What happened to the shibutani?
They’ve stepped away from competitive skating (though not retired – more on that below), travelled the world, written their new book, collaborated for a web show and continued to document their travails on their social media platforms, including their time touring with Stars on Ice – in both the U.S. and Japan.
Are Maia and Alex Shibutani related?
Personal life. Maia Harumi Shibutani was born on July 20, 1994, in New York City. She is the daughter of Chris Shibutani and Naomi Uyemura, both of Japanese descent, who met as Harvard musicians. She has an older brother, Alex Shibutani, who competes with her as her partner in the discipline of Ice Dance.
Where are the shibutanis from?
The Shibutanis also made history in South Korea as the first ice dancers of Asian descent to claim an Olympic medal. Maia, born in NYC and Alex, born in Boston, MA, spent their early years growing up in Boston, MA and Old Greenwich, CT.
What is ice skating dance called?
Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976.
What is figure skating called now in Olympics?
The Olympic disciplines are men’s singles, ladies’ singles, pair skating, and ice dance; the four individual disciplines are also combined into a team event, first included in the Winter Olympics in 2014.
What’s the difference between ice dance and ice skating?
Ice dancing is always done in pairs, and no jumps or throws are allowed. Figure skating focuses more on jumps, lifts, death spirals, and spins. While figure skaters are scored on the connecting footwork between all of those elements, ice dancers are judged more on the precision of their footwork.
Is ice dancing still in the Olympics?
Figure skating is the oldest sport on the Olympic Winter Games programme. It was contested at the 1908 London Games and again in 1920 in Antwerp. Men’s, women’s and pairs were the three events contested until 1972. Since 1976, ice dancing has been the fourth event in the programme, proving a great success.