Natalie and Filip Taschler: “We’re really enjoying our free dance because, in recent seasons, we’ve been skating more abstract programs. This time, stepping into the roles of Neo and Trinity feels exciting.”
Natalie and Filip Taschler Set to Open Grand Prix Season at NHK Trophy
original source: sport.ceskatelevize.cz dd. November 6th 2025 by Jaroslav Svoboda
Czech ice dancers Natalie and Flip Taschler prepare to debut their new programs at NHK Trophy, emphasizing their creative input, a fresh training environment, and their focus on enjoying their Olympic season. Here’s a translation of their comments.
The duo, preparing for the World Championships in Prague in March, has developed two new routines with unique themes. Their free dance features music from The Matrix, where Filip portrays Neo and Natalie embodies Trinity.
“We’re really enjoying it because, in recent seasons, we’ve been skating more abstract programs. This time, stepping into the roles of Neo and Trinity feels exciting,” Filip shared. He personally selected specific passages from the film’s soundtrack and arranged them for their routine. “When I skate the program, knowing that I created this, it’s a completely different feeling,” he admitted.
Meanwhile, Natalie took charge of designing the costumes. “I gathered inspiration from Pinterest and then discussed ideas with Filip and our coaches to see if they liked them. Surprisingly, everyone was thrilled with everything I put together. I really enjoyed the process,” Natalie said.
For their rhythmic dance, they chose music by Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias. “It’s packed with energy – an intense dance vibe from the 90s, which we absolutely love. The whole program is filled with excitement, and our goal is to make the audience and judges feel like they’re dancing with us in a club,” Natalie explained.
The choreography for both programs was crafted during their training sessions in San Francisco under Massimo Scali’s guidance.
Since spring, the Taschlers have been training in Helsinki under Italian coach Maurizio Margaglio, a former World Champion, European Champion, and bronze medalist at the 2002 Winter Olympics. “He is an amazing, energetic coach – we feel great in this new training group,” the Czech skaters shared.
They are training alongside top Finnish ice dance pairs Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis, who placed fourth at the European Championships, and Yuka Orihara and Juho Pirinen, who took seventh. The Taschlers finished tenth at the same event, but they value the opportunity to collaborate and learn in their new environment.
“Both pairs are older than us and have gone through many experiences in their careers, including changing coaches. They’ve been a wonderful source of support for us,” Natalie said. Filip added: “Our training group has an uplifting energy – we’re friends with everyone. Although we’re direct competitors at major events, we have a healthy sense of competition during practice. Each of us has unique strengths, and it’s great that we can learn from each other. After training sessions, we often go for coffee together or plan weekend activities.”
The Taschlers enjoyed their best international results in 2023, finishing sixth at the European Championships and eighth at the World Championships. At earlier Europeans, they claimed seventh and tenth places but struggled to break into the top ten at Worlds in the past two seasons, finishing 15th last year due to health issues and 13th this year. In each case, they lost to younger teammates Katerina and Daniel Mrázek.
However, this season has started promisingly. The Taschlers finished second at the Nepela Memorial and clinched victory at a competition in Nice. While they aren’t setting specific goals for upcoming events, they are clear about their primary focus: “We don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves. Our main goal this season is to be happy and to enjoy figure skating as a whole,” they emphasized.
Related topics: Natalie Taschlerova Filip Taschler
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