Sofia Samodelkina: “Every hour spent working with Shae-Lynn Bourne felt like an incredible gift from fate.”
Sofia Samodelkina on working with Shae-Lynn Bourne.
original source: RT dd. October 9th by Elena Vaitsekhovskaya
In an interview with RT, Sofia Samodelkina shared her admiration for choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne. Here’s a translation of her comments.
Q: Most skaters say they dream of working with Shae-Lynn Bourne. Was this a dream of yours too?
Sofia Samodelkina: It was – but I never told anyone about it. Maybe that’s why it ended up coming true.
Q: Why Shae-Lynn specifically?
Sofia Samodelkina: About four years ago, I saw Nathan Chen’s short program, and I immediately loved it. I went online to find out who the choreographer was, and that’s when I first thought of her – though just as a fleeting dream. I never projected that possibility onto myself because I knew it was beyond realistic. I wasn’t skating in America, I didn’t have the financial means, and none of this seemed remotely achievable.
But last season, Rafael Vladimirovich casually mentioned during a training session that we might choreograph a program with Shae-Lynn – and my eyes practically doubled in size. It was exactly the right time and the right place. Every hour spent with Bourne felt like an incredible gift from fate. I’m endlessly grateful to the Kazakhstan Figure Skating Federation for making such an opportunity happen for me.
Q: What captivates you about Shae-Lynn’s work?
Sofia Samodelkina: Watching Nathan’s program back then, I noticed how every movement had something special – something that immediately caught the eye. I enjoy spotting moments in programs that would look stunning in photographs. Chen’s program felt like almost every movement could translate into a flawless photo – it was so refined and elegant.
Plus, Bourne’s creativity never feels repetitive. She choreographs for many skaters, yet I’ve never seen identical ideas in her programs. Her limitless imagination is simply astonishing.
Q: How did the choreography sessions go?
Sofia Samodelkina: We worked for three to four hours a day, and during that time, I didn’t even think about whether it was evening or late at night – I didn’t feel tired at all. We tried out an incredible number of steps and movements, knowing that only a small portion would ultimately make it into the program. Some ideas didn’t fit the music or the program’s concept, but we saved them on video in case we could use them for future routines.
Related topics: Sofia Samodelkina
Leave a Reply