In their previous partnerships, Amy Cui and Jonathan Rogers had both moved to Novi, Michigan around the same time. Training alongside each other resulted in them building a friendship that, after splitting with their partners, led to them coming together with ease and, in the words of Cui, finding the “Right person in the right place.”
The team announced their partnership in the Spring of 2024: they qualified for U.S. Nationals and made their international debut at Ice Challenge in Austria, winning the silver medal. In January 2025, they debuted in an always deep ice dance field at U.S. Nationals, but their average score of just over 100 points in their free dance dropped to 86 due to errors in the skate, leading them to finish in 13th place.
For the 2025/26 season, Cui and Rogers were excited for the season’s rhythm dance theme, ‘The Music, Dance Styles and Feeling of the 1990s’.
“I feel like there’s really good music for the ’90s. I was more concerned about costuming because they have some interesting choices, but in terms of music, I was really hyped.” Rogers said.
The team explored different dance styles with their “dance guru”, Renee Petkovski, including house and rave, before settling on a street dance theme to the songs ‘Here We Go Let’s Rock’n’Roll,’ ‘Gonna Make You Sweat,’ and ‘This is How We Do It.’
For their free dance, coach Igor Shpilband chose their music, which is from the movie ‘The White Crow.’
“He said this would be great for us and then we did some more digging into the story behind it. It really touched us both,” Rogers explained.
Cui added, “Igor has been thinking about it since our Swan Lake program last year, which is also a ballet free dance. At first I thought, ‘Oh, another ballet?’ But then, as Jonathan said, learning about Nureyev’s story, I think of the story of overcoming, learning about who he is. I think it really spoke to me, and I’m really proud to be able to translate it onto the ice.”
“I think it’s also like doubly as touching because we know someone who’s gone through a similar experience, when Igor defected from the Soviet Union, so it’s more personal in that sense and we’re honoured he chose us for it.”
As they settled into their second year of partnership, Cui and Rogers found that they were able to push themselves creatively. “We had so much more time to get to know each other and work with each other, that we could create the stationary lift that we did, the assisted jumps. A favourite moment would be right after the jumps, when we have a breath. It’s like we’re collecting ourselves, before the twizzles,” Cui explained.
“[Bolero Cup] is our first international of the season, so it’s been very exciting to just get out there and show off our new programs,” Cui said. “There were so many skaters that I’ve seen on TV, and now I’m sharing the ice with them! It’s been a weekend of appreciating everyone’s skating and everyone’s new programs.”
Rogers mentioned the Lithuanian ice dance team Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevičius as his highlight, “I love everyone here, but I think I love them the most.”
Since Bolero Cup, the team have competed twice more internationally, at Mezzaluna Cup in Italy, where they placed third, and Tallinn Trophy in Estonia, where they placed ninth.
“We had a wonderful time in Italy and Estonia. It was both of our first times in Italy, which had been on my bucket list since the beginning — also having taken art history in school, I knew we had to stay an extra day in Rome. We had an absolute time exploring the city; tossed our coins into the Trevi, had dinner in front of the Pantheon, and walked along the Colosseum at night. I would have stayed there for another week if I could,” Cui detailed.
“Tallinn was delightful as well. It wasn’t the performance we were hoping to put out, but we got to share the experience with our training mates Eva Pate and Logan Bye so that was really special. Honestly, it was a perfect time to visit Tallinn, especially with the Christmas market going on and the holiday vibes in full swing.”
Now the focus is on the U.S. Championships in St. Louis, Missouri, in the second week of January. Since their last competition, Cui and Rogers have reworked their rhythm dance and are excited for their second Nationals together.
“We’re really looking to push ourselves to put our what we have been training every day — two strong clean skates. Nationals this time around is like our personal redemption. As a newer senior team, we have the opportunity to just show off who we are as a dance team and all the hard work we have put in our programs throughout the season. Renee is so fun to work with and draws out our fiercest selves.”
“The ultimate goal would be to skate with a freedom and strength inspired by Nureyev, and share a moment with the audience.”
