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Marina Zueva

The woman behind much of the magic Gordeeva and Grinkov created on the ice was their choreographer, Marina Zueva, who began working with them in 1982 and continued to choreograph most of Katia's routines through her early years as a solo performer. She was the visionary behind many of G&G's greatest routines including Moonlight Sonata, Vocalise, and Romeo and Juliet and she has brought out many diverse styles in Katia's solo skating from Elégie to Three Preludes to the Petrarch Sonnet ribbon routine.

Marina Zueva was an ice dancer who competed for the Soviet Union with Andrei Vitman in the late 1970's. Shortly thereafter, she retired from competitive skating to become a choreographer. Creating a routine for Gordeeva and Grinkov was her "final project" to receive a choreography degree at the National Theatre Institute in 1982. Through the 1980's, Zueva continued to be the principle choreographer for G&G. In 1990, the trio went their separate ways when Gordeeva and Grinkov turned professional and Marina took a job in Canada.

After skating as professionals for three years using other chorographers, Gordeeva and Grinkov turned to Zueva in 1993 when they decided to reinstate as eligibles. Marina created their competitive routines and after G&G won their second Olympic gold medals and returned to the professional ranks again, they brought Marina with them. She choreographed the pair's final routines and most of Katia's solo routines through 2000.

Marina now coaches at the Arctic Figure Skating Club in Canton, Michigan with renouned ice dance coach Igor Shpilband. She currently works with current U.S. Ice Dance Champions and 2006 Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto. In addition to choreographing Katia's professional routines, she has also worked with other professional skaters including Caryn Kadavy, and pair Radka Kovarikova and Rene Novotny.

Marina Zueva and Andrei Vitman

5th - 1977 European Championships
5th - 1977 World Championships
6th - 1978 European Championships
7th - 1978 World Championships

photo - Marina during her competition days with Andrei (from Figures On Ice © 1978)

Choreography by Marina Zueva

While Marina was choreographing for G&G in the 1980's and early 1990's, she was also worked with Aleksandr Fadeev on most of his routines. More recently, she choreographed for eligible skaters Kristy and Kris Wirtz, Fedor Andreev, Nicole Watt, and Viktoria Volchkova. Marina has also choreographed the following individual routines:

"Serenade for Strings" - cast final at Celebration of a Life (1996)
"Toccata and Fugue" - Caryn Kadavy (1996)
"Un Sospiro" - Radka Kovarikova and Rene Novotny (1997)
"Da Funk" - Radka Kovarikova and Rene Novotny (1998)

And many more!