Nathan Chen performs in Ballet West's production of "Sleeping Beauty" in 2011. Chen now is a member of the U.S. men's figure skating team and a medal hopeful in South Korea. Courtesy Ballet West/Luke Isley
former competitive skater here, when you skate competitively you have off-ice ballet training, yoga, core conditioning classes, etc. training isn't just on the ice, it extends to outside the rink.
This makes me so happy as a ballet dancer, because I love to watch figure skating and the fact that Nathan Chen, the best in the world right now, did ballet when he was young…I feel an actual connection.
@@audrey2498...ballet is definitely a good background to have. I was just saying that not many skaters actually had that, mostly just Russian skaters. In Russia, figure skating is funded by the government so I think it's normal for them to get additional training in dance and ballet. Here in the US, since figure skating is not funded by the government, ballet training and dance are all just extra costly activities on the side that not many skaters can afford. Nathan was fortunate that his mom bent backwards and put in all her effort to make sure he was able to do as many variety of activities as possible...everything from gymnastics to hockey to piano to ballet. She was building the perfect, balanced olympic figure skating champion 😊
@@divinearia1601 I mean I grew up skating in the US and still coach in the US and it’s very common! They may not always be performing in ballet recitals but I’d be very surprised to see any skater at a high level that didn’t get some kind of ballet training.
Serious early ballet training is always the key. It’s so good to see young skaters like Chen and Isabel Levito, whose ballet technique is very strong and clean; it’s quite rare nowadays.
@@thunderroar7056 well, figure skaters in Russia, as well as rhythmic gymnasts, practise ballet as part of their routine- I mean the centre part, jumps and the barre
@@zoenash1447 nah I’m saying obviously it’s not the best but saying it sucks is a stretch. If you let go of your unconscious bias you will notice he performed incredibly well in his short program, better than he used to. Why do u think he got world record anyway?
Nathan a ballet star quad king figure skating legend and a piano icon is there anything that Nathan can do this man can do it all cudos on everything that you do congratulations
So good! Thankful he made the choice to go into skating where the entire world has been able to support him!! Classy, smart and talented young man! We in Salt Lake City couldn’t be prouder!!👏🏻👏🏻
Adorable. Perfect ballet. All ice skaters should have a background of ballet dancing! You can tell the one who don't! Congrats to Chen in completing his life long goal...of receiving a Gold Olympic medal for being the Best in the World. He can rest for awhile. No more skating practices....for now!
Thís shows that Nathan has the parent who understands physics to pick out the right coach for Nathan. A coach that stresses the importance of ballet for his skating career. They build him on a solid foundation to grow whereas the other skaters lack this foundation and from time to time fail in the performance. For Nathan, he is solid on grounds and from there he can be solid on ice. What a road to travel...he is also on the science road to understand the universe.
Yeah, unlike some ungrateful money loving girl. It just showed that one need good parenting ... he has good moral and knows what's right and wrong and have good talent together with it.
@@kagokadae you talking about all foreign athletes playing for the US teams? Those Korean baseball players should go home before they get attacked as traitors.
Better late than never, I know. I consider myself a lucky latecomer to discover that it is worthy to watch figure skating again, ever since I accidentally watched a video of Nathan’s performance less than 1 year ago. Nathan’s performances over the years are all in my precious collection now , they will give me endless joy for years to come.
It's not really a "have to," but a strongly encouraged thing as it helps with building the strength, lines, and artistry that ice skating *should* demonstrate.
Nathan is truly multi-talented. He is not only an Olympic champion, he is also a superb pianist and versatile dancer. I enjoy watching all his incredible performance.
Did we mention he's also a Yale student? If you look up talented, accomplished, cultured, intelligent in the dictionary, they mention Nathan Chen. #rocketman.
Gosh, this kid is so talented. He is also good at piano and guitar. And he is becoming a medical doctor one day. Both his parents have medical backgrounds.
I’m sure most of you noticed that they got “once upon a dream” from the ballet but did you know the scary music when Aurora pricks her finger was taken from the very much happy “White Cat” variation?
I’m taking ice skating lessons now. I actually wish I had ballet class too, but it’s cost prohibitive for me at this age, not to mention hard to find a class for beginner adults - I’m not sure I’d like to take a class for kindergarteners, lol.
Yes...also, he has beautiful arm, wrist, and hand, placements....very nice pointed toes and turn outs as well. No awkward positions or lines. He looks very natural on the ice. His dance background definitely shows.
