Tanith Belbin Biography
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Tanith Belbin
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 Belbin in a press conference |
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| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Full name: | Tanith Jessica Louise Belbin |
| Country represented: |  United States |
| Date of birth: | July 11, 1984 |
| Place of birth: | Kingston, Ontario |
| Home town: | Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Residence: | Aston, Pennsylvania |
| Height: | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Partner: | Benjamin Agosto |
| Former partner: | Liam Dougherty (CAN), Ben Barruco (CAN - pairs), Andrew Hinton (CAN) |
| Coach: | Natalia Linichuk Gennadi Karponossov |
| Former coach: | Igor Shpilband Marina Zoueva, Elizabeth Coates |
| Choreographer: | Natalia Linichuk |
| Former choreographer: | Igor Shpilband J. T. Hornstein |
| Skating club: | IceWorks |
| ISU Personal Best Scores | |
| Combined Total: | 221.26 2005 Worlds |
| Comp. Dance: | 44.00 2005 Four Continents |
| Original Dance: | 67.54 2005 Worlds |
| Free Dance: | 111.54 2005 Worlds |
| Olympic medal record | ||
| Competitor for the United States |
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|---|---|---|
| Figure skating | ||
| Silver | 2006 Turin | Ice dancing |
Tanith Jessica Louise Belbin (born July 11, 1984) is a Canadian-American ice dancer. Though she holds dual citizenship, she competes for the United States and has competed for the U.S. since she began skating with Benjamin Agosto in 1998. With Agosto, Belbin is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, four time World medalist, three time Four Continents champion (2004–2006), and five-time U. S. champion (2004–2008).
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Personal life
Tanith Belbin was born in Kingston, Ontario and raised in Kirkland, Quebec. She lived and trained in Canton, Michigan for many years, before moving to Aston, Pennsylvania to train at Ice Works.
Belbin's mother, Michelle (McKinlay) Belbin, is a costume designer and she makes some of Belbin's costumes. She trained as a figure skater in St. John's, Newfoundlandcitation needed.
Career
Tanith Belbin competed as a pair skater and ice dancer in Canada before concentrating completely on ice dancing. She was introduced to ice dancing by Paul Wirtz and competed with Liam Dougherty as an ice dancer and Ben Barruco as a pair skater in Canada. She did not compete internationally with them.
Unable to find a good dance partner in Canada, Belbin moved to Detroit in 1998, where she was partnered with Benjamin Agosto by their coach Igor Shpilband. They had early success, winning the bronze at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in their first competitive season. Belbin and Agosto qualified for the 2002 Olympics by placing second at U.S. championships, but were not able to go because Belbin was not an American citizen. Because Belbin started the citizenship process before new rules went into effect, her citizenship would not have been completed before 2007. Belbin and Agosto, therefore, focused more on Nationals and Worlds, winning Nationals four times, and earning the silver at Worlds going into the Olympics.
Fans of Belbin and Agosto wrote letters and signed petitions asking for a special act of Congress to let Belbin become a citizen in time for her to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where many believed they could medal. This was a controversial move. The mother of fellow American ice dancer David Mitchell believed that it was unfair to bend the requirements for US citizenship for Belbin, when so many other "aliens of extraordinary ability" were denied expedited citizenship. Supporters pointed out that the U.S. had three dance team spots at the Olympics only because Belbin and Agosto had earned the third spot by medalling at the 2005 World Championships. Had they not, the U.S. would have had only two spots. By this logic, Belbin and Agosto had earned their own spots. However, by a special act of Congress sponsored by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) that passed on December 28, 2005, which President George W. Bush signed on December 31, 2005, Belbin became a naturalized citizen, making her able to compete for the United States at the 2006 Winter Olympics. In January 2006, the pair won their third consecutive national title and qualified for the Olympics. Maxim Zavozin, who was half of the 2005 Junior World Champion team of Matthews and Zavozin, also became a U.S. citizen through this special act. At the Turin Olympics, Belbin and Agosto won the silver medal in ice dancing, the highest Olympic result of any American team in the discipline, and the first American ice dancers to win an Olympic medal in 30 years. They went on to win the bronze at Worlds.
For the 2007–2008 season, Belbin and Agosto began with first place finishes at both Skate America and Cup of China which qualified them for the Grand Prix Final, where they placed second. They won their 5th national title and then placed 4th at the 2008 Worlds after a fall by Belbin in the Compulsory Dance.
Belbin and Agosto were regular cast members of the Champions on Ice tour from 2004 until COI went out of business following the 2007 season. They were guest stars on part of the 2008 Stars on Ice tour.
Following the 2007–2008 season, Belbin and Agosto left Igor Shpilband, who had coached them for their entire partnership, and began working with the married coaching team of Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponossov in Aston, Pennsylvania.
Belbin and Agosto began the 2008–2009 season at the 2008 Skate America and 2008 Cup of China, winning silver at both competitions. They withdrew from the 2008–2009 ISU Grand Prix Final after the original dance due to a back injury to Agosto. They withdrew from the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships before the event began due to Agosto's injury1. They were named to the team to the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships. At the World Championships, they won the original dance and placed second in the compulsory and free dances to win the silver medal overall.
Programs
| Season | Original Dance | Free Dance | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-2010 | Moldavian Folk Dance | Ave Maria performed by Sumi Jo Stabat Mater by Gioachino Rossini |
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| 2008-2009 | Stepping Out by John Kander and Fred Ebb |
Tosca by Giacomo Puccini |
Falling Slowly
Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis |
| 2007-2008 | Appalachian Hoedown | Selections from Frederic Chopin arranged by Joseph Le Duca |
Let's Get Loud by Jennifer Lopez SexyBack & My Love by Justin Timberlake |
| 2006-2007 | Concierto Para Quinteto by Astor Piazzolla Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla |
Overture from That's Entertainment!
Amélie (soundtrack) by Yann Thiersen |
Let's Get Loud by Jennifer Lopez |
| 2005-2006 | Let's Get Loud by Jennifer Lopez |
Bulenas Jaleo by Luis Winsberg Duende by Esteban |
Green Acres
American Woman La Rosa Let's Get Loud by Jennifer Lopez |
| 2004-2005 | Charleston: Cabaret Slow Foxtrot: New York, New York Quickstep: Cabaret |
Shadritsa Edvin Marton's Russian Gypsy Dance |
Green Acres |
| 2003-2004 | Jitterbug: 5 months, 2 weeks, 2 days by Louis Prima Blues: Give me Some Money Too by Leni Hester Swing: Hey Pachuco by Royal Crown Revue |
West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein |
Elvis Presley Medley
Green Acres |
| 2002-2003 | Waltz: La Traviata Drinking Song by G. Verdi Polka: Jolly Robbers by Franz von Suppe |
Heartbreak Hotel & Hound Dog & Jailhouse Rock & Teddy Bear by Elvis Presley |
Elvis Presley Medley (modified FD) |
| 2001-2002 | The Mask of Zorro, A Los Amigos | Sarajevo | Oscar Tango |
| 2000-2001 | More, Girls Girls Girls | Alexandros | Un Vie d'Amour |
| 1999-2000 | The Four Seasons by Vivaldi |
Un Vie d'Amour |
Competitive highlights
(with Agosto)
Post-2004
| Event | 2004-2005 | 2005-2006 | 2006-2007 | 2007-2008 | 2008-2009 | 2009-2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games | 2nd | |||||
| World Championships | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 4th | 2nd | |
| Four Continents Championships | 1st | 1st | 2nd | |||
| U.S. Championships | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | WD | |
| Grand Prix Final | 2nd | WD | 2nd | WD | ||
| Skate America | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | ||
| Cup of China | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 1st | |
| Cup of Russia | 1st | |||||
| Nebelhorn Trophy | 1st |
- WD = Withdrew
Pre-2004
| Event | 1999–2000 | 2000–2001 | 2001–2002 | 2002–2003 | 2003–2004 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Championships | 17th | 13th | 7th | 5th | |
| Four Continents Championships | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | ||
| World Junior Championships | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | ||
| U.S. Championships | 1st J. | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st |
| Grand Prix Final | 3rd | ||||
| Skate America | 5th | 3rd | 1st | ||
| Trophee Lalique | 6th | 3rd | 4th | ||
| Cup of Russia | 2nd | ||||
| Goodwill Games | 5th | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix Final | 4th | 1st | |||
| Junior Grand Prix, Mexico | 1st | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Germany | 1st | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Canada | 1st | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Japan | 2nd |
- J = Junior level
(with Barrucco)
| Event | 1996–1997 |
|---|---|
| Canadian Championships | 2nd N. |
- N = Novice level
References
- World Junior Figure Skating Championships: ISU Results: DancePDF (11.0 KB)
- Belbin & Agosto at the United States Figure Skating Association
- Belbin & Agosto at the International Skating Union
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tanith Belbin |
- Official website
- Tanith Belbin at the United States Olympic Committee.
- Tanith Belbin at the Internet Movie Database
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