WOW. It's the only word I can use to describe what I see on the ice. Alone in the stands watching 2006 Olympic silver pair medallists Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang working with legendary choreographer Lori Nichol, I am totally engaged. Running through their short program to last year's music, Transylvanian Lullaby, Lori yells up to ask  if I can tell what the program is about. Without hesitation I say: "He is devouring her." I yell down "Feichang bang!" (Very good!!), one of the few Mandarin phrases I can get without screwing up the pronounciation too badly...however it still evokes giggles from the three on the ice who understand it.  Dan Zhang tells me later that their season goal is to arrive at their first Grand Prix competition "and show everybody our 'new face'." What I saw in the short program has an edgy and confident adult heat that was unexpected and, for me, a welcome change from so many pairs' gooey romanticism. I am a fan. I was told that the free program is equally dynamic. How long til GP Season ? <g>

It has been a rough 10 months for the pair who were basically sidelined due to injury last fall. Through Mr Huang, Hao tells me that during the course of a lift they fell and he basically smashed everything contained in his right hand's middle finger. Within 15 minutes Hao was at the doctor and very quickly into surgery.  Although they tried to get back into shape more quickly, the doctors advised Hao that it would be 18 months for the injury to heal. To start with, Hao was on the ice for only brief periods post surgery just to keep his feet under him while partner Dan persisted with working on the singles elements from their program. Realizing that they really wouldn't make it into top form, by the middle of the season they decided to sit out the rest. "We decided to give up. We watched the other skaters and the competitions. We had confidence that we would get better. We have calmed down because we rested the whole season. We just love figure skating and are confident that we will win good results. We want to create new results."

Back on the ice in earnest since mid-March it was another month before they attempted any lifts. Hao says his finger is still only at about 70% but continues to improve and he is optimistic that it will eventually be back to 100%. He showed me the effort that it takes to completely close his right hand into a fist. I wonder how he is managing especially with the lits: "I find the lasso lift very difficult. When I am on the ice it doesn't matter what I am doing, I have to pay attention and take care that I protect my finger." For the moment he is experiencing a minor injury to his right shoulder and neck likely due to compensating for his injured finger. He says it's nothing to worry about and is "very small". For her part, Dan is the picture of health.

In Beijing they are sometimes on the ice alone and at other times are on the ice with a couple of other teams. You can hear the importance they place on being role models for younger skaters.

On the phone, Lori had already told me what the skaters were doing was "pretty special" and that these two were capable of a huge range of expression. Dan says enthusiastically; "We are excited for our new style. It is for us, the fans and the judges and could not have happened without Lori's great choreography."

If this is how they look with, in their words, "a long time with no practice" , I am excited to think about what the pairs competition will look like in the coming season. With new faces like Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov and "new faces" like Zhang and Zhang - it's going to be a great season!

I am lucky to be able to see lots of skating. I am equally lucky to be able to see lots of skaters on the rise before they hit the general radar and such is the case with China's Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang. 

Sitting in the lobby of a Toronto area arena I told them that I had seen them live for the first time in Beijing at a 4Cs and did my own sassy little arm roll depicting their Latin music. For fun, Hao did the same move from long ago for Lori Nichol on the floor and they both giggled. Let's just say their artistry has evolved since then :)

Fast forward to the Olympic arena in Torino in 2006 where in the opening moments of their free program, Dan fell out of a quad sal throw attempt, landing on her knees and crashing into the boards: (http://tinyurl.com/3jy64gw). It was a shock to see it and the ensuing flurry of activity rinkside erupted almost immediately. At one point, Hao guided Dan away from the boards and gently had his hands on her hips, bent towards her and was talking to her with intensity. At the time, from my vantage point, it appeared as if he he was giving her the choice to continue. The tenderness and intensity of the moment is still in my head. I asked him what he said: "Are you ok? Are we continuing? My thinking inside was very complex. I wanted very much to continue but I knew that this was a serious injury even without being a doctor. I didn't want her to be more hurt."  Remarkably, they finished the competition and earned the Olympic Silver medal for their efforts. Where are those medals? Dan says that hers is at home while Hao says that his is in a bank safety deposit box: "it is the most precious thing in my life to me. Skating is my life."

The two have been skating together for about 12 years. Both were singles skaters although Hao admits to having another partner for about a month or 2 just for fun prior to being partnered with Dan.  Being from Harbin fueled Hao's passion for the sport: "I love everything about figure skating. I was born for figure skating. Why? Because I am from Harbin - The Ice City. I am very proud of that." For Dan, skating is "not only a sport. It has technical part in competition but this is art. It is dancing with music and is very enjoyable."

Partners and friends on the ice, Dan and Hao maintain their separate identities off the ice where she spends her time with her friends, including a non-skating best friend doing the regular round of young women's activities like shopping and outings. For Hao, interpreter and international judge Feng Huang explained that Hao has a lot of friends and is really quite famous in China.  Not only does he act as a mentor and older brother figure to the younger skaters in China's program, he also likes to travel and spend time with non-skating  friends. With Hao's easy smile and friendliness, he never looks far for company.

Theirs is a partnership that has evolved in the shadow of 2 other great Chinese teams, namely 2010 Olympic Champions Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao and 2010 Olympic Silver medallists Qing Pang and Jian Tong. Something tells me that they are on the threshold of greatness of their own. Choreographer Lori Nichol has this to say about their time together: "They are very giving skaters who are capable of so much. They can do "character", "classical" and everything in between. They have been a pleasure to work with and are always smiling and working. There were even times where translation wasn't needed we understood each other so well."

The beauty of this team has been in their dediciation and pursuit of a common goal - the surprise of this team is how much of their sport they have taken to heart. 

Part 2 of my interview - with updates about Hao's injury to follow...