Training at the University of Delaware as part of the Diamond Ice Dance Academy, siblings Evan and Kirsten Bertz have found their home in one of the sport's fastest‑growing disciplines: solo ice dance.
 
Guided by a coaching team that includes 2016 U.S. pewter medalists Anastasia Cannuscio and Colin McManus, Olympian Suzy Semanick‑Schurman, Laura Jamieson, Jon Nichols, and Leah Krauskopf, the Bertz siblings have found not only a competitive outlet, but a place where joy and purpose is found daily.
 
Eighteen-year-old Evan was the first sibling to discover solo dance. He competes in the senior division.

"I started solo dance because I always had more of a passion toward dance over jumping," Evan said.

His sister followed him into solo dance in 2021.

"When I was younger, I loved showcase and getting to perform but as I started working on double jumps, I started losing my passion for skating all together," said Kirsten, who is 14 and competes in the novice division. "When I tried solo dance, it felt like less pressure. I wasn't worried about falling on a jump or not having a clean skate. I just was having fun and that's what I had been wanting. And to this day I'm still having fun."

The brother and sister have a full skating schedule, training anywhere between three and five hours a day. In addition to a demanding training regime, they also balance their academic pursuits. Evan is a full-time student in his sophomore year at the University of Delaware, while Kirsten is a freshman in high school and attends an online school.

Their hard work has paid off, as they continue to rise in the solo dance ranks. After appearances in the 2024 and 2025 National Solo Dance Final competitions, Kirsten will make her third appearance at this year's event, which will be held Sept. 16-19 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She will compete in three events: novice solo combined, pre-gold solo patterns and pre-gold shadow dance with her partner, Charlie Toy.

"My free dance for this season is songs from the Funny Face soundtrack," she said. "This season's free dance is my favorite program I've even competed. I feel I can connect and perform with it so well."

Evan will compete at his fifth national championships and will compete in three events — international patterns, senior solo combined and gold shadow dance with his partner, Khloe Felton.

"I am doing my 90's rhythm dance to 'I'm Too Sexy' and 'Walk for Me,' and my free dance is to a David Bowie medley," he said.

Solo dance is a small, tightknit sport and sibling competitors are rare.

 

"It definitely is a unique situation having a sibling in the same sport and discipline as you," Kirsten said. "He is a big inspiration to a lot of people and I'm proud of him."

Training side by side has strengthened their connection on and off the ice.

"In a sport like solo dance, everyone is so close," Evan said. "Kirsten and I usually skate at the same time as each other, especially during the summer, which allows us to push ourselves and each other. We may not be at the same level, but we both understand each other's work ethic and want for success."

Their mother, Lynne Bertz, has watched her children grow not only as athletes, but as people.

"Evan and Kirsten have both learned how to balance the demands and pressure of an intense training schedule, alongside school and other life responsibilities," she said.  "They have also developed an ability to cope when skates don't go according to plan. Most importantly they have learned to celebrate and appreciate the talent of their fellow competitors, while staying focused and motivated on self-improvement."

With the National Solo Dance Final just around the corner, the siblings are refining their programs and sharpening their mental preparation.

"My goals and what I hope to accomplish for the Final is to skate to the best of my ability,"  Kirsten said. "I just want to have fun and not hold back at all. Sometimes my nerves can get in the way, but my coaches and I have worked on how to handle pressure and nerves so I can skate without holding back."

Evan shares a similar mindset.  

"My goals for this national final is to go out and give it everything I have," he said. "I want to go out, put programs out that I am proud of and feel that I have done everything I can to perform my best."

No matter what happens in Kalamazoo, one truth remains constant: their bond is the foundation of their journey.

"Being in the same sport has given Evan and Kirsten a steady presence of someone who understands exactly what the other is going through," Lynne said.

They are proof that sometimes the strongest partnership in solo dance is the one you carry with you long after you leave the ice.