Charlie White and Meryl Davis. Courtesy of NBC/USOC. At the U.S. Figure Skating Championships this weekend, Charlie White, 22, flipped Meryl Davis, 23, over his shoulder and skated backwards on one leg as she faced the opposite direction and balanced on his calf. That’s a move that’ll get you noticed. Even before their performance ended, the audience was on their feet. “More than any other sport, ice dancing is based on the entertainment factor,” says Davis. “The American public is fascinated with dance right now,” adds White, “We’re capitalizing on that movement.” The team packs their programs with innovative elements and chooses accessible songs. For instance, when selecting the requisite folk music for their original program, Davis and White seized the Slumdog Millionaire moment and chose traditional Indian folk music. The unconventional decision worked. At the International Skate Union’s Grand Prix final in December, the Indian-inspired original dance swept the competition. The YouTube clip got 240,000 hits.

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