Biography
Tanith and Ben are pioneers to the sport of ice dancing in North America.
The ice dancing team of Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto were the first-ever U.S. ice dancing team to win a silver medal at the Winter Olympic Games, a feat which they accomplished at the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy. They are also World silver medalists and five-time U.S. National Champions.
Tanith Belbin was born on July 11, 1984 in Kingston, Ontario into a skating-oriented family. Her mother Michele, a former figure skating coach and costume designer, introduced Tanith to the ice at age three. She fell in love with the sport of ice dancing early on, but switched to pair skating at the age of 10 when she couldn’t find a suitable ice dancing partner. From there, Tanith enjoyed competitive success winning a silver medal at the Novice level at the Canadian National Championships. But with a sudden growth spurt and an undying passion, Tanith switched back to ice dancing and ventured to Michigan in search of a new partner.
Born January 15, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois, Ben Agosto was born into a culturally rich, multi-ethnic family. Baseball and music were the activities that caught Ben’s attention at an early age, and it wasn’t until his sixth birthday that he realized his passion for skating. Inspired by the likes of Brian Boitano, Ben spent his days at the rink and pursued his dream of a career on ice.
After skating at the Novice and Junior levels with a different partner, in 1999, Ben and his coaching team thought it was time for a change. Under the advisement of their respective coaches, Ben was introduced to Tanith Belbin, a young skater who had just moved to Detroit to pursue her dream of becoming a successful ice dancer. The two endured a two-hour tryout where there was instant chemistry and where ultimately, history was made. America had just found its newest skating stars.
In the early 2000’s, Tanith and Ben achieved success at the international level, earning several medals at the World Junior Championships and continued this trend at the Senior World Championships. However, because Tanith was not yet a U.S. citizen, the duo had to skip the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Although discouraged, the partners trekked on, continuing their winning streak at many major competitions. During the 2005-06 season, Tanith and Ben dominated many competitions, taking home gold at the U.S. Championships, Grand Prix, Skate America and rose to international fame by garnering silver at the World Championships. With this feat, Tanith and Ben qualified to be part of the U.S. Olympic Team at the 2006 games in Torino, Italy. On February 20, 2006, Tanith and Ben won the silver medal in ice dancing, making them the first U.S. ice dancing team to win a medal in the Olympics since 1976. They made Olympic history.
During the 2007-08 season, the twosome continued their success on ice, winning their fifth-consecutive U.S. Championship title, tying the record with only four other U.S. ice dancing couples.
Tanith and Ben’s successful 2009-10 season culminated in a return trip to the Olympic Winter Games – this time in Vancouver, Canada. The team finished a solid fourth at the event then, in the months following, announced their decision to retire from competitive ice dancing.
Tanith has hit her stride as a broadcaster, as she has covered the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China for NBC. She was a co-host on ABC’s Skating with the Stars. Tanith continues to commentate for figure skating on NBC's Universal Sports Network and as well as Icenetwork.com. Tanith competed on Season 3 of CBC’s television hit series Battle of the Blades.
Tanith enjoys spending time with her family, friends and her beloved dogs, DJ and Finn. She recently announced her engagement to fellow Olympic ice dancer Charlie White who, along with partner Meryl Davis, took home gold at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
Ben has been pursuing his other talents, which include music and entertainment. With a passion for entertaining people, Ben has been talking his way to the top, doing voice-over work. Ben also enjoys hiking, biking and playing the guitar. Ben provides ice dance commentary for Universal Sports.
Both Tanith and Ben have taken up coaching and choreography - Ben in Arizona, and Tanith in Detroit- hoping to help train the next generation of Olympic champions.
This season, Tanith and Ben look forward to performing together in several televised ABC figure skating specials, as well as touring again with Stars on Ice.