The technical explosion in Milan and Cortina
The second day of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo immediately put us on the edge of our seats. Although temperatures are around freezing, the energy in the stadiums is red hot. At Miss Salsa, we look at these sports with a specific perspective. To an outsider, snowboarding or figure skating might seem far removed from what we do in the dance studio, but nothing could be further from the truth. It's all about body control, rotation speed, and that single fraction of a second where technique and art merge.
We saw Dutch snowboarders Melissa Peperkamp and Romy van Vreden in action in the Big Air event. Although they just missed the final, they showed a level that I have rarely seen in such young athletes in my thirty years in the dance world. Peperkamp tried to land a 1440 in her last run. That's four full rotations around your axis while flying meters high through the air. In salsa, we are already impressed by a triple spin on a stable floor, but this is of a completely different order.
The parallel between Big Air and the dance floor
What Peperkamp and Van Vreden showed is pure kinetic energy. According to a report by NOS, the level was 'crazy'. Van Vreden scored with a beautiful forward rotation of 1080 degrees (three full circles). Why is this interesting for us as dancers? Because the biomechanics are exactly the same. To achieve that speed, you must keep your mass as close as possible to your axis of rotation. In dance, we call that the 'frame' and the 'core'. If your arms go too wide, you slow down. You saw that with Peperkamp; she was incredibly close, but the landing at that speed is merciless.
In an interview with NU.nl, Peperkamp indicated that she tried something new because she knew she wouldn't make the final otherwise. We recognize that mentality in show dance. Sometimes you have to take a risk with a lift or a complicated acrobatic move to stand out above the rest, even if there is a chance of an error.
Ilia Malinin: The 'Quad God' and the forbidden backflip
When we talk about spinning, we cannot ignore figure skating. The American Ilia Malinin, also known as the 'Quad God', delivered a performance that defies the limits of human ability. He landed quadruple jumps as if it were nothing. But what really made the dance world sit up was his backflip on the ice.
This sparks an interesting discussion about the rules in sports versus artistic expression. For decades, the backflip was banned in figure skating. I remember well how Frenchwoman Surya Bonaly made history in Nagano in 1998 by actually doing the flip, despite the ban. She knew she would be punished by the jury, but she did it for the audience and for her own artistic integrity. Malinin is now bringing that rebellion back, but with a technical perfection that is almost unreal.
What we as dancers learn from these top athletes
Watching the Winter Olympics is more than just cheering for the Dutch team for me. It is a lesson in physics and perseverance. There are a few concrete points that we can directly translate to our own passion:
- Spotting: Just like a snowboarder looking for the landing, we as dancers must fix our eyes on a point to avoid getting dizzy during fast spins.
- The landing (or the 'finish'): A jump is only successful if the landing is controlled. In dance, the transition from one movement to the next is often more important than the movement itself.
- Mental resilience: Peperkamp dropped out two years ago with a serious injury after a failed jump on an airbag. The fact that she is standing there again and dares to use that same move shows enormous mental strength.
At Miss Salsa, we often see that dancers are afraid of falling or making a mistake. But look at these athletes: they fall on hard ice or frozen snow and get right back up with a smile. That passion for movement is what connects us.
The battle between Japan and the US
In the team standings in figure skating, we saw a fascinating battle between Japan and the United States. Japanese Shun Sato performed an almost flawless routine. Where Malinin chose brute strength and risk, Sato chose fluid lines and perfect execution. This is a classic dilemma in the dance world: do you choose the 'wow factor' with dangerous tricks, or for the perfect finish of the basics? In Milan, it turned out that both styles have their value, but the jury is increasingly looking at the combination of both.
Italian Matteo Rizzo provided an emotional highlight by performing a perfect routine to classical music in his own country. The way he played the audience is a reminder of the fact that sport, when performed at this level, is simply a form of performing art. The choice of music, the costumes, and the choreography are at least as important as the jumps themselves.
The future of movement
With the 1,000-meter speed skating final ahead, where Jutta Leerdam and Femke Kok are high contenders, the focus remains on speed and power. But for lovers of technique and flexibility, events like Big Air and figure skating remain the absolute highlights. It reminds us that the human body is capable of incredible things if you find the right balance between strength, technique, and daring.
Whether you are on a snowboard or on the dance floor in a pair of salsa shoes: the essence remains the same. It's about that connection with the music, the control over your own axis, and the courage to try something you've never done before. In the coming days, we will continue to follow the performances in Milan, not just for the medals, but for the pure inspiration these athletes offer us.