Sasha Cohen journal update

Sasha's new programs

August 19, 2004

Sasha Cohen has announced two new competitive programs and two new choreographers for the 2004-2005 season.

Sasha will skate to “Dark Eyes” choreographed by Nikoli Morosov for her short program.

The free skate will be performed to The Nutcracker’s "Pas de Deux" and is choreographed by Marina Zueva and Igor Shpilband.

Sasha was scheduled to perform “Dark Eyes” during the 2000-2001 season but an injury kept her off the ice and she later changed programs.

“I’ve always loved the music when it was first choreographed and enjoyed it so much I wanted to perform it during a full senior competitive season,” Sasha said.

Ten seconds have been added to the short program, with a maximum duration of two minutes and fifty seconds. “I like the extra ten seconds to help get more moves and connecting steps into the elements. And I want to stay on the ice as long as possible,” Sasha said with a smile.

Zueva and Shpilband combined to choreograph the free skate to “Pas de Deux”. Zueva choreographed the program and Shpilband the footwork.

Shpilband and Zueva have been working together as a choreography team the past several years. Both work at the Artic Ice Arena in Canton, Michigan. Shpilband’s teams have collected more than 20 national titles in the past 13 years.

Zueva is best known as choreographer for two-time pairs gold medalists Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov.

It’s the first time Sasha has had programs choreographed by Zueva and Shpilband.
“The first time I did my first run-through, I thought, ‘Wow’’’, Sasha said. “When we put all the pieces together it turned out wonderful. I am looking forward to performing this program. It’s one of my favorite pieces of music.”

Sasha debuts her short program at Sun Valley, Idaho in late August.

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