Photos by Yoriko Suzuki

There’s something special about sibling teams in ice dance, and for Austria’s Anita and Andreas Straub, that lifelong connection is at the heart of their partnership. What started as a pandemic-era idea resulted in a top 10 finish at the 2026 World Junior Championships. The Straubs are now turning their focus toward the senior level, bringing with them clear goals, creative ambition, and a sense of identity that feels entirely their own.

BACKGROUND & EARLY SKATING

What are your earliest memories of skating—were you both drawn to ice dance from the beginning? Did either of you try other skating disciplines before committing to ice dance?

Anita: My very first memory is standing on the ice at age 5 and clutching a cone for dear life. I was not good at all! I was crying and so hopeless that my mom had to step onto the ice in her shoes just to help me move. I wasn’t drawn to ice dance right away; I was a solo skater and had no interest in dance at the time. The turning point came during my teenage years when my perspective completely changed once I realized that I can achieve more success in ice dance.

Andy: I don’t quite remember my first steps on the ice, but what I do remember clearly are the hockey battles and constant fights for the puck. When I later switched to figure skating, I started in the solo discipline. I had considered ice dance earlier, but since I started the sport at age ten—while everyone else had been skating since they were four—I wanted to see what I could achieve on my own as a single skater first.

How did the idea of skating together first come about? What made you realize that skating together could work competitively?

It all started during the Covid-19 pandemic when Andy split with his previous partner, while he was looking for a new one. One skater was prepared to come from England, right before she came our coaches came up with an interesting idea. They suggested we try skating together as siblings first. They wanted to make sure Anita wouldn’t regret missing the chance to skate with her brother, especially since male partners are so rare in ice dance and Anita knew that if she didn’t take this chance now, it might never come up again.

We clicked both personally and professionally right from the start. We both had big ambitions and saw our future in this discipline for years to come. The fact that we already knew each other as siblings helped immensely in our decision to commit fully.

What are the advantages of skating with someone who knows you as well as a sibling does? On the flip side, are there moments when being siblings makes training more challenging?

The biggest advantage is definitely our communication and mutual trust. Because we spend so much time together off the ice, our training process is very well-established, and we can reach agreements quickly.

On the flip side the advantage can sometimes become a disadvantage; spending so much time together can occasionally lead to “cabin fever.” We live together and travel everywhere together, so sometimes there isn’t much space to take a break from one another.

Do you find that communication on the ice is easier because you’ve known each other your entire lives?

Yes definitely!! We are best friends!!

TRAINING DYNAMIC, PROGRAMS & PERFORMANCE

Where are you currently training, and what does a typical training day look like for you?

We train at home in Vienna. Our day starts early: Andy gets up around 5:50 AM, and Anita at 6:00 AM. We leave by car together at 6:50 AM to start our first on-ice session at 8:00 AM, which lasts about 1.5 hours. Afterward, we head home for a snack, studying, or rest. Our second two-hour session is at a different rink around 12:30 PM. After having lunch together, we have free time from 4:00 PM onwards, which we use for off-ice training and more studying. This is our routine from Monday to Friday.

Tell us about your coaches and choreographers. What do you like most about working with them?

Our head coach is Galina Churilova. We love her precision and her eye for every detail; she supports our creativity and constantly brings new ideas for our improvement. We just love working with her.

Our choreography is handled by the team of Alexandra Narazova and Maksym Nikitin. We love exchanging ideas with them and trying new, creative things. A huge advantage is that they can demonstrate any lift or move off the ice to help us figure out what fits best both physically and musically.

What off-ice training or preparation has been particularly helpful for your development as a team?

We have off-ice sessions with Galina, where we do couple workouts focused on lifts and legs. The main focus is on strength and achieving high extension in our leg lines.

Tell us about your programs this season. What inspired your music choices and overall themes?

This season was a bit more complex because we competed in both the Junior and Senior categories.

Rhythm Dance: We wanted something unconventional to stand out, as we knew most teams would choose hip hop. Anita really wanted some Latin-American theme and once the coaches saw how Andy moved to Latin music, the choice was clear. A fun fact is that the song title “Maria” is Anita’s middle name.

Free Dance: Andy requested a calmer piece of music, and Anita added that it should have a clear tempo without lyrics. After last season’s La La Land, some feedback suggested it wasn’t always clear if we were skating to the rhythm or the melody. So this year, we wanted it to be unambiguous, and the Amélie soundtrack was the perfect choice.

How do you approach building your programs so they feel authentic as a sibling team while still telling strong stories?

The most important part for us is choosing a theme and visualizing what we want to portray. By selecting music that already has a story, the creative process becomes much easier for us, and our choreography team knows exactly what to build.

How involved are you in the choreography process?

We are very involved. We usually have the final say when choosing music, though of course our coaches and choreographers advise us on what is a good choice. On the ice, we all work together as a team of four to build the program.

Is there a particular element or section of your programs that you feel best represents your style as a team?

This year, we feel our choreo steps in the Rhythm Dance and the PST represent us well. In the Free Dance, we really like the opening transition element and the choreo spinning movement at the end.

Which elements do you enjoy performing the most in competition?

Anita specifically enjoys the stepsequence in the RD and the OFT in the FD, while Andy loves the RD choreo, especially when making eye contact with the audience. He also likes the OFT in the FD.