Deanna Stellato-Dudek: “Initially, we had planned to use a different short program set to music by Phil Collins. Unfortunately, we couldn’t resolve the copyright issues – they asked us for $50,000 to use the track in competitions.”
Deanna Stellato-Dudek on Olympic Season Preparation and the Evolution of Their Programs
original source: Sports by Maya Bagriantseva
Deanna Stellato-Dudek reflects on the sacrifices and creative decisions her pair made for this Olympic season, including a switch to Carmina Burana for their short program and the inclusion of a daring flip element. Here’s a translation of her comments.
“We took our preparations for this season very seriously, even deciding to decline appearances in spring shows in order to completely focus on creating our programs and training. I think that decision paid off as we’ve been able to devote all our attention to the work at hand.
Initially, we had planned to use a different short program set to music by Phil Collins. My brother recorded a beautiful cover of the song In the Air, and it was really important to me to skate to the voice of someone from my family during the Olympic season. Unfortunately, we couldn’t resolve the copyright issues – they asked us for $50,000 to use the track in competitions.
So, we switched to the classical composition Carmina Burana. We knew that we wanted to include a unique element in our Olympic program, and I suggested incorporating a back flip. For a year, Max refused the idea, calling me crazy. At first, I suggested doing the flip off his shoulders, then off his back, but he outright rejected it, saying it was too dangerous.”
She continued: “But I didn’t give up and was eventually able to convince him. Now he loves the element, and I feel it adds a spark of excitement for the audience,” said Stellato-Dudek to Sports correspondent Maya Bagryantseva.
Related topics: Deanna Stellato-Dudek Maxime Deschamps
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