Canada's most daring ice dancers cutting 'risque' move from Winter Olympics routine
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have established themselves as Canada’s top ice dancing duo as much with perfect execution as by testing the boundaries of taste in their notoriously stodgy sport of choice.
But even the three-time Winter Olympics medalists have their limits, as they found out amid preparations for the 2018 PyeongChang Games.
The London, Ontario-born pair decided to adjust a risqué lift from the same Moulin Rouge free program that stole the show at the 2018 Canadian Skating Nationals in January. The move in question involves what appears to be a brief bit of face-to-crotch contact as Virtue flips onto Moir’s shoulders and eventually spins her way back down to the ice.
“We wanted to make a bit of a different statement, and if that was bringing a certain edge or sexuality or darkness or a contemporary feeling to it, mission accomplished I guess,” Virtue said at the Canadian championships in Vancouver, according to the Canadian Press’ Lori Ewing.
The newly adjusted move will feature a shorter shoulder straddle followed single-knee dip and dismount.
According to Moir, the change wasn’t made to appease the sensibilities of sponsors and broadcasters so much as give him and Virtue a better shot at their second gold and fourth Olympic medal overall.
“What it came down to actually was that when we slowed it down and looked on the video, it wasn’t aesthetically that beautiful of a position, so we wanted to change it, make it a little bit better,” Moir said.
The decorated duo will debut the tweaked routine at the Gangneung Ice Arena on Saturday, Feb. 10 starting at 10:20 p.m. ET.
More Olympic coverage from Yahoo Sports:
• Daring Canadian ice dancers cut ‘risque’ move from routine
• Wetzel: How two Koreas found diplomacy at the Olympics
• Davis skips Opening Ceremony after U.S. flag-bearer criticism
• Busbee: South Korea wins first gold in unexpected fashion
• Adelson: Why Olympics could be start of Chelios’ coaching career
