Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville head into today’s senior free dance at the 2024 Prevagen U.S. Championships in Columbus, Ohio, in fourth place after a sparkling rhythm dance on Thursday.

It’s been a season of continued growth for Bratti, 21, and Somerville, 23, who train at the Michigan Ice Dance Academy (MIDA) with coaches Greg Zuerlein, Charlie White, and Tanith White. The duo placed 4th at their season opener, Lombardia Trophy, and 6th at both their Grand Prix events. They’re exploring a new artistic direction this season with their intense, romantic free dance to Celine Dion’s “Je me ne quitte pas,” which has received positive reaction from judges and fans. Meanwhile, their 1980s-themed Prince rhythm dance showcases their skill with high-energy pieces and challenging footwork.

After the rhythm dance in Columbus, we spoke with Bratti and Somerville about why they wanted to try a new type of free dance this season, what they’re focusing on technically, and how Yuzuru Hanyu’s 2016-17 “Let’s Go Crazy” short program helped inspire their rhythm dance.

Q:  Tell us about your season so far.

Bratti:  We’ve been really happy with our progress this season. I think we’ve skated really well, especially at NHK Trophy, which was our most recent competition before this one. We’re really proud of our free dance, especially. But also our rhythm dance.

Somerville:  We’re really passionate about both of our programs. We didn’t have a lot of opportunities to compete this year. This is actually only our fourth competition. So this season has felt pretty short. There were a lot of breaks in between competitions, though, so there was a lot of time to make improvements. It felt really good to be able to see the improvements. 

Bratti:  Our free dance this year is a totally new type of program for us. It’s a lot more mature, and kind of slow. It’s a sadder program, which we’ve never done before. It’s really pushed us to improve our artistry. Greg [Zuerlein] is the one who thought of our free dance music. At first, we had our own idea for the free dance. But he was like: “You are doing this.” We ended up agreeing with them [the coaches].

Somerville:  Yes, because it was a good idea. They’re normally right. [Laughs] I think it’s helped us get more in touch emotionally with the music. But also I think, since it’s softer in nature, it’s helped us to get more grounded into the ice and get a little bit more comfortable throughout the program. With faster-paced tempos, such as our program last year [La La Land free dance], it can be hard to get into your knees immediately. This free dance really helps us do that. It feels good.

Q:  Going back to the competitions, was it planned that you did fewer competitions this season?

Somerville:  We were going to do Lake Placid Ice Dance International [in August 2023]. But then Emily had an injury early in the season, and it was really close to that competition, so we decided not to do it.

Bratti:  Then we had Lombardia Trophy and our two Grand Prixs. I think originally, we thought we would have another Challenger [Series event], but we ended up not having it. It didn’t really affect the season, though. We feel like we’re at our peak [condition] of the season right now, which is ideal. Whereas at Nationals last year, we didn’t skate our very best. This year, I feel like we’re more ready to do that.

Somerville:  We’re in a condition where we can really skate full-out the whole program and deliver everything the way we want to. Last year’s free dance was very fast-paced and energetic. It was hard to gain the stamina to do it. This year, I think we’ll be able to really deliver full energy.

Q:  With this free dance being a little bit different for you, what have you been focusing on in terms of developing the artistry for the program?

Bratti:  We’ve been focusing a lot on just looking at each other. We worked with a lot of different dancers [to prepare]. The story of the program is of a toxic relationship where we’re fighting, and wanting to be together, and then wanting to separate, and it’s a constant tug and pull of emotions.

Somerville: You can draw from personal experiences, or even things you’ve seen, like in movies, just [to imagine] how that would affect the character. It’s tough to portray, because every day, when you’re working on these programs, it takes an emotional toll to have this dramatic  melancholy. You have to practice doing that. I think we’ve done a good job with it.

Bratti:  Honestly, at least for me, it comes pretty naturally. Much more than I was expecting. Compared to our free dance last year, I feel like it was more of a struggle to do that one every day with such, like, high happiness. This year, the style is more natural-feeling, at least for me.

Q:  How do you feel the program has been received by judges and fans?

Somerville:  It’s been received really well. We’ve gotten a lot of silence during the program, and a lot of applause afterward. A lot of officials have told us how much they’ve enjoyed the program. Which has been really good to hear, because it was not a risk, but …. It was, a little bit. Because we branded ourselves, based on the last two seasons, with really upbeat, positive, energetic, outward-presenting programs. So to take it back in and have something more emotional and sensual was different. To see if you can pull off different types of programs. That’s a good thing, that we’re able to do multiple genres and styles.

Q:  And how did you choose your rhythm dance music?

Bratti:  Our rhythm dance was actually kind of inspired by Yuzuru Hanyu [Hanyu’s 2016-17  “Let’s Go Crazy” short program]. So it was really cool to skate it at NHK, because the Japanese fans kind of knew [the connection], because we mentioned it beforehand. So we got a great response for that. And then yesterday, we had such a great response too.

Q:  Hanyu’s Prince program is so iconic, it’s one of my favorites.

Bratti:  Yes, me too. We were just watching it one day, and I was like, We should do this.

Somerville:  Yeah. It’s so, so cool. Hanyu just had so much command in that program. Even when he had resting moments during it, he was always using his eyes to gain energy from the crowd. It was cool. We actually learned a lot from watching it–the way that he moved and worked the crowd. There are moments in our program where we have a pause, and you can’t just be, like, taking a deep breath.

Bratti:  It’s so easy to want to take a break, because our whole program is go, go go. But we can’t, because it’s a good opportunity to draw everyone in.

Q:  We talked about artistry and programs. Technically, is there anything in particular you’ve been working to improve this season?

Somerville:  Definitely our turn quality–just putting it out in competition. Getting softer in the turns, and having them be less scratchy and just clear, and more smooth. Not so much of an aggressive, crunched edge–which is difficult to do. But you want to make it easy for the judges or the tech panel to understand what turn you’re doing. That’s what we’ve been working on with our turn quality.

Bratti:  It’s not too much different than every other year; we’re just trying to improve on everything. But I think presentation is probably the main thing we worked on this year. We skate together pretty naturally, so it’s not hard for us, usually, to do turns and tracking and elements. But I think the presentation–especially for me–is something I have to really work hard on, to match Ian’s energy. He’s just such a natural; for me, it’s more work. So that’s been the main focus for me this season.

Somerville:  I mentioned turns, because I think for everyone, when you get onto competition ice, your legs are naturally a little bit shaky. And you want to be able to just sink into the ice and perform it [well] while you’re under pressure. Technically, I think that’s the main thing. But mostly, as Emily said, we’ve been working on performance skills, and artistry, and selling the program.

Q:  Any early thoughts or plans for next season?

Bratti:  We’ve definitely been thinking about it. We actually have a lot of program ideas for free dances that we’d really like to do.  We won’t say exactly what yet. [Laughs]

You can watch Bratti & Somerville perform in this afternoon’s free dance at the 2024 Prevagen U.S. Championships. Check the web site for more info!