Meissner Brings Spanish Flavor to Ice
by Emily Feltes
(1/19/07) - Kimmie Meissner intends to chassé her way to the top of the podium at this year’s 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane, Wash. The 17-year-old reigning World champion is not content to simply get the job done — she’s going to do it with the style and finesse of a flamenco dancer.
With “Galicie Flamenco” as her free skate music, Meissner will bring the Spanish fever and triple-triple combinations to the Spokane Arena ice on Saturday, Jan. 27. She plans to execute seven triples (two in combination), high-level spins and connecting step sequences, as well as a couple double Axels during her free skate.
Jumping has always been the area in which Meissner has excelled, and now she is working to strengthen her inventiveness on the ice.
She finds her inspiration close to home, drawing on her great aunt’s flamenco dancing experiences.
“She showed me the style,” Meissner said. “The big thing is to use the hands and the wrists because there’s a certain way to do it. I watched lots of dancers. It’s very interesting to see them and then use some of the same moves in my program.”
Flamenco, a type of music accompanied by dancing and brightly colored, feathery costumes, originated in the Andalusian region of Spain. Flamenco involves using the eyes, wrists and a variety of carefully choreographed dance steps to create a sultry rhythm that accompanies guitar music and hand clapping.
This year, Meissner focuses on elevating the artistic component score of her program.
“My jumps have always been my strong point, and now I’ve been focusing on presentation,” Meissner said. “I’m really trying to make everything bigger — I’m just trying to become more comfortable with myself, to release my inhibitions on the ice. I’ve worked to polish my program and fine tune it. This year for me, the Spanish music really brings a style and attitude which wasn’t there last year.”
Meissner will tango with the likes of Emily Hughes, Katy Taylor, Alissa Czisny, Bebe Liang and Christine Zukowski, among others, for the gold. Those five skaters placed third through seventh, respectively, at the U.S. Championships last year in St. Louis, Mo. Meissner finished second to Sasha Cohen, who is taking the year off from competitive skating.
When asked in a recent teleconference whether or not Cohen’s decision to take a break would affect her actions leading up to the U.S. Championships, Meissner said, “As far as Sasha making the decision not to compete here, to me it wasn’t that big of a shock. It was such a long year last year. I’m still going into the U.S. Championships the same way — I haven’t changed the way I think about it. I like competing against Sasha. I wouldn’t mind if she came back. As far as taking a long break, I don’t know if I would. I like to be on the ice all the time.” |