S1E10 - Asher Hill
Episode Notes
Welcome back to the Future of Figure Skating. My guest today is Asher Hill, who is a choreographer, commentator, and one of the founders of the Figure Skating Diversity and Inclusion Alliance. With his previous partner ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharis_Ralph)[Kharis Ralph, Asher was the 2008 Canadian national junior champion in ice dance, and went to the 2010 World Championships. Asher is a vocal advocate for racial justice. In 2020, he called out Skate Canada for making an essentially empty statement in response to the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter Movement. The statement was hypocritical to Asher, who had filed an official misconduct complaint with Skate Canada more than a year before, highlighting a number of instances spanning five years where a co-worker at his figure skating club was abusive with racist, homophobic, and misogynistic language. Asher’s comments sparked much of the progress that’s been made around diversity and inclusion in Canadian skating. Asher is smart, warm, and funny, and I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!
Episode Transcript: FoFS Google Drive
You can follow Asher on Instagram @asherkwacie and Twitter @AsherHill
You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected] or on Instagram and Twitter @futurefspodcast
Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating podcast on whatever platform you use, and share it with your friends! Resources: Asher Hill interviewed on the Burn It All Down podcast https://www.burnitalldownpod.com/episodes/interview-asher-hill-figure-skater-coach-choreographer-and-activist Anna’s interview with Maddie Schizas for Anything GOEs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXpRkYpX0yQ “Figure Skater Asher Hill Sees Hypocrisy in Racial Equality Statements” (June 3, 2020) https://www.cbc.ca/sports/floyd-george-sports-organizations-hypocrisy-asher-hill-1.5597217 “Moir, Weaver advocates of gender-expansive ice dance and pairs figure skating teams” (cites Anna & Erica as an example) https://www.tsn.ca/figure-skating/scott-moir-kaitlyn-weaver-advocates-of-gender-expansive-ice-dance-and-pairs-figure-skating-teams-1.1904779 Figure Skating Diversity and Inclusion Alliance https://www.fsdia.org/ FSDIA Conversations in Color on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4d9O3hbO8-4-Us3RNx9xrA “Kamila Valieva does viral 'Wednesday' Dance, but U.S.A. and Japan still without Olympic medals” Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch join Asher Hill on That Figure Skating Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LZDbUgLqtE&list=PLDsQU3UFA4hXMPS-ZioeBFuuxHMm98S0H&index=6 “The Cultural Importance of Papadakis and Cizeron’s waacking rhythm dance at the Olympics” Asher Hill and Dylan Moscovitch interview choreographer Axelle Munezero https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njA_s7DZDzI&list=PLDsQU3UFA4hXMPS-ZioeBFuuxHMm98S0H&index=40 “Russian Ice Dance Sparks Indigineous Anger” Al Jazeera English - Domnina/Shabalin OD 2010 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtXWE1CfbcM Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier RD 2015 “Sargeant Pepper” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zce2niUl870 Kharis RALPH / Asher HILL CAN Original Dance 2010 Four Continents Championships “African Folk” Somlandela/Hlohonolofatsa by Soweto Gospel Choir https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNqW1zxNJdM