Ice dancing is a form of figure skating which draws from the world of ballroom dancing. It was first competed at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, but did not become a Winter Olympic Games medal sport until 1976.

As in pair skating, dancers compete as a couple consisting of a man and a woman. Ice dance differs from pair skating by having different requirements for lifts, requiring spins to be performed as a team in a dance hold, and by disallowing throws and jumps. Typically, partners are not supposed to separate by more than two arm lengths; originally, partners were supposed to be in a dance hold the entire program, though this restriction has been lifted somewhat in modern ice dancing.

Another distinction between ice dance and other disciplines of skating is the usage of music in the performances; in ice dancing, dancers must always skate to music that has a definite beat or rhythm. Singles and pair skaters more often skate to the melody and phrasing of their music, rather than its beat; this is severely penalized in ice dance.

Alex Hideo Shibutani (born April 25, 1991 in Boston) is an American ice dancer. He competes with younger sister Maia Shibutani. They are the 2011 World bronze medalists, 2011 Four Continents silver medalists, 2009 World Junior silver medalists, two-time U.S. national silver medalists (2011–2012), 2011 NHK Trophy champions and 2010 U.S. Junior national champions.

Alex Shibutani was born to Chris and Naomi Shibutani, who met as Harvard musicians. He lived in Colorado Springs from 2005 through 2007 and moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2007.

While in Colorado Springs, Alex Shibutani attended Cheyenne Mountain High School and finished his sophomore year there. He completed his junior and senior years of high school at Huron High School and entered the University of Michigan in the fall semester of 2009.

Alex Shibutani began skating at age seven. He originally trained as a single skater and competed up to the juvenile level in singles. In March 2003, he and his family attended the World Championships in Washington D.C. He said, "We were seated close to the ice in the second row, and when the ice dancers came out for their warm up, we could actually feel a gust of wind as the skaters flew by. We were so impressed with the artistry, skating quality, and speed of the top teams that we decided to give it a try."

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Often referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971.

In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced numerous hip hop, post-disco, contemporary R&B, pop and rock artists.

Meryl Davis (born January 1, 1987) is an American ice dancer. With partner Charlie White, she is the 2011 World champion, 2010 Olympic silver medalist, the 2010 World silver medalist, three-time Grand Prix Final champion (2009–2011), two-time Four Continents champion (2009, 2011) and four-time U.S. national champion (2009–2012).

Davis and White teamed up in 1997 and they are currently the longest lasting dance team in the United States. They are the first American ice dancers to win the World title. At the 2006 NHK Trophy, they became the first ice dancing team to earn level fours on all their elements.

At the 2010 U.S. Championships, they were nominated to represent the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics. They won the silver medal in the ice dancing event.

Davis and White are the current world record holders for the short dance.

Meryl Davis was raised in West Bloomfield, Michigan. She lives and attends school in Ann Arbor, Michigan and trains in Canton, Michigan.

In June 2005, Davis graduated from Wylie E. Groves High School. She was a member of the National Honor Society and, upon graduation, received the Phi Beta Kappa Society award. She attends the University of Michigan, where she is majoring in cultural anthropology, and also studying Italian. She is an active member of the sorority Delta Delta Delta. She can play the flute.

Tessa Virtue (born May 17, 1989) is a Canadian ice dancer who competes with Scott Moir. Virtue and Moir are the 2010 Olympic champions, the 2010 & 2012 World Champions, the 2008 & 2012 Four Continents Champions, the 2006 World Junior Champions and four-time (2008–2010, 2012) Canadian national champions.

At the 2009 Skate Canada competition, they became the first ice dance team to ever receive a 10.0 component score mark under the ISU Judging System. They have received more scores of 10.00s than any other figure skating or dance team under the ISU Judging System.^{[citation needed]} They are the current world record score holders for the original dance.

Virtue was born in London, Ontario, Canada. She is the youngest of four children.

She attended Holy Names High School in Windsor, in addition to an electronic learning school called "AMDEC" based in Stratford, Ontario. Virtue is currently studying for a degree in psychology at the University of Windsor, commuting across the border from Michigan.