Biography

When Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron skate, the audience holds its collective breath, spellbound by the emotion, power and finesse. One of the youngest teams ever to become World Ice Dance Champions, the French couple possess a maturity and command of the sport that has set them apart from a talented field.

“We have a special connection on the ice that we have built throughout the years,” said Cizeron. “First of all, people can feel that there is a special connection between us. When we perform, we are very present and very aware of everything invisible that people can still see and feel.”

“We feel a great connection between us and the audience and also a great connection between each other and our story,” said Papadakis. “It makes us think about a lot things in our lives, a lot of happiness and joy.”

Paired up as young children by Papadakis’ mother, they enjoyed modest success until moving their training base to Montreal, Canada in 2014 proved to be an auspicious new beginning. Their coach, Romain Haguenauer joined the growing ice dance program headed by Canadian Olympians Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon. In 2015, Papadakis and Cizeron won their first World Championship.

“We’ve always liked to be different and to innovate,” Papadakis said. “When we arrived in Montreal, the coaches started making us do classes with an interpretation coach. It was perfect for us because we were expressing ourselves in a good way.”

Cizeron is now also channeling that sense of creativity and innovation into choreography for other skaters. This season, he created the short program for French Pairs Champions Vanessa James and Morgan Ciprès, who won their first European title.

Now training far from home, Papadakis and Cizeron each try to find ways to stay connected to their roots. Papadakis asks her mother to bring some French foods, like foie gras, when she visits. She also searches out French restaurants and boulangeries in Montreal. Cizeron brought all his clothes with him—even things he no longer wears. He also brought his books. Having familiar things around makes him feel at home.

To relax at the end of an intense day of practice, Cizeron turns to Netflix, where he catches up on favorite television shows like Empire, Suits, How to Get Away with Murder and The Art of More. Papadakis prefers to surf the internet and watch videos, including TED talks, which capture her imagination.

At an age when most senior ice dance teams are just beginning to excel on the international stage, Papadakis and Cizeron have already won three World titles, Olympic Silver, five European Championships and numerous other international competitions. Despite all the success, they say they are just beginning to tap their creativity and potential.

Papadakis and Cizeron enjoy being involved in the creation of their programs and their coaches and choreographers welcome the input.

“We have our own style,” said Papadakis. “I think it’s great when a couple has their own style and not the style of the school or of somebody else.”

“A lot of couples try to look like their idols,” Cizeron said. “It’s normal to try and look like people that inspire you, but Gabriella and I are not trying to look like another couple. I hope the next generation will embrace that freedom.”