SHAE-LYNN BOURNE Creating Magic in a New World
Tired of the long, harsh winters, Shae-Lynn Bourne, a 10-time Canadian and the 2003 World ice dance champion, headed south in early 2019 to ply her craft in warmer climes. The world-renowned choreographer, who produced the long program that Yuzuru Hanyu performed to win the 2018 Olympic title, and a trio of short programs over as many years for two-time World champion Nathan Chen, left her South Carolina base last December and moved to Southern California. It was, she said, the right move at the right time for herself and her family.
While much of North America remained in lockdown mode through the early spring months to help contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shae-Lynn Bourne remained steadfast in her desire to keep producing new programs for her skating clients. With arena doors near her Laguna Beach home shut tight, and international travel at a halt, Bourne’s creative juices kicked into gear.
Without missing a beat, she turned the garage in the home she shares with her husband, Bohdan Turok, and their son, Kai, into a makeshift studio. And with technology such as Zoom and FaceTime available, Bourne and the skaters she is working with have been brought into the same room — and magical collaborations have begun to unfold.
“I’ve gotten into choreography in a new way,” the 44-year-old said during a conversation with IFS in mid-May. “I have kind of made the garage into my ice rink, so I’ve been doing some choreography online. It has been wonderful to have that chance, just because the movement gives me that feeling of being on the ice.”
“Skating is our passion, but life and the health and safety of everyone has to come first.”
Instead of ice, Bourne has mats laid out on the floor of the garage, along with a computer
