1 minute read
Kouevi and Homawoo ice dance team continues to ascend
By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews
Anaelle Kouevi and Yann Homawoo started their season off on a positive note, recently taking first place in novice ice dance at the Chesapeake Open. They dominated both pattern dances and the free dance, receiving praise for their performances. They are aware that there are few Black ice dancers, and even fewer teams in which both partners are Black Kouevi, 12, and Homawoo, 14, who have skated together competitively for four years, are eager to make history in another way as well. Over the years, there have been several sibling partnerships, but they may well be the first cousin team to compete. Their mothers are sisters and keep each other calm at competitions.
“One day, me and my mom were invited to watch Yann skate,” said Kouevi. “Most of the time, I was just playing around, and then I actually started to take notice. I said, ‘I want to do this.’ I started taking lessons, and then eventually I ended up in the same academy as him, and we ended up training together.”
The duo train at Ion International Training Center in Leesburg, Virginia, with coaches Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, Pierre Souquet, Jimmie Manners, and Yullia Zhata. Kouevi said it took her a couple of years to really see she had competitive potential, but then it clicked into place.
Rising ice dancers
Anaelle Kouevi and Yann Homawoo (Photos courtesy of Kouevi and Homawoo)
“Training going into Chesapeake was actually really good. All elements were very consistent and we were confident. We did believe we were going to place well, but not necessarily win,” said Homawoo. “It’s all about trusting your training,” said Kouevi. They look up to their training mates Lorraine McNamara and Anton Spiridonov, who placed sixth in senior ice dance at the 2023 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. “As a team, they work really well together, and they complement each other physically and mentally,” said Kouevi.
They’ve chosen music by Parov Stelar for their free dance along with the song “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Bebo Best. Homawoo said the team’s goals for the season are to have podium finishes at all their competitions. Should they succeed, they will earn an invitation to the national development camp for novice skaters held just after the 2025 U.S. Championships. That could lead to being sent to an international competition.
“What I’m most looking forward to is making a lot of memories on the ice,” said Kouevi. “Something we’d like to remember for the rest of our lives.”