Above: Jean-Luc Baker and Jackie Wong bring their expert insight to the audience during practice sessions in Wichita.
By Lynn Rutherford
At last week’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker were everywhere — except on the ice.
The four-time U.S. ice dance bronze medalists and 2022 Olympians stepped away from competition after taking part in the 2022–23 Grand Prix Final, but the multi-talented duo is as involved in the sport as ever.
Hawayek, as her DJ alter-ego K-Haw, engaged audience members at the event’s gala with riffs and beat matching instead of twizzles and rotational lifts. Baker, along with figure skating analyst Jackie Wong, offered fans commentary on practices via U.S. Figure Skating’s rinkside practice cam.
And both had skaters whom they had coached, or choreographed for, compete in the event.
“We were always so involved with our choreography throughout our career that we knew it was something both of us wanted to pursue post-career,” Baker said. “And we’ve been really fortunate that the coaches (at Ice Academy of Montreal) have kind of taken us under their wing and given us some great opportunities.”
“One thing we’ve been able to experience is choreographing in styles we wouldn’t necessarily have skated to ourselves — learning how to create the best routine and the best movements and moments for another team,” Hawayek said. “I think, throughout our own career, we pushed the boundaries on trying many different styles, and that experience has lent a lot to our new (role) as choreographers.”
Individually or together, Hawayek and Baker choreographed competitive programs for teams from Australia, Canada and Japan. Baker collaborated with Caroline Green and Michael Parsons to create both of their 2024–25 routines, including the widely hailed free dance set partly to “Spiegel im Spiegel” that helped them capture the bronze medal in Wichita and regain a spot on the World team.
“I challenged [Green and Parsons] to dive into more of who they are and who they want to become, on and off the ice,” Baker told U.S. Figure Skating’s Fan Zone early this season. “I think that allowing their truest self to come through is my biggest (contribution) into what they’re performing.”
Hawayek has worked with Vanessa Pham and Anton Spiridonov, who partnered up last spring and moved to Montreal to train. The team placed 12th in Wichita, their first U.S. Championships.
“[Kaitlin] really appreciates the trust Marie-France and Patch (Lauzon) have in her, to work with us and other teams, and to travel with us,” Spiridonov said. “You can feel that Kaitlin is there because she wants to be there. She really cares about the athletes.”
“She grounds us,” Pham said. “We’re able to really connect with her, especially at competitions. She knows what we need to be independent and calm.”
Ironically, it was Hawayek’s own desire to be self-sufficient, as well as her passion for music, that led her to her second career as a DJ.
“Back about 10 years ago I was living in Michigan, and I invested in some low-level equipment to start playing around with,” she said. “I wanted to facilitate the choreographic process at the beginning of the year and not have to go back-and-forth between a music editor and a coaching team and all of the emails that go along with that.”
As Hawayek’s skillset grew, she began getting gigs at Montreal speakeasies and outdoor venues, as well as events for Formula One. Last season, with the World Championships held in her adopted hometown, organizers invited her to serve as DJ for the event. After getting rave reviews there, it was only natural she would lend her talents in Wichita.
“I create my music catalog for events always keeping in mind that it’s the skaters that are going out and competing,” she said. “I remember when I had great music played before I took the ice, it helped me get in the zone. Beyond that, I enjoy taking old classic songs and finding remixes; that way, the crowd — regardless of what generation they are from — can relate, connect and have a good time.
“Between coaching and DJing, it gives me a way to connect with the U.S. skating fan base in a new way, but nonetheless see fans in person.”
In Wichita, Baker also connected with fans in a new way: as a commentator, but with a twist – he and Wong are lending their insights about practice sessions for all four disciplines.
Wong, who has built a large social media following partly due to his accurate and insightful practice reports, calls it “just two skating nerds sitting around talking.”
“I would say my approach is a blend of education and humor all in one,” Baker said. “I’m a big believer in honesty and being your truest self, and I have found that the fastest way to approach that within myself is with humor. … It’s the quickest, most effective way to communicate when it comes to learning. I like to be OK with mistakes, to make fun of myself and also to be able to shed some light on everything I’m seeing.”
His commentary partner thinks that as an ice dancer, Baker is well-positioned to identify athletes’ skating skills and intangibles.
“I love and appreciate that he’s watching (practices) from the ice dancers’ perspective, and (can comment on) what makes this person such a well-rounded skater, versus this is what this person maybe needs to work on a little more,” Wong said. “He and I talk about the intangibles a lot, or someone being powerful, or having effortless speed.”
In addition to their off-ice interests, Hawayek and Baker continue their performing career. They kept busy over the holiday season, performing in Scott Hamilton Cares in Nashville, Tennessee, in November, as well as at Texas’ Dallas Galleria and New York City’s Bryant Park in December. They hope for more opportunities in the future.
“We’ve been competing for so many years, that being able to say “yes” to shows now is a really great experience and opportunity to explore new forms of movement, without the constraints of (judging) regulations and requirements,” Hawayek said.
“We always took the gala very seriously throughout our competitive career and tried to create creative and inspiring routines,” she added. “So just being able to continue with that is something we’re really looking forward to.”
