‘Tis the season… for holiday ice shows
The plan was to see three in a week. Two outta three ain’t bad.
For many figure skating fans, this past week was about the Grand Prix final (shout out to U.S. skaters for winning gold in three of the four senior disciplines, plus junior ice dance). But for me, it was about Christmas on Ice.
It’s December, which means the holiday themed ice shows are ramping up. My original plan was to see three different ones last week, but unfortunately the weather didn’t completely cooperate. In fact, I got hit with inclement weather on both ends of the week, otherwise I might’ve been able to make it four shows. Still, the two I saw were absolutely worth the trips.
The Gateway’s Holiday Spectacular On Ice
I found out about this show on Long Island from Marina Nelson, who I’ve been following on Instagram for a while and who is skating in the show, along with a few other skaters I know. But the headliner and highlight of the show is former Olympic silver medalist and U.S. National champion Nancy Kerrigan.
Kerrigan is 56 years old and still skates wonderfully. And she was a delight in the host role.
Another highlight of the show was two-time Grand Prix medalist and U.S. junior champion Courtney Hicks.
And in my experience, it wouldn’t be an ice show without discovering a new (or new to me) skater who blows me away. In this case it was Kayleigh Linkous, who impressed the crowd with a fire spinning and juggling program.
In addition to the skating, the show features live vocal performances from Zion Middleton, Jennifer Brett, Tyler Shore, and Shannon Gibbons. This aspect greatly elevates the show, and made me wish Disney On Ice would incorporate live vocals as well (which I’ve seen them do in Japan for special shows).
The show is more than two and a half hours, with a 20-minute intermission, and Bellport, New York isn’t exactly easy to get to, but it’s worth the trip and the time commitment. It also should be noted that this is in a Broadway style theater, where the stage is elevated, so the view from the front row isn’t what it would be at a Disney on Ice show or a show at your local rink.
While the videos above are all solo numbers, there are some gorgeous group numbers in the show as well (I’d add some longer videos, but I’m currently on a cruise ship and I’m fairly certain it would take the full length of the cruise to upload a full program).
Getting to see Laura Seal and Ian Lorello from Disney On Ice and The Next Ice Age again was a nice treat. This was my first time seeing Dayron Tondike, who is an aerialist in addition to being a skater, and who I’ve followed on Instagram for a while. And big thanks to Marina Nelson, Rachel Thomas and Aaron Gutman for taking the time to say hi after the show.
SeaWorld’s Winter Wonderland on Ice
Unlike the show at The Gateway, this is a shorter production that takes place twice a night on select Christmas celebration nights at SeaWorld Orlando. And the highlight for me was finally getting to see former U.S. junior champion (and friend of the site) Alexe Gilles skate in person.
Alexe was kind enough to hook me up with reserved front row seating, which made for some incredible viewing.
Full disclosure: I’m not usually a big fan of Christmas music (blame my nearly 10 years of working retail), but add skating to the mix and I’m all in. The costumes in this show are gorgeous, and I was impressed by the number of costume changes in such a short show (the show lasts about 25 minutes).
In addition to Alexe, the show also features a pairs performance from Hallie Joseph and Sebastian Arcieri (fun fact: I’ve also been mutuals with Hallie on IG for a while, and we happened to run into each other leaving the theater after the 8:30pm show).
Based on my observations it’s easier to get seating for the 6:30 show, because the 8:30 show is immediately followed by fireworks. If you’re planning a SeaWorld trip, or even just an Orlando theme park trip, I’d highly recommend making the time to see this show (especially since it’s already included with park admission).
And yes, I wore my Elsa jersey and ears to SeaWorld, in honor of Alexe’s decade-long run as Elsa on Disney On Ice.
Glisten
Fun fact: Disney On Ice isn’t actually produced by Disney. It’s a Feld Entertainment production. Which is one of the reasons why ice shows have not been a staple of Disney’s holiday offerings. However, last year Disney added Glisten to Jollywood Nights, the special ticketed Christmas party at Hollywood Studios (produced by Ice Creative Entertainment).
This is the show that should have been my third of the week, but it turns out rain and glice (the artificial ice surface) don’t mix. All the showings on Saturday were canceled. Coincidentally, rain and snow also stopped me from going to another show this past Tuesday, the Bryant Park tree lighting ceremony. That show did happen in the rain, but the snow in Connecticut would have made for a dangerous commute.
I did get to see this show in person last year, and Jean-Simon Legare was kind enough to share with me after Saturday night’s washout that the stage size was increased this year, allowing them to improve what they’re able to do on the ice.
While I wasn’t able to see the show, you can see video of it on YouTube.
Hopefully I’ll be able to see this show next year (assuming Disney keeps it around).
As I mentioned, I’m on a cruise ship now, otherwise I’d be at more holiday shows. Most of the collegiate programs in my area had their annual shows last weekend or are having them next weekend. If you’re interested in seeing some holiday skating, I’d also recommend checking out your local rink, since many of them put on annual shows. The skaters at many of these are incredible, put in a lot of work, and deserve your support.