“Everything is turned upside down.” Georgian dancers quit Russian coaches

Georgian dancers Maria Kazakova and Georgy Revia have had a very busy season, making their debuts at the Olympics and World Championships. By fall, everything was in question, as the skaters had missed the previous season due to injury. The whole team had to get the quota at the last moment. As a result, the Olympics (19th place) became the first experience of the coaching staff – Denis Samokhin and Maria Borovikova, with whom the duo trained from the very beginning of its existence.

Recently Maria and Georgy held a new free dance, but the main event for them off season is moving to Europe. In addition, Russian-born figure skaters are actively learning the Georgian language with the help of teammates Nika Egadze and Luka Berulava, who have lived in Georgia for a long time.

“” chatted with the dancers about their future plans and recalled the Beijing Olympics.

“We have a hunch that the new page will bear fruit”

– Tell us about your future free dance, which Elena Sokolova recently staged.

george: – We will talk in riddles, because we want to keep the plot (smile). The topic is very relevant today. Music with strong female voices is both in our style and something new. This dance will certainly suit us. At least the program we have in place and are already rolling out is madly in love.

“How’s it going with the rhythm dance?”

– Now we are still looking for music, there are no concrete ideas. We will stage the dance with the new coach as soon as we arrive in Italy.

– Maria, how does training as a choreographer help you in sport?

– I would say that the whole atmosphere of GITIS has upset my imagination. So many new ideas and understanding about dance culture, motivational tips! We had theater and modern dance master classes with Leonid Lavrovsky and ballerina Sofia Gaidukova. Let’s see how I will continue my studies now. After all, having moved to Italy, I can hardly come to Moscow often. But I will definitely not give up GITIS, because I like to study.

– You recently announced that you have decided to change the technical staff. Why was Mateo Zanni chosen among all the European specialists? And what role will Denis Samokhin and Maria Borovikova play in your work from now on?

We know Mateo well. He is still a young coach, but very promising and talented. I heard a lot about him as a coach and as a person. We discussed the training conditions and realized that everyone likes everything, obviously we will be comfortable together. We have defined further relations with Denis Eduardovich and Maria Valerievna in detail: we will send them videos of training sessions and consult them. In other words, we have a close relationship.

– And what are your inner feelings about life changes?

– The feelings are mixed. After all, we leave our usual way of life, our relatives and friends and our studies in Moscow. Everything shifts somehow. But in today’s environment, it’s the best option. We have a hunch that the new page will bear fruit.

“The Japanese are unique! It is impossible to describe how people jump and roll.”

What are your impressions of the Olympic Games? Satisfied with your rentals on site?

Married: — I have the brightest emotions — from the opening ceremony. We arrived at the Ice Palace and saw a large number of athletes from all over the world. It was something incredible! In the Olympic Village, everyone walked in separate groups, and there was no feeling that there were many people here. And when we all got together at the stadium and went to the parade… It was, of course, on a grand scale.

george: — And I’m going to tell you about the atmosphere of the competition. She can’t compare to anything! Support was on all sides, even taking into account the restrictions on presence in the stands. Spectators were only seated on one side – behind our backs. Alongside were athletes, coaches, national team representatives, journalists and photographers. Everyone applauded us, and it was very pleasant to ride. We will definitely play in the next Olympics – we are very serious.

– Where did you enjoy playing the most – in a team or individual tournament?

– In the first case, the weight of responsibility was felt. We really wanted to compete for the top five, so we were in a hurry, it showed. But, unfortunately, not enough to succeed. We made a spot, and the feelings after the rental were mixed. We were very worried while waiting for the evaluation.

And the personal tournament was calmer, although the task was also difficult: to qualify for the free dance. We had small gaps with the nearest rivals, and the excitement was there. So we didn’t feel sorry for ourselves. And the team didn’t spare either. But here they were a little more liberated, they skated more freely somehow. After the free dance, the only thing that came to mind was that I would like to perform later. Training at 6:30 in the morning and starting at 9:00 is of course difficult.

– Probably, it was easier for you in the individual tournament also because you already had the experience of playing on Olympic ice.

“We trained there for a very long time. So many outings on the ice, every day in front of the judges… It happened that we were the only ones in front of the refereeing team. Some of our colleagues had the day off, others just didn’t come because of the flexible schedule.

– Could the judges tell you something, advise you based on the results of the training?

– No, during competitions, no judge has the right to comment on the skating of the athletes. No clue. They simply observe and correct each step, if there are any mistakes, or which turn is the best. They themselves mark at what level the skater skates. Therefore, training during the tournament is always very important.

– Did you watch the performances of the dancers from the last warm-up, who were fighting for the medals? And who in general from other types of figure skating impressed you?

george:- We watched everyone and didn’t endorse anyone in particular. All of the top ten are masters of their craft. Therefore, I really wanted to see five clean skates and see who would be the strongest at the end.

In pairs, I liked Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, the whole top five, within which there was a serious struggle. Also our guys Karina Safina and Luka Berulava. They did a great job, improved well and showed good results throughout the season. He inspired our whole team.

– Among the boys, I was struck by Yuma Kagiyama and Shoma Uno. The Japanese, of course, are unique! It is impossible to describe how people jump and roll. Nathan Chen is the absolute champion, there’s no arguing here. As for women’s individual skating, we are watching it and not commenting.

“We won two places thanks to the mistakes of the opponents”

– You qualified for the Olympics in the fall during the Nebelhorn Trophy tournament. How did you feel when you learned that you had won the quota?

Married: – After a short dance, we were fifth, and when, after an arbitrary, we saw the marks in the kiss and the edge, it became clear that we had won the Olympic quota for our entire team. Of course, they were very happy. Then they calmed down and went to rest. Some of the duos who played after us made mistakes, and in the end we even got on the podium. It was a real pleasure! Yes, they worked imperfectly, and then we analyzed the transfers. But they were happy with the result.

george: – I specify – we were satisfied with the result, but not with our skates. When I picked the third twizzle, everything flipped in my head. There were already different thoughts, because when dancing, such a loss cannot be recovered in a close fight. Luck therefore also played here: we climbed two places thanks to the mistakes of our opponents.

– Did the junior achievements (Grand Prix gold and World Championship silver. – “”) help you at the adult level?

– Of course, past titles play an unacknowledged role. But don’t forget that after the final exit at the masters, we missed the whole season – the pre-Olympic one. During this time, everything was forgotten, and last fall we had to start from scratch. Yes, someone remembers something. But we lost our form, we lost a lot of competitions and rankings, we didn’t skate in front of the judges for a long time. The Olympic season therefore happened for us under the sign of a whole new stage.