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Holiday Festival On Ice - Halifax, NS - Dec. 5, 2008
written by Janet
On Friday night my father took my Mother and me to see CBC's Holiday Festival on Ice: A Celtic Christmas. I was surprised how good the show was because I don't in general watch skating specials on TV because I don't find the quality very good. There where two acts and each skater did one number in each act. Not all of the numbers where done to live music but there where several numbers which were performed by The Cottars and MacMaster. During the first act I found that some the music while wonderful had too slow a tempo and made the skaters seem glacially slow.
Marie-France Dubreuil, Jennifer Robinson, and Jamie Sale open the show together and skated to "Season of Holly and ivy" by The Cottars, okay this was a little weird and they didn't do much.
Kurt Browning or Old Baldie as my mom calls him first act program was "Christmas Jig" by Natalie MacMaster, this was great music for Kurt he did a lot of wonderful foot work, a couple of very decent 2A and at least one 3T. In the second act his program was "Christmas for Cowboys" by John Denver which was a tribute to his father. Afterwards he said that people that knew his dad would say that figure skating and his dad didn't go together so this was a close as it got. The program was filled
with sweeping spread eagles and foot work. I was very moved by Kurt's tribute to his father.
Sasha Cohen first act program was "Josephine's Waltz" by Natalie MacMaster, some more weirdness with this one. Natalie MacMaster started playing and Sasha didn't come on until halfway thought the piece, we thought maybe she decided not to go on. Her second act program was "Blue Christmas" by Peter Cetera. She did the following jumps 2a, 3S and 3t, and had no trouble with any of them. Spin and spirals where great as always, she did both a Beillmann and an I spin. However her performance was a little cold even though all the elements where really good but she didn't connect with the audience really well.
Steven Cousins first act program was "Danny Boy" by Robert Pilon and his second act program was "Fans" by Kings of Leon. All I have to say is that it is time for Steven to retire.
Say what ever you want about Jennifer Robinson competitive career she grown into a really good show skater. Her first act program was "Bringing in a Brand New Year" by B.B. King and in second half she "The Last Rose of Summer" by Celtic Woman. I didn't really think the first program suited her but the second was great. For anyone looking to identify a great Lutz entry look at the one Jen did in the first half, I think it was a double but I could be wrong.
Jeffrey Buttle programs were "What are You Doing New Year's Eve" by Harry Connick, Jr. and "Pretty Mary" by Natalie MacMaster. "The Butt" as my dad called him was on Friday night and I definitely would like to see his second program to the live music again. It allowed him to get a little bit jiggie.
Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon first act program was "Rock around the Christmas Tree" by Randy Bachman and Second act program was "She's Always a Woman" by Billy Joel. I don't know why they don't have more dance pairs on shows these guys are great. They do the best dance lift still and the quality of their skating shines.
Okay Jamie Sale & David Pelletier still have the best lifts in the world bar none. Jamie is fearless and David is a rock, the perfect pairing. They skated to "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" by Brian Setzer Orchestra and "Grown-up Christmas List" by Michael Bublé. They did a variation of the head banger where David held Jamie by one foot and one arm while Jamie held onto the other skate. When David spun around it looked kind of like and illusion spin. And yes Fred they got two standing ovations.
So all of you that have wanted to see Shawn Sawyer do an extended spiral, now is your chance watch for it in his first act program to the "Peace Carol" by The Cottars. Shawn Sawyer second act program was "Cold as ice" by Foreigner which I felt suited him better.
Cast closed the show to "Olympic Reel" by Natalie MacMaster
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