BURSTPiper Gilles and Paul Poirier have had a busy competitive season.
They wowed the world at the Olympics, skating their way to bronze. Then they packed up and headed to the World Championships, where they won silver.
Now, they’re hitting the road for a little fun as part of the cast of the Stars on Ice spring tour.
The Progress caught up with the Canadian duo somewhere in between rehearsals and performances along the way, to chat about their time at the Winter Games, what they’re looking forward to with Stars On Ice, and what audiences can expect of this year’s tour.
The show opened on April 23 in Halifax, and closes in Chilliwack at the Coliseum on May 16. This tour features Elvis Stojko, Deanna Stellato-Dudek & Maxime Deschamps, Kaetlyn Osmond, Lia Pereira & Trennt Michaud, Roman Sadovsky and many more.
Tickets are available at starsonice.ca, including a chance to meet the cast.
Q: What were you each feeling after coming off the ice following your bronze-medal winning performance? And what is that moment like, waiting for the scores to show?
Piper Gilles: I think Paul and I are just really proud of what we did at the Olympic Games. We felt calm, ready, and just let our bodies show up for us. Sitting in the kiss and cry, we kind of already knew we felt in our gut that we had done enough for a medal.
Paul Poirier: There was a very large swell of emotion after the performance. I think we both knew that we had performed the free dance as well as we could have. Of course, once you are waiting for the scores nothing is in your hands anymore and you have to surrender. But think we had a lot of peace knowing that we had skated to our full potential.
Q: What has the reception been like from friends, family, fans since you’ve returned from Italy?
Piper: It’s been amazing. Our family and friends have been just as excited as we are. We were lucky to celebrate with them right away in Italy, and I think we’ll keep celebrating for a while.
Paul: There hasn’t been much time to celebrate since we’ve gotten home as we had to get straight back to training to prepare for Worlds and for Stars On Ice, but we were lucky to have some family and friends in Milan with us which was very special.
3. How do you switch from the Olympic competitive mindset to training for a cross-country show like Stars on Ice? Is there time for rest in between the two? How do the stresses on the road for weeks/months compare to the lead up to the Olympics?
Piper: We actually only had about two days off after the Olympics before we had to start training for the World Championships, so it’s been a quick turnaround. Now we’re just excited to shift into performing celebrating skating in a more free, non-competitive way
Paul: There’s always a lot to organize before leaving on the road for such an extended period of time. We had a lot to do this time, including choreographing a new piece for the tour, getting costumes made, and making sure that everything is ready before we leave.
Q: I understand you’ll have very little time to rehearse before you go on the road. What’s that process like? Is that unusual in your career, where you may work on routines longer before performing them?
Piper: It’s definitely different. Competitive programs take months, and Stars on Ice especially in Japan we only have about two days. But what’s special is that all the skaters come together to build the show, and that shared energy really comes across in the performance.
Paul: We always have several days of rehearsals in Halifax where we learn the group numbers together and get the show running smoothly. All of the skaters on the cast this year are Olympians and have lots of experience learning new choreography, so as much as the rehearsal days are long we know how to make it all come together before the first show.
Q: What are you looking forward as Stars on Ice gets closer?
Piper: I think we’re just excited to celebrate the whole Olympic team accomplished. Everyone brought something special to the Olympic Games, and it’s really about sharing that with the audience.
Paul: What I’m most looking forward to is spending time with all of our cast mates. Being on tour is really such a special opportunity to connect and spend time together both on and off the ice.
Q: What would you want fans to know about skating before coming to the show? Or, what do you think they’d be surprised to know.
Piper: I think people are always surprised by how fast and close everything is in person. TV doesn’t fully capture it the speed and precision are pretty shocking when you see it live.
Paul: Stars On Ice has been running for many decades and brings Canada’s best skating from coast to coast. This tour celebrates the accomplishments of both the current Olympic team and Canadian skating icons. It’s such a pleasure for us to share the magic of skating with the entire country!