Tessa Virtue has spent the majority of her life honing her skills in control and precision. As an elite ice dancer alongside Scott Moir, she achieved great success, winning multiple Olympic gold medals and world titles. However, Virtue is now venturing into unfamiliar territory with a contemporary dance solo choreographed by Alyssa Martin from the National Ballet of Canada.
Transitioning from the ice to the stage, Virtue’s solo performance at the Fall for Dance North Festival in Toronto marks a significant shift in her career. While she admits to feeling excited and honored by the opportunity, she also experiences mixed emotions, describing the experience as both electrifying and terrifying.
Dance has always held a special place in Virtue’s heart, providing comfort and solace throughout her skating career. Yet, the shift from ice dance to contemporary dance requires a different approach to movement and expression. Virtue explains that while ice dancing demanded control and precision, contemporary dance embraces a more fluid and exposed style, allowing for raw emotions and vulnerability.
Despite her history of performing with a partner, Virtue is now stepping into the spotlight alone for the first time in years. While she initially approached Moir about a duet, she found a new kind of partnership within the dance community and her collaboration with Martin.
Set to Céline Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” Virtue’s performance embodies authenticity and power, traits that Martin recognized in her from the start. The collaboration between Virtue and Martin exemplifies the artistic risks that the Fall for Dance North Festival aims to foster.
As Virtue embarks on this new artistic journey, she hopes to challenge audiences’ perceptions of her as an ice dancer and showcase the universal appeal of dance as a form of self-expression. With her solo premiering at the festival, Virtue remains open to whatever emotions and connections the performance may evoke in viewers.