Figure skating is one of the most visually appealing and expressive Olympic sports. Though mastering the technical steps required in a performance is exceedingly tough, the dancers appear to glide across the ice with ease. The top skaters do more than just master jumps, spins, and tricks.

Instead, the skaters learn to fully reflect the passion of the songs they perform to. If you want to meet someone who embodies skating, meet Veronika Zhilina. Veronika is a Russian figure skater whose stunning performance of Alexandra Burke’s version of Hallelujah has gone viral.

Even though she was only a tiny girl, she had no reason to be lonely. Soon, she and her mother were joined by her younger sister Alena. A future in figure skating necessitates extensive preparation, but both ladies were eager to make the effort because skating is their love.

They remained in Arkhangelsk until 2018, when they relocated to Moscow to train under renowned Russian figure skating teachers Sergei Dudakov, Sergei Rozanov, and Eteri Tutberidze. Only a year later, Veronika won the Russian Younger Age Championships junior category! She went on to prove that this was no fluke by successfully defending her championship a year later.

Sergei Rozanov, one of her coaches at the time, had joined the Plushenko Academy Angels. Veronika and Alena accompanied him, as did Alexandra Trusova, another exceptional figure skater. In the years after, Veronika has won or placed highly in Russian contests, and she may soon be able to skate internationally.

When she walks onto the ice, she carries a light that she gently sweeps over her head. The crowd joins in with their own lights, creating a relationship between skater and audience.

Veronika places her light on the ice when she begins to skate. It’s a stunning performance. Veronika flows across the ice, almost seeming to become one with it. Her white dress perfectly compliments her blonde hair, and her face is angelic. Veronika’s skating is flawless, her transitions are as smooth as if she’s made of water rather than flesh and blood.

The routine, which has been perfectly choreographed, expresses the mood of the song perfectly. It’s a performance that you absolutely must not miss. Then if you wonder if her little sister is as talented, check her out too. It seems guaranteed that these two talented young ladies have amazing careers ahead of them.