Article and Photos by Matteo Morelli

The inaugural Bolero Cup took place in Sheffield, UK, at the same venue that hosted the 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy. This new event is an ISU international figure skating competition for ice dance, including competitions in the Senior, Junior and Advanced Novice categories. 

The Bolero Cup was established as a tribute to the legendary 1984 Olympic performance by British ice dance icons Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, in recognition of their remarkable careers and achievements. The iconic duo attended the event, watching each competition and presenting the medals during the podium ceremonies. Seeing how skaters and fans wanted to meet them and take photos with them shows how deeply they are still loved and respected. Their incredible legacy remains very much alive, not only in Great Britain but also in the broader history of ice dance. 

Since the 2022 Grand Prix in Sheffield, British Ice Skating has worked to restore Great Britain’s place on the international stage, with the next major event being the European Championships, set to take place in Sheffield next January.

Senior Ice Dance

Ten teams competed in the senior category, with four representing Great Britain, two from the United States, and the remaining teams representing Lithuania, Australia, Spain, and Poland. 

World bronze medallists Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson won the event with a total score of 199.81, debuting their new programmes on home ice. Their much-anticipated rhythm dance on a Spice Girls medley featured Lilah in a Union Jack flag costume and Lewis in a leopard-print top, an homage to the iconic outfits of Geri Halliwell and Mel B.

Their free dance brought something new, with a programme focussed on traditional Scottish music. The audience was highly entertained by their new routine, which also included some new choreographic elements, most notably a move where Lewis lifted Lilah onto the side board midway through the programme (we wonder whether this is another trend they are about to set!).

They explained that the idea of skating to Scottish music had been in their minds for some time, but only this season felt like the right time to do it. They spent a lot of time researching the style to understand its essence and properly pay tribute to Lewis’ heritage. 

“We wanted to pay homage to the Scottish dance style. We spent time doing our research and learning how to do it properly, so we could then translate it to the ice”, they shared.

They also explained that their music choices for both programmes are strategic and driven by both the current Olympic season and the next European championships, which is going to take place in Sheffield itself. 

“Both of our programmes are patriotic on purpose. It is extra special, and it makes us extra proud to debut them here for the people who support us the most”, they said.

Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevičius finished in second place with a total score of 197.50 points. The Lithuanian team had everyone clapping along to their upbeat rhythm dance, which culminated in an engaging step sequence on the famous “I’m too sexy” music. 

For their free dance, they returned to the repertoire of Faithless, a style that they feel closely matches their identity on the ice, and one that they first used in their 2022/23 season free dance (back then, they skated to “Insomnia”, while this season they chose “God is a DJ” and “We come 1”). The programme suits them well and earned them the first place in the free dance segment.

They will soon be heading to China for the Olympic Qualifier Event in Beijing (to take place from September 18 to 21), hoping to secure a spot at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic Games in Italy.

Closing the podium with 181.68 points were Holly Harris and Jason Chan of Australia. They entertained with their rhythm dance set to music by Jennifer Lopez and Anastacia, and charmed with their free based on the theme of the famous Clair de Lune by Debussy, which they have kept from last season.

Two American teams ended in fourth and fifth place: Amy Cui and Jonathan Rogers delivered an incredibly delicate and sophisticated skate in their free dance, earning a total final score of 176.10 points; Raffaella Koncius and Alexey Shchepetov also enchanted with their Umbrellas of Cherbourg programme, earning a total of 167.44 points.

Philomene Sabourin and Raul Bermejo of Spain skated their free dance to music from the TV show House of Cards, receiving a strong response from the audience and securing a sixth-place finish. 

Three more British teams competed in the senior category: Sophia Bushell and Antonio Pena ended in seventh place, Layla Karnes and Freddie Leggott in ninth place, and Dana Sabatini-Speciale and Daniel Kaye in tenth place, fresh off their recent switch from representing South Africa to representing Great Britain. 

Olexandra Borysova and Aaron Freeman of Poland skated their free to music from the movie “Perfume: the Story of a Murderer”, moving up from ninth after the rhythm dance to eight in the free dance and overall.

Three teams expected to compete at this event had to pull out: Great Britain’s Phebe Bekker and James Hernandez, Ukraine’s Mariia Pinchuk and Mykyta Pogorielov, and Cyprus’ Angelina Kudryavtseva and Ilia Karankevich.

Junior Ice Dance

Eight teams competed in the junior event, with three representing the Czech Republic, two from Great Britain, and one each from Israel, Spain and Germany.

Two British teams took the top steps on the podium: Mimi Marler Davies and Joseph Black won the event with a total of 130.54 points, followed by Ashlie Slatter and Louis Gregory with 128.10, dropping one place after their lead in the rhythm dance. Closing the podium, Kristyna Stanclova and Karel Kostron of the Czech Republic, with 118.42 points. 

I wanted to share a quick story: Barbora Klesalova and Matej Klesal of the Czech Republic were skating on their free dance when, half way through it, the music suddenly stopped and they were informed that a piece of transparent plastic had been spotted on the ice, which needed to be removed for their safety. They then resumed from the point the music stopped, and still finished their free dance with a smile. A reminder that live events sometimes come with unexpected challenges!  

Advanced Novice Ice Dance

Two American teams competed in the Advanced Novice category. The winners were Karen Li and James Zhu, who earned a total of 117.92 points, followed by Rylen Lukanin and Patrick O’Brien, who scored 113.39 points.