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Always on their toes
| Source: |
Maclean's |
| Date: |
December 2, 2002 |
| Author: |
Helen Buttery |
Copyright 2002 Rodgers Publishing Ltd.
Tucked away near Toronto's Casa Loma, the home of Kurt Browning and
Sonia Rodriguez is hard to find. Making the house number visible from
the street was on the couple's list of summer projects, but with their
busy schedules, it fell by the wayside. Rodriguez, 29, a principal
dancer for the National Ballet of Canada, is currently performing in
The Firebird. And Browning, 36, spends six months of the year with
Stars on Ice. The four-time world figure skating champion gave up his
amateur status in 1994 and has been touring and competing as a
professional ever since. It's a lucrative life, but gruelling too --
he'll perform in 70 cities for Stars on Ice before he gets any time
off next spring. So unlike his days as an amateur, there's little time
for training and practice. "As a professional," he says, "there's
nothing but events." When Browning's away, Leah, a Portuguese water
dog, keeps Rodriguez company.
Recently, the couple -- who were married six years ago -- have been
working together on a TV special, Kurt Browning's Gotta Skate. The
two-hour show, which airs Nov. 30 on the W Network, integrates skaters
(including Brian Orser, Josee Chouinard, Lu Chen, and the Russian 2002
Olympic gold medallists, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze),
musicians (Deborah Cox and Edwin & The Pressure) and dancers
(AntiGravity and, of course, Rodriguez). The challenge, says
Browning, is to "blend them so they don't look like a jumbled mass."
In order to perform together in the show, the couple had to get
creative. Rodriguez can be seen dancing on stage or on a chair or in
Browning's arms. But the ballerina's feet never touch the ice -- she
can't risk an injury. And while she owns a pair of burgundy suede
skates which Browning gave her for Christmas, she doesn't know how to
use them. "When I hang up the pointe shoes," says Rodriguez, "I'll
bring the skates out."
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