A group of skater-performers went ahead with a performance on the Rideau Canal Tuesday night, hours after being kicked off by the NCC and police.
Le Patin Libre group performs on ice surfaces across North America, inviting the public to join them in dance.
The NCC said they couldn't perform on the Rideau Canal because they were collecting money.
"We felt like criminals, when we're absolutely not," said Samory Ba. "We're just young guys enjoying life."
The seven-member group said they had been accepting money from the public, but stopped when they found out it wasn't allowed.
"When we were warned we couldn't even accept it, that is the rule, we cannot accept money here," said Alexandre Hamel. "It's art and dance, that's it, and that's enough for us; it's such a beautiful place."
Hamel said they were doing it for the love of their art, not for money.
"We don't have the right to ask for money or to sell things, which we're not doing," he said. "We're just dancing, we're the pure joyful expression of happiness on the ice."
Dozens of skaters came to the canal to take part.
"You can feel the music pump through your body, and the skating is really fluid so it helps even more with the dancing," said Corey Bouchard, who admitted he practiced a bit before joining the dance.
"I think the NCC should hire them to animate the rink," said Diane McIntyre. It's so much fun, everyone's having a good time, lots of people are joining in."
Le Patin Libre is in the midst of a Canadian tour that's also taking them to Montreal and Toronto.
"We want to start this movement and show people yes, as professional ex-figure skaters we dance very well," Hamel said. "But you as amateur skaters, you can dance very well in your own way."
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Claudia Cautillo
