First, a comment about our seats. We ended up in the exact same
seats as last year - on-ice on the end of the skaters' tunnel, all the
way in the corner to the left of the tunnel (if you're standing in the
tunnel looking out). It was an interesting different angle to see
the show from - most things were definitely oriented towards the side
to the right of the tunnel (again, facing out from the tunnel) and
moving towards that end of the ice, but there were some things, like
the layout of skaters in "Love on the Rocks," that were more
interesting to see from an end perspective.
I love getting to see this show several times, since I pick up things
each time I didn't notice before (the fact that my eye is almost glued
to my camera viewfinder doesn't help ;)). Oh, BTW, the ice was pretty
crappy in Oakland - it looked almost cracked under the surface.
ACT I:
Opening - The Great and Powerful Oz
The opening begins with the opening chords of the instrumental Ozzy
Osbourne song playing through the darkened arena. As I recall, Todd
Eldredge first skates out in the dark, and then the spotlight comes up
on him at center ice, to big cheers. The opening is not very
ensemble-ish, with each skater coming out to do a separate spot
(sometimes skating with or around a couple other skaters). I don't
recall the exact order of skaters coming out, but I think most of the
American skaters come out first - Todd, I&Z, M&S, R&S - followed by
the two gold-medal pairs, who skate out together but break into
separate moves down the ice, followed by Katarina, Kurt, and Alexei.
Moves I recall from the opening - I&Z doing that move where she's
standing on his legs leaning backwards while he's doing a Besti squat,
both B&S and S&P doing lifts, but different ones (I'm sorry, I don't
know the names of any of the lifts), S&P doing a move where he's in a
spread eagle, holding her, who's got one leg up on his shoulder, the
other hanging down in almost a split, while arching backwards...As I
recall, B&S and S&P got huge cheers when they came out, as did Alexei
and Kurt...and Todd when he first came out (though I couldn't tell how
much of that was b/c the show was starting and how much was for
him). Anyway, after the skaters line up down the ice, they're each
introduced with a spotlight and introduction, and then break into a
little group skating, eventually ending up with Alexei pulling on his
black gloves, Kurt skating off to the tunnel to retrieve his jacket
(and standing there waiting for his cue), and then Kurt tossing Alexei
his jacket as Alexei breaks into...
Born to Be Wild - Alexei Yagudin
This number is totally Alexei playing to the audience. Lots of
pointing and winking into the audience, total eye contact, and the
audience definitely ate it up. If you compare this program to
Alexei's other two programs in the show, it definitely doesn't stand
up in terms of technical content or even interesting choreography
(it's a lot more repetitive, though I'm not sure if that's b/c
Alexei's trying to be equal opportunity to both sides of the arena
;)), but it's a fun way to get the show started, and really showcases
how Alexei's got those showman skills.
Bed of Roses - Ina & Zimmerman
I like the transition between Alexei's program and Ina &
Zimmerman's. It's a nice way to ease from the high energy fun of Born
to be Wild to the more angsty (though still rock) ballad of Bed of
Roses. I could also see it a lot better from the angle I was at last
night. Kyoko skates out and skates with Alexei for a few moves, which
mainly consisted of Alexei doing a spread eagle while Kyoko did a
spiral or some similar edgy move, holding his hand...lights were low
in this part, and they were skating in semi-darkness. It was a nice
low key transition to John coming out. I definitely enjoy this
program - I think I&Z get into the mood of the music very well, and
they've got some really nice moves and bits of choreography. I
remember the (candle?) lift they always do, where he holds her
straight upside down with her head on his shoulder (somehow, I still
haven't figured out where her head is - they were too far away), John
doing a spread eagle with Kyoko kind of laid out over his feet,
several lifts, death spiral, that pairs spin they do where she's
facing the ice with her free leg straight up in the air, and he's got
his leg up over her...I like the ending pose in this program, where
John lifts her over his head, and then carefully lowers her so she's
laying on him.
Come Fly With Me - Sale & Pelletier
This is a really cute, light, swinging program in which S&P do a
nice job of conveying the upbeat freeness and lightness of the music.
I think of the two programs they did, this is definitely my favorite
one. David starts out alone on the ice, kind of dancing to the beat
alone in the spotlight (I think he'd make a good singles skater)
before being joined by Jamie out there on the ice. This program does
a nice job of highlighting some of the accents of the music, with
David lifting Jamie in time to "come fly with me" in a nice, easy
manner. In this program, as well as their other program, it was nice
to see the blend of good choreography and attention to the details of
the in-betweens, along with a good variety of pairs elements. I think
S&P are a great addition to the pairs world, and I'm glad they're in
SOI for the next however many years.
Channel 1 Suite - Todd Eldredge
All I can say about this program is - wow, is this guy fast!
Skates fast, spins fast, never stops moving...This is a nice program
that showcases Todd's speed (duh ;)), footwork, jumps, spins, etc, but
is an *incredibly* frustrating program because even without heads in
front of me, I found it impossible to get pictures of it =). One of
these days I should just give up and enjoy it. The music for this
program does a nice job of continuing the upbeat, high energy vibe
from S&P's program. And Todd is obviously enjoying himself out there
and really connecting with the audience.
Hotter than Blue - Katarina Witt, Gorsha Sur, John Zimmerman
Another cute transition, where Todd is finishing up alone on the
ice, when Katarina skates out in a kind of confident, flirty manner,
while Gorsha and John come out and stand with their arms crossed near
the tunnel. When Todd reacts to Katarina's presence (as I recall,
kind of double take and starting to go after her). Gorsha and John
skate out, grab him by his arms, and keep him from going after her,
and then kind of propel him towards the tunnel. The first time I saw
this program, I thought, oh Katarina flirting with and skating with
two guys. The second time, I got more of an impression of Katarina as
kind of a diva flanked by her two bodyguards. Yes, she did a lot of
individual skating with each of them in a flirty manner, but the
feeling I got this time off of what they were doing was more the
protective (like when Katarina starts flirting with a guy at the end
of the ice, and they insert themselves in between, crossing their arms
and looking sternly at the guy) and showcasing role (lifting her
between the two of them and turning so everyone saw her). There was
no sense of contention between the two guys or anything like that. Of
course, I could be entirely wrong in this interpretation (esp given
the title they gave the number), and I might come up with a different
idea on Sunday. I enjoyed it though - it was a fun, nice showcase for
Katarina, a nice chance to see Gorsha and John out on the ice, and a
number with a lot of personality.
Over Come - Alexei Yagudin
If I were to sum this program up in one word, it'd probably be
intensity. Alexei skates this program with awesome intensity,
throwing himself into the choreography, the footwork, the jumps
completely. I think this is probably my favorite of all the programs
I've seen Alexei skate live (not that I've seen that many). I've now
seen it several times, from either CSOI or SOI, but it still draws me
in everytime. The guy is amazing, there's no two ways about it, and
the choreography is just awesome. Wow.
I'm Your Man - Jenni Meno & Todd Sand
I like how they seem to be trying to ease the transition between
drastic changes in music this year by doing a skater transition.
Here, Jenni skates out on the ice as Alexei finishes bowing and cutely
offers her rose to him, but then gets disappointed when he hesitates
to take it. As he skates off the ice, she tries to offer the rose to
someone else, but then sighs in disappointment again (ignoring someone
to her right who yelled "over here Jenni!" =)), finally standing in
the middle holding the rose forlornly. Around this time, Todd skates
out to her left, and starts trying to attract her attention - as she
looks at him, the rose she's holding in front (with her hands near her
waist) droops (to big laughter from the audience). As the music
starts, Todd skates by her and snatches the rose from her with his
teeth... This is a really cute program and I really enjoy it.
Especially in the beginning, I really get the impression of Todd
trying his best to prove that he's Jenni's "man" and winning her over,
and her kind of being resigned to being with him (but not incredibly
thrilled). One bit of choreography coordinated to the music I missed
before was that when Jenni is doing a handstand on Todd's feet, and he
parts her legs, it's to the words "if I were a doctor, I'd examine
every inch of you." I've seen some disparaging comments about this
move on some newsgroups, but I honestly think it's an amusing, but
quickly done so you almost don't notice it bit of choreography. I
think Christopher Dean definitely captured the quirkiness of the music
in his choreography and that Meno & Sand do a great job performing it.
How Do You Keep the Music Playing - Kurt Browning
The opening moves to this program are just beautiful. Kurt skates
out, doing some turns and building speed, and then up into a gorgeous
double axel (I think) with a beautiful flow out of the landing. As the
guy sitting to my right said, "wow, he's just so fluid". On second
(live) viewing, I definitely appreciate and enjoy this program a lot
more. Helps that Kurt definitely seemed more committed to it and more
into it than he did in Lake Placid. Not a perfect performance - hand
down on the landings to two triple toes at the end, but beautiful all
the same. Other moves I recall - a beautiful delayed double?? (on the
other end, wasn't sure) salchow (he distinctly went up straight,
pause, and then pulled in for quick revolutions), turns into a nice
triple toe on my end of the ice (towards my right), Ina Bauer that
nicely highlighted the music, that spread eagle on flats (that headed
straight towards me - much scrambling to try to get a picture of it),
some of that choreography that either Sandra or Kurt seems to like to
incorporate into Kurt's slow programs these days (head bend backwards
or to the side)... I was trying to figure out why even though I enjoy
this program a lot now, I still don't like it as much as say,
Solitaire (even though it has some of the similar moves) and I think
it's the music. I think I enjoyed the way Solitaire built, musically,
and how they utilized the choreography in response to it. I felt like
"How Do You Keep the Music Playing" would have these minor swells but
then come back down again, so none of the builds (until the last one)
really had a good payoff. Nonetheless, this was a really beautiful
program, skated wonderfully by Kurt, and I look forward to seeing it
again and appreciating new nuances.
Kurt got a bit of a kick out of milking the applause and playing to
the audience as he danced around and waited for Todd to come out for
Power Play. From milking the applause, to some nice dancing/footwork,
to slapping Todd's hand (I think) to transition over to Todd skating
around, doing some of his own footwork and possibly a jump before
going to pick up the microphone...
Power Play - Elena Berezhnaya & Anton Sikharulidze, Jamie Sale &
David Pelletier, Todd Eldredge
Just in case there was ever any doubt, that voiceover by Todd is
prerecorded, and he's just lipsyncing his part. Which makes sense,
b/c the effectiveness of that piece would be blown if he flubbed his
lines one day, whereas most people in the arena probably wouldn't
notice if he got off track and didn't sync up every now and then.
There's a kind of odd..spareness? to the staging of this number which
I didn't entirely get until I was talking to my friend Wendy after the
show. If she writes a review, she could probably expound on it more,
but she was speculating that this program was staged to resemble
eligible skating, with the wash of white light over the whole ice. My
personal impression of this number is that it's an exhibition of pairs
elements, and the number that really embodies Sandra's Power theme.
You've got the two pairs out there, doing their technical elements at
the same time, you've got Todd's narration about judging, power, etc,
the implied themes of the Olympics and the dream of the Olympics... I
don't really see the Power theme in evidence anywhere else in the show
but it's clearly in this one. Having seen this program again, I have
to say - while it's really fun and neat to see all that pairs skating
done by the two top pairs in the world, and nice to see them skating
together (though they never really come together until the end), it's
probably my least favorite group number. From a choreographic
standpoint, the other three hold a lot more interest for me.
ACT II:
Studz - Cast except Anton and Katarina
The opening of this ensemble provided us with a really cute,
unexpected bonus. As you guys know, it opens with the girls coming
out in sparkly tops, cowboy hats, and shoes, to dance in the audience,
before gathering together at the end of the ice. Well, last night in
Oakland, I think Daria was sitting on a folding chair at the end of
the on-ice seats where the girls gather (I'm pretty sure it was her
but I was too far away to see for sure). When Jamie ran by her, she
waved at her like, come join us! so we were treated to Daria dancing
along with the rest of the girls and getting the choreography down
pat, before the guys came and swept the girls away. It was such a
cute, funny moment, and I say - that girl can dance! =) (shortly after
this program ended, I saw Daria go backstage - I wonder if that was
preplanned?)
One of these days I should give up on photographing Studz and just
sit back and watch it. There's so much to see, and so much you can
miss if you're following the action through the viewfinder. The
audience *definitely* loves this number, you can hear the cheering,
whooping, and whistling throughout it. This was another number where
sitting on the end might have put me fairly far from the action, but
it also gave me a better chance of watching more of the guys and see
what they're doing. The guys broke off into two groups several times,
with two pairs guys and one single guy per group. These two groups
would do the same or similar things in opposite directions down the
ice, such as having Alexei and Kurt sitting on the shoulders of two
other guys going down the ice, or when they broke off in two groups
and the two guys propelled Alexei or Kurt away from the group down the
ice (Kurt doing a cute Besti?? down the ice while bopping along and
interacting with the audience before almost colliding into the other
two guys, Alexei doing...not a Besti, not sure what he was doing b/c I
wasn't looking but I remember it was different than what Kurt was
doing). Or they paired off, with Kurt getting thrown into a waltz
jump, flipping over each other's backs, doing back to back spread
eagles or Bestis, etc... the audience at the end and side of the ice
also get a great treat when the guys step off the ice and dance in
front of them. This group of screaming (REALLY LOUD) teenage girls
got the treat of their lives when the guys stepped off in front of
them...I didn't see b/c I was trying to take a picture but I have a
strong suspicion those guys were in strong danger of being molested
when they did that. Just for the record...in the ending pose...Todd
lost his hat this time but everyone else kept them on.
The Rest of Your Life - Katarina Witt
One of the few big transitions in tone that didn't have a
corresponding skater transition (not sure how they could have done one
smoothly anyway)... the energy level in the arena definitely dropped a
few notches for the slower song. It was almost like they wanted to
put a damper on the female fans after Studz ;). Anyway, contrast
between programs aside, this was a really nice, elegantly done program
by Katarina. It was especially nice seeing this program after last
year's..contrast between last year's "strong woman scorned" and this
year's more romantic soft number. Katarina does both quite well. She
also landed some nice double jumps - axel, toe loop, etc...
Miserere - Todd Eldredge
As nice as it is to see skaters stretch and try out different
styles, sometimes they have undeniable strengths in certain areas and
it's nice to see them do that well. Miserere undoubtedly plays to
Todd's abilities as a strong, dramatic skater. As fun as it is to see
him really connecting with the audience in his first number, the
introspective interpretation of this number really shines. I also
like the music a lot better this time around =). And Todd's
spins...wow.
Prayer - Renee Roca & Gorsha Sur
*Definitely* one of the highlights of the evening. Roca and Sur
are such gorgeous skaters - lifts, holds, etc aside, just watching
them do simple strokes across the ice, or edges, or crossovers is just
beautiful. Posture, position, deep edges, smoothness, glide... Add
beautiful music and great choreography to that mix, and it's just
magic. I love that they brought back one of my favorite moves of
theirs for this program, where Gorsha spins around with Renee draped
over his arm - how he supports her like that without her even trying
to hold on is just breathtaking to watch every time. I also loved the
way the choreography varied between them skating apart and skating
together in a way that really went well with the music. And I have to
confess, I like the simple ending pose - I love "Everything Must
Change" but it always bothered me how they had to switch between
several different ending poses before settling on the final
one. Beautiful, beautiful program. *So* glad they're back.
Russian Folk Medley - Ekaterina Gordeeva
Or at least, that's what I think it's called, given that she's not
listed in the program, the program notes, and wasn't mentioned anytime
until she actually appeared on the ice (so much for the idea that the
spot in the opening where Scott skated in LP was for the guest star -
I don't even remember what they did then). A voice came up saying
"please welcome our special guest, Ekaterina Gordeeva" or something
like that. Katia got a really nice huge cheer when she came out. I
realized as I watched her that I'm not sure I've seen her live from
seats that close to the ice before =). This was a nice treat. I
wasn't as fond of this program as some of the stuff she's done in the
past (Fragile, the Gershwin number, etc) but it was really cute and
she skated it well. I remember that she did some nice double jumps as
well. It was nice to see Katia skating in Stars on Ice again, but it
was just odd to have her appear for the one solo spot, and not be in
any ensembles, the opening, or the closing (she came out after the
bows).
Slippery Side Up - Kurt Browning
The audience adored this number, laughing out loud in a way I don't
recall hearing since Kurt's Improv number. I remember the people next
to me chuckling at his antics =). From my angle, Kurt was fairly far
away for most of the program, but I could see some things more
clearly, like the fact that he definitely had his guards on during his
first foray across the ice (and that just holding out the guards the
way he does doesn't really inspire the person to take them ;) - I
can't help but think *someone*'s got to retrieve those guards b/c I
doubt he goes through a new pair of guards per show). He altered a
bit of the choreography - when he pulls that white cotton puff or
whatever it is out of his pocket and sticks it on his head, I think he
keeps doing turns or footwork, whereas in Lake Placid I remember him
holding a pose with it on his head with something held out in front of
him. Some other highlights - when Kurt comes down the side of the
ice, half on the boards, half on the ice, as he looks at the light
opposite, he pulls on his suspenders to raise his leg over the lights
which prompted a lot of laughs from the audience. I also don't
remember him doing quite so many turns around the ice, to the point
where I was sitting there going - good lord, how many turns has he
done, and where the people next to me were like, he must be so dizzy!
Footwork, character, were all incredible, and during that sequence of
falls, I watched carefully and noticed how he always lands
butt/lower-back first, right on the padding. I can't imagine how much
experimentation it took to completely control his falls like that... I
still find it incredible that he chooses to beat his body up like that
every night, but at least he's got padding =). Fun, funny number =).
Love on the Rocks - I&Z, M&S, R&S
Probably my favorite ensemble number after Studz. What I enjoy
about this program might be why so many people are saying it's a
forgettable number though - it's subtle. You pick up new things every
time you see it. For instance, I didn't really register that the
three couples, while often doing the same thing, differed in their
choreography in some crucial, yet consistent way. Their costumes (the
guys', anyway) also reflected these differences. At certain points in
the music, each couple would freeze in different positions reflecting
what seemed to be different stages of relationships. Kyoko would
fake-slap John (rejection), Renee would put her leg up on Gorsha's
shoulder and look him straight in the face flirtatiously/challengingly
(seduction?), and Jenni and Todd would bend forward at the waist and
kiss each other in a rather cute innocent way (i guess relationship?).
Correspondingly, John was in a casual t-shirt and jeans, Gorsha was in
a more dressy white flowing shirt and nicer pants, and Todd was
wearing basically a tux, which seemed to reflect the different stages
of relationship and life. I also really liked how they opened the
number with the light coming up on the six skaters skating in a
circle, and closed on the three guys lying in the middle while the
girls skated around them in a circle as the lights went down. The
little bits where they kind of traded partners were fun as well. This
program was definitely more dance-feeling than pairs. I really liked
it, if you couldn't tell =).
Mme T. After Hours - Elena Berezhnaya & Anton Sikharulidze
This program, of course, opened with Kurt, still in Slippery Side
Up guise, wheeling Elena out on a hand truck (while Anton makes his
way out from the other end of the ice). Things I didn't notice in
Lake Placid (or else are new additions) - when Kurt takes out his
duster to "dust" Elena, his duster is preloaded with tons of dust and
creates this huge cloud of dust around her head =). As he peeks under
her sheet, Anton starts moving, causing Kurt to skate that way in
curiousity, only to be frightened by Elvis throwing off his sheet
(which conveniently lands in Kurt's arms ;)), causing him to shriek in
dismay and run for it, grabbing the hand truck on his way out. The
audience really cheered Anton's Elvis dancing, and he in return really
got into it. I have to say though - why is it that the more I see
this program, the more jarring the Marilyn music cuts get? I could
have *definitely* done without any of that (partly b/c I find
Marilyn's singing and boop boop's really annoying in their own right).
Elena seems to be getting more into the Marilyn character, though,
putting some sass into her movements, particularly at the beginning of
the program. My only other problem with this program - I really don't
like the new ending to "Hound Dog"...it feels hastily put together and
kind of stuffed with stuff that doesn't quite flow as well as the
early part of the program. I'm not clear why they changed it at all,
since my memory of their performance at Gotta Skate was a good one...
Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin' - Jamie Sale & David Pelletier
A strong performance from Jamie and David. I think I missed the
impact of this program the first time I saw it, but this time I really
noticed how Jamie and David manage to capture and create a mood with
this program. Yes, it's another one of those "sexy" routines done so
well by Hough and Ladret before S&P, and choreographed by Sandra
Bezic, but Jamie and David pull it off convincingly, with the right
degree of intensity and charisma. I also got a lot better look at
Jamie's handstand on David's arm, and I'm just astonished by it - his
strength, her balance...how the heck do they do that?? This was also
the program with a really nice triple? twist and I believe a throw
something or the over (I can't tell with pairs throws what jumps
they're supposed to be). Good stuff!
Racing - Alexei Yagudin
Another great performance from Alexei. The music for this program
just grabs you and doesn't let go, and neither does Alexei. I'm not
as fond of his "driving" motions and bits of choreography as the
choreography from OverCome, but he (and Tatiana) definitely get points
for interesting and different choreography. Great demonstration of
Alexei's footwork and presentation and his connection with the
audience. I remember one odd thing about this program - there was a
jump he went up to towards the end that was definitely a triple and
had a beautiful, solid landing, but for the life of us we couldn't
tell what it was because the takeoff was so odd and the rotations a
bit wobbly... he definitely picked with his left foot, but not behind
him where he should have picked for a toe loop, and he seemed to
pre-rotate the jump before he ever got off the ice. A triple toe-sal?
I remember thinking, though, that the jump was a testament to his
strength of will, since the takeoff and rotations were so messed up
yet he landed it beautifully and solidly. Great program.
Can't Stop - Cast
Finally, we came to the time that every Stars on Ice fan dreads and
looks forward to at the same time in the show - the finale. While I
don't think this is the best finale they've done (this would make a
great opening number), I really really enjoy it. High energy, great
fast dancing, which admittedly, some skaters are better at than
others, but they all give it their best and they've all gotten a lot
better since Lake Placid. I can't help bopping along to the music,
and I really love watching the skaters have as good a time as they
seem to be having. The choreography for this number also has a lot of
fun moments, such as the four guys (Kurt, Alexei, Todd, and David)
going down the ice for their triple toes (and Todd veering way off the
other way for his jump), the pairs coming out to do almost
simultaneous (in time to the music) lifts, while the remaining guys
and two girls are down at the end dancing around, when the skaters
come around and end up with the four pairs doing lifts in a row while
the remaining skaters skate in two lines behind, dancing around, the
times when the skaters are together in a group, looking into the
audience and dancing...Just a lot of fun, and a great, upbeat, high
energy way to end the show. As for handshakes, got to shake Elena's
hand (she's so small and so cute!) - Kurt almost made it to us but had
to go to the middle for bows.
Overall impressions of the show on second viewing? Great show,
overall quality of the skating, choreography, costuming, music, etc
have all gone up. At the same time, a much more disconnected show
with a lot less of an apparent theme tying it together. No muses, it
seems little attempt at transitioning the styles smoothly in a
consistent manner (though the transitions they did do were fun),
ensembles that had little to do with each other except that they had a
lot of pairs/dance in them... I'm not saying that past ensembles were
all related but somehow this year's show felt more like a collection
of exhibitions with some group numbers thrown in. If I were to sum it
up in a single sentence, I'd say that the overall quality of the show
has gone up, but at the same time the number of absolute standouts has
gone down. Last year's show was a lot more uneven - definite low low
low points, but also definite highlights (like Kristi and Denis
skating to One Day I'll Fly Away or Kurt's Solitaire). This year's
show felt a lot more even - low points and high points both have been
smoothed out. Definitely worth going to, you won't be disappointed.
I'm certainly looking forward to seeing it again.
