Alex Benoit
| Alex Benoit | |
|---|---|
| File:Alex Benoit Headshot 2018.jpg Benoit in 2018 | |
| Born | October 9, 1995 Winfield, Illinois |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country | United States |
| Began skating | 2004 |
| Retired | March 20, 2018 |
Alexander "Alex" Benoit (born October 9, 1995) is an American actor and former competitive ice dancer. With his skating partner, Elliana Pogrebinsky, he is a two-time ISU Challenger Series Tallinn Trophy bronze medalist (2016, 2017), the 2016 Lake Placid Ice Dance International champion, the 2017 U.S. national pewter medalist, and a two-time (2015–2016) U.S. junior national bronze medalist.
Personal life
Alexander (Alex) Benoit was born on October 9, 1995 in Winfield, Illinois.[1] He has French-Canadian and Ukrainian ancestry.[2] His mother has served as a U.S. Figure Skating judge and ice dance controller.[3] His father was a scholarship football player for Northwestern University. After finishing high school through distance education, he enrolled at Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan, where he pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts/Theatre degree.[4] Following his retirement from skating, he returned to the Chicago suburbs to act professionally. He also serves as a U.S. Figure Skating judge for singles, pairs and ice dance and a technical specialist for ice dance.
Professional acting career
Benoit's first professional role was in Daddy Long Legs, in the title role of Jervis Pendleton, in spring 2018. The production was the Michigan premiere of the musical and was staged at The Dio Theatre in Pinckney, MI. His next role was in the musical Something in the Game, about legendary football coach Knute Rockne. The musical was staged through the American Music Theatre Project, based at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Benoit was cast as an ensemble member and also as an understudy for George Gipp; the production ran in late July and early August 2018.
From January thru mid April 2019, he appeared in Mamma Mia! at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oak Brook, Illinois. Benoit understudied the roles of Sky and Father Alexandrios, in addition to being an ensemble member. Remaining at Drury Lane through June 2019, he appeared in the regional premiere of Matilda the Musical in the role of Rudolpho, while also performing the role of the Escapologist. He is appearing in Into the Woods at the Writers Theatre in Glencoe, IL, as Rapunzel's Prince
Represented by Gray Talent Group, he has also worked in commercials and voice overs. He can be seen regularly on a nationally telecast Weathertech commercial.
In March 2019, Benoit announced his intention to pursue a MA degree in Classical Acting at LAMDA in London.
Early skating career
Benoit began skating in 2004.[1] Competing as a single skater, he won the national juvenile bronze medal at the 2009 U.S. Junior Championships and was awarded the intermediate bronze medal the following season. Candice Brown coached him from 2004 to 2014.[4]
Benoit decided to switch to ice dancing after being diagnosed with a congenital knee condition that was aggravated by his flip and lutz jumps.[3] He teamed up with Olivia Di Iorio in late 2012.[5] The two placed 11th in junior ice dancing at the 2014 U.S. Championships. They were coached by Candice Brown in Naperville, Illinois and by Igor Shpilband in Novi, Michigan.[3][5]
Partnership with Pogrebinsky
Benoit teamed up with Elliana Pogrebinsky in March 2014 after a tryout in Novi, Michigan that was suggested by Igor Shpilband.[4][3] Their international debut came at the 2014–15 ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) in Aichi; after placing fifth in Japan, Pogrebinsky/Benoit were sent to the JGP in Zagreb, Croatia, where they finished 8th. In January 2015, they won the junior bronze medal at the 2015 U.S. Championships and were selected to compete at the 2015 World Junior Championships in Tallinn. Ranked 12th in the short dance, they qualified for the free dance (14th) and finished 13th overall in Estonia.
During the 2015–16 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, Pogrebinsky/Benoit placed fourth in Linz, Austria, and won the bronze medal in Logroño, Spain. They repeated as junior national bronze medalists and were assigned to the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary; they placed fifth in the short dance, fourth in the free, and fourth overall.
Pogrebinsky/Benoit decided to compete on the senior level in the 2016–17 season.[3] Following autumn appearances at two ISU Grand Prix events and two ISU Challenger Series events, they won the senior pewter medal at the 2017 U.S. Championships in January 2017. They completed their season in the top 24 of the ISU World Ranking for ice dance. During this season, Pogrebinsky/Benoit debuted a new move, which they named the "Fountain Lift", in their Layla and Majnun-themed free dance. It consisted of Benoit skating on a deep outside spread eagle while Pogrebinsky performed an arched-back handstand on his knees.
During the 2017-18 season, they again competed at two ISU Grand Prix events, two Challenger Series events, and the 2018 U.S. Championships, capping off their season with another top 24 ISU World Ranking.
Benoit announced his retirement from competitive skating in March 2018 to finish his college education and to pursue his acting career.[6]
Programs
With Pogrebinsky
| Season | Short dance | Free dance |
|---|---|---|
| 2017–2018 [7][4] |
|
|
| 2016–2017 [1][8] |
|
Persian legend: Layla and Majnun |
| 2015–2016 [9] |
| |
| 2014–2015 [10][8] |
|
|
With Di Iorio
| Season | Short dance | Free dance |
|---|---|---|
| 2013–2014 [5] |
|
|
Competitive highlights
GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
With Pogrebinsky
| International[11] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 14–15 | 15–16 | 16–17 | 17–18 |
| GP Cup of China | 7th | |||
| GP France | 7th | |||
| GP Rostelecom Cup | 6th | |||
| GP Skate America | 7th | |||
| CS Lombardia Trophy | 4th | |||
| CS Nebelhorn Trophy | 4th | |||
| CS Tallinn Trophy | 3rd | 3rd | ||
| Lake Placid IDI | 1st | 3rd | ||
| International: Junior[11] | ||||
| World Junior Champ. | 13th | 4th | ||
| JGP Austria | 4th | |||
| JGP Croatia | 8th | |||
| JGP Japan | 5th | |||
| JGP Spain | 3rd | |||
| National[4] | ||||
| U.S. Championships | 3rd J | 3rd J | 4th | 7th |
| Midwestern Sectionals | 1st J | 1st J | ||
| J = Junior level TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew | ||||
With Di Iorio
| National[5][12] | |
|---|---|
| Event | 2013–14 |
| U.S. Championships | 11th J |
| Midwestern Sectionals | 3rd J |
| J = Junior level | |
Single skating
| National | ||
|---|---|---|
| Event | 2008–09 | 2009–10 |
| U.S. Junior Championships | 3rd V | 3rd I |
| Levels: V = Juvenile; I = Intermediate | ||
References
- ^ a b c "Elliana POGREBINSKY / Alex BENOIT: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 21, 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Pogrebinsky, Elliana; Benoit, Alex (September 9, 2015). "Waltzing on the Danube: Ice dancers blog from Linz". IceNetwork.com.
- ^ a b c d e Calder, Anne (June 15, 2016). "Pogrebinsky & Benoit set their sights on long-term goals". ice-dance.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Elliana Pogrebinsky and Alex Benoit". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Olivia Di Iorio & Alex Benoit". ice-dance.com. Archived from the original on 2016-02-08. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
- ^ Brannen, Sarah S. (March 30, 2018). "The Inside Edge: Krasnozhon avoids major injury". IceNetwork.com.
- ^ "Elliana POGREBINSKY / Alex BENOIT: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 18, 2018.
- ^ a b "Programs". Official website of Pogrebinsky & Benoit. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016.
- ^ "Elliana POGREBINSKY / Alex BENOIT: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Elliana POGREBINSKY / Alex BENOIT: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b "Competition Results: Elliana POGREBINSKY / Alex BENOIT". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 18, 2018.
- ^ "Competition Results: Olivia DI IORIO / Alex BENOIT". International Skating Union.