Milan's ice is on fire
It is day three of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina and as a dance expert with more than 30 years of experience, I can tell you: what we are seeing on the ice now is of a technical level that we have rarely experienced. The 'Rhythm Dance' of Monday, February 9, 2026, in the Milano Ice Skating Arena was a spectacle of precision, speed, and pure emotion. Although the flags above the podium vary, the top of the rankings exudes a strong Canadian atmosphere.
The Canadian connection in first place
The big surprise of the evening came from the duo that now competes for France, but has deep Canadian roots. Laurence Fournier Beaudry, born in Montreal, and her partner Guillaume Cizeron took the lead with a stunning score of 90.18. They skated to a flawless choreography to Madonna's 'Vogue'. In my years in the dance world, I have seen many interpretations of this classic, but the way they translated the 'vogueing' elements to the ice, with razor-sharp twizzles and a rotational lift that defied gravity, was simply masterful.
Fournier Beaudry only received her French citizenship in November 2025, which makes this victory extra emotionally charged. With this, they defeated the three-time world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates from the USA, who had to settle for second place with 89.72 after a small inaccuracy in their footwork. You can see the details of this battle in the live coverage from the BBC.
Canadian pride: Gilles and Poirier on course for bronze
Under the Canadian flag itself, we saw Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier deliver a rock-solid performance. With a score of 86.18, they are currently in third place. For this duo, both 34 years old, this feels like the crowning achievement of a career spanning fifteen seasons together. They showed a huge improvement in their 'pattern dance step sequence', which was rewarded with a level 4 by the judges. It is that typical Canadian consistency that we have known for decades from legends like Virtue and Moir.
Resilience off the ice
The theme of the day for Canada is 'resilience'. While the dancers shine, the Canadian ice hockey team is dealing with a major setback. Their captain and absolute rock, Marie-Philip Poulin (also known as 'Captain Clutch'), was injured during the game against the Czech Republic. As reported by Yahoo Sports, the team must now do without her in the crucial game against the United States on February 10. This mentality of 'persevering regardless of the circumstances' is reflected in all Canadian sports disciplines, including the focus of the ice dancers who are under enormous pressure.
What we as dancers can learn from this
When I look at these Olympic performances, I immediately see the parallels with the dance floor in the studio. The ice dancers in Milan show that technique (the 'substance') is nothing without presentation (the 'style'). The British Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, who are currently in fourth place with 85.47, got the whole arena moving with their Spice Girls medley. It was perhaps technically not their very best rhythm dance, but their connection with the audience was strong.
Specifically for the dancers at Miss Salsa: pay attention to the 'frame' and the 'unison' movements. In ice dancing, every millimeter of deviation in the twizzles (fast rotations on one leg) is penalized. In salsa or ballroom, that synchronicity is just as important for the visual impact. The 'levels' that the jury in Milan assigns to the step sequences can be directly translated to the complexity and purity of your own footwork.
The road to the final
The decision will be made on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, during the 'Free Dance'. Then we will see if Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron can maintain their lead, or if Canadians Gilles and Poirier can climb another spot. The competition is cutthroat, with the Italian pair Guignard and Fabbri also lurking in fifth place, waiting for a mistake from the top three. It promises to be a thrilling conclusion in the shadow of the Alps.