Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons are a sibling ice dancing team that paired up in 2010. Together, they are the 2017 World Junior champions, the 2016-17 JGP Final champions, and five-time US junior medalists . At the Internationaux de France in Grenoble 2018 they came fifth with 171.17 points ahead of Marie-Jade Lauriault/Romain LeGac (FRA) on 170.64.
Michael:
We’re really happy with how we skated in the short dance. To be honest, we didn’t get the score that we wanted – we felt like we skated better here than in Japan, but ended up with the lower score. In Japan, we said our main priority is to improve the levels going into France and we got higher levels this time, we got better key points and better footwork levels. So, we’re feeling pretty good.
Rachel:
At the end of the day, we’re competing against ourselves as our main priority, and I feel like this was a good step forward in terms of levels and in terms of expression.
As for our free dance, I think that that wasn’t the best program we could have put out, but it was clean, which is what we were trying to do.
Michael:
Speaking of free dance, we fixed some levels and we lost some levels, so I can’t say that we had a net gain. I don’t think our energy level was where we wanted it to be today. But it was still a clean skate and it was really fun to skate in front of this crowd here in France, so we’re really happy about that.
The Tango Romantica is said to be one of the most challenging, most difficult rhythm dances. Do you feel the same way?
Rachel:
The Tango Romantica definitely makes it a difficult dance to do. It’s a difficult pattern dance, it’s really fast, you have a lot of steps to do in a very short amount of time, but I honestly think it’s one of the most fun dances we’ve ever done.
Michael:
I think both of us definitely prefer to have a harder dance like Tango Romantica in the rhythm dance, just because you can really show the difference between a mediocre and middle of the road skater and a good skater. It’s really hard to skate that pattern, but if you’re comfortable with doing it, you can make it really, really special.
Rachel:
I think we’ve taken the challenge and really just embraced it and had fun with it.
How long did it take you to handle this dance?
Michael:
I’d say we’re still working on it. It’s like a puzzle that keeps changing as you build it. But It’s getting better (smiles).
Rachel:
Yeah, we started off doing really short sections of it over and over again, and then we put it on music and then we put the chunks together and kind of built on it like that. It’s definitely still a work in progress, but we’re getting there.
The Olympic silver medalists, World champions Gabriella Papadakis-Guillaume Cizeron skated to your free dance music (To Build A Home by The Cinematic Orchestra, Patrick Watson) a few years ago. Did you have that in mind when choosing the music?
Michael:
We were definitely conscious of that when we picked the music. We picked it because we both really liked it and it spoke to us in a way that is very individual to us. So, when we created the program, we were making sure that it didn’t emulate Papadakis/ Cizeron, because they have their own take on it. They have their own story, their own program, which was amazing. But we definitely felt there was lots of room for us to do our own program.
Rachel:
We’ve gotten some criticism over the year, just because people say that it is such a bold choice to bring up that comparison. But we’ve also, on the other side, had a lot of people that have come out and told us that they love this program, that they feel this program with us.
Being siblings in life and partners on the ice, how does it feel? What are the drawbacks and benefits?
Michael:
There’s definitely a limited theme, but I don’t think it limits us. Yes, we can’t do a romantic program, but even with one piece of music that can be interpreted romantically, there are so many other stories that you can tell with this piece of music, too.
If you think about classical ballets or classical movies that a lot of people take music from, there’s so many storylines in those movies, in those stories, that we always have room to do our own non-romantic story to that music. So, I don’t think being brother and sister really limits us at all.
Rachel:
Also, I think we trust each other more than almost anyone else can, just because we’ve grown up together, we know each other probably even better than we know ourselves at this point.
Michael:
She can tell me how I’m thinking better than I can tell me how I’m thinking (laughs). And the same vice versa.
Rachel:
And I think we do a really good job of disconnecting our lives on the ice and our lives off the ice, so we give each other enough space. It’s not like we’re always with each other because, well, sometimes we drive each other insane (smiles).
Michael:
Yeah, that does sometimes happen. I guess that’s the downside. We are together a lot, probably more than most siblings are.
Rachel:
But even the partners that aren’t brother and sister, they also start to get on each other’s nerves. So, I think that any challenges that we might have because we’re brother and sister, the benefits outweigh that.
When you choose the music, do you tend to have the same opinions, or do you argue a lot?
Rachel:
Oh, it really depends on the music. Sometimes we hear something and we’re both like, all right, yes, got it, good.
This time, for example, for our free dance, we both felt the same way. I think Michael took a little bit longer to warm up to our short dance music, but now it’s a program that we both love.
Michael:
I think it helps that we have slightly different opinions. When we do settle on a piece, we know that we both like it and that we have a lot of potential with that piece of music.
What is your favorite free dance in your career, so far?
Rachel:
Oh man, that’s so difficult, because they’re all so different. I loved our Singing in the Rain program.
Michael:
Yes, the program that we won Junior World to was a very memorable program, for sure. It’s hard to choose because each program, each free dance that we’ve done we’ve worked very hard to make it different from the last. And so, I think I like each program for different things. Last year it was our first senior program, so that’s special, and this year is also very special because this is a very emotional piece of music. And we put a lot of our own choreography and our own feelings into this one.
Rachel:
I think, in a way, that question is kind of like asking a parent who their favorite child is. You can’t really say because you love all of them.
What are your hobbies?
Rachel:
I do a lot of painting, drawing and sketching in my free time. Art was my favorite subject in school. I’ve taken pottery classes, so really it’s just anything being creative with my hands.
I’m also learning to play guitar, very slowly, but Michael is actually an extremely good guitar player.
Michael:
That’s my hobby. I do some songwriting and some recording. I was in a band when I was younger, but obviously skating took over my life, so, no longer in a band. But yeah, I play a lot of music, and anything outdoors like hiking or just hanging out outside. That’s what I do when I’m not in the rink.
As you’re both creative people, how does that help you on the ice?
Rachel:
I think we’re both creative people, in general. So we have different outlets off the ice for channeling that creativity. And when we put it on the ice, when we’re coming up with programs, when we’re putting the finishing touches, I think that we can channel what we do off the ice into what we’re doing on the ice.
Michael:
I think ice dance is the discipline for artists. And so I’m sure if you asked anyone else on the ice, they would have something artistic that they do off the ice, whether it’s poetry, painting, anything like that, because you have to be creative to make it this far in ice dance.
Rachel:
You have to have things that keep you sane outside of the rink. Because if your head is always on the ice I think the pressure just becomes too much.
Rachel, as one of your hobbies is painting, do you design your costumes?
Rachel:
Yes, I have a lot of input in our costume design. I work with a costume designer and our coach, because we all have different ideas of how we see it.
For example, this dress – my costume designer and I, we spent a few hours just draping fabric over and trying to see what could fulfill the vision that we had.
Michael:
I have veto power, but that’s about it.
Rachel:
He wears whatever we put him in (laughs). But we try not to make it too sparkly.
Michael:
Yeah, my request is just fewer sparkles. This shirt is nice (smiles).
Thank you so much for the interview, and good luck at Nationals!
Ludmila ORLOVA, Oberstdorf.