2022 Winter Olympics: Ice Dance Individual Event Preview
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The second individual figure skating event at the Beijing Olympics kicks off with the ice dance competition! Besides the gold medal favorites Papadakis/Cizeron, it’s anyone’s guess which teams will claim the other spots on the podium, and in which order. Ice is slippery, and placements could be decided by the slimmest of margins in ice dance, where skaters chase high levels and Grades of Execution in their fight for the podium.
See also: 2022 Winter Olympics Info & Streaming for how to watch!
Gabriella Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron (France)
Age: 26/27
ISU Season’s Best Scores: RD - 89.08, FD - 132.61, Total - 221.25
ISU Personal Best Scores: RD - 90.03, FD - 136.58, Total - 226.61
Programs: RD - John Legend Medley; FD - Elegie
Coming in as the gold medal favorites, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron have won every title there is to win in ice dance with the exception of the Olympic gold medal. Losing to Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir in 2018 only seemed to light a fire under them as they approached ice dance with new fervor, trying new techniques and styles over the last four years, such as a free dance to spoken word. Although they missed the entire 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they came back strong in the Olympic season, winning every competition they entered so far.
This season, for the street dance-themed rhythm dance, Papadakis and Cizeron have opted to create a program inspired by Waacking, a 1970s underground gay club style. In their free program, they’ll return to what they’re best known for, lyrical and exquisite lines, with choreography set to French composer Gabriel Fauré’s L’élegie.
Papadakis and Cizeron are the current world record holders for the rhythm dance, free dance, and combined total scores.
Victoria Sinitsina / Nikita Katasalapov (ROC)
Age: 26/30
ISU Season’s Best Scores: RD - 87.89, FD - 130.07, Total - 217.96
ISU Personal Best Scores: RD - 88.73, FD - 133.02, Total - 221.17
Programs: RD - You Can Leave Your Hat On, Brick House; FD - Piano Concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninov, Caprice No. 24 by Paganini
Russia boasts some of the world's top ice dance teams, with Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov holding the current title of World Champions. Though Katsalapov has struggled with a back injury over the last few years, they remain sharp competitors, showcasing clean, elegant lines in their jazzy You Can Leave Your Hat On rhythm dance and their free dance to a classical Rachmaninov medley.
Although they appeared to be Papadakis/Cizeron’s main competitors heading into the Olympics, they placed behind both American teams in the Olympic Team Event just a week ago, setting up a very interesting fight for the podium.
Madison Hubbell / Zachary Donohue (USA)
Age: 26/30
ISU Season’s Best Scores: RD - 86.56, FD - 125.96, Total - 209.54
ISU Personal Best Scores: RD - 86.56, FD - 128.66, Total - 214.71
Programs: RD - Janet Jackson Medley, FD - Drowning
Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue have been skating together for over a decade, and came close to a taste of glory at the Pyeongchang Olympics, finishing in fourth place. Four years have given them time to polish and shine, and they have been one of the two leading American teams for the past Olympic cycle. Their strength lies in their speed and power across the ice, with some of the strongest basic skating in the field.
Their rhythm dance is set to a medley of Janet Jackson songs, with knee slides and sharp lines to match Jackson’s R&B and Hip Hop styles. Hubbell and Donohue will then switch gears with their gentle free dance set to singer-songwriter Anna Silas’ Drowning, a personal farewell to skating. The team plans to retire after this season.
Madison Chock / Evan Bates (USA)
Age: 29/32
ISU Season’s Best Scores: RD - 86.02, FD - 129.07, Total - 210.78
ISU Personal Best Scores: RD - 86.02, FD - 129.07, Total - 213.18
Programs: RD - Billie Eilish Medley, FD - Daft Punk Medley
Three-time Olympians Madison Chock and Evan Bates are looking for a strong podium finish after facing two challenging Olympic attempts. Having traded US National titles back and forth with training mates Hubbell and Donohue over the last four years, they’ll be looking to cement their spot as the top American ice dance team—not an easy feat in a deep field of dancers.
Chock and Bates are engaging performers with often conceptual programs. In the rhythm dance, they’ll be skating to a medley of hit-singer Billie Eilish’s songs, while showcasing their storytelling capabilities in the free dance with Contact, in which Bates plays an astronaut coming into contact with an alien (Chock) for the first time. They see it as a story of communication across boundaries, a recurring theme in Chock and Bates’ free dances.
Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier (Canada)
Age: 30/30
ISU Season’s Best Scores: RD - 85.65, FD - 125.62, Total - 210.97
ISU Personal Best Scores: RD - 85.65, FD - 130.98, Total - 214.35
Programs: RD - Elton John Medley, FD - The Long and Winding Road
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier easily take the crown of ice dance’s quirkiest team. Check out their ISU profiles, with hobbies listed such as “avoiding the knights who say Ni”, and “Monty Python horse riding”. They are certain to bring a smile to any audience watching. Gilles and Poirier are known for wildly unique and innovative programs over the years, although their programs for the Olympic season are slightly more traditional, by their standards. They will skate to a vibrant Elton John medley in the rhythm dance, and a Long and Winding Road Beatles tribute in the free dance.
For them, it’s all about the emotional connection to the music, so let yourself be taken along for the ride — it’s certainly been a long and winding road for them as they arrive at their second Olympic games, but for the first time, as Canada’s top ice dance team. Coming into the competition as World bronze medalists, they have an outside shot at the Olympic podium.
Alexandra Stepanova / Ivan Bukin (ROC)
Age: 26/28
ISU Season’s Best Scores: RD - 86.45, FD - 126.75, Total - 213.20
ISU Personal Best Scores: RD - 86.45, FD - 127.64, Total - 213.20
Programs: RD - Backstreet Boys, Shawn Mendes/Justin Bieber Medley, FD - A Time for Us, Romeo and Juliet
Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin have been chasing the heels of Sinitsina/Katsalapov for the last few years. They come into their first Olympics as reigning European silver medalists. Watch for their fire as they attack their Everybody/Monster rhythm dance with sharp accuracy, then switch gears entirely for the free dance with a soft and tender skate inspired by Romeo and Juliet’s A Time for Us.
Laurence Fournier-Beaudry / Nikolaj Sørensen (Canada)
Age: 29/32
ISU Season’s Best Scores: RD - 77.38, FD - 117.29, Total - 194.67
ISU Personal Best Scores: RD - 81.16, FD - 119.84, Total - 210.00
Programs: RD - George Michael Medley, FD - Gladiator
Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Nikolaj originally competed together under the Danish flag, however, Denmark’s strict citizenship laws meant that Fournier-Beaudry was unable to obtain citizenship in time for the Pyeongchang Olympics. Citizenship troubles followed them to Canada, but Sørenson finally took his oath in the fall of 2021, clearing the path for these two skaters to bring their beautiful skating to Beijing.
They’ll be skating to Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard’s Gladiator score in the free dance, a testament to all of the challenges they’ve overcome to arrive on the Olympic stage. Keep an eye out for their interesting lift positions.
Charlène Guignard / Marco Fabbri (Italy)
Age: 32/34
ISU Season’s Best Scores: RD - 83.83, FD - 126.10, Total - 208.88
ISU Personal Best Scores: RD - 84.66, FD - 126.10, Total - 208.88
Programs: RD - Michael Jackson Medley, FD - Atonement, Little Sparrow
Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri are competing at their third Olympics, with a fun and upbeat Michael Jackson medley for their rhythm dance. Watch for their elegant transitions between elements — they really know how to maintain their speed and ice coverage.
In the free program, they’ll skate to a program inspired by Ian McEwan’s Atonement — we’re hoping to see Guignard with her stunning lines decked out in that classic emerald green dress, but we’ll have to wait until the free dance to see for sure.
Olivia Smart / Adrian Diaz (Spain)
Age: 24/31
ISU Season’s Best Scores: RD - 78.53, FD - 118.87, Total - 196.86
ISU Personal Best Scores: RD - 78.53, FD - 118.87, Total - 196.86
Programs: RD - Proud Mary, FD - The Mask of Zorro
After a grueling season-long competition for Spain’s lone Olympic ice dance spot, Smart and Diaz finally find themselves on the Olympic stage for the first time as a team. They’ll be skating to the fierce and fiery Proud Mary by Tina Turner in the rhythm dance. Their free dance is a fun and engaging program set to the Mask of Zorro soundtrack, complete with the sound effects of swordplay on ice.
We ran out of room to include more, but make sure you also keep an eye out for these teams!
Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR), Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean Luc Baker (USA), Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha (CAN), Shiyue Wang/Xinyu Liu (CHN)