Rohene Ward | |
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Ward performs a layback spin in 2008.
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Personal information | |
Country represented | United States |
Born |
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
June 28, 1983
Former coach | Page Lipe Robin Wagner |
Choreographer | Rohene Ward |
Skating club | Starlight Ice Dance Club |
Rohene Andre Ward (born June 28, 1983) is an American figure skater. He competed four times at the U.S. Championships, in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. He also competed for Puerto Rico and is the 2004 Puerto Rican national champion.
Ward is known for his flexibility, as well as jumping and spinning in both directions. His moves include the cantilever, the hydroblade and the splits.
Ward was coached by Page Lipe in Minneapolis for 18 years. In 2007, he and Lipe co-coached Kirsten Olson who played the role of Nikki Fletcher, the 'Jumping Shrimp,' in the Disney movie Ice Princess (2005). Ward competed (senior men's) and coached Olson (junior ladies) at the US Championships in January 2008 in St Paul, Minnesota - a feat never achieved before is US Figure Skating.
During the 2010–11 ice show season, Ward played Aladdin in Holiday on Ice's (HOI) European tour. He was then asked to be a principal skater in the HOI shows "Speed" and "Speed II", touring parts of Europe from the Netherlands to Norway from 2011–2013. In the 2013–14 season, he performed as a principal in the new HOI production of "Platinum" in France and Germany.
Ward graduated from Minneapolis North. In 2007, he began co-coaching with Kori Ade in Highland Park, Illinois. In spring 2013, Ward and Ade moved to Monument, Colorado. to further expand 7K Skating Academy. They have several top students including Jason Brown, the 2015 U.S. national men's champion, a two-time World Junior medalist, and 2014 Olympic team event bronze medalist.
Ward is also a choreographer, working with a variety of skaters including Jason Brown,Courtney Hicks, Jordan Moeller, and Mariah Bell. His choreography won critical acclaim when Brown's long program "Riverdance" ("Reel Around the Sun" by Bill Whelan) created an internet sensation garnering over five million YouTube hits following the 2014 US Championships. Ward won "Choreographer of the Year" at the 2015 PSA conference in Bloomington, Minnesota. He choreographed the opening ceremonies at the 2016 U.S. Championships.