Getting to Know: Ksenia Konkina & Pavel Drozd
IDC is highlighting some of the new partnerships that are debuting in the 2019-20 competitive season. Russia’s Ksenia Konkina & Pavel Drozd are the next team we are featuring in this season’s series.
Tell us about your individual skating journeys.KK: With previous partners, I medaled at international, Russian competitions, as well as the Grand Prix series among juniors.
PD: I started figure skating at 5 years old in my hometown, Saint-Petersburg. At 13 years old, I began to skate in ice dance. A year later I received an invitation to skate in Moscow, so my family and I moved to Moscow. With my previous partner, Alla Loboda and coaches Kseniia Rumyantseva and Ekaterina Volobueva , we passed a good and long way together. We were two-time medalists of Junior Worlds, and three times in a row, we won second place at the Junior Grand Prix Final. We became national champions and also were many other things.
Since July, I was starting to train in the group of Alexander Zhulin and in October I teamed up with Ksenia and participated in some competitions already.
Tell us how your partnership started.
KK: It was very simple. Pasha called and offered to try to skate together and I agreed. Alexander Zhulin and Peter Durnev looked at us and said that everything will work out.
PD: I think all have started when I called Ksenia. We talked a little bit about our possible perspectives as a couple, and we decided to make a try out. After a tryout, we had a conversation with our coaches where we talked about everything: our goals, perspectives. opportunities, and after that we all agreed that from this moment we’ll go together to reach our goals.
What do you like most about skating with your partner?
KK: What do I like about Pasha? The fact that he is already quite an experienced skater and partner. If something does not work, then he tells me how to do it right. It’s very cool that I found a common language and it is very comfortable to communicate with him.
PD: I’m very appreciate my partnership with Ksenia and it’s hard to choose just one.
She’s so beautiful and purposeful girl. I’m happy that we’ve found language between us and we both absolutely passionate about skating. It doesn’t matter for us how many hours we’ll spend on the ice.f
If you could have a lesson with any ice dancer past/present, who would it be?
KK: The couple of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.
PD: It’s so hard to choose only one couple, so if i could have this opportunity, I would take three lessons, each one from one couple. The first lesson I would take with French couple Natalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat. I really enjoyed their skating and programs during their sport career.
The second one with an amazing and famous Russian ice dancers Oksana Grishuk & Evgeny Platov
. The last one I would like to spend with Tessa [Virtue] and Scott [Moir]. They created a new chapter in history of ice dance. Their skating and connection between them, sometimes it’s really looks like magic on ice.
Can you give us some background on your programs this season?
PD: Our free dance, probably the majority have not seen already, so we’ve decided to leave this theme for a next season, but we’ll add changes. About our rhythm dance, as you know the main theme for a next season are Musicals and Operettas. I don’t want to reveal all the secrets, but I can tell you that for our new RD we chose the musical 42nd Street. We hope you’ll enjoy our programs.
Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about you?
PD: Follow us, cheer for us and together step by step we’ll get to know each other more and more!