Colin Ratushniak

Colin Ratushniak (born 18 August 1985) is a Canadian professional ice skater who appeared in the TV show Dancing on Ice in 2011, with celebrity skating partner Laura Hamilton.

Background
Born in Gillam, Manitoba in Canada, Ratushniak began skating at the age of two. He played ice hockey until he was 12 years old, at which point he began making the transition from hockey player to ice skater. When the family moved to Brandon he continued training and began his competitive career.

Competitive career
From 1998 to 2002, Ratushniak reigned as the province of Manitoba's men's novice champion. He also won a pre-novice bronze medal at the Junior National Championships in 2000.

2003–2010
In 2003, after graduating from high school, Ratushniak turned professional and joined Feld Entertainment to skate in the critically acclaimed Disney on Ice productions. For the next 8 years he continued to tour, working with illustrious names such as Rand Productions and Karen Kresge Productions, to date performing in over 50 countries and 500 major cities across 5 continents. During this time he also developed his skills as a pairs skater, pairing up with Amanda Frank and Isabelle Gauthier. In 2010, at the age of 24, Ratushniak performed his first backflip on the ice.

Dancing on Ice
In January 2011, Ratushniak took his first foray into the world of prime time TV when he appeared as a professional skater in series 6 of the UK TV show Dancing on Ice with celebrity partner, Laura Hamilton and the couple were early favourites to win the series. They eventually finished runners up in the series to Brianne Delcourt and Sam Attwater and went on to perform in cities across the UK with the Dancing on Ice Live Tour.

Beyond Broadway
In August and September 2011, Ratushniak performed alongside Olympic figure skating champion Joannie Rochette in the show Beyond Broadway at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). Performing with professional partner Isabelle Gauthier, they skated to the song "Seasons of Love" from the Broadway musical Rent, as well as joining the rest of cast for other routines.

Tropicana – The Passion Tour
The end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 saw Ratushniak performing in the Holiday on Ice show, Tropicana. Running from December 2011 until February 2012 across The Netherlands and the UK, the show was created and choreographed by Olympic champion Robin Cousins MBE and featured music from singer Barry Manilow. The show premiered in Eindhoven and went on to play in Amsterdam, Maastricht, Utrecht, Zwolle, Brighton, Peterborough, Cardiff and Exeter.

Skating on Broadway
In March 2012, Ratushniak travelled to Irapuato in Mexico to perform in the Ucha Atayde Entertainment production of Skating on Broadway. The show's cast performed to a selection of songs from Broadway musicals with Ratushniak taking the starring role in the sections for Rent and  Lion King. He returned to Mexico in April 2012 and again in June 2012 this time performing the show in the cities of Villahermosa and Durango respectively. During the latter period he took on the additional role of Company Manager, responsible for co-ordinating all aspects of the show's production.

Quebec club shows
In between his shows in Mexico, Ratushniak joined forces with pro partner Isabelle Gauthier once again to perform as guests in the Annual Gala shows of skating clubs in Quebec. As well as their Seasons of Love routine from the show Beyond Broadway, Ratushniak and Gauthier performed a new routine that they'd choreographed especially for the shows, skating to the song "Moves Like Jagger". The shows took place at skating clubs in Charny, Abénakis and Lac-Mégantic.

Rock on Ice
In April 2012 and again in June 2012 Ratushniak performed in the production of Rock on Ice, a show which ran alongside the production Skating on Broadway. He joined the cast for the show's run in the cities of Villahermosa and Durango in Mexico performing as both a soloist and member of the ensemble to songs from rock legends including ZZ Top, Van Halen, Pink Floyd and Queen. His role as Company Manager whilst in Durango encompassed both shows.

TV production
In September 2011 Ratushniak moved into TV production, working behind the scenes as an assistant director on the Canadian TV show Battle of the Blades (similar to Dancing on Ice). In 2012, he has worked as a production assistant on Canada Sings and The Juno Awards 2012.

Other interests
As well as being a professional ice skater, Ratushniak is also a qualified pilot and licensed realtor.