VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Leave it to the ice dancers to restore some Canadian pride at the Vancouver Olympics.

While their hockey counterparts were losing to the United States across town, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's spicy flamenco practically singed the ice Sunday night. It was so torrid they not only vaulted past the world champion Russians, but put Canada in position for its first Olympic dance gold medal.

"We're not going to start thinking about the gold medal now. It's not about that," Moir said. "It's so much more fun to just go out there and nail it like we have been. When you're in this rink — that moment we'll never forget for the rest of our life. I didn't think a piece of metal around my neck is going to make it any better."

The fans certainly do, and with their hockey hopes damaged, Virtue and Moir just might skate to the rescue.

With 111.15 points, Virtue and Moir lead Americans and training partners Meryl Davis and Charlie White by 2.6 points going into Monday night's free dance. Both pairs train in Canton.

Russia's Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin, whose Aboriginal-themed routine caused an uproar and made them the focus of all the attention coming into Vancouver, dropped to third, a hefty 4.55 points behind the leaders. Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto are fourth. Michigan students Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates, who train at the Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club, are 11th.

"We do like our chances," Moir said. "Meryl and Charlie and us, we're part of the new ice dance system, and that's the way it should be."

Upheaval has arrived for a sport that once featured glacial movements in the standings. Since dance became an Olympic sport in 1976, Russian or Soviet couples have won all but two of the gold medals. But international skating officials have insisted changes to the judging system have made it more transparent and less political.

That seemed apparent in the original dance. See ya, stuffy old world of ice dancing.

Sizzle is in.

Virtue and Moir's dance had all the crisp, staccato movements of a classic flamenco, and come-hither stares that could leave one weak in the knees. They had great speed throughout, and their lifts showed balance and strength.

As for their costumes — classic. Her dress, with its ruby-red skirt and lacy black bodice, was gorgeous. Made for a good prop, too, as she flipped it around to the beat of the music.

The audience was roaring and out of its seats long before he finished stomping and she was done snapping her fingers.

"I said to Tessa at the end, 'This is awesome,' " Moir said.

So awesome that it silenced the uproar over the Russians' Aboriginal routine.

The theme for this year's original dance is country/folk, and the Russians angered people from Australia to Canada with their program and costumes. Some Australian Aboriginal leaders called it offensive cultural theft, with inauthentic steps and gaudy costumes. Canada's Four Host First Nations expressed concern, too, and actually met with Domnina and Shabalin after they arrived last week.

"Our intention when we chose this music was to be very fair and friendly," Shabalin said. "We didn't want to offend anyone."

Domnina and Shabalin made slight alterations to their costumes between last month's European championships and Vancouver. The color of their bodysuits is now more beige than brown. Some of the white markings on their legs and arms were removed or toned down.

But he was still dressed in a loin cloth, and both were covered with leaves.

"Lots of leaves," Shabalin said with a laugh.

Clearly, though, the judges weren't sidetracked by the outfits. They heard disjointed music that never allowed the Russians to skate in rhythm to the sound. There was lots of energy, and it was fun. It just wasn't nearly as technically difficult as the performances by the Canadians or Americans.

Davis and White's Bollywood-style dance is a feast for the senses, packed with so many interesting body movements and complicated steps that one almost doesn't know where to look. Make no mistake, though, the two-time U.S. champions and University of Michigan students did more than just look pretty.

They were so fast they practically sprinted across the ice, yet they stayed in character throughout and never once lost the playful facial expressions that transported the audience to a wedding in Mumbai. And for anyone who questions whether ice dance is a sport, just watch their twizzles — spinning turns — that they paired with arm and hand movements. Know how hard it is to pat your stomach and rub your head at the same time? It's like that. Only on skates. And about 10 times harder.

"It was an emotionally charged program," said White, a former hockey player who got a boost just before their performance when he heard about the U.S. victory. "It's one of those performances where you come out feeling greater than going in."