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It's been an exciting figure skating season, especially for all of us here in Atlantic Canada, as Halifax played host to the 50th anniversary of Skate Canada International in the fall.
Our historic coastal city has hosted many memorable figure skating events over the years. It's hard to believe that it's been 35 years since our city played host to the 1990 World Figure Skating Championships. A promising young seventeen-year-old named Elvis Stojko made his debut at the World Championships that year, placing in the top 10 on his first try. Over three decades later, Elvis was back, at center ice in the very same building, headlining a star-studded cast on opening night in this year's Stars on Ice tour.
Two years ago, skating fans bid an emotional farewell to Kurt Browning. Though we didn't have the pleasure of seeing him perform in this year's show, Kurt, together with his wife Alissa Czisny, did an incredible job of choreographing this year's show. The theme of this year's show was Rock Stars on Ice and the eclectic cast of skaters from Canada, Japan and the United States didn't disappoint. The choreography was fun and contemporary, but the music and choreography were both nostalgic. The concepts are fresh and out of the box. The performance level was high across the board and the skating was never phoned in.
The Rock theme was established before the show even started when audio boomed through the rink from The Iceman from Stars FM - 6.0 on Your Dial. It was carried seamlessly through the show with segue performances between acts and breakout performances in group numbers. With only a handful of exceptions, the vast majority of solo performances were upbeat programs to rock music.
Not going to lie... I'm a really big fan of Jason Brown and Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier. All three are truly special skaters and their performances made the show for me last night. Jason Brown's second number to "Hit The Road Jack" by 2WEI & Bri Bryant built towards the end and had the biggest audience response of the night, with many people clapping, tapping their toes and dancing along.
Piper and Paul's Beach Boys program, which earned them very high marks at the recent World Figure Skating Championships down in Boston, was so much fun. Their second number to Eva Cassidy's rendition of "Autumn Leaves" was truly exquisite and one of the standout programs of the entire show for its elegance and emotion.
It was great to see Canadian Champion Nam Nguyen back on the ice. He worked the crowd during his first number - a reworked version of his Beatles free skate from several years ago, which paired "Come Together" and "Get Back" with a small group piece to "Help!" It was nice to see Nam land the triple Salchow he popped into a double in this program in one of the group numbers in the second set.
The newcomers to the tour (Isabeau Levito and Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud) surprised me with how at ease and comfortable they looked out there. Lia and Trennt had problems on their throws in both of their solo numbers, but their first number to "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" by Jet got the crowd going. Isabeau was the only skater in the show that I hadn't seen skate live before and I must say, I have a new appreciation for her skating having done so. I don't think she put a foot wrong the entire night - attempting perhaps the most technically difficult programs of the show. Isabeau, Lia and Trennt all connected extremely well with the audience.
Keegan Messing's sense of humour, hydroblading and backflips were huge hits with the audience and his first number to YUNGBLUD's cover of Kiss's "I Was Made For Loving You" was particularly well-performed. Keegan did a little bit of duet work with Piper Gilles in his second program to "Blue Jeans Blues" by ZZ Top.
Madeline Schizas went way out of her comfort zone with a high-energy performance to Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker". The edgy program got a huge response from the audience. Japan's Satoko Miyahara skated to Prince's "It's About That Walk" and Dua Lipa's "I'd Rather Go Blind". Her first program was reminiscent of another long-time Stars on Ice performer Katarina Witt, in that she really played it up to the crowd.
Elvis Stojko was in amazing form and the theme and energy of the show couldn't have been more tailor-made to him if it tried. His first program was a fun rock medley, including crowd-pleasers like "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins, "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake and "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC, featuring a microphone stand as a prop. His second program to "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica was outstanding, and the nuanced choreography definitely showcased how much he has grown and come into his own artistically over the years.
The group numbers were well put-together, a favourite of mine being a lovely Skating 101-type piece to "Brothers In Arms" by the Dire Straits. Long-time Stars on Ice fans will particularly appreciate the finale, set to a crowd-pleasing rock medley. In a bit of a 90s Stars on Ice throwback, each skater or team had a breakout that took them out of their comfort zone. Who would have thought we'd see Isabeau Levito as Alanis Morissette, Piper Gilles as Stevie Nicks, Madeline Schizas as Janis Joplin, Paul Poirier as Freddie Mercury, Elvis Stojko as Twisted Sister and Satoko Miyahara as Cher?
One of the things I love about going to Stars on Ice is the people you see and meet. From parents driving their young skaters all the way from the South Shore, Annapolis Valley and Cape Breton to see their first 'big' ice show to former skaters and fans who have been coming to see the show faithfully for decades, there's one common denominator - the show brings people joy. Now more than ever, Canadians need something to smile about and this year's show is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
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