THE NORTH RIDING PROJECT

Last night Chen, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from China in their twenties, skated with confidence, precision, and joy in Beijing, where his mother gRew up.  Chen, known as the Quad King, did this to an Elton John medley, rocket-manning around in an outfit that evoked the cosmos and the sweetly nerdy exuberance of childood.  When he flew into the air, spinning in these exacting lutzes, loops and Salchows, he landed with stunning grace, beaming, with a fist pump or two.

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