When Canadian ice dancer Nadiia Bashynska’s phone lit up with a text from her friend, fellow skater Corey Circelli, she didn’t expect it to change the course of her career.

“Corey just said, ‘Hey, you should message the French boy, Noé Perron. He’s available,'” Bashynska recalled with a laugh. “It didn’t sound like a skating partnership at all.”

But she already knew the French ice dancer from meeting at other events, and the idea felt safe—and intriguing.

“Without thinking about it too much, I just sent him a message asking if he wanted to do a tryout,” she said.

Perron, who had received similar texts from other women, said he was “happy and flattered.”

“I didn’t even think,” he said. “I responded, ‘yes, of course, I want to do the tryout.'”

Within days, Bashynska was on a flight to France during mid-May. And the tryout was electric.

“From the first session, when we held hands, I knew I wanted to skate with her,” Perron said. “It was a weird feeling, but in a good way.”

Bashynska agreed: “It felt like we’d been skating together for years.”

The connection was instant—on and off the ice. The two ice dancers couldn’t stop giggling and laughing during that first week, and the decision to team up seemed inevitable.

But logistics still loomed. Bashynska had coaching commitments in Toronto and needed time to speak with her family and coach. After a week in Lyon, she returned to Canada, and within a month, her mind was made up.  She returned to France at the beginning of July, ready to begin this new chapter.

Both skaters agreed that their partnership was “meant to be,” especially given their individual situations with previous partnerships.

“When we talked about it with each other, they were so similar,” said Bashynska. “How we felt after our breakups. That we were doubting where we were in our life and skating. We both weren’t sure if we were going to continue until we had the tryout together.”

Like many other female ice dancers, one thing that weighed heavily on Bashynska was the stigma of finding another partner. Especially since she was a two-time World Junior bronze medalist with former partner Peter Beaumont.

“To be honest, it was never in my plan to find another partner,” she admitted. “Throughout my career, people around me made me believe that I would not be able to find someone easily. Or I would have to go down a level in order to skate with a person. So, I didn’t think that it was possible to find something better than what I was hoping for.”

Perron himself had entertained thoughts of retirement after the split with Lou Terreaux, his partner of 10 years. “Of course, I was planning to do some tryouts first and see how they would go, but I only wanted to continue if I had the perfect match with the person.”

And both emphatically agree that this was indeed a perfect match.

However, one of the first major decisions for Bashynska and Perron to make was which flag they would represent. Though nothing is official yet, they’ve chosen to compete for Canada and are waiting for Perron’s release from the French federation.

“For me, Canada was always the preference,” Bashynska said. “It’s where I’ve spent most of my career and success. We talked about all the possibilities, but Canada felt like the right path.”

Perron welcomed the choice. “I admire Canada,” he says. “I’m excited to see how their federation works compared to France.”

Training, early plans and new programs

For now, the team splits their training time: 80% in France and 20% in Canada. In France, they train under Olivier Schoenfelder, Marien de la Asuncion, and Muriel Zazoui at the Club des Sports de Glace de Lyon (CSGL). In Canada, they work with Scott Moir, Madison Hubbell, and Adrián Díaz at the Ice Academy of Montreal’s London, Ontario campus.

“It’s a new collaboration for our coaches,” Bashynska noted. “We’re both excited to see how their perspectives blend.” She’s also learning French—something she’d wanted to do even back in Canada. “It’s been fun, actually. And I’m starting to understand a lot.”

Only weeks into their partnership, both skaters feel their biggest strength is their connection on the ice.

“Our practices don’t even feel like work,” Bashynska said. “It makes me wonder how far we can go.”

Perron agreed: “We click so well, so it’s extremely easy to talk! I think last week we were just saying it’s only been one month together, but it feels like so much more.”

Their competitive debut is tentatively set for the Sectional Series in Barrie, Ont., followed by Skate Canada Challenge and nationals. With Perron’s release pending, they hope for an international start late in the season.

Meanwhile, the new team is working on their new programs for the season.

Olivier Schoenfelder is choreographing their rhythm dance, a “wild” 1990s alternative concept built around a Nirvana medley which includes “Come as You Are,” “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and “Stay Away.” The free dance, choreographed by Marien de la Asuncion, is set to remixed Philip Glass tracks, including “Heart of Glass” and “Escape.”

“It’s a love story, but complicated,” Bashynska explained of the free dance. “There’s pain and tension, but also healing together near the end. It’s partly inspired by our own journey. I think we both find it easier to skate to something that we really, truly feel and understand. Not that we’re just trying to act a character out, but to feel the story. And again, we’re using our connection to the benefit here.”

“We want people to feel something real, not just see us act it out,” Perron added. “I felt that it was really easy to skate to this because of the feeling. When we tried the first time, I don’t remember how it happened, but we put the music on and started skating and it felt very natural for both of us. We are serving this as a vessel to feel something, so people can take what they want from it, their own feelings. But for us, it’s about the connection of true events.”

The second half of the free dance is described as “dramatic.”

“Marien was inspired by the Kenzo perfume commercial while we were choregraphing the step sequence,” Perron explained. “There was this girl dancing …so crazy and so free. Like nobody’s watching. Like freedom.”

Off Ice

Both skaters balance training with other pursuits. After her last partnership, Bashynska dove into choreography, creating 30 programs in just four months.

“It was so fun! It’s so insane,” she said. “A little bit tiring, but it was really cool. I got to watch one of them at Cranberry Cup, Andrea Astrain Maynez from Mexico. It was incredible to watch your own artwork come true on the ice. It’s surreal! So, I know that after I’m done with my competitive career, I will always stay in skating.”

When not training Perron is studying for his coaching degree or working with skaters at his club.

“I already did the first year last season,” he said of his coaching degree. “I have to pass it in two years, so I’m just going to keep going for the second year.  I really like it because the coaches at my club already trust me, and I can work with the junior teams. I feel really good doing this.”

Perron also remains a dedicated F1 and MotoGP fan.

“I love watching races every weekend,” he said. “I go to the MotoGP events when I can. After coaching part-time on the ice, training, and studying for my coaching degree, there’s no time for anything else right now. I have homework and I need to go in for class a few days a week and that takes time. But I like watching any movies or TV shows. I also try to find time to read if I can.”

He also enjoys spending time with his friends and family.

“When I have a weekend free, I drive to see my family in Belfort which is about four hours by car,” he said.

Bashynska still treasures her coffee habit and calls herself a “light roast.”

“I think my favorite origin is Ethiopia just because I do prefer it more floral,” she said. “But if I’m doing a cappuccino or a latte, I do like a dark roast where it’s a little bit bitter, because there’s milk, right? But I really, really like iced Americanos. I think it’s my favorite. I am a little bit obsessed.”

She also considers dance more than just a hobby—it also serves as an emotional release.

“I go to dance when I have so many feelings that I can’t really just sit down and deal with them,” she explained. “I obviously only post the stuff that I find good and pretty, but a lot of the time what I do in improv is not pretty. And it’s maybe even ugly. But I do it because it feels good, and at the same time, it helps me immensely with skating. This way I learn how my body moves, and I can feel my body and I understand what it does on the ice as well.”

Looking Ahead

With no pressure to rush internationally this year, the pair is focused on building a foundation.

“We want to learn from each other so we’re ready for next season,” Perron said. Bashynska added, “If we can keep the joy we feel now, that will be incredible.”

For two skaters who weren’t sure they’d continue in the sport, that joy might be the most important win of all.

Paula Slater

Founder of Golden Skate in 1999, Paula has followed the sport of figure skating for over four decades. A retired U.S. Army veteran, she takes joy in promoting the sport worldwide, covering events, interviewing skaters, and providing resources. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and in her free time, enjoys reading, walking her dogs, painting, and consuming large quantities of coffee.