Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
About Being Twins and Ice Dance Partners.
Click on each question below to expand the text and read the answers.
Alex: It's a hard question to answer because we don't know anything else and we don't have other siblings to see if our relationships with them would be different. We've been together from the beginning. Our mom says that when we were babies, Danielle developed motor skills, such as crawling, faster than I did. So to get me to crawl, she put Danielle just out of my reach, and I squirmed and struggled my way over to get to her. And yes, we had our "twin talk" that no one else understood.
Sometimes people ask if we read each other's mind or finish each other's sentences. Actually, that's an interesting question. There was a time when we were younger, about 9, I think, that Danielle fell and got hurt. I didn't see it happen and I was nowhere near her, but I suddenly got really upset - I knew she was hurt. Maybe that's reading each other's minds or a kind of telepathy. We often finish each other's sentences. Honestly, I'm not sure that's because we're twins, or because we spend so much time together. Here's a funny one - our parents refuse to play games like Pictionary with us if Danielle and I play as a team. They say it's pointless, because one of us draws a single line and that's all the other needs to "guess" correctly. They just look at each other and shake their heads.
We were 7 years old. We had gone to a skating birthday party for one of our friends and that was it. We begged for skating lessons from that moment on. Our parent enrolled us in U.S. Figure Skating's Basic Skills Program at the beginning of the summer in 2000.
How did you team up?
We've always wanted to skate together. It was our vision of skating - there was never any question about us teaming up.
How long have you been skating together?
We began skating together as a dance team in September 2002, so it been over 10 years now.
What is it like to skate with your twin?
Danielle: It's great to skate with Alex. I think we have an uncommon connection. We know each other and trust each other deeply. We've had lifts go bad at times and I can't tell you how amazing it is for me to experience how Alex protects me. I really trust him. Sometimes we can get on each other's nerves and really annoy each other, but overall it's awesome to skate with my brother. I think that the bond we have as brother and sister, and as twins, has helped us get through tough times when maybe if we weren't siblings, let alone twins, we might not have done so. Our partnership is both on and off the ice, so when the going gets tough, and it does sometimes, we know we have to work things out and just can't quit each other and look for another partner. It makes us both more demanding and more tolerant of each other.
Alex: It's awesome to skate with Danielle because we love each other and have always wanted to skate together. Ice dancing as a team is a dream we're making come true. There are times when we get a bit testy, but over the years we've learned to get through that. Actually, it used to happen more often than it does now. Thinking back to earlier years, it was toughest for us when we hit about 11 or 12. Danielle started to get taller and heavier than me. It was so frustrating. Partnering was tricky and lifts were a feat. People were saying we should be split up, but our parents kept telling us that this awkward phase would pass.
What do you like most about skating with your partner?
Danielle: I like that Alex understands how to move. Also, he's got an incredible memory and I like that a lot. I really like how quickly he learns and remembers all the step sequences in the pattern dances and our free dance. He also handles a lot of our logistics when we're traveling and I have to say I don't mind that at all.
Alex: Danielle is very expressive. She gets into characters and projects the emotional tone of our dance with every part of her. She works hard and is so persistent. In fact, she has always been persistent. It's in her nature and I really like that about her. She will do something over and over again until it is right. She is determined to do well and she listens very intently.
Do you feel skating with your sibling can be an advantage or a disadvantage? Why?
Danielle: It's both. It's an advantage because we have a very good connection and we can be open with each other. The biggest advantage we have is that because we are related off the ice, we just can't quit each other, so whatever comes up we have to work through it together. We are naturally committed to our partnership. We see teams break up. We see the partner searches and we've never had to go through that. On the disadvantage side of things, because we live together and skate together, getting breathing room away from each other doesn't come as easily as it does for partners who aren't related and go in different directions at the end of the day. Sometimes I go to Starbucks or Panera just to get some "away from Alex time".
Alex: On the advantage side of things, I think because we're siblings, we are closer and more open with each other than we might be otherwise. It also doesn't hurt that we look physically matched and good together as a dance team. On the disadvantage side, sometimes people think it can be awkward for us skating together to more romantic pieces. As a sibling dance team I think that's something you have to overcome. When we're on the ice competing or performing we try to leave the fact that we are brother and sister off the ice unless it's part of the story line. The biggest disadvantage in being siblings is in handling skating expenses. You're not splitting the expenses with another family and that makes it really hard.
Why did you start skating?
We were always fascinated by skating. As the story goes, we were 3 years old and our Mom was making dinner and didn't want us under foot in the kitchen. She turned on the TV and kept flipping through the channels looking for something "interesting" to keep our attention so we wouldn't run back into the kitchen. When she landed on the 1996 World Figure Skating Championship we focused on it immediately. It was the ice dance event, and we couldn't take our eyes off the screen. As we later learned, it happened to have been Evgeny Platov and Pasha Grishuk. When the broadcast was over we took our shoes off and arm-in-arm pretended we were Grishuk and Platov gliding across the floor in our socks screeching, "We want to be skater dancers." Apparently we kept up with this for a few days. Our mom thought it was cute, but didn't pay it much mind.
How did you choose ice dancing?
It was always ice dance for us. We were drawn to ice dancing from the beginning. I think it's because we related to the male/female partnership as brother/sister twins. There was never any question about what we wanted -we wanted to skate together.
What's your training regime like?
Our parents are definitely our main source of inspiration, not only in their dedication to helping us live our dreams, but also in how they work through adversity and hard times with a positive attitude. They always push us to do our best on and off the ice, giving us the confidence to live our lives to the fullest.
What do you do when you're not training? How do you spend your time off the ice?
Danielle: Well, since July 2012 we have our own apartment in Silver Spring near where we train.
It's a big change, but I love it. Of course, it means added chores like cooking and food shopping,
but it's still very exciting. We recently added coaching to the mix on our only day off from training
- Sundays. It's a lot to handle, but I love every second of it! I love going out to parks, taking photos
and exploring new places.
Alex: Sometimes I'm so spent from training that I like to just relax and watch TV or read a book.
Other times I like to go into DC with Danielle and our friends to go to a museum or just walk
around the city. I also study foreign languages, a great interest of mine.
What are your goals beyond skating?
Danielle: I've discovered that I have an interest in finance and business. I'll see where that goes and further clarify my career direction and goals as I progress in college.
Alex: I've always been really strong with learning foreign languages, starting with French, Russian, and Japanese. I'm not sure yet where to take my interest in foreign languages, but I'm sure my career will rely on an ability to communicate in many languages fluently. As I go on through college, I'll better clarify whether I wish to take this into foreign diplomacy, or international business and law.