What is Ski Ballet?
Long considered a form of freestyle skiing, ski ballet once enjoyed the status of being included in Olympic competitions. In spite of the fact that ski ballet is no longer performed at the Olympics, the sport still has legions of fans. Here are some basics of ski ballet, including some information about the origins of the technique.
Many credit Olympic skier Suzy Chaffee with the invention of the ski ballet. Chaffee first performed the intricate series of spins, jumps, leg crossings, flips and rolls that make up the choreography associated with ski ballet at the 1968 games.
Originally performed with little or no musical accompaniment, ski ballet did not really have a limit on the amount of time that could be devoted to the routine. However, once ski ballet caught on and became a staple of the competition at the Olympics, the performance was limited to ninety seconds with background music included.
Suzy Chaffee, as a noted freestyle skier, continued to promote ski ballet or ski dancing outside the Olympics. Incorporating the technique into the exhibitions she would provide at skiing events around the world, she did a great deal to popularize the concept of ski ballet. As time went on, enthusiasts formed local clubs of ski dancers and began to develop their own routines based on the foundations of ski ballet created at Olympic competitions.
The period between 1972 and 1984 was perhaps the era when ski ballet had its highest public profile thus far. Owing partly to the popularity of Chaffee, but also in part to the fact that ski ballet was both a demanding as well as an artistic form of skiing, ski ballet began to find new mainstream audiences outside the Olympic competitions. No longer a sport for either ski enthusiasts or Olympic fans, people who had never been near been near a pair of skis began to take notice of ski ballet and found that the art form was indeed worth watching and following.
By the late 1980’s the place of ski ballet as a regular competition at the Olympics was beginning to wane. In 1988, ski ballet was presented simply as a demonstration sport rather than as an event. The same was true with the 1992 Winter Olympics. Still, the art of ski ballet has continued to thrive in many parts of the world. Now renamed acroski, the art form continues to find new devotees, creating even more clubs around the globe. As an example of grace as well as skill, ski ballet is sure to be around for a very long time to come.
Written by Malcolm Tatum
