Meet ice dancer Shauna Vorhees

by Anne Calder

Shauna Vorhees is fifteen and lives only five minutes away from the Chandler Arizona Ice Den. Unlike many of the other dancers, she was a bit older when she first laced up her skates.

IDC: How did you get involved with ice skating?
Shauna: I was nine when I went to a birthday party and liked it a lot. I skated at a couple of public sessions and then joined the Learn to Skate classes. I really enjoyed it and was always excited to go, so I continued with private lessons. I started making programs with elements to songs, then began doing competitions.

IDC: Do you go to public school in the area?
Shauna: I attend Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, Arizona. There are a lot of skaters who go to my school. It’s nice to have connections at school if you are skating. It’s a friendly community to be part of…

IDC: What do you like best about Solo Dance?
Shauna: I like how you can compete and also do a bunch of different styles with different rhythms and different dances – like the waltz that’s elegant and you kind of flow across the ice. Then there’s also Latin dances like the Cha Cha where you have to be very sharp and passionately excited about it. I think it’s very cool to see the contrast in the different styles.

IDC: What is your favorite rhythm?
Shauna: I like Latin – Cha Cha is more exciting with the different movements that go along with it.

IDC: What about music for the Free Dance?
Shauna: I like the same thing – Tango, Cha Cha. My passion is to dance to that music.

IDC: How long have you been doing Solo Dance?
Shauna: I’ve been doing Solo Dance with Naomi Lang for three years. I thought it looked interesting, then when I tried it, I got excited and fell in love with it. I just kind of wanted to keep continuing with it.

IDC: What about the camaraderie in Solo Dance?
Shauna: That’s another reason I love Solo Dance. The community has always been so strong, especially to me as I started it. Here we have our Solo Dance Team and everyone was so welcoming. Even when competing against each other, we don’t let that get in the way of our friendships. We support each other at competitions – even skaters from other places we support them, and they support us. It’s just a very friendly loving community.

IDC: What skating goals have you set for this season?
Shauna: It’s mostly about improving. I just want to be able to keep doing better. If I get a level 2 on my twizzles, I want to get a level 3 at the next competition. It’s not like I want to get first place, it’s about improving, and then I can reach those goals.

IDC: What is your favorite skating memory?
Shauna: In Arizona, we have this competition called Fiesta Skate. Two years ago it was my first Solo Dance competition. I didn’t know what was going on. Everyone was so supportive. I ended up doing really good. I was able to make new friends there. Naomi and everyone were so welcoming even though I was new to it.