Jordan Cowan is an ice dancer who has combined his passions for ice skating and filmmaking and created a new way to see synchronized skating. He has worked recently with many top teams like Les Suprêmes, Skyliners, Marigold IceUnity and Nexxice in different countries.
Hello Jordan, to get started tell us more about yourself and your skating career...
Jordan Cowan: I startedrnfigure skating when I was 8 years old in Southern California; I really lovedrnthe cold, being on the ice rink and how it was very different from the weatherrnoutside. I just loved it because it feltrnso different from every other sport, it was just you and the ice and yourrnblades.
I became a better andrnbetter figure skater until I was encouraged to switch to Ice Dancing and that, eventually, took me to Michigan to find a skatingrnpartner. I trained there for 8 years and became very competitive on team USA. Now itrnhas been almost 9 years since I stopped competing.
I also did some coaching inrnNew York and I coached skaters from team Skyliners through theirrnice dance moves.
Jordan Cowan: I startedrnfigure skating when I was 8 years old in Southern California; I really lovedrnthe cold, being on the ice rink and how it was very different from the weatherrnoutside. I just loved it because it feltrnso different from every other sport, it was just you and the ice and yourrnblades.
I became a better andrnbetter figure skater until I was encouraged to switch to Ice Dancing and that, eventually, took me to Michigan to find a skatingrnpartner. I trained there for 8 years and became very competitive on team USA. Now itrnhas been almost 9 years since I stopped competing.
I also did some coaching inrnNew York and I coached skaters from team Skyliners through theirrnice dance moves.
Jordan Cowan filming Team Nexxice Junior (Credits: Danielle Earl Photography)
How did you find out about synchronized skating?
rnrnI'vernalways been aware of synchronized skating.
Before switching to Ice Dance, Irntried out on a synchro team, but I didn't join. It was a cool experience! I remember we had arnblackout, so they basically threw me in the team and tried to see what wouldrnhappen. It was very funny.
rnrnThen,rnwhen I was in Michigan, there were the Hockettes who trained there as well.rnSo we knew about synchro teams, but wernnever actually watched any synchronized skating.
rnrnAnd thatrnwas the most experience that I had with synchro before I started filming some teams.
rnrnI'vernalways been aware of synchronized skating.
Before switching to Ice Dance, Irntried out on a synchro team, but I didn't join. It was a cool experience! I remember we had arnblackout, so they basically threw me in the team and tried to see what wouldrnhappen. It was very funny.
rnrnThen,rnwhen I was in Michigan, there were the Hockettes who trained there as well.rnSo we knew about synchro teams, but wernnever actually watched any synchronized skating.
rnrnAnd thatrnwas the most experience that I had with synchro before I started filming some teams.
How did you come up with the idea of filming skatersrndirectly on the ice?
rnrnIt allrnjust happened very naturally. I saw videos of skaters putting their phones onrnthe boards and filming themselves doing a spin or a jump and their followers werernbeing so supportive, people loved watching them. So I thought: "What if I couldrnfilm skating but make it look more professional and be able to do it every day".
rnrnI knew Irnhave to figure out a way to make it easy and simple enough that I could put arnvideo out every day, I also wanted to learn filmmaking;rnso I challenged myself to do a video every day for a month and it has just neverrnreally stopped.
rnrnFor nowrnis still just a hobby. It seems all big and professional but at the end of thernday, it's just me having fun, experimenting different techniques and just tryingrnto capture what it feels like to skate.
rnrnIt allrnjust happened very naturally. I saw videos of skaters putting their phones onrnthe boards and filming themselves doing a spin or a jump and their followers werernbeing so supportive, people loved watching them. So I thought: "What if I couldrnfilm skating but make it look more professional and be able to do it every day".
rnrnI knew Irnhave to figure out a way to make it easy and simple enough that I could put arnvideo out every day, I also wanted to learn filmmaking;rnso I challenged myself to do a video every day for a month and it has just neverrnreally stopped.
rnrnFor nowrnis still just a hobby. It seems all big and professional but at the end of thernday, it's just me having fun, experimenting different techniques and just tryingrnto capture what it feels like to skate.
How do you prepare yourself before filming a synchro team?
rnrnI try to learn their choreography a little bit. I'm not the best at learningrnchoreography quickly, but I'm good enough to know where they're not going to be, and that's where I try to be. I just try to go where they are not, I found thosernspaces and get from one place to another.
rnrnSynchronized skating is the best challenge I couldrnfind for filming skating. I don't know it very much and there are sornmany skaters on the ice and so much to keep track of that it's like the mostrnexciting adrenaline to be trying to lead my way through a synchro team.
rnrnI try to learn their choreography a little bit. I'm not the best at learningrnchoreography quickly, but I'm good enough to know where they're not going to be, and that's where I try to be. I just try to go where they are not, I found thosernspaces and get from one place to another.
rnrnSynchronized skating is the best challenge I couldrnfind for filming skating. I don't know it very much and there are sornmany skaters on the ice and so much to keep track of that it's like the mostrnexciting adrenaline to be trying to lead my way through a synchro team.
What was your first experience filming synchronizedrnskating?
rnrnThernfirst team I have ever filmed was Les Suprêmes in Montréal. I have been visitingrnMontréal to film with the ice dancers there and one of therncoaches, Pascal Denis, coaches Les Suprêmes with MarilynrnLanglois.
rnrnI don'trnreally know how it came up, but he told me that he coaches synchronized skating, so I askedrnhim if I could come with him to the practice. And it really was that day, Irnjust got in the car with him and my camera.
rnrnThat wasrnmy first time watching synchro skating practice, I had no experience at all.rnI filmed a bunch of clips that I actually never ever posted because it was all fresh and new.
rnrnI have arnlot of respect for how much synchronized skating wants to show its very bestrnside and I knew I have to work with them a lot before I could post somethingrnthat shows the best of their work and mine. So it was a while until I actuallyrnshare anything.
rnrnThernfirst team I have ever filmed was Les Suprêmes in Montréal. I have been visitingrnMontréal to film with the ice dancers there and one of therncoaches, Pascal Denis, coaches Les Suprêmes with MarilynrnLanglois.
rnrnI don'trnreally know how it came up, but he told me that he coaches synchronized skating, so I askedrnhim if I could come with him to the practice. And it really was that day, Irnjust got in the car with him and my camera.
rnrnThat wasrnmy first time watching synchro skating practice, I had no experience at all.rnI filmed a bunch of clips that I actually never ever posted because it was all fresh and new.
rnrnI have arnlot of respect for how much synchronized skating wants to show its very bestrnside and I knew I have to work with them a lot before I could post somethingrnthat shows the best of their work and mine. So it was a while until I actuallyrnshare anything.
Do you have any anecdotes to share?
rnrnThe first time I actually filmed with a synchro team on the ice, I almost got decapitated.
Irnwas just standing by the boards, where the coaches were. Irnremember being drawn into the ice a little bit, and then, the next thing Irnknow, all the skaters were doing spirals arm to arm, and I just remember feelingrnthe wind of the blades in front of my face.
rnrnI wasrnsafe, I wouldn't have gotten hurt, but the fact that I was so close to sornmany blades, it was like an adrenaline rush for sure.
Since then, I had seen likerntwo skaters practicing, but never more; they created an aerodynamic chain. It was really cool!
rnrnThe first time I actually filmed with a synchro team on the ice, I almost got decapitated.
Irnwas just standing by the boards, where the coaches were. Irnremember being drawn into the ice a little bit, and then, the next thing Irnknow, all the skaters were doing spirals arm to arm, and I just remember feelingrnthe wind of the blades in front of my face.
rnrnI wasrnsafe, I wouldn't have gotten hurt, but the fact that I was so close to sornmany blades, it was like an adrenaline rush for sure.
Since then, I had seen likerntwo skaters practicing, but never more; they created an aerodynamic chain. It was really cool!
Apart from North American teams, you filmed also arnFinnish team!
rnrnYes, last year I flew to Finland for two days to film with Marigold IceUnity.
It was early 2020, and I was in the UK working for "Dancing on Ice". I had two days off a week, so Irnbooked a flight the night before and just left and came back before I had to gornback to work. Irnjust wanted to film them again.
They came to skate on the show "Dancing on Ice" as guests in 2019 and did a big group number. I just kept theirrncontact, so when I came back to the UK in early 2020 I askedrntheir coach, Anu Oksanen:rn"It's there any way I could come and film you?" and she said:rn"Yes, absolutely, please do!" And so I did.
rnrnYes, last year I flew to Finland for two days to film with Marigold IceUnity.
It was early 2020, and I was in the UK working for "Dancing on Ice". I had two days off a week, so Irnbooked a flight the night before and just left and came back before I had to gornback to work. Irnjust wanted to film them again.
They came to skate on the show "Dancing on Ice" as guests in 2019 and did a big group number. I just kept theirrncontact, so when I came back to the UK in early 2020 I askedrntheir coach, Anu Oksanen:rn"It's there any way I could come and film you?" and she said:rn"Yes, absolutely, please do!" And so I did.
Jordan Cowan with Anu Oksanen and Marigold Ice Unity (Credits: Jordan Cowan / On Ice Perspectives - early 2020)
What's the most spectacular element to film on thernice?
rnrnWell, thernones that give me the most trill are intersections, especially the angularrnintersection. It'srnreally fun to put myself as the last person and then follow the skaters and bernon the wall as they pass through.
You get this feeling of like everyone just becomes a blur, but then they're spinning as they cross each other. So, when they come outrnof it, you are tracking that one skater who's at the end of the line. It feelsrnlike I am the other person on the line.
rnrnWell, thernones that give me the most trill are intersections, especially the angularrnintersection. It'srnreally fun to put myself as the last person and then follow the skaters and bernon the wall as they pass through.
You get this feeling of like everyone just becomes a blur, but then they're spinning as they cross each other. So, when they come outrnof it, you are tracking that one skater who's at the end of the line. It feelsrnlike I am the other person on the line.
You have seen synchronized skating both from thernstands and from the ice. Which one do you think emphasizes our sport the most?
rnrnPersonallyrnI think synchronized skating is best seen from the judges' point of view. Thernchoreographers of synchro are genius and they make everything look good fromrnevery angle, but especially from the judges' one.
rnrnBeing onrnthe ice, I can just capture a small portion, just a glimpse. I catch thernfeeling, I show the speed but, to really see the pattern, you need to be on thernstands.
rnrnIt's hardrnto peek one way or the other. I think it will always look good as long as it'srnfilmed by a skater, whether is on or off the ice. It's just need to be filmed byrnsomeone who knows skating; it doesn't matter where the camera is as long as yournknow what you're filming.
rnrnPersonallyrnI think synchronized skating is best seen from the judges' point of view. Thernchoreographers of synchro are genius and they make everything look good fromrnevery angle, but especially from the judges' one.
rnrnBeing onrnthe ice, I can just capture a small portion, just a glimpse. I catch thernfeeling, I show the speed but, to really see the pattern, you need to be on thernstands.
rnrnIt's hardrnto peek one way or the other. I think it will always look good as long as it'srnfilmed by a skater, whether is on or off the ice. It's just need to be filmed byrnsomeone who knows skating; it doesn't matter where the camera is as long as yournknow what you're filming.
I hopernthat synchronized skating would become more popular, especially if it could bernin my home country, the United States. I want to see more synchro teams, I knowrnit's already great but it can always use more skaters for how bigger the country is.
rnrnI wouldrnlove to know more about synchro too, like the terminology and the patterns.rnI'm very curious to know how in the world a coach can come up with those amazing choreographies, how do they manage so many people at once.
rnrnI wouldrnlove to know more about synchro too, like the terminology and the patterns.rnI'm very curious to know how in the world a coach can come up with those amazing choreographies, how do they manage so many people at once.