Figure Skater Sasha Cohen Takes the Ice

Jake Sumner

It’s rare that the worlds of art and ice skating collide. But here’s a window into the world of skating unlike any we’ve seen before: American figure skater Sasha Cohen, 28, is the focus of a beautiful new film on Nowness, out Tuesday. In it, the skater (who has won gold at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and silver at the Winter Olympics and the World Figure Skating Championships) reflects on the impact skating has had on her life. Cohen, who wears a Nina Ricci dress in the film, glides around a darkened rink—and walks on Columbia University’s campus, where she is a student. “A couple minutes on the ice will change the rest of your life,” she says. “Nothing will be the same after depending on how you perform.”