At the 2010 Los Angeles Showcase in Burbank California, Taryn Jurgensen, just 19 years old, stepped onto the stage.
The Los Angeles Showcase is part of the National Showcase in U.S. Figure Skating. The National Showcase “offers the categories of light entertainment, dramatic entertainment and interpretative to singles skaters. Many who have observed National Showcase have remarked on the uniqueness and variety of the programs.”
Taryn Jurgensen skated to the classic song “Hallelujah”, performed by Alexandra Burke. Taryn’s dance was choreographed by Karen Kwan-Oppegard.
Little did Taryn know that her performance would be so breathtaking that she would walk away as the winning performance of the Funakoshi Trophy.
The art of ice skating is one that has been around for a while. A study by Federico Formenti of the University of Oxford suggests that the earliest ice skating happened in southern Finland more than 3,000 years ago.
Since then, the art has continued to evolve and grow evermore beautiful. Taryn’s performance below is a perfect example of this.
Not only does she enter the stage with inspiring confidence, her intricate footwork is mesmerizing to watch.
The climax of her performance occurs around one minute and 40 seconds into the video, and it’s enough to send chill down your spine.
You can see the passion in her ice skating as the song climaxes as well. Taryn moves effortlessly and gracefully along the ice.
Even seven years later, her performance continues to inspire and move others.
Taryn is originally from Thailand but now lives in New Orleans, Louisiana. Considering how the impact of her ice skating lives on, it’s no wonder Taryn won the prestigious Funakoshi Trophy.
See her moving performance in the video below.
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