Mark Pillay

Pillay was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan to a British mother and South African father. He began figure skating after being encouraged by a childhood friend to give it a try. He was initially coached by Betty Calvert and Dale Hazell, before eventually relocating to Calgary, Alberta to be coached by Sharon Lariviere and later Vancouver, British Columbia to train under Joanne McLeod.^[1] He qualified for the 2001 Canadian Championships, where he finished twenty-seventh.

Following the event, Pillay retired from competitive figure skating and began attending Simon Fraser University, where he studied dance.^[2] He began working as a figure skating choreographer in 2002.^[3][1] Pillay has worked with figure skaters from several different countries and regularly holds seminars and training camps for skaters to attend.^[3][4][5] He currently resides in Vancouver.^[6]

Figure skaters that Pillay has worked with over the years include: