From 'Battle of the Blades' judge to social media star: the world is falling in love with Elladj Baldé
Elladj Baldé started his professional figure skating career at the age of six, nabbing several titles and honours over his career. And although the Russia-born, Montreal-raised skater retired three years ago, he is finding new levels of fame at 30 — this time on Instagram and TikTok.
In 2019, Baldé became a choreographer on Season 5 of Battle of the Blades, and took his place as official judge for the show in Season 6. He continues to shine in his performances and passes along his contagious enthusiasm and energy to his fellow skaters and judges on the series.
To the figure skating community and to the Battle of the Blades family, Baldé is a treasure. Which is why we're so thrilled to see his joyful style getting global appreciation, not to mention his new viral fame highlighting his glowing personality.
Here are a few reasons you need to know him.
He is a powerful advocate for Black figure skaters
He continues to be an inspiration for Black figure skaters everywhere. He has mentioned that the lack of representation he sees in the sport is one of the main factors that drives him to do more. He has dedicated himself to increasing accessibility and representation for the sport, becoming president and co-founder of The Figure Skating Diversity and Inclusion Alliance. His goal with this non-profit organization is to break the barriers that prevent racialized youth from occupying space in the figure skating world.
His social media game is on point!
As of late, you can find Baldé swizzling and twizzling around on local ice rinks, sharing his love for figure skating on TikTok and Instagram, where he has quickly gained a massive following online. His breathtaking flips and tricks have old and new fans in awe! Just look at these backflips!
We also have to send a special shout-out to Battle of the Blades Season 6 competitor Carlotta Edwards, who seems to have been moonlighting as Baldé's social media camera person. Naturally, it would take a talented figure skater to keep up with those moves!
He is inspiring a new generation of skaters
His breathtaking performance clips are just a few of the reasons why people are falling head over skates for Elladj. He is also an inspiration to many figure skaters, and is hoping to break barriers that the figure skating world has imposed thus far. As one of the few professional Black male figure skaters, he hopes that his videos will inspire a new generation of diverse figure skaters worldwide.
Figure skating is no longer the ballet-on-ice that we used to see back in the day. Figure skaters like Baldé have morphed the figure skating world into a place where you can showcase your flexibility, strength and continue to push the boundaries of the sport without fear of repercussion. He is shining a light on the fact that there is no one way to be a figure skater, and you can do it while looking incredibly awesome on ice.
If you haven't heard of Elladj Baldé until now, this is the perfect time to get lost scrolling through his hypnotizing choreography online. His unique ice-dance style is an expression of everything incredible that the sport embodies. We can't wait to see what he does next.
