Focus on family

October has been a busy month for 1992 Olympic Gold figure skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi. She and her husband, Bret Hedican of the Carolina Hurricanes, celebrated the second birthday of their daughter Keara Kiyomi. She was selected for induction to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. And on Tuesday, she'll bring a new show, "Kristi Yamaguchi Friends and Family," to Albany's Pepsi Arena.

Did we mention that she's eight months pregnant?

No, Yamaguchi won't be pulling any acrobatic moves at the Pepsi: She's handed over headlining duties to '94 Olympic Silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan, who will skate in her place. The "Friends and Family" theme is inspired by the fact that every member of the skating cast has become a parent in the past three years. Even the show's featured musical performer, country superstar Kenny Rogers, has recently become the father of twin boys, Justin and Jordan, with third wife, Wanda.

If the mix of Yamaguchi, Kerrigan and the man behind "The Gambler" seems odd, it's part of a recent development in the world of skating shows. These days, star performers have much greater latitude to experiment with the format.

"The control you get is amazing," said Kurt Browning, fresh off his own headline production, "Gotta Skate V." "I get to pick the theme, the cast, the singer and do it all my way."

"A few years back, Tara Lipinski chose to do a 'hip hop on ice' production," said Browning, a four-time World and Canadian National Champion. "In my latest show, (producers) came to the table with Andrea (Bocelli). I wouldn't have imagined in a million years that I could have gotten him."

In keeping with Yamaguchi's chosen theme, all of the songs at "Friends and Family" will be dedicated to the children of the performing skaters.

Perhaps no one knows the importance of friends and family better than Ekaterina "Katia" Gordeeva. November marks 10 years since the passing of her skating and life partner, Sergei Grinkov, who died of a heart attack while training for a "Stars on Ice" production in Lake Placid. She's now married to 1998 Olympic Gold medalist Ilia Kulik, with whom Gordeeva has a four-year-old daughter Liza.

She'll be skating a number with Daria Grinkova, Gordeeva's daughter with Sergei, to the tune of Amy Grant's "Children of the World," and solo set to Celine Dion's song "Mother's Prayer."

"Ilia and I won't be skating together this time, though -- we don't have time now with the kids to put together a pairs number," she laughed.

In keeping with the theme, three-time national champions Jenni Meno and Todd Sand are skating to country singer Billy Dean's song "Let Them Be Little," and a "silly little song" for their 10-month-old son Jack Henry.

Browning will reinvent his 1998 clown competition piece, "Rag-GIDON-time," and a new number he choreographed for his 2-year-old son Gabriel. "I don't know how much longer I'm going to be skating, so I don't know how many opportunities Gabriel will have to see me skate," Browning said. "He'll laugh at these clown numbers now when he's two, but not so much at age 6."

Browning said it helps the production when so many skaters stick to the theme. They come with their numbers already choreographed and sometimes have something in their repertoire that fits.

Skating to live musical performers is a lot like the ensemble numbers familiar to fans of "Stars on Ice" or "Champions on Ice." It's also a crash course in timing. The cast assembles a few days before the tour to learn and memorize the choreography, and they perfect it as the tour proceeds. Typically skaters only get a few live run-throughs with the singer during sound check and dress rehearsals.

"You always hope they're going to sing the song the same way that you practiced it," Jenni Meno said. "But the artists have always been pretty good about accommodating us if we tell them one part seemed faster or slower. ... And if not, you just go with it."

Live music, she said, adds "a special added energy. You're feeding off each other and there's an extra emotional element."

When the shows are televised, the camera captures the singer and skater simultaneously for the audience. But Browing believes the audience is engaged in the live productions, too -- even though they have to choose whether to watch the singer or the skater.

"Our stage is 180 feet long, so it's hard to watch both," said Browning. "But the skaters and singers will tell you the ambiance it creates is real. We look up and see them singing, or they look out and see us doing a jump, and it's surreal."

The show marks the first time many of the skaters will see each other's children.

"Kristi gives us the opportunity to be together as people, not just skaters," Browning said.

Amy E. Tucker is a freelance writer from Saratoga Springs.

"KRISTI YAMAGUCHI FRIENDS AND FAMILY"

* When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

* Where: Pepsi Arena, 51 S. Pearl St., Albany

* Tickets: $36, $46 and $56