Every four years, the rinks of the Winter Olympics play host to one of the most artistic and beautiful sports in the world. Ice dancing, a particular discipline of figure skating, showcases the world’s best pairs performing intricate movements on the ice.
Few people in the Triangle know this more than UNC freshman Jonathan Zhao. Originally from Cary, Zhao won ice dancing national championships in 2017 and 2019 before arriving on campus in 2021. He said he originally got into the sport because of his mother’s interest, but once he was introduced to ice dancing, he was hooked.
“The artistic part, being able to match with the music and your partner, and to express yourself there, that’s one of the main attractions for me,” Zhao told 97.9 The Hill.
And while ice dancing is included under the umbrella category of figure skating, there are some key differences between the two sports.
“Unlike singles and pairs, ice dance does not have jumps,” Zhao said. “So we focus more on the dance aspect: matching with the music, the choreography, and matching with your partner in precise steps.”
Zhao isn’t skating competitively anymore, and he is currently majoring in computer science at Carolina with hopes to one day start his own business. But he still remains active in UNC’s figure skating club, and also has an unbeatable fun fact when around those not involved in the sport.
“Most people don’t know what ice dancing is,” he said. “So when I mention I’m an ice dancer, they usually ask me, ‘Oh, what is that?’ Because figure skating itself is also rather less on the headlines than other sports like football or soccer.”
And for those who would like to learn more about or even get started in ice dancing, Zhao recommends using the same resources he did growing up.
“Not many people ice skate, right? It’s more of an obscure sport,” he said. “But there are a few rinks in Cary and in Raleigh where you can meet other fellow skaters and coaches. You can always go there to get lessons. And they have [a] public Learn to Skate, where you can start off, and then you can start taking private lessons once you’re more into it.”
As for the professionals, Zhao said he follows ice dancing even when it’s not the Olympic season. Now, going into the sport’s two-week spectacle, he predicts the French team of Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, silver medalists in the 2018 Olympics, will take the gold in Beijing.
Whichever team ends up atop the podium, Zhao recommends watching the entire competition. And who knows? With the resources at hand around central North Carolina, the next Olympic champions could be right here in the Triangle.
Featured image via Jonathan Zhao
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