another interest off the ice: Both skaters are currently writing novels.
"I've always done creative writing," Tsarevski said. "When I was younger, I'd draw pictures and write words and make little books for my mom. The idea to start on a novel came maybe two years ago. I've been working on characters and plot and writing it out."
"I'm writing a novel as well. It's a fun thing I like to do on the side," Wolfkostin revealed. "I also like to illustrate; it would be very cool to illustrate my novel myself. Anything creative, you'll see me doing it."
Creativity is this team's hallmark. It's a quality Wolfkostin and Tsarevski look forward to sharing with audiences around the world.
Katarina Wolfkostin and Dimitry Tsarevski compete at the Autumn Classic in Montreal Sept. 14-16. For more information about the event and to follow along, visit the Challenger Series Competition Central.
