Alex Benoit

Alexander 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.

For the Mexican Olympic skier, see Alex Christian Benoit.
Alex Benoit
Benoit in 2021
Personal information
Country representedUnited States
Born (1995-10-09) October 9, 1995
Winfield, Illinois
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Former partnerElliana Pogrebinsky, Olivia Di Iorio
Former coachIgor Shpilband, Candice Brown
Former choreographerIgor Shpilband
Former training locationsNovi, Michigan
Naperville, Illinois
Began skating2004
RetiredMarch 20, 2018
ISU personal best scores
Combined total167.81
2016 CS Tallinn Trophy
Short dance65.94
2016 CS Tallinn Trophy
Free dance101.87
2016 CS Tallinn Trophy

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 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 football coach Knute Rockne. The musical was staged through the American Music Theatre Project, based at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Benoit was a member of the ensemble, as well as an understudy for George Gipp; the production ran in 2018.

In 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 Mid-2019, he appeared in the regional premiere of Matilda the Musical in the role of Rudolpho, while also performing the role of the Escapologist. In late 2019 he appeared in Into the Woods at the Writers Theatre in Glencoe, IL, as Rapunzel's Prince. The production later received several Jeff Award nominations, including "Best Musical" and "Best Ensemble".

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. He graduated in 2020 with First Class Honors.

In 2020, Benoit announced his engagement to Jordan Grier. According to his Instagram, the two met while studying at LAMDA.

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 and 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 on March 20, 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]
  • Straight to Memphis
    by Club des Belugas
  • Beijos
    by DJ Vadim
  • Banto
    by Kaoma

With Di Iorio
Season Short dance Free dance
2013–2014
[5]
  • Medley
    by Dean Martin

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 China7th
GP France7th
GP Rostelecom Cup6th
GP Skate America7th
CS Lombardia Trophy4th
CS Nebelhorn Trophy4th
CS Tallinn Trophy3rd3rd
Lake Placid IDI1st3rd
International: Junior[11]
World Junior Champ.13th4th
JGP Austria4th
JGP Croatia8th
JGP Japan5th
JGP Spain3rd
National[4]
U.S. Championships3rd J3rd J4th7th
Midwestern Sectionals1st J1st J
J = Junior level
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew

With Di Iorio
National[5][12]
Event 2013–14
U.S. Championships11th J
Midwestern Sectionals3rd J
J = Junior level

Single skating
National
Event 2008–09 2009–10
U.S. Junior Championships3rd V3rd I
Levels: V = Juvenile; I = Intermediate

References
  1. "Elliana POGREBINSKY / Alex BENOIT: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 21, 2017.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. Pogrebinsky, Elliana; Benoit, Alex (September 9, 2015). "Waltzing on the Danube: Ice dancers blog from Linz". IceNetwork.com.
  3. Calder, Anne (June 15, 2016). "Pogrebinsky & Benoit set their sights on long-term goals". ice-dance.com.
  4. "Elliana Pogrebinsky and Alex Benoit". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017.
  5. "Olivia Di Iorio & Alex Benoit". ice-dance.com. Archived from the original on 2016-02-08. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  6. Brannen, Sarah S. (March 30, 2018). "The Inside Edge: Krasnozhon avoids major injury". IceNetwork.com.
  7. "Elliana POGREBINSKY / Alex BENOIT: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 18, 2018.
  8. "Programs". Official website of Pogrebinsky & Benoit. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016.
  9. "Elliana POGREBINSKY / Alex BENOIT: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. "Elliana POGREBINSKY / Alex BENOIT: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. "Competition Results: Elliana POGREBINSKY / Alex BENOIT". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 18, 2018.
  12. "Competition Results: Olivia DI IORIO / Alex BENOIT". International Skating Union.
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