Rohene Andre Ward (born June 28, 1983) is a retired American

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

and choreographer. He competed four times at the U.S. Championships, in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. He also competed for

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

and is the 2004 Puerto Rican national champion.

Career

Ward is known for his flexibility, athleticism, and charisma, 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. He attended

North Community High School North Community High School, or simply Minneapolis North, is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The school has existed for over 120 years in several buildings all located on the city's n ...

where he graduated in 2001. In 2005, he began training under coach Robin Wagner. In 2007, Ward and Lipe co-coached

Kirsten Olson Kirsten Olson (born October 20, 1991) is an American former figure skater and actress. As an actress, Olson played the role of Nikki Fletcher, the 'Jumping Shrimp,' in the Disney movie ''Ice Princess'' (2005). As a figure skater, Olson placed f ...

. In 2007, he began co-coaching with Kori Ade in Highland Park, Illinois. At the

2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships The 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships took place between January 20 and 27th at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Skaters competed in four disciplines – men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing – acro ...

in Saint Paul, Minnesota, he became the first U.S. coach to compete in the national championships while also coaching another participant (Olson in the junior ladies' competition). 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. In spring 2013, Ward and Ade moved to

Monument, Colorado The Town of Monument is a Home rule town situated at the base of the Rampart Range in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Monument is one of the three communities that make up the Tri-Lakes area (along with Palmer Lake and Woodmoor). Th ...

to further expand 7K Skating Academy. They have coached several top students, including Jason Brown.

Choreographer

Ward is also a choreographer, working with a variety of skaters, including Brown, Courtney Hicks, Jordan Moeller, and

Mariah Bell Mariah Cheyenne Bell (born April 18, 1996) is an American former figure skater. She is the 2022 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, 2022 U.S. national champion, 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, 2020 U.S. national silver medalist, and two-ti ...

. In his choreography, he avoids music with lyrics, saying that "It inhibits the ability to create, because the words dictate." His choreography won critical acclaim when Brown's long program "Riverdance" ("Reel Around the Sun" by Bill Whelan) created an internet sensation, garnering more than five million YouTube hits following the 2014 US Championships. Ward won "Choreographer of the Year" at the 2015 PSA conference in Bloomington, Minnesota. He won a second time in 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. In between, Ward choreographed the opening ceremonies at the 2016 U.S. Championships. In 2020, Ward and Brown co-choreographed a tribute to

Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Cente ...

set to

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...

's version of " Sinnerman," which Brown competed in both the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons, including at the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...

. As of April 2021, Ward coaches at Fox Valley Ice Arena in

Geneva, Illinois Geneva is a city in and the county seat of Kane County, Illinois, United States. It is located on the western side of the Chicago suburbs. Per the 2020 census, the population was 21,393. Geneva is part of a tri-city area, located between S ...

. Skaters who Ward has choreographed for include: *

* Jason Brown *

Karen Chen Karen Chen (born August 16, 1999) is an American figure skater. She is a 2022 Olympic Games team event silver medalist, two-time CS U.S. Classic bronze medalist (2016, 2017), the 2015 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist, the 2017 U.S. nat ...

Madison Chock Madison La'akea Te-Lan Hall Chock (born July 2, 1992) is an American ice dancer. With her skating partner, Evan Bates, she is a 2022 Olympic team event silver medalist, a three-time World medalist (silver in 2015, bronze in 2016 and 2022), a fo ...

Evan Bates Evan Bates (born February 23, 1989) is an American ice dancer. With his skating partner, Madison Chock, he is a 2022 Olympic team event silver medalist, a three-time World medalist (silver in 2015, bronze in 2016 and 2022), a four-time Grand P ...

* Courtney Hicks * Tomoki Hiwatashi *

Alysa Liu Alysa Liu (born August 8, 2005) is a retired American competitive figure skater. Liu is the youngest-ever U.S. women's national champion, having won her first title at age 13. She is also the youngest to win two senior national titles at age 14 ...

* Jordan Moeller *

Kaori Sakamoto is a Japanese competitive figure skater. She is the 2022 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2022 World champion, the 2018 Four Continents champion, a two-time NHK Trophy champion, the 2022 Skate America champion, and a three-time Japanese national ...

* Anastasiia Smirnova/

Danylo Siianytsia Danylo Siianytsia ( uk, Данило Сіяниця; born September 9, 2000) is a Ukrainian-born pair skater who represents the United States. With his skating partner, Anastasiia Smirnova, he is the 2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb champion. The ...

Programs

Results

References

External links

Ward at LatinoSkating.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Rohene American male single skaters Puerto Rican figure skaters 1983 births Living people Sportspeople from Minneapolis North Community High School alumni Figure skating choreographers