Russia-to-Canada transplant Elladj Balde is an ice dancer with a distinctive style and an innate sense of joy. I get such a sense of peace and happiness watching him do the thing he was clearly made for. His videos are nothing short of exhilarating, and even when Balde’s just fooling around, the camerawork is amazing. His camera operators must seriously skilled skaters, too.

Balde’s musicality is nothing short of incredible. He really seems like he’s having the best time on the ice, and he’s generously taking us along with him. And while his rink dancing is amazing, it’s his ‘wild ice’ performances that really take my breath away. I can’t begin to fathom how difficult that must be and how much could go wrong with them, but undaunted, out he and his crew go.

Unfortunately, after sustaining multiple serious knee injuries and 5 concussions, Balde was forced to retire from competitive ice dancing in 2018. Happily for us, he’s still skating for himself. Though he does NOT seem to be taking it easy, he’s hopefully being more careful of his poor head and knees…

You can follow the amazing Elladj Balde on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

@elladjbalde

my happy place. #wildice Videographer | @Paul Ayer

♬ To build a home – 𝙇𝙭𝙪𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙯 🫶🏻

@elladjbalde

The risks of skating on wild ice should never be taken lightly. There is immense planning behind the scenes that goes into the videos I share and many safety precautions with people who have done this for a very long time. Please stay safe out there friends 🤍🧊#onthisday

♬ original sound – Elladj Balde

@elladjbalde

Turn your passion into purpose #iceskatingtiktok #figureskating #natureboy #TikTokGGT #kaleo

♬ Way down We Go – KALEO