Natalia Pallu-Neves

Natalia Pallu-Neves (born June 12, 2004) is a British-Brazilian ice dancer who currently competes for Brazil.

With her skating partner, Jayin Panesar, she is the 2022 British national junior bronze medalist. Additionally, she secured two bronze medals in the junior category at the previous two British Championships with her former partner, Frank Roselli.

Pallu-Neves and Panesar started to represent Brazil in the 2022–23 season, becoming the first Brazilian ice dancers to compete in the senior level.

Personal life
Natalia Pallu-Neves was born on June 12, 2004, in London, England. Her parents, who were born in Curitiba and Salvador in Brazil, moved to England before her birth.

She is currently pursuing a degree in History at Queen Mary University.

Early career
Pallu-Neves began her skating journey at the age of seven, initially participating in both ice dance and singles skating. However, at the age of 13, she decided to focus exclusively on ice dance. She partnered with Frank Roselli, competing internationally in the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons and securing two bronze medals at the British Championships in the junior category before parting ways after two seasons.

2021–22 season: Junior Grand Prix debut
Pallu-Neves and Jayin Panesar established their new partnership in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and officially debuted internationally in the 2021–22 Junior Grand Prix circuit in Courchevel, France, where they finished in thirteenth place. They won the bronze medal at the 2022 British Junior Championships.

2022–23 season: senior Brazilian ice dancers debut
Pallu-Neves and Panesar allegedly faced challenges due to a lack of support from the British Ice Skating organization during the 2021–22 season, which lead them to switch countries to Brazil, Pallu-Neves' parents home country instead. Pallu-Neves explained, "We didn't have the support to succeed. So the season was very difficult. The federation didn't help at all." However, due to the recent change in their country of representation, they were unable to compete in any ISU events until after February 2023, as they had to comply with the mandatory one-year suspension imposed by the ISU on athletes changing their representation.

Despite these challenges, Pallu-Neves and Panesar aimed to qualify for the 2023 World Championships and made their debut in the senior category at the 2023 Egna Dance Trophy, which made them the first senior team to ever represent Brazil in ice dance. They achieved a total score of 124.05 points and met the required technical scores in rhythmic dance for the 2023 Four Continents Championships.

The team also participated in the 2023 Challenge Cup, their final opportunity at that season to earn the necessary minimum technical scores for a 2023 World Championships entry. However, Pallu-Neves and Panesar finished in thirteenth place with a total of 123.95 points, failing to meet the required scores for a World Championships entry.

2023-24 season: Four Continents spot
In 2023, Pallu-Neves/Panesar changed coaches to former British ice dance champions Nicholas Buckland and Penny Coomes and moved to Philadelphia.

They started their competitive season at the Lombardia Trophy Challenger where they finished at 15th, achieving a new official personal best. In October, they competed at the Swiss Open Trophy, where a historical mark was achieved as they managed to get the necessary minimum technical scores for a Four Continents Championships entry, the first ever for Brazil. They also managed to get their World Championships minimum technical scores, although for the free dance only. In February, Pallu-Neves and Panesar became the first Brazilian ice dance team to ever compete at an ISU Championship after their 14th place finish at the 2024 Four Continents Championships. At the 2024 Challenge Cup, they finished in 10th place; they were short of the minimum technical score for the World Championships in the rhythm dance by less than a point.

Competitive highlights
GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series

With Panesar for Great Britain
JGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Panesar for Brazil
''ISU personal bests highlighted in bold - can only be earned at major international events. Small medals for rhythm and free dances awarded at ISU Championships only.''