Olympian: Ice Dancing
Ice-Dancing Champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White took the gold medal at the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January, thereby earning the pair a spot on the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team -- in spite of new judging rules.
Michigan Born and Raised
Meryl Davis is a New Year’s baby. She was born on January 1st, 1987 in Royal Oak, Michigan and grew up in West Bloomfield. She started skating at age 5 and has a younger brother. She is currently attending the University of Michigan – along with White -- where she studies anthropology and Italian. As might be expected, the Michigan Wolverines are one of her favorite sports teams. Davis represents Canton’s Arctic Figure Skating Club.
Coached in Canton
The pair’s success in the sport is in no small part due to their renowned ice dancing coach, Igor Shpilband, who is the director of the sport at Arctic Edge in Canton and has coached the majority of the last 16 ice-dancing champions. Davis and White switched to Shpilband in 2005.
Plans for 2010
Davis and White’s original dance is a traditional Indian folk dance. They were tutored in the traditional dance style by Anuja Rajendra, founder of BollyFit. The music and theme is from Devdas, a classic Bollywood movie in which the heroine lights and dances with a candle in symbol of her love.
Their free dance is set to the Music of the Night from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera. The partners have worked with a mime artist to incorporate techniques that will allow them to project emotions without being melodramatic.
More Information:- Profile of Meryl Davis and Charlie White by About.com’s Guide to Figure Skating
- Four ice dancers dominate at nationals by Katie Field / Michigan Daily (1/25/09)
- Profile of Meryl Davis and Charlie Wilson / IceNetwork.com
- Canton ice dancers use non-traditional methods by J. Barry Mittan / IceNetwork.com (8/24/09)
- TeamUSA.org
