Following the hectic rhythm dance, the focus now shifts to the free dance, the second component in the Olympic ice dance event that ultimately decides who secures a medal.
American duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates, aiming for gold, find themselves in second place, trailing just 0.4 points behind France’s Laurence Fournier Baudry and Guillaume Cizeron.
Chock and Bates previously clinched gold in the team event and entered this segment as three-time world champions. They’ll skate in the penultimate position, hoping to surpass their French competitors in this round.
Fournier Baudry and Cizeron are considered a new pair, having skated together for under a year. Former figure skater Adam Rippon has noted their “evil energy,” suggesting they’re no strangers to the Olympic spotlight.
Olympic Ice Dance: Key Information
- Event: Free Dance
- Date: February 11th, 1:15 PM ET
- Location: Milan Ice Skating Arena (Milan, Italy)
- Broadcast: NBC USA Network (2:15 PM)
- Streaming: DIRECTV (free trial available)
Cizeron is a reigning champion, having won gold with a former partner, Gabriella Papadakis. Fournier-Beaudry, however, recently split from her former partner, who faced a ban from competitive skating following serious allegations.
Additionally, two other American ice dance couples made the cut for the individual events, finishing in the top 20 to advance to the free dance. Christina Carrera and Anthony Ponomarenko are set to start 10th, while Emilea Zingas and Vadim Kolesnik will begin in 15th place.
Olympic Ice Dance Schedule and Timing
February 11th marks the final day for the 2026 Olympic Ice Dance competition. The free dance kicks off at 1:15 PM ET, transitioning to NBC at 2:15 PM.
How to Watch the Olympic Ice Dance for Free
If you’re without cable, live TV streaming services allow you to catch the Olympics for free. DIRECTV is a particularly good option, offering a 5-day trial along with various plan choices starting from $49.99 per month, which includes USA Network and NBC.
Subscribers also have access to every Olympic moment, including content on Peacock from $10.99 per month.
Ice Dance – Free Dance Starting Order
The order for the free dance will be based on rankings from the rhythm dance, with higher-ranked teams skimming towards the end. Here’s the starting list as well as their rhythm dance scores:
- Sofia Val and Asaf Kazimov (ESP) – RD Score: 64.98
- Mira Ruud Reitan and Nikolai Majorov (SWE) – RD Score: 67.31
- Holly Harris and Jason Chan (AUS) – RD Score: 67.75
- Katerina Mrazukova and Daniel Mrazek (CZE) – RD Score: 72.09
- Phoebe Becker and James Hernandez (GBR) – RD Score: 72.46
- Marie Jade Lauriot and Romain Le Gac (France) – RD Score: 74.35
- Natalie Tashlerova and Filip Tashler (CZE) – RD Score: 75.33
- Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin (GEO) – RD Score: 77.15
- Julia Turchila and Matthias Versluis (FIN) – RD Score: 77.96
- Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko (USA) – RD Score: 78.15
- Olivia Smart and Tim Deke (ESP) – RD Score: 78.15
- Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Laga (CAN) – RD Score: 79.66
- Ivgenia Lopareva and Jeffrey Brisseau (France) – RD Score: 82.25
- Alison Reed and Saulius Ambruvicas (LTU) – RD Score: 82.95
- Emilea Zingas and Vadim Kolesnik (USA) – RD Score: 83.53
- Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri (ITA) – RD Score: 84.28
- Laila Fear and Lewis Gibson (UK) – RD Score: 85.47
- Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (CAN) – RD Score: 86.18
- Madison Chock and Evan Bates (USA) – RD Score: 89.72
- Laurence Fournier Baudry and Guillaume Cizeron (France) – RD Score: 90.18
2026 Winter Olympics
Understanding the Free Dance in Figure Skating
The International Skating Union defines the free dance as “a creative dance program that merges steps and movements reflecting the qualities and rhythms of the chosen music.” Unlike rhythm dance, where a theme dominates, skaters can select any music for the free dance, as long as it fits within a four-minute timeframe that exhibits character and required elements.
A free dance performance includes designated elements like dance lifts, spins, step sequences, synchronized twizzles, and additional choreographed components.
The highest score ever recorded in a free dance was 138.41, set by Chock and Bates in 2023.
2026 Olympic Figure Skating Schedule
- Ice Dance – Free Dance – February 11th 1:30 PM ET*
- Men’s Singles – Free Skate – February 13th 1:00 PM ET*
- Pairs – Short Program – February 15th 1:45 PM ET
- Pairs – Free Skate – February 16th 2:00 PM ET*
- Women’s Singles – Short Program – February 17th 12:45 PM ET
- Women’s Singles – Free Skate – February 19th 1:00 PM ET*
- Exhibition Gala — February 21st 2:00 PM ET
*Medals will be awarded
When Do the Winter Olympics Conclude?
The 2026 Winter Olympics will wrap up with a closing ceremony on February 22nd at 2:30 PM ET.
