Skaters like Canada's Joannie Rochette count on the imaginative work of their choreographers to help dazzle fans. (Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press)

At the elite levels of sport, top competitors are always looking for an edge.

Figure skating is no different. With technical excellence so commonplace in the sport's upper echelon, the best athletes need other ways to set themselves apart. That's why good choreography — the music and steps that make up a program — is so vital to the success of today's finest skaters.

The good news for Canadians? The people in charge of designing their programs are among the finest in the world at what they do.

"Canada is blessed to have some of the very best skating choreographers in the world," said Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada's high performance director. "The technical levels in the best programs are similar, so decisions come down to programs."

As an example of one of his all-time favourites, Slipchuk cites Kurt Browning's Casablanca program, choreographed by Sandra Bezic.

"It was a program where you sat back and watched the program for the story it was telling and all the technical elements were just an extension of the program," Slipchuk said.

Before she became one of Canada's most renowned figure skating choreographers, Bezic was an elite skater herself. She has a personal understanding of what it's like to be alone out there in the middle of the ice waiting for the music to begin — which helps explain her ability to connect skaters with the right programs.

"I felt that my experience as a competitor at that world level would allow me to speak to what they would need," said Bezic, who in addition to Browning worked with 1984 world pairs champions Barb Underhill and Paul Martini, and now assists Canadian hopeful Vaughn Chipeur.

David Wilson, on the other hand, said he "fell into" it.

"I never envisioned being a choreographer. I really thought I would become an architect," said Wilson, who now designs programs for Canadian stars Jeff Buttle, Cynthia Phanuef, Joannie Rochette, and the team of Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison. "[After a five-year stint in Ice Capades], I settled in Montreal where I started working as a coach and putting programs together for students."

Eventually, though, he realized where his passion lay and turned into one of the world's best choreographers.

"It's as if my career chose me," explained Wilson, who now lives in Toronto.

"David understands skating skills and how the blade works," said former world champion and two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, whose students have worked with Wilson. "He allows choreography to come from the ice up."

Lori Nichol's journey to the same point was almost one of destiny. Even in speaking of it today, she paints a picture of a child lost in her own world of music, movement and magic.

"When I was little I used to skate to everyone's music, not just my own, which must have been very annoying to the other skaters," said Nichol, who choreographed for 2002 Olympic pairs champions Jamie Sale and David Pelletier and now works with up-and-coming Canadian Patrick Chan. "My coach, Don Laws, recognized this and nurtured that aspect.

"I remember spending hours listening to music and planning programs and movement in my head for skaters."

Must juggle many factors to design program

As many different ways as there are for people to get into choreography, there may be even more ways to design a program.

Perhaps most amazing is how much thought goes into each detail. Among the questions a choreographer must weigh: Is this program meant to be the ticket to the top of the podium this year, or merely a developmental stepping stone? Will this program carry the skater and give them the confidence they need in order to execute their best program in competition? Will this program stand the test of time and still be YouTubed 30 years hence?

"[Choreographers] have to be so well versed in music, pacing and making a program that makes sense," Orser said.

Bezic, Wilson and Nichol all say it starts with the music. But finding the perfect piece can be easier said than done, as they must take everything into account — a skater's technical ability, physical and emotional maturity, intelligence, age, appearance, and short-and long-term goals.

"I look for the music that turns on a light for the skater," Bezic said.

Choreographer Lori Nichol, left, helped Jamie Sale, right and David Pelletier capture the 2002 Olympic pairs gold medal. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

"I believe it's energy. The triangle shape between the music, the skater and the flow of energy," Wilson said.

"It's always different," said Nichol. "Sometimes I put music on and go through creative movement exercises with a skater to see how they move and it works."

Once a decision has been made as to what piece of music to use, the choreographer oversees the editing process to end up with music of the correct length for the program. The tricky part is trying not to mess too much with the composition.

"My No. 1 goal is to stay true to the composer's vision," Nichol said. "And to honour and respect the hard work of the musicians, composer, conductor and all others involved in the process of creating the music."

'I feed off the skater and their body language': Wilson

So many hours have gone into a program before anyone even takes the ice. The nuts and bolts of executing the vision the choreographer has in his or her head — and making it fit the skater — are what come next.

Each has a unique approach to the process.

"My goal is to make a program that the skater can execute," said Bezic. "You do what the music tells you to do."

The coach is as much a part of how things play out as anyone and there are often clear ideas about the placement and order of elements in order to best enhance the skater's abilities.

"Happiness is when everyone is in that moment, completely involved," said Nichol.

Each of these choreographers arrives ready with ideas of what they want to do and how they want to lead the skaters through the stages. They've all said that some of the most innovative and creative moves have been a result of experimenting and taking the time to work things out on the ice.

"There has to be a purpose to skating to music," Wilson said. "I feed off the skater and their body language."

On balance, it can take the better part of a week to create a program.

"I try to stay neutral and keep giving until it resonates with the skater," said Wilson.

Followup crucial, choreographers say

Once the program is set, the followup sessions for tweaking and polishing are hugely important, the choreographers said. After all, young skaters may think they are doing what they were taught, but only the original creator — the choreographer — can know for sure.

"Nuances tend to get lost without the followup," explained Bezic.

It is in these followup sessions that the practiced version the skater is working on can be compared against the original and adjusted in pursuit of perfection.

For choreographers, the goal is seeing their clients achieve success. Helping a young person develop artistically, emotionally, personally and creatively is part of reaching that goal, and supporting skaters in a way that enhances their ability to present their best self on the ice is of paramount concern.

After all, the freedom of a skater to express emotions honestly during a program that offers a genuine portrayal of his or her personality is what allows us to connect with them.

That is the choreographer's gift to the audience.