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Kaleidoscope: A Holiday Skating Spectacular - San Antonio, TX - Dec. 8, 2010
written by Tina
This year's Kaleidoscope marked the fourth year of this celebration
of cancer survivorship. Survivorship was a theme that ran throughout
the night. It was intorduced in the opening remarks by Edge Health's
Mike Burg, Sanofi Aventi's Paul Hawthorne, Pfizer's Maria Koehler, and
the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship's Tom Sellers (who was
celebrating his birthday). It was emphasized repeatedly in hosts Scott
Hamilton and Dorothy Hamill's comments throughout the evening. And it
was embodied in the opening program, "I Will Survive" sung live by
Gloria Gaynor and a choir, and skated by Sasha Cohen.
Before the opening number for the televised show rolled around,
though, the crowd was first exhorted to bring up their energy level
for the TV broadcast (which they happily complied with), and were
brought to their feet to sing and dance along with a recording of "I
Will Survive". The audience would prove to be extremely receptive to
all the performances throughout the evening, cheering particularly
hard for David Archuleta and Johnny Weir, but very free with their
applause and appreciation for all the rest of the skaters. It was one
of the first shows I've been to in a while with a fair number of
standing ovations. Despite the fact that there were stands only set up
along one side and one end of the ice (the Alamodome is a HUGE
football stadium, and the rink was set up at one end of the field,
with a stage at one end, and a curtained wall of lights along one
side), the audience was noisier and more enthusiastic than many recent
skating crowds I've been in at professional shows.
The crowd was then further warmed up by a giggle-inducing, highly
entertaining program by Vladimir Besedin & Oleksiy
Polishchuk. Introduced as "the world's fastest acrobats," Besedin &
Polischuk then proceeded to perform a verrrrry slow version of their
usual tricks. The downcast expressions, droopy body language, and
labored slow movements evoked laughs from the crowd, but the
exaggerated slowness of the lifts and moves only served to highlight
both the difficulty of the tricks and both Besedin and Polischuk's
terrific strength and balance. Every handstand and lift was held for a
very long time, and was awesome to watch. What I find even more
impressive is how one lift will transition directly into the next -
how they slowly flip over each other and up into the next move,
without a break in between. Oleksiy starts off lying on the ground
with his feet in the air, with Vladimir standing and holding his
feet. They do a slow flip and suddenly Vladimir is lying on the
ground, holding Oleksiy's skate blades, while Oleksiy stands above
him. Then Vladimir, still holding his blades, rolls onto his front
while Oleksiy basically rotates above him, and then back onto his
back. I don't think B&P's programs will be aired on TV,
unfortunately. They seemed to be there to warm up and keep the crowd
going.
The proceedings slowed down a bit with the aforementioned opening
remarks, but then really got going with Sasha Cohen's performance of
"I Will Survive" with the "diva queen" Gloria Gaynor singing
live. Skating with sass and attitude to match the strength and
defiance of the song, Sasha was a hit with the audience. And since "I
Will Survive" has become my go-to song at karaoke, it was really fun
to hear Gloria Gaynor perform it for real, live.
The show didn't have an organized opening number. Instead, the
announcer introduced each skater and his/her credentials one after
another, allowing each to come out and have their spotlight skate
around the ice. Kurt Browning was first, receiving a big cheer and
dazzling with his flashy fast feet and playing to the crowd, grinning
and putting his hand to his ear to encourage cheers, and just
generally getting them eating out of the palm of his hand. He was
followed by Surya Bonaly, and then Johnny Weir, who was clearly both
known and popular with the crowd. Kimmie Meissner, Rena Inoue & John
Baldwin, and Joannie Rochette came next. Then, in his first televised
skating performance in 6 years, was someone I was particularly
thrilled to see - Paul Wylie, who didn't at all look like he'd been
off the ice and away from performing. Sasha Cohen and Sarah Hughes,
who did layback spins in the exact same spot in each of their solo
bits, finished off the skater intros. David Archuleta, Dave Koz,
Gloria Gaynor, Dorothy Hamill, and Scott Hamilton then took the stage
to wave to the audience as each was introduced (poor Dave Koz got a
noticeably quieter cheer than David Archuleta and Gloria Gaynor when
Mike Burg first mentioned the musical talent at the top of the show,
but the crowd was more generous for his on-camera
introduction).
As the singers left the stage in one directory, Scott and Dorothy
hastily made their way to the side of the ice where they were to
record half their program intros (they alternated between sides of the
ice). While Scott went out of his way to keep the audience
entertained when he had the microphone, the show was clearly designed
around the TV broadcast, with sometimes long breaks while the hosts
got in place and tapes were switched, and occasional on the spot
retakes of the intros. Scott and Dorothy were amusingly and
endearingly self-deprecating about the mistakes, and Scott in
particular used those opportunities to endear himself even more to the
audience so they were eating out of the palm of his hand. At one
point, he joked that he had to do a retake (of a spoken intro) because
he tripped over his toe pick (calling out "toe pick!" when referring
to it, and when he had to retake it again after flubbing it). When
someone on the production team told him he had to restart an intro
because they were "getting a glare", he responded "you were getting a
glare? What, off of my GIGANTIC FOREHEAD?" and went on to make jokes
about planes landing on the shiny landing strip on his head, etc
etc. At another point, he was goofing around a bit, and then laughed
and told the crowd "no that's really my voice, I didn't just inhale
helium." Every time they had to pause for a tape change, Scott would
completely overemphasize and mock it, repeating "tape change, we're
changing the tape, so as we're taping the show, it will go on
tape. tape change..." to amusing emphasis. When another mistake
occurred on the production side, they told him "it's our problem" and
he jokingly replied "it's your problem? it's your problem? Well your
problem is now my problem!" and with obvious sarcasm "It's not like
*I*'ve made *any* mistakes tonight". Scott's comfort in front of an
audience and his commitment to entertain are self-evident, every
moment he's out there.
At any rate, the first intro was for Johnny Weir, who Dorothy Hamill
called a US champion and pop icon, but whose elegance and grace might
surprise you. And elegant and graceful he was indeed, skating to a
gorgeous version of "Ave Maria" with real feeling and buttery
smoothness. I haven't had the opportunity to see Johnny skate live
before, being a pro skating fan. He really impressed me with his
performance ability and beautiful smooth skating. I *think* the
costume he was wearing *might* have been the one from Swan Lake
(another gorgeously smooth and graceful program of his), but I'm not
certain. The audience loved Johnny too, giving him a standing
ovation.
Dorothy and "her pal" Kurt then came out to introduce Joannie
Rochette. (Dorothy: "I'm out here with my pal Kurt Browning" Kurt
(excitedly): "No, I'm out here with *Dorothy Hamill*!!") The first
take Dorothy flubbed, and Kurt joked Dorothy was distracted because
his hand kept moving lower (he had his arm around her). During dress
rehearsal, Kurt seemed surprised to find that they'd scripted him
something to say, and seemed to prefer to just speak on the fly, which
I think is what he ended up doing in the real show. He talked about
watching Joannie grow into the woman she is today, and how she's
become a "world citizen" and not just Canada's darling since the
Olympics, how everyone has taken her in.
Joannie's first number was "Objection" by Shakira, a very tango-esque
number with a dance club twist, and Joannie performed it to the
hilt. She combined hip twisting and sassy hair tossing with the most
solid jumps of any performer of the evening, completely at ease
dancing it up and entertaining the crowd. I remember when I first saw
Joannie skate in Canadian Stars on Ice years ago - she seemed more
reserved and hesitant to put herself out there, but she's really come
into her own as a performer, without losing a bit of her technical
edge.
Scott and Paul Wylie then came out to introduce Kurt Browning, but
Scott started out seemingly genuinely distracted by the fact that Paul
was in his skates and thus several inches taller than him. He bemoaned
how short he felt, since he and Paul usually were the same height,
while Paul stood with a huge grin on his face, proudly towering over
Scott. Kurt, out on the ice, was clearly amused, and when Scott and
Paul had to restart the intro due to a flub, he yelled "keep the skate
part in!" The second time around, Scott did indeed mention the height
differential again, but it wasn't as funny since it wasn't as
spontaneous as the first time. At any rate, Scott and Paul described
Kurt as their good friend - not just their good friend, but their
brother who committed his whole heart to entertaining the crowd and
put his all into every skate. They also talked about how Kurt had lost
both parents to cancer (one of the few times they had to concede the
loss of people to cancer, and not a triumphant survival) and how "with
great talent comes responsibility" and how Kurt was committed to the
cause and a great supporter. Paul then talked about how much Kurt's
fans loved him, and how Kurt's next program shows his fans just how
much he loved them back, and "we love you too". Scott and Paul then
shouted out Kurt's name together with huge smiles.
Kurt's program was pretty much my favorite program of his from the
last few years, "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. The program is just the
perfect combination of music and skater, with the lighthearted,
whimsical, and yet sincere music complementing Kurt's fleet feet and
playful choreography. Every time I see the program, I feel like
Kurt's feet get faster and lighter, just skipping lightly over the ice
with amazing intricacy and speed. And his personality just shines
through, embracing the audience and offering himself to us. I think
this might have been the program in which Kurt doubled his salchow and
later threw in a triple salchow, saving himself a retake and
gratifying his own need to keep his standards high and keep landing
triples. The audience loved the number, and cheered for every
revelation of "I'm Yours" as Kurt stripped off each layer of clothing
that had it printed on it. Though, they might have just been cheering
the fact that he was removing clothing ;).
Dorothy Hamill then came out to introduce Paul Wylie skating to David
Archuleta performing "I'll Be Home for Christmas." I will admit, I've
never watched American Idol so while I knew who David Archuleta is by
name, I've never really heard him sing before. I was pretty impressed
- he's got a beautiful voice and tone which filled the arena with
warmth. And it was just an utter treat to see Paul Wylie skate
again. He hasn't lost his beautiful lines, stretched out spread
eagles, fast scratch spin, or double axel at all. Plus, he just
skates with such joy and serenity, sweeping his way around the arena
with real warmth towards the audience. The number was just really
heartwarming all around. Also, evidently three generations of Wylies
were in the audience, which is really cool.
Scott came out to talk about Rena Inoue's successful fight with lung
cancer, and how she's continued to compete and win with her partner
and now husband John Baldwin. The two then came out on the ice to
skate a romantic performance to "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge. I
was really struck by their unison, which seemed to be the centerpiece
of their choreography. I'm used to Sale & Pelletier and other pro
pairs who fill their programs with flashy tricks, dancing, and
intricate choreography. Inoue & Baldwin were almost refreshing in
their relative simplicity of choreography, relying more on their
speed, unison, and grace to interpret the music. I have to admit that
I've found them dull in the past, watching them on TV, but I actually
really enjoyed them in person.
Scott's intro to Surya Bonaly stated that she became a "rock star" at
the 1998 Olympics by landing a backflip - *completely* illegal
(emphasis Scott's) but on *one* foot (again, emphasis Scott, marveling
over the feat). Surya's program was to "So This is Christmas", a
flashy, quick number that played to her strengths - flexibility and a
gymnast's strength. The audience completely ate it up, especially
after she threw in her backflip (audiences LOVE backflips), and to my
surprise, leapt to a partial standing O at the conclusion. I have to
admit to being surprised at the extremely enthusiastic reception,
because I found Surya's skating to not be entirely consistent. It was
an odd blend to me of what looked like genuine bright smiles in some
moments, which slipped to a more uncomfortable intent expression at
other times, and of strong tricks and occasional moments of grace
coupled with at times labored looking crossovers and transitions. You
could see the transition between performer and skater, rather than a
seamless blend. Then again, I was standing on the opposite side of
the ice from the audience, so it's entirely possible they saw only the
bright smiles, which she only let slip when she faced away from the
audience.
Dorothy Hamill's intro to Sarah Hughes extolled both her success as a
skater and her status as a Yale grad, who's really seen life "from
both sides," an obvious transition to her program to "Both Sides Now."
The last time I saw Sarah skate was in the 2005 Stars on Ice tour,
when she admittedly didn't impress me all that much. This time
around, I really noticed a contrast. She just seemed more mature, more
settled, more confident in herself. Instead of the sometimes awkward
girl coming into herself and struggling to balance her desire to be a
student with the need to stay in shape as a skater, I saw a graceful
woman in fine condition, who carried herself elegantly and confidently
on the ice. The program was lovely and graceful, and I quite enjoyed
it.
Scott spoke proudly of the next skater, Kimmie Meissner, who skated a
charming and cute number to "Brown Eyed Girl." It was a bit of a
contrast to the other female skaters in the show, Surya aside. Sarah,
Sasha, and Joannie exude a more mature, polished performer air with
more sophisticated-feeling choreography. Kimmie's number felt a bit
more like a cute girl-next-door - charming and fun and nice to
watch.
Dorothy's intro to Dave Koz performing "White Christmas" while Joannie
Rochette skated was preceded by a bit of an extended delay while a
crew member brought a large raised snowflake to center ice for Dave to
stand on, and then Dave was carefully walked out across the ice to
stand on it. This was a lyrical and lovely program, with Dave Koz
soulfully wailing away on the saxophone whie Joannie skated with a
sense of freedom and joy on the ice. I could almost see her dancing
around in the snow, reveling in the white Christmas she was
enjoying. Again, she landed what felt like more triples than the rest
of the cast combined, while never losing the flow of the
choreography. After the program concluded, the audience was amused as
Joannie very carefully and slowly escorted Dave back across the ice,
and cheered when he was finally safe on non-slippery land again.
At this point, there was a 20 minute intermission, during which they
played videos about survivorship and I ran around trying to find a
program. At the conclusion of the intermission, they spoke about
Dorothy's partnership with Helzberg Diamonds, and said they were going
to give away diamonds to three audience members, chosen by seat. The
first two seats they called were successes - there were people in them
who claimed their prize (though to my amusement, both winners were
men), but they tried three different seats without success to give
away the third diamond, finally deciding to try again later (which I'm
not sure they ever did).
Scott and Dorothy kicked off the second half of the show talking more
about survivorship and how it'd brought them closer together. They
also attempted to redo their initial intro of Johnny Weir four times,
with messups from both of them and the production crew. Plenty of
opportunities for Scott to amuse the crowd.
Sasha Cohen once again went first, skating to "Nobody Knows", a
somewhat dramatic, passionate program. To me, Sasha is a bit reserved
on the ice - beautiful, super-flexible, and a great performer, but
just a little removed. It makes her passionate programs somewhat less
passionate than they could be in a less reserved skater's hands, but
still great to watch.
Both David's were given the opportunity to perform a song without a
skater on the ice, and David Archuleta's song was next. Scott talked
about how he was now a bona fide star with web sites, fan clubs,
bestselling albums, and a 20th birthday coming up really soon. David
sang "Falling Stars", which was absolutely gorgeous and heartfelt. His
voice just filled the arena, and he can definitely emote while
singing. Unfortunately, right at the end, his voice cracked badly,
leaving me wondering what they were going to do about it.
Surya Bonaly's second program was next, to "Ballroom Blitz." To me,
this program suited her even more - it was upbeat and super fast,
calling for fast skating but not much grace, and she seemed to get
into it. At times it seemed like the song was almost *too* frantic and
was going to get away from her, but she never lost the plot.
Energetic and entertaining, complete with backflip - overall just a
fun program.
It was time to bring things to a bit more of a subdued note. Dorothy
introduced Kurt again, explaining that the song was a tribute to his
dad, from their "Canadian cowboy." This was Kurt's "Christmas for
Cowboys" by John Denver, the number he originally skated in Holiday
Festival on Ice in 2008, just a few weeks after his father Dewey
passed away from cancer. I don't know if those who are unfamiliar
with Kurt's father fully appreciate the ways in which it is a tribute
to his dad, who was a trail guide and rancher who lived an Albertan
cowboy lifestyle that is all but gone now. Kurt's program is a
wistful tribute to his father and his father's life, and for his
costume, he wears some of his dad's old clothing that he found after
his dad passed away. On a skating note, the program is lovely and
slow, with choreography that evokes the lyrics at times, from warming
his hands by the campfire to rounding up the cattle. There is less of
Kurt's typical intricate footwork, but there is more edgework and
effective use of stops and pauses to evoke the atmosphere. I was glad
to have had the opportunity to see it live.
The one pair of the show, Inoue & Baldwin, were back with their
"Grown-Up Christmas List". This was a slow, kind of yearning program,
not so much romantic as just reaching for something elusive. Once
again, the choreography was relatively simple but effective, with some
nice lifts and throw jump combined by a lot of side by side
skating. It was kind of just elegant, pure skating.
The second music-only performance of the night came next - as Dorothy
said, "The Saxman Sings!" Dave Koz came out - on stage this time - to
sing (and play) "This Guy's In Love With You." He has a great voice -
not quite the melting pure smoothness of David Archuleta, but more of
a jazzy mature smoothness that brought a nice touch of
lightheartedness to the song. And when he wasn't singing, he was
accompanying himself in his sax.
After the smooth music, it was time to get entertained again by
Vladimir Besedin & Oleksiy Polishchuk. In complete contrast to their
downcast demeanors and super-slow movements of their first number, the
two came out dressed colorfully in striped clothes with patches on the
butt and bright wigs and proceeded to rip around the ice, with
Vladimir launching Oleksiy rapidly into backflips and lifting and
dropping him in a heartbeat. I'm still a bit baffled about how they
are managing these planned drops, where Oleksiy goes from a handstand
above Vladimir's head, and then suddenly drops probably 9 feet to the
ice, with minimal apparent braking provided by Vladimir. In between
the tricks, the two played up their goofy clown-like personas, and
utilized quirky bits of the music to amusing effect. Really fun.
Sasha Cohen came out to introduce her "one-of-a-kind" teammate, Johnny
Weir. I've heard for some time about Johnny Weir and Lady
Gaga. People make a big deal out of his Gaga performances. I watched
"Just Dance" on Battle of the Blades (albeit through YouTube) and
couldn't figure out what the fuss was about. He was just wearing a
wild costume but I didn't think the choreography was particularly
interesting. But then, in Kaleidoscope, I saw "Bad Romance" and I got
it. Johnny embodies the attitude, the body language, the utter
commitment to the out-there compelling power of the song. If he
wasn't so committed, it might not work, but he really pulls off the
Gaga. And what a performer he is, which I guess is part and parcel of
really pulling off Gaga. Great stuff!
As Scott said, what Christmas show is complete without the classic
Christmas song, "Jingle Bells"? And who better to perform it than
"one of the nicest skaters (Scott) knows"? Paul Wylie seemed to pick
a particularly fast, upbeat version of Jingle Bells, and as such, his
number was frantic, fast, and fun. There's a reason why Paul was the
third member of the "Five Minutes for Icing" triumvirate in the US,
along with Kurt and Scott, and his years off the performance ice
hasn't slowed his feet much. The program was a nice contrast to the
slower, more lyrical "I'll Be Home For Christmas", and it was fun
seeing those neat feet fly again.
The last solo performance of the evening was, as Dorothy introduced
it, one of the most beloved Christmas carols ("Do You Hear What I
Hear") by two beloved ladies, Kimmie Meissner and Gloria Gaynor. I
have to admit that I'm not actually overly familiar with Gloria Gaynor
beyond "I Will Survive", that empowered anthem of freedom and
independence. It was therefore a nice surprise to hear her lovely
rendition of "Do You Hear What I Hear". Also nice was Kimmie's
performance, with a flowing blue scarf, to the music. "Brown-Eyed
Girl" was cute and lighthearted - "Do You Hear What I Hear" was more
graceful and mature, and Kimmie skated it nicely.
To say goodnight, Scott and Dorothy actually took to the ice to get to
the stage, pretending to waver awkwardly around before proclaiming
"we've still got it!" They heavily suggested that Kaleidoscope would
not only be back again next year, but that it might be back in San
Antonio again, before wishing everyone happy holidays and a good
night. I think it was around this time when they were setting up for
the finale that Dorothy and Scott were joking around. Dorothy
straightened out his tie and he was all "I need assistance". She said
that no, his tie just wasn't perfect and now he was perfect. But Scott
decided to play it for all his worth, putting on a dejected face and
body language, to evoke an "awww" from the crowd. He then showed off
his ability to get these "awws" from the crowd, to everyone's
(including his own) amusement, and then said it worked on his 2(3?)
year old too.
The show closed out with the cast coming out to "Let It Snow", which
was pretty much a semi-organized playful romp, with Kurt kind of
leading the way, spraying Scott and Dorothy with snow, getting into a
snowball fight with Paul, grabbing various girls to take a spin with
them (including picking up Dorothy, leading her to very audibly yell
"oh my God!" in what sounded like genuine nervousness), leading Scott
and Dorothy speed skating around, and sliding on his belly on the
ice. The rest of the skaters also played around with each other, and
Joannie and Sarah went to help Dave Koz out on the ice. Dave Koz and
David Archuleta both took to the ice in bright blue boots. David
Archuleta was noticeably more comfortable on the ice, even trying a
little 360 degree turn at one point, and skating unassisted around
waving at the audience with the other skaters. Dave Koz had to be very
slowly and carefully escorted around the ice, leading Scott to joke
that he'd make it back "eventually" as the number came to a close and
he was still very gingerly making his way from halfway across the ice
(and Kurt was directing them like an airplane runway guy). The number
ended with the skaters taking a turn around the ice waving, and then
assembling at center ice to bow towards the end. There was a bit of a
game of one-upmanship at the end, since Scott was at the end and
turned to bow to the crowd, and then Kurt popped out in front of him
to wave in his place, so Scott zipped around Kurt, leaving Kurt to rub
Scott's bald head. Then Dorothy tried to get in on it and almost
tripped headlong into the ice. When they turned towards the side to
bow, Johnny and Sasha broke off and skated back to the tunnel,
apparently not noticing that another bow was forming. Kurt started to
call out towards them, and then gave up when they didn't pay any
attention.
Scott took to the mike as the skaters left the ice, and started to
thank the audience and was about to ask them to stick around when a
lady from the production crew came out and tried to take the mike from
him. He was all "don't take my mike. you're not taking my mike! what,
you don't like me in stereo?" (I think he was holding two mikes - his
back was to me so I wasn't clear). She finally started to talk into
the mike she managed to wrest from his hand to ask the audience to
stick around since they had retakes. Scott was all "I was going to
tell them that! That was *my* job!". The girl was embarrassed and
apologized, and then Kurt suddenly appeared to "help" by taking her
arm and escorting her off the ice. As he went, though, he said into
her microphone "Scott doesn't get *all* the girls" with a pert look
over his shoulder at Scott. Scott then went on to say how they'd ask
him before the show to say, but clearly they forgot, but *he* didn't
forget, and he was going to say...to please stay for a bit longer for
retakes so they can look perfect on TV, and we'd get some extra
show.
As Scott joked with the crowd, Johnny Weir came back out to take the
mike and thank everyone for all their support and for staying and
watching and being such a great crowd, which was a nice gesture on his
part.
The retakes ended up being Surya Bonaly, who re-did her entire
"Ballroom Blitz" number (which I didn't understand but later someone
said they'd heard she had to do it b/c her hair fell out partway
through), and Kimmie Meissner, who re-did parts of "Brown-Eyed Girl"
where she'd fallen or singled a couple jumps. The retakes closed with
David Archuleta singing "Falling Stars" again, giving him the
opportunity to also sound perfect on TV, and giving the audience a
nice bonus performance.
With entertaining and lively hosting by Dorothy Hamill and
(especially) Scott Hamilton, and some wonderful performances from a
crop of skaters you don't get to see every day, I would say it is
definitely worth tuning into Kaleidoscope when it airs on Fox on
Dec. 19, from 4:30-6PM ET. It's a great show for a great cause - check
it out!
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