GUADALAJARA, MEXICO—They look a lot like figure skaters. They’ve got the same sequined dresses, beige tights and slicked-back hair. And they perform many of the same technical elements — axels, Lutzes, camel spins.

But instead of a toe pick on their skates, there’s a rubber stopper; in the place of two blades, there are eight wheels; and in artistic roller skating, when a competitor falls down on a jump, she lands on concrete. Thud. There’s no ice to slide on.

Read more: The beauty of figure skating, minus the ice