The Rhythm of the 500 Meters: Ellia Smeding in Milan
Today, Sunday, February 15, 2026, the skating world stands still for a moment for the women's 500 meters in Milan. In the Rho Fiera Milano stadium, the British-Dutch Ellia Smeding makes her return to the ice for the shortest sprint distance. If you had asked me thirty years ago what skating has to do with dance, I might have looked at you questioningly for a moment. But after three decades in the dance world, I see the parallels everywhere. The way Ellia enters the corner is nothing less than a perfectly executed choreography at top speed.
According to the official schedule of British Ice Skating, this is a crucial moment for British long-track speed skating. Ellia is not just an athlete; she is a pioneer who is single-handedly taking the sport in the United Kingdom to a higher level. For us in the Netherlands, she is a familiar face because, although she competes for Team GB, her base is simply in Heerenveen, Friesland.
The technique behind the explosiveness
In the dance world, we often talk about 'grounding' and weight transfer. In a 500-meter sprint on the ice, you see this in its most extreme form. Ellia's start is comparable to the explosion of a dancer initiating a jump from a deep plié. It's all about those first thirty meters. If the timing isn't right there, the rest of the race is a lost battle against the clock.
What makes Ellia so interesting to us as movement experts is her ability to combine power with an almost fluid flexibility. In a recent interview with FilmoGaz, she indicated that she wants to make the sport better known in Great Britain. She does this by showing that skating is more than just pedaling hard; it is a technical discipline where every millimeter counts, just as we are used to in a tight salsa combination.
From Oxford to Thialf
Ellia Smeding's background reads like an extraordinary story. Born in Oxford in 1998, she moved to the Netherlands at the age of eight. That explains why she has that typical Dutch skating school in her legs, but the British fighting spirit in her heart. She has been training for years in the skating temple Thialf, where she and her partner Cornelius Kersten (who also skates at a top level) have sought their own path outside the major commercial teams.
I still remember the time when British long-track skaters were not really taken seriously. Ellia has completely overturned that image. She shows that with passion and the right technical foundation – which she absorbed in the Netherlands – you can get anywhere. It is the same mentality I see in dancers who, starting from a small studio in a village, eventually stand on the big stages in Amsterdam or Rotterdam.
The 'Brew 22' mentality
Something many people don't know is that Ellia and Cornelius have set up their own coffee brand, called Brew '22. This says a lot about her discipline. Elite sport is a lonely existence, and financially it is quite a challenge for a British skater. Instead of complaining, they have found a way to fund their dream. You also see that entrepreneurial spirit in her skating: she doesn't wait for perfect conditions, she creates them herself.
During these Olympic Winter Games in Milan, the pressure is enormous. The 500 meters is a distance of less than 40 seconds. One misstep, one hiccup in the crossover in the corner, and it's over. That focus is admirable. In my years as a dance coach, I have seen many talents who buckled under the pressure of a jury or a large audience. However, Ellia seems to grow as the ice gets smoother and the stakes get higher.
What we as dancers can learn from Ellia
You might wonder what a salsa dancer or a ballroom dancer gains from the performance of a skater. Actually, quite a lot. Look at Ellia's 'core stability' during her race. Her upper body is almost still, while her legs do the brutal work. This is exactly what we call 'isolation' in the dance world.
In addition, there is the timing of the push-off. Too early and you lose power, too late and you lose grip. It's the same feeling as finding the 'clave' in the music. Once you have that flow, everything seems to happen naturally. Ellia shows in Milan that elite sport is art. Whether you are on blades or on suede soles, the basic principles of movement and dedication remain the same.
The program in Milan
Today is a busy day for Team GB. Besides Ellia in the 500 meters, we also see Ana Vaipan-Law and Luke Digby in action in figure skating (Pairs event). It is a wonderful day for British skating, where the technical precision of the sprinters and the artistic expression of the figure skaters come together.
Milan forms an atmospheric backdrop for these performances. The city of fashion and design now breathes pure sport for a moment. For Ellia, this is the moment she has trained for for years in the shadow of Heerenveen. No glitter, no glamour, just hard work on the ice of the Rho Fiera. And that is exactly the attitude I love: talking with your feet (or your blades), and leaving the rest to the jury and the clock.