Ice show impressions

[jjane45]

Christmas is almost here and I suppose there are quite a few shows going on at rinks. Funny tits bits of rehearsals or performances? Really inspiring music or move? ARGH not that butt train again? Everything goes!

I arrived at the rink early and our highest level group were practicing RFI death spirals apparently for the first time. Amazing that we have five (!!!) high level boys to partner the girls, but wow they really need solid pivots to make this happen! pivots are not happening at all and poor girls wiping the ice all over. cough cough the show is in ten days and this is the last rehearsal before the prelim run thru next week...

So we had the preliminary run through for Nutcracker today. Things sort of went well. Highlight of the show was pas de deux by our highest level group (intermediate and above). The male coach was definitely into pairs elements this year. There were 4 "pairs" present today, 3 different lifts performed consecutively, followed by a death spiral. Each set of the Nutcracker prince and Clara also had a throw axel. Not to say the pairs elements are there yet, but it was a lot of effort and very showy. Thumbs up   (at the moment, throw jump was more like a push jump, death spirals generally splat, and the lifts are very uncoordinated with considerable pause between them, but that adds to the fun, haha)  I just wish they leave the pinwheel to our pre-freestyle skaters and do more interesting stuff at the end.

Oh, and the freestyle boys got the Chinese number again this year, they came out in red silk umbrellas!!! While the pint size one looked absolutely adorable with it, I am not sure what did the 6 feet tall skater think... LOL!

[JHarer]

Our rink eliminated the adult number for this years show. So I'm not participating, but I'm looking forward to go to watch. And I'll also be going to see my little cousins synchro team, The Rockers in their show.

[alejeather]

I'm doing the group number with my spins class in our Christmas recital. The piece is about a minute and a half long and has two two-foot spins, a one-foot/scratch spin, and a sit spin in it with some connecting steps, like spirals, bunny hops, a lunge and some posing. I think there's about 11 of us in it, but not all the kids show up to class every week. I'm the only adult in the class, and if you've ever seen Ice Princess, where the main character starts skating in the group number with the little kids, that's about what I feel like! (Except those kids were nasty to her, and the ones in my class really don't pay any attention to me.) But one day on a public session, a girl from my class skated up to me, asked if I was in the spins class, and then said, "Do you like our number?" I said that, sure, it's fun. "I don't. It's too basic," she replied. Before I had the chance to give her a little lecture about the wide range of skill levels in our class, and that the piece had to accomodate everybody, she'd skated off.

I have no idea what we're wearing yet. I just wrote down my size on a piece of paper a few weeks ago and now I wait in mildly anxious anticipation.

[jjane45]

Haha alejeather you have a blast! Go ahead and out spin them all   yes it's very difficult to choreograph when levels are so diverse, that's why majority of our group numbers are strictly by skating level, the only exceptions that I recall are: adults all levels, pre-freestyle boys, freestyle (below intermediate) boys.

This year the highlight of our adult group number was a big hand shake circle at the end, with pairs of skaters facing each other on the circle, shake the right hand while shoulders brushing thru, and then shake the left hand with the next skater you meet. Repeat three sets. Very nice when done well, just takes lots of practice

[Clarice]

This year the highlight of our adult group number was a big hand shake circle at the end, with pairs of skaters facing each other on the circle, shake the right hand while shoulders brushing thru, and then shake the left hand with the next skater you meet. Repeat three sets. Very nice when done well, just takes lots of practice

We did that in a country-western synchro number - it's called a "grand right and left", and is a standard square dance move.

We don't have an adult group number in our holiday exhibition this year, but I do have an adult couple doing a number - sort of a hybrid dance/pairs thing.  And I think there's an adult soloist - either that, or she's doing a duet with her daughter.

[alejeather]

Haha alejeather you have a blast! Go ahead and out spin them all  

Ha! Jjane! Thanks for your belief in me, but if you go watch my test video at this point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Qb32IAaYAyE#t=48s you can see my spin side by side with the scratch spin of another girl in my spins class. She's on the right and spins right after I do. There's just no comparison.

I don't really care, though. I have a good time. When you get 11 people spinning on 3/4 ice, there's so much going on, that I don't think any other little girl's parent is going to care what I'm doing. I do get a big kick out of the fact that they stuck me right in the middle of the opening formation because I'm the tallest. I'll pose big and give it my cheesiest smile, because that makes it enjoyable.

And... my mom wants to come to the recital. I told her its cold and she'll have to sit through a lot of little kids toddling on the ice, but she still wants to come. I guess watching skating is more agreeable to her; she never once wanted to come to one of my kayaking races!

[jjane45]

Haha. I remember that girl in red, she was good.

Now I wonder what's the difference between show and recital?

[sarahspins]

Now I wonder what's the difference between show and recital?

Show to me implies choroegraphed group numbers mixed with short solos all within a single theme... a recital would just be a bunch of solo (or pair/dance) skaters skating their full length programs.

[jjane45]

Show to me implies choroegraphed group numbers mixed with short solos all within a single theme... a recital would just be a bunch of solo (or pair/dance) skaters skating their full length programs.

Good point. Maybe a recital is closer to our rink's exhibition: everyone skates the current program, free of charge to attend or watch, no theatrical lighting, no rehearsals involved.

[davincisop]

I'm not participating in a show this holiday season. Much to my dismay since I picked out music several months back and then I moved for my job. If I'd had the time and asked my old skating director I'm sure he would have let me, but I just didn't have the time between moving and the new job. However, I will be going up there for their show to go support all my friends. My first time back since I moved, most of the day will be spent at the rink skating with friends that I miss like crazy.

I caught a glimpse of my current rink's practice and the songs were definitely not Christmas... so I'm looking forward to seeing it on Saturday night. Good news though, is there are a LOT of adults so I'm hoping to start meeting some more.

[alejeather]

I have no idea what we're wearing yet. I just wrote down my size on a piece of paper a few weeks ago and now I wait in mildly anxious anticipation.

Oh no. We got our costumes today. But I think there's been some kind of mistake. I swear what they gave me isn't a skirt, but a dust ruffle.

[jjane45]

Oh no. We got our costumes today. But I think there's been some kind of mistake. I swear what they gave me isn't a skirt, but a dust ruffle.

Ouch.

We had some costume room lock out incident and apparently my group number costume won't make it on time (needs major alteration to fit me). Will see what happens

[PinkLaces]

There is a Christmas exhibition that you can pay $5.00 to be part of.  I am not because I have other plans for the night it takes place.  Many of the kids are and all have Christmas songs.  When the kids are not practicing their programs, the radio is tuned to a station playing all Christmas music.  There has been a bit of confusion when a song comes on the radio that is someone's program....especially the skater who's exhibition music is on.   

[jjane45]

Dress rehearsal yesterday. Saw the pros' number for the first time this year. In backlight the whole time with florescent accessories on simple all black outfit. Looked like a new-ish program to me

My costumes... :'(

[nicklaszlo]

Looked like a new-ish program to me

Usually the pro's number is choreographed very close to the dress rehearsal. 

[nicklaszlo]

How is it that glitter, placed on the outside of a boot, comes to coat one's toes?

[jjane45]

How is it that glitter, placed on the outside of a boot, comes to coat one's toes?

Magic that actually worked

So the adult group number dress I originally picked could not be altered on time to fit me. Today the costume lady picked out a dress and said try it on. It was size 12!! Amazingly it fit nicely over the solo costume, which took care of the huge cleavage (LOL) and the colors matched 100%.

Loved our show today

[alejeather]

How is it that glitter, placed on the outside of a boot, comes to coat one's toes?

Such is the nature of glitter. Glitter, once trifled with, will be with you forever. No matter how small the amount, or how limited the original area of application, you'll be finding it in places completely unrelated to where it was originally applied many  months after the ice show is over. It's one of the great mysteries of the universe.

[Clarice]

Such is the nature of glitter. Glitter, once trifled with, will be with you forever. No matter how small the amount, or how limited the original area of application, you'll be finding it in places completely unrelated to where it was originally applied many  months after the ice show is over. It's one of the great mysteries of the universe.

I think I still have glitter on my cat.

[Sk8tmum]

I think I still have glitter on my cat.

I blame glitter for insanity, hysteria and general craziness associated with test days,  competitions and shows ... it transmits through the scalp to create brain zaps, in through the ear canals to prevent listening to others, and down the throat to produce an unusual screeching tone to the voice ...

Fortunately, it wears off after a few days.  Now, glitter on a cat ... that would simply add to normal cat behaviour ... note, not listening, caterwauling, and periodic insanity ...

[jjane45]

I blame glitter for insanity, hysteria and general craziness associated with test days,  competitions and shows ...

And there must be an excellent reason you put it on after weighing the pros and cons?

Mini episode from one of our Nutcracker shows: while young Clara was spinning, the Nutcracker toy in her hand fell apart, the top half flew across the ice and she kept skating calmly with the remainder. One of the skaters picked the loose piece up and gave it to Fritz!!! So that he has no reason to chase his sister later ROTFL.

Apparently they did not have a back up prop backstage and a minute later Fritz fought with young Clara over the broken toy (with only the legs left). I have lots of respect for these very young skaters, the show must go on

[alejeather]

The skating school director was the one who picked out our terrible costumes for the recital and not the teacher of the spins class. In fact, he hadn't even seen the costumes. He just handed them out to us in plastic bags with our names on them at the end of the last class. I knew he'd be coaching at a rink I'd be at this weekend so I brought the dust ruffle tutu with me to show him.

I caught up with him during a break when the ice was being cut between two freestyle sessions. "Do you have any input into what we're wearing for the recital?" "No, why? What did it end up being?" I pulled the offending skirt out of my bag to show him. He looked horrified, "What's that got to do with Christmas? It's hideous! No. No. You won't wear that. I'll talk to the director."

So there's hope!

[alejeather]

My final recital impressions, now that the event is over:

The stands: packed full of expectant parents.
The dressing room: packed full of pink-clad, glitter-laden, instagramming tweens.
me, the show's only adult: Thankfully allowed to use the coaches' locker room (which was empty)
little miss this-routine-is-too-basic: complained that I wasn't a coach, and that it wasn't fair
the costume: I wore the @*!# tutu.
the spins: not too centered, not too sit-y, but with decent revolutions and managed to check out, not fall out, of all of them.
the whole thing: over in a flash
my mom's reaction: "Wow, some of those girls sure can spin!" (Not me, mind you )
the verdict: It was good to have a no-pressure environment for my first skate in front of an audience, but next year, I'll leave the recital to the kids!

[jjane45]

alejeather, may I say I really want to see a photo of your costume?
Love the review, lol!!

[Janie]

the costume: I wore the @*!# tutu.

I thought you were allowed to not wear the tutu!?