by Jacquelyn Thayer A planned West Coast vacation for Canadian ice dancer Asher Hill — journeying from Vegas to L.A. up through Vancouver to meet with skating friends — prompted an unexpected invitation from British Columbia-based Nicole Orford, recently split from a five-year partnership with Thomas Williams. “Nicole was like, ‘Oh, since you have your…
by Jacquelyn Thayer Note: On-site impressions, supplemental to coverage afforded by livestream, were provided by two sources who wish to remain anonymous. Additional teams were contacted for comment, and the article will be updated to reflect their quotes if provided. Senior Short Dance Protocols Senior Free Dance Protocols Senior dance at the Skate Canada Central…
by Jacquelyn Thayer Though also well-represented in junior dance (discussed later), the senior dance event at the 2015 Quebec Summer Championships (Championnats québécois d’été 2015) in Pierrefonds was overwhelmed with entries from the Gadbois Centre — five of seven couples in each segment hailed from the school led by Dubreuil, Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer, and…
by Jacquelyn Thayer After two seasons bouncing between a junior international circuit and senior national championships, Canadians Madeline Edwards and ZhaoKai Pang found their entrance to the full-time senior scene a prime time to try on a new look. The method? A dramatic tango free dance to music from Bacalov: Misa Tango and choreographed by…
by Jacquelyn Thayer This year’s Margaret Garrison Ice Show and Awards Ceremony — held annually since 2010 in memory of the long-time vice president of the Skate Canada Central Ontario Section — took on added import, marking 60 years for the section. And at the direction of Marijane Stong, this commemoration was one of musical…
by Jacquelyn Thayer When Canadian pair Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro made the call to relocate from the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club to Bruno Marcotte and Richard Gauthier’s Montreal camp in March, the first step upon arrival was one of demolition. “Basically when we got here, all of our elements were ripped apart,” said Moore-Towers. “So…
by Jacquelyn Thayer Elegant and agile, few images in skating are more celebrated than that of the ballerina on ice, the dancer on blades. It’s away from the spotlight that the magic is born — through nine hour training days, frequent commutes or specialized injury. A childhood in the studio cedes to sessions in skates;…
by Jacquelyn Thayer What could be considered a disadvantage — a pending federation release that curtailed their chance to compete on the international circuit in 2014-15 — was, for Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran, a distinct benefit. “I would say that is the best thing that could have happened to us, because unlike the other…
by Jacquelyn Thayer For Andréanne Poulin and Marc-André Servant, guided by the chance to try new program and musical styles, the logical senior follow-up to a lighthearted, character-heavy junior free dance — utilizing Alexandre Desplat’s whimsical Fantastic Mr. Fox score — could only be a starkly serious effort, dramatic and contemporary movement set to pieces…
by Jacquelyn Thayer Gretchen Donlan and Nate Bartholomay, matched in July, kicked off their competitive career together under less than auspicious circumstances. After an initial assignment to November’s Ice Challenge, the team had to decline in favor of ankle surgery for Bartholomay in late October to repair a disc and remove bone spurs, forced by…
