The 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games wrapped up with a beautiful closing ceremony in Verona on Saturday, February 22. There is no time when I embody more Canadian stereotypes than I do during the Winter Olympics. With our well-loved Vancouver 2010 mittens stuffed in our backpacks, many of us have been winning honorary medals, juggling midterms while streaming the CBC Olympic channel in the background. 

Like many Olympic fans worldwide, I was hooked on the graceful partner lifts, sparkling costumes, and behind-the-scenes drama of ice dance, a partner event that blends traditional ballroom dance steps with classic figure skating. 

In ice dance, each pair performs two dances: an approximately three-minute rhythm dance that has a standardized theme each year — this year’s theme was the ’90s — and a four-minute free dance allowing for more creative freedom. Each element receives both a Technical Element Score (TES) based on execution and a Program Component Score (PCS) based on subjective artistry and skating skills. 

Millions have rewatched Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir’s gold medal-winning free program to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack at PyeongChang 2018. But at Milano Cortina 2026, Canada’s three ice dance partners also delivered programs to remember. 

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier

After a medal drought for Canadian figure skating at Beijing 2022, six-time Canadian champions and four-time Worlds medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (the latter is a 2015 U of T Bachelor of Arts graduate!) earned bronze in the individual ice dance event at Milano Cortina 2026. Gilles and Poirier have skated together since 2011 and are known for their unique step sequences and style. 

The success of an ice dance pair depends heavily upon the partners’ teamwork while overcoming adversity, of which Gilles and Poirier have had their fair share. When Gilles was diagnosed with Stage 1 ovarian cancer in 2023 — which she wrote about in detail in an essay for Toronto Life weeks before the Milano Cortina — the pair withdrew from competitions. Gilles and Poirier credit their close friendship with giving them the strength to keep going. They soon returned with renewed enthusiasm and energy, earning multiple titles from 2023–2025. 

The pair carried forth their fighting spirits to Milano Cortina. They performed a spunky rhythm dance to RuPaul’s “Supermodel” and “I’m Too Sexy,” during which Gilles impressively managed to catch Poirier’s falling wrist cuff in mid-air while spinning on his shoulders, sparing them from a deduction. For their free dance, they performed to a cover of “Vincent” by Govardo, leaving even the CBC commentators in tears. 

Leading up to Milano Cortina, Gilles spoke with Virtue in an interview on CBC Sports about the pair’s aspirations at the games. “We have decided that our path and our journey is to push our boundaries every single day, and I think if we can use that path… it will all feel worth it.” 

Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha

Being only the second Canadian ice dance pair in history to win the World Junior Championship title in 2019, Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha first teamed up in 2011. 

Despite only becoming senior ice dancers in the 2019–2020 season, the French-Canadian pair won a senior Worlds medal in 2023. In 2025, they took second place behind Gilles and Poirier at the national championships, securing them a spot on the Olympic team. 

Lajoie suffered a severe concussion in training that caused the pair to withdraw from the 2024 national championships. However, Lajoie managed to recover in time for them to compete and place in the top five at the 2024 Worlds. 

At Milano Cortina, Lajoie and Lagha skated to “Get Ready for This, The Power, Ole” for their rhythm dance, donning ’90s-style baseball uniforms. Their free dance was set to “Nureyev” from the film The White Crow, which scored them 10th overall in the individual event but had initially moved Team Canada to third place during the team event. 

Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain le Gac 

Coached by Olympic champion-turned-coach Moir at the Ice Academy of Montreal (IAM), Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain le Gac are longtime competitors on the senior ice dance scene. The pair began skating together in 2014, got married in 2015 — important to mention since much of watching ice dance is playing the “are they married or just friends?” game — and started competing for Canada, Lauriault’s home country, in 2020. 

Lauriault and le Gac cite their time training in Canada post-pandemic for helping them find balance in their training. “Making the switch [from representing France to Canada] really allowed us to feel the values we were talking about,” said Lauriault in an interview with ice-dance.com in reference to spending more “quality time” with family members while tapping into the elite coaching that IAM has to offer. 

The pair is known for their detailed attention to developing characters for their programs. At Milano Cortina 2026, the pair skated to the Asterix & Obelix: Cleopatra soundtrack, earning 17th overall.