They lock eyes, clasp hands and the music starts, and for the next four minutes Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir skate as if there's nobody else in the building.
The Canadian ice dancing duo is among the best in the world, known for their innovative lifts, their intricate spins and footwork, and classic elegance in a discipline too often characterized by its kitschy costumes and cheesy routines. Much of their allure is their unquestionable chemistry, their ability to capture an audience with their utterly believable romance.
But the two are just friends, their relationship forged over sweat and spills and spirals in the more than 10 years they've been partners.
"Maybe the reason why we've lasted so long is we respect each other as individuals and we love each other,'' Moir says. "We've been together for so long, we've grown up together, and we just have this respect for each other, and the skating works.''
It wasn't always so. For the first year of what would eventually flourish into a medal-winning partnership, Virtue and Moir barely spoke to one another.
"Noooo,'' Moir's mom Alma says, laughing. "He was kind of sweet on her at first, and at that age when you have to hold a girl's hand, it's like 'Oh no, I can't talk to her too.' It was funny the first little bit.''
Virtue, 20, and the 22-year-old Moir - who did date briefly when they were younger - quickly developed into one of the top young dance tandems in the country, and in 2006 became the first Canadian ice dancers to win the ISU world junior championships.
"They were always good skaters, but they just had something that you can't coach,'' aunt Carol Moir says. "They just had a rapport with each other and even at a younger age it came through. They're both performers so they like to be out there, but they had something with each other. . . a good respect. And you cannot coach it.''
They lock eyes, clasp hands and the music starts, and for the next four minutes Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir skate as if there's nobody else in the building.
The Canadian ice dancing duo is among the best in the world, known for their innovative lifts, their intricate spins and footwork, and classic elegance in a discipline too often characterized by its kitschy costumes and cheesy routines. Much of their allure is their unquestionable chemistry, their ability to capture an audience with their utterly believable romance.
But the two are just friends, their relationship forged over sweat and spills and spirals in the more than 10 years they've been partners.
"Maybe the reason why we've lasted so long is we respect each other as individuals and we love each other,'' Moir says. "We've been together for so long, we've grown up together, and we just have this respect for each other, and the skating works.''
It wasn't always so. For the first year of what would eventually flourish into a medal-winning partnership, Virtue and Moir barely spoke to one another.
"Noooo,'' Moir's mom Alma says, laughing. "He was kind of sweet on her at first, and at that age when you have to hold a girl's hand, it's like 'Oh no, I can't talk to her too.' It was funny the first little bit.''
Virtue, 20, and the 22-year-old Moir - who did date briefly when they were younger - quickly developed into one of the top young dance tandems in the country, and in 2006 became the first Canadian ice dancers to win the ISU world junior championships.
"They were always good skaters, but they just had something that you can't coach,'' aunt Carol Moir says. "They just had a rapport with each other and even at a younger age it came through. They're both performers so they like to be out there, but they had something with each other. . . a good respect. And you cannot coach it.''
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