The dance event in Nagano, Japan, at the 1998 Winter Olympics is remembered probably in significant part for an off-the-podium finish for reigning Canadian champions and World bronze medalists Shae-Lynn Bourne & Victor Kraatz — a result not wholly unjustified given errors in the Golden Waltz compulsory and the rawness of the team’s new “Greased Lightning” original dance, but one made more controversial for reports of corrupt bloc judging. But notwithstanding such controversy, the team did pick up a third-place finish in the free dance for this spritely take on Riverdance — the opening musical cuts of which may now also be rather reminiscent of a more recent program:
Standing in stark stylistic contrast to the Irish step dance, however, is another performance that some have argued deserved a better finish — this Oblivion tango from Elizabeth Punsalan & Jerod Swallow, who placed seventh in all four segments of competition. The program offers a moodier take on the typical on-ice tango, highlighting the couple’s connection and ability to convey concept and emotion through movement. While the skate, their first competitive outing of the program after a mid-season change, is not technically perfect, its execution is admirable for that newness.
The pairs event, too, saw a fourth-place finish for Americans Kyoko Ina & Jason Dungjen, who sat in that spot after the short program and sealed it with a couple of jump errors, including a key hand-down from Dungjen, in the free. However, their skate to Polovtsian Dances still features some intricate choreographic highlights and transitions and a strong use of music. This also marked the final competitive skate for the pair, who would withdraw from the World Championships one month later and split in advance of the 1998-99 season.
And on a last note, leading Canadian pair Kristy Sargeant & Kris Wirtz entered the Games as sixth-place finishers at 1997 Worlds, but with a pair of problem skates here were able to finish only twelfth at what would be their only Olympics as a pair — though they would compete at four more World Championships, not finishing better than sixth. The pair, however, like other Olympians in this series, have returned to the Olympics this year in a different capacity: as coaches to Canadian silver medalists Kirsten Moore-Towers & Dylan Moscovitch.