The Ice as a Stage: What Dancers Can Learn from the Winter Olympics
Friday evening, February 6, 2026, the Olympic flame will be lit in the legendary San Siro stadium in Milan. Although the focus at the Winter Olympics is often on brute strength and speed, as a dancer, I look at this event with a very different perspective. For me, the opening spectacle and disciplines such as figure skating are about pure performance, timing, and the art of telling a story without words. In my 30 years in the dance world, I have seen that the line between top-tier sport and performing arts is razor-thin.
The opening ceremony promises to be an artistic masterpiece this year. With performances by icons such as Andrea Bocelli and Mariah Carey, the bar for choreography is immediately set high. Behind the scenes, hundreds of dancers and choreographers work for months on the formations that will fill the San Siro field. It is a logistical nightmare but a visual dream scenario, comparable to the large formation dances we know from the international show dance world.
The Dutch Assets on the Ice
The Netherlands is sending 38 athletes to Italy. Naturally, we will be watching speed skating en masse, where we hope for gold for names like Jutta Leerdam and Femke Kok. But for the true dance enthusiast, the focus is on the ice rink in Milan where Michel Tsiba and Daria Danilova will be in action. This duo forms a pair in figure skating, a discipline that is technically closer to ballroom and ballet than the average winter sport.
In an article from NU.nl, it becomes clear that the pressure on the Dutch delegation is high. While the speed skaters fight against the clock, Tsiba and Danilova fight against gravity and for the favor of the jury. In figure skating, it's about the 'component score': the artistic expression, the transition between steps, and the way the music is interpreted. That is exactly what we are also working on daily in salsa and ballroom.
The Locations and the Atmosphere
The Games are spread across various locations. While speed skating and figure skating take place in the bustling fashion city of Milan, the bobsledders and skeleton athlete Kimberley Bos must head to Cortina d'Ampezzo. The snowboarders, including medal candidate Michelle Dekker, are in remote Livigno. For the spectators making the trip – which the AD is currently investigating – this means a significant journey between the mountains and the city.
Ticket prices vary enormously. For the opening ceremony in Milan, you can easily pay between 260 and 2000 euros, depending on the seat. Competitions like figure skating are traditionally sold out very quickly because the combination of athletic ability and theater appeals to a wide audience. It is the 'high-end' side of the sports world that we also see at major dance galas.
What We as Dancers Can Learn from Olympians
From my experience at Miss Salsa, I often see dancers struggling with nerves or stage presence. Take a technical look at the figure skaters during these Games. Pay attention to their posture, their 'lines', and how they regain their focus after a mistake. A fallen jump in a routine is comparable to a failed lift in a salsa show. The way these athletes immediately find their smile again and stay in the music is a lesson in professionalism.
Specifically, you can pay attention to:
- Musicality: How do they accentuate the heavy beats in the music with their movements?
- Partnering: The connection between the partners. In the pairs disciplines, you see that they breathe each other's movements, just like in a good social dance.
- Endurance: A routine lasts only a few minutes, but the intensity is grueling. This reminds me of a final of a dance competition where you still have to radiate that same energy in the last minute.
The Artistic Value of the Games
It is interesting to see that the organization in Italy chooses a closing ceremony in the Arena di Verona on February 22. This ancient amphitheater is the place where normally the largest operas in the world are performed. That the Winter Olympics end there underlines the message: sport is culture, and culture is movement.
Although the Netherlands mainly hopes for a rain of medals in the women's 3,000 meters (with Joy Beune as the top favorite) or from short trackers Xandra Velzeboer and Jens van 't Wout, I am especially looking forward to the moments of pure expression. The 2026 Games are not just about who is the fastest, but also about who can touch us the most with their performance. That is the language we all speak as dancers, whether we are on the ice or on the dance floor in the studio.