“At the first competition, we looked at each other and realized: we had to stand out.” Interview with figure skaters Zhdanova and Babaev-Smirnov

Varvara Zhdanova And Timur Babaev-Smirnov They only played together for the second season. But in a short time, they have already managed to make the audience fall in love with them. The fiery Lezginka and brilliant Indian dance performed by the duo literally blew up the stands at each tournament. Last season, the couple took eighth place at the Russian Championship and seventh at the Spartakiad of the Strongest.

In an interview with , Timur and Varya talked about preparing for a performance at a show program tournament and Sergei Bezrukov’s reaction to this, as well as about work in the group of Ksenia Rumyantseva and Ekaterina Volobueva and their hobbies outside of sports.

— Guys, the 2023/24 season is over. Give it a rating. How was this year of competition for you?

Timur: We think the season has gone well for us. We have proven ourselves at major competitions and pleased the fans. Unlike the previous one, this season we were able to fully enjoy the atmosphere of a sports festival and major tournaments. The great end of the season was the tournament of the show program “Russian Challenge” in which Varya and I participated for the first time. However, it is an unforgettable experience.

— You skate together for the second season. What has changed in your relationship compared to last year?

Timur: Yes, this is our second season together. Last year we were nervous. We were a new couple, just starting to settle in. And now we have become much more confident, we go out on the ice more calmly.

Various: We started to feel like a couple. It has become easier for us to interact with each other. That’s why it was easier for us to ride this season. We enjoyed the performances.

– What are you doing now? Are you training in a gentler way?

Timur: After the “Russian Challenge” we expired. The season was full of emotions. I would even say exhausting. We rested a little and now we are out. on the ice, training. We are slowly preparing for the new season, learning the elements.

— Are you planning a vacation?

Timur: The vacation will be in May, we will rest for three weeks. And then we will go to training camp in our home rink, we will not go anywhere.

– Varya, I know that you are preparing for the Unified State Exam. How’s it going?

Varya: I I tried to study all season. Now I spend more time studying. I’m thinking about where to go. I would like to go to GITIS. I hope I can do that.

— Masha Sotskova graduated from GITIS.

— Varya: I would like to become a choreographer and director of ice shows. At GITIS, Elena Anatolyevna Tchaikovskaya has such leadership.

– Let’s return to the “Russian Challenge”. Your number has become one of the brightest, distinguished by its cheerfulness and lightness. I know Sergei Bezrukov also rated the production..

Various: He said he liked the number, which was interesting and we managed to convey the spirit of a folk wedding. We carefully prepared for the show, watched Russian folklore, Soviet films, for example, “Love and Doves”. We tried to convey the atmosphere.

– Which number did you like?

Timur: Alieva. Dima opened up to us from the other side, that of the actors. He managed to execute the routine perfectly, he bounced everything perfectly. Personally, this number touched me. I would also like to highlight the production of Nastya Mishina and Sasha Gallyamov. Varya liked the performance of Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov – very gentle and touching.

— So you like funny programs more than lyrical programs?

Timur: I won’t say I didn’t like the lyrics. Everyone skated in their own style, in their own genre. But funny numbers stay in memory longer.

Various: Such fun programs are even closer to us. For two seasons we skated energetic free dances.

— I just wanted to talk about your free dance last year to Georgian music. How did the idea of ​​staging such an unusual program come about?

Timur: The idea was proposed by our beloved coaching team. Special thanks to Ksenia Gennadievna Rumyantseva and Ekaterina Valerievna Volobueva, we love them very much! We thought about music for a long time and decided to try Georgian folk dances. We listened to music and started trying different characteristic combinations on the ice. We also practiced Georgian dancing in the hall. I wanted to display as much Georgian flavor on the ice cream as possible. A lot of work has actually been done.

“They even danced in the room!” Interesting. Who was your teacher?

Various: I found a choreographer on the Internet. She is from Georgia. It turned out that the music for our dance was written by his relative. We worked on the floor first, then she came to the ice – and we transferred the movements. We thank the coaches for this production. The dance turned out to be unusual and memorable.

— By chance, did you receive comments from Eteri Tutberidze or Maurice Kvitelashvili?

Timur: Unfortunately, there were no such comments.

— Your performances generally arouse strong emotions among the audience. Do you feel the public support?

Various: Of course we feel it. When you go out on the ice and see the spectators, you want to show your best side. When you hear applause, it’s easier to skate, you want to please the public.

— Is the capacity to influence populations innate or acquired?

Timur: When we teamed up and competed in the first competition, we looked at each other and realized we had to swing. And then everything comes from the heart. I won’t say this was done on purpose. The atmosphere appears during competitions. When the stands are shouting and supporting you, you feel vibrancy and excitement inside.

— You are good at skating to folk music. Where does such love for the dances of the peoples of the world come from?

Various: The coaches select suitable music for us. It’s interesting to ride to folk tunes, we manage to transform ourselves into representatives of the peoples of the world, we study another culture. This year, for example, we presented Indian dance. We also went to the choreographer and studied the characteristic information.

—Do you have a similar or different temperament?

Various: Rather different. But as a couple, we get along well. We are in harmony, we are moving in the same direction.

Timur: I’m more angry, I can get angry. Varya is calmer. But the difference in our temperaments gives a good result.

— Have you thought about the music for the next season? Maybe you want to move away from the usual image and take the lyrics, for example?

Timur: We are thinking about this. We can’t say anything concrete yet. We are now going through an active thinking process, listening to music, choosing images.

Various: We trust our coaches, who have been selecting interesting music for us for several years. We are sure that this season they will offer us suitable images.

— Are you the most experienced couple in the coaching group?

Timur: If we talk about the duration of pair skating, then it is not the best. But the oldest. We try to set an example for the young couples in our group.

— If you are the leader of the group, which couple on the team do you admire?

Timur: It’s probably obvious, but we like the first duo of our team – Sasha Stepanova and Vanya Bukin. They stay together for quite a long time – it shows in their skating. The guys do every move in unison. Their robustness catches the eye and sets them apart from others.

Various: Sasha and Vanya feel good in each other. Experience says so. Of course we admire them. They are high-level athletes.

— Are you friends with any of the skaters?

Timur: We try to communicate with everyone, because we meet at the same competitions. I communicate quite well with Roma Savosin. Many people notice that we look like Dima Aliyev.

– Did you confuse him with him?

Timur: Confused. There was a situation at the “Russian Challenge” when we got off the ice, and they said to me: “Dima, can I have an autograph?” He said I’m not Dima. This doesn’t offend me. By the way, we stood in the locker room, looked at each other and tried to find similarities. But it seemed to us that we were different.

– If you resemble Aliyev in appearance, then Savosin – in your skating style. His programs also excite the public.

Timur: I liked his performance in “Russian Challenge” based on “Heart of a Dog”. Bright and unusual program. Varya and I love it, we love it.

Various: Yes, Roma fit into the character well and felt it.

— What are your hobbies besides figure skating?

Timur: I like to dance on the floor. I really like doing this. As a child, I attended a dance studio for five years. Now I try to stay fit in my free time and not give it up. I think dancing helps on the ice. I can dance in any direction. But I especially like hip-hop, even if you can’t really dance it on ice. For the 2021/22 season, the rhythm dance theme was street dance. Then I felt two hundred percent comfortable.

Various: I like classical. Since my childhood, I have loved going to the theater and concerts. My father is a musician. When he worked at the Nouvel Opéra Théâtre, I watched all the productions with great pleasure. The concert in the Gothic temple was very memorable – an organ with an orchestra, magical music!