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Stars on Ice Review - Lake Placid, NY - Dec. 30. 2011
written by Leah
Being the 9th Stars On Ice show I've seen in the last 4 years, Lake
Placid seemed like a totally new experience and yet strangely
familiar. After going to my first show in 2008, I started memorizing
the choreography for the entire show and the skate/music order from
the sheer number of times I would watch numbers on YouTube, so this
was the first time I had absolutely no clue what to expect. It made it
seem particularly fresh, although I'm sure the setup of the show could
accomplish that anyways. The theme of Love 'n' Life really worked
well, and there's truly no way you can watch the show and not love
your life. Incredible show as a whole, and I cannot wait for Portland,
ME where I can actually watch the skaters as opposed to the viewfinder
on my camera (I took 600 photos...). So were the 400 miles of driving
to the harmonious sounds of the GPS "recalculating" and my dad's
impassioned responses worth it? Let's just say I was literally shaking
from happiness for the next 2 days.
A SUITE FOR STARS (CAST)
Both Kurt and Geoffrey seem to have a signature feel to all their
work... which basically means I was in heaven and utter happiness and
just totally amazed with the first 4 minutes. To put that in
perspective, it takes me 3 hours when I wake up to make it to a basic
cognitive level.
LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER (KATIA)
I was a little confused at first, because her solo is blended so well
into the end of the intro that I at first thought it was just a really
long step out (i wasn't until the minute mark that I figured out it
was actually her solo). The tempo of the song matches her skating
really well, although I'm not sure if it fit well as the first pice of
music in the show.
JOHNNY GOT A BOOM BOOM (KYOKO & JOHN)
I was pleasantly surprised to see what incredible shape these two are
in! Fly High Say Bye seems to be saying hello once more, along with a
lot of other more athletic tricks they've brought back. Good choice of
music for them.
I'M YOURS (KURT)
This was my first time seeing Kurt skate this in person, and I have to
admit I didn't really think it was particularly special before from
just seeing it on TV. Sure it was cute and all, but there was nothing
extraordinary about it. I am proud to announce I had the most
preposterous view on this number, because I could honestly watch him
skate this program a million times and never get bored. This number is
just full of his quirky humor and the joy he has skating, and it
translates so effortlessly to the audience (I don't think there was a
single person in the audience who wasn't smiling). My dad has listened
to my "fan girl rants" for years now about Kurt, and for the first
time, I think he actually understood. : )
BIG SPENDER (SASHA)
Really liked this music for her. She took the original music by
Shirley Bassey and transitioned halfway through to a modern version of
it. Kept a lot of energy throughout, but strangely didn't jump the
whole show. I wonder if she's injured or just doesn't feel prepared to
jump (she is in college...), because she only has one solo and hasn't
been jumping in shows for months now.
FOOTLOOSE (RYAN)
I want to savagely hug whoever invited Ryan to the tour. He seems to
have replaced Mike, as he has all the gymnastic-esque tricks and
incredible personality and showmanship. I'm pretty sure he could get a
psychopath to love this number, because his smile is absolutely
contagious and the choreography is perfect.
FORMIDABLE (JOANNIE)
This song is predominantly sung in French with a few English lines,
but she has a way of making the audience forget they can't understand
what the words are, because her skating conveys everything we might
not be able to understand linguistically. The development in her
performance skills is really evident, and she seems to be getting more
and more comfortable on the ice. And off, too, I guess, since she
takes off her scarf and does a little tease with an audience member
(I'm sure that guy wasn't too disappointed when she had to reskate
it...).
WAITER'S GALLOP (TODD, KYOKO, & JOHN)
In this number, Todd plays a waiter, while Kyoko and John are a couple
having dinner at his restaurant. Todd's character seems to have some
extreme difficulties with controlling the food and water pitcher,
which Kyoko and John's characters respond to by leaving without paying
the bill (the bill is later given to an audience member with an
apology from Todd that someone has to pay).
EXOGENESIS: SYMPHONY NUMBER 3 (KERRS)
I have recently become obsessed with this music. I'm not sure if it's
because it's beautiful to begin with, or because they skate to it with
such elegance and ease, but whatever the case, this program really
brings out their skating skills. I never payed attention to them
before, but this number definitely changed that!
WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER: ILIA
Well, if there were any doubts about his skating skills still being
intact, I'm sure they were quickly erased with this. His triples are
as beautiful as they were years ago, and if anything, he seems to have
a new energy in his skating. Between Shen & Zhao's Olympic program to
this music and this program, I'd say the music isn't half bad. : )
ROLLING IN THE DEEP: CAST
Apparently, this was the first run-through of the number. Considering
this, I'd say they did an incredible job with it. Choreography was
really well done, and all the skaters' styles seemed to be integrated
really nicely into it. Seemed a little short after last year's
multi-song number, but I won't complain. The skaters seemed slightly
apprehensive about it, but they still did a fantastic job with
it. Can't wait to see it later in the tour when they've worked out all
the kinks and gotten more comfortable with it. Because of a multiple
choreographic mistakes, they had to reskate this, and it was a million
times better the second time through.
A LIFE LOVED: TODD, KERRS, KATIA, ILIA, JOANNIE, & KURT
This is one of my favorite numbers of the entire show. Although I
didn't realize until later that the music was from the movie "Up," it
did dawn on me how reminiscent it was of the movie (also reminds me of
this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZJDNSp1QJA). Todd sits in a
chair in the middle of the ice reminiscing over memories brought to
life by the others skaters portraying him at different stages in his
life with his wife. First, the Kerrs play them as a youthful couple
with lots of energy and boundless love, then it transitions to Katia
and Ilia as a middle-aged married couple (I'm convinced their
real-life relationship makes this absolutely adorable). Finally, Kurt
and Joannie play them as an elderly couple. Each pair skate the same
moves, but with each progression towards old age, the moves get
gradually slower and weaker (the Kerr's powerful lift turns into a
humorous/cute 2-inch lift with Kurt and Katia). The spotlight then
fades on Joannie, indicating her death. Todd is then left in a
nostalgic reflection on his marriage, as he skates around with a
framed picture of his wife. Absolutely beautiful and touching.
THE BEST IS YET TO COME (RYAN)
It's interesting to see their youngest cast member skate to a song
Todd would definitely lay claim to if he could : ) I know a lot of
people my age have a sort of "black and white movie bias" against this
type of music, but Ryan has a way of making the music transcend any
generational barriers. He had a bit of a wipeout on his backflip, but
hammed it up in true Kurt style and did a little backstroke swimming
on the ice.
SHOW ME HOW YOU BURLESQUE (JOANNIE)
Whether or not she winds up doing this number for the rest of the
tour, it's still an awesome program. Every time I see her skate this,
she seems to get more and more comfortable with the choreography and
focus more on the performance. Not to mention her jumps are
inhuman.
PENCIL FULL OF LEAD (KERRS)
If I wasn't completely converted by their first number, this one
definitely sealed the deal. Cute theatrical program with a strong
broadway feel to it. They are obviously so comfortable with each
other, and it seems to make it easy for them to then spend energy on
connecting with the audience.
AMAZED (TODD)
This song fits Todd's style of skating really well, and fits really
well into the theme of the show. I know some people complain about him
not putting enough emotion in his skating, but I'm pretty sure he
changed that view with this program.
WAITING FOR MY REAL LIFE TO BEGIN (KURT, RYAN, JOHN K., JOHN Z.)
This has to be one of my favorites, if not favorite numbers of the
entire show. Not sure if this is because I actually watched it (too
dark for photos) or because of the number itself, but it is a truly
incredible piece. Each skaters has a spotlight on a tripod which they
move in synchronized patterns to the music. The choreography has a
perfect balance of calmness and subtle power to it, and really fits
well into the show. Really creative and beautifully woven piece that
highlights the natural beauty of the sport. If there is one reason to
see Stars On Ice this year, it is this number.
LOVE IN THE CLUB (ILIA)
Well, it certainly made me smile. I'm not particularly a fan of this
kind of music, but Ilia has a way of making any music enjoyable for
anyone. He clearly enjoys the music, and it's hard not to enjoy it
with him. If I remember correctly, the song fades into a different
song towards the end. I know he is good at making any music bearable,
but I'm still not sure I could have handled much longer of it : )
TAKE ME THERE (KYOKO & JOHN)
I cannot begin on how nice it is to have them back! Their experience
is really apparent in this number, and have found a way to really put
the audience at ease. These two are such genuine people, and it comes
across in their skating.
FEELIN' GOOD (KATIA)
I was at first a little skeptical about this music, but Katia did a
really good job with it. She seems to have a lot of programs which
initially don't make much sense, but once you see them for real,
they're amazing. Her skating is truly incredible, and this number
really brings out her graceful style. Jumps are back, too!
FEELING GOOD (KURT)
I thought it was a little interesting they put these songs
back-to-back, but I guess they're different enough in style that it
worked. I think part of the reason this year's theme is so successful
is that they have Kurt to give you no choice but to love life. This
music is perfect for him, and with the way he skates it, there's no
way he doesn't truly feel good. I was at first a little disappointed
he wasn't doing Moves Like Jagger, but in retrospect, this number fits
a heck of a lot better with the theme than that. By the way, his jumps
are absolutely inhuman. I'm 18 and can barely coordinate my feet to
avoid walking into doorways. He's in his 40s and can move his feet
faster than I can process what just happened. Fortunately, I have his
jumps which have such long hang-time that I can start to wrap my head
around the incredible feat I just witnessed. He had a few issues
actually landing everything, which resulted in several attempts at the
end of the show to get them right. He seemed to be having some
difficultly throughout the show with getting his feet in the right
place at the right time, but the audience was behind him the whole
time anyways. Between the encouraging screams from the audience and
the bear hugs from the cast at the end, he got through it pretty
well. : )
DOG DAYS ARE OVER (CAST)
The number starts with Kurt saying a few lines to the effect of,
"Love. Life. Loving life. Yeah, that works" during the instrumental
intro part of the song. Jeff did some pretty impressive choreography
with this one, and you can tell he spent a lot of time on it. Perfect
song to close the show, although I still have a perpetual dread with
every closing number knowing that it means the end of a truly
incredible show.
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