2018 Stars on Ice

I've attended the Stars on Ice show in Anaheim the past three years, and I've never seen the Honda Center as packed as it was last Saturday night. The Olympic year boost plus the popularity of Adam Rippon and Nathan Chen brought the fans out in full force. The third level of the arena was practically full!

Before I get to the show, I must mention some fun moments from the rehearsal. The number of skaters practicing with their music was less than previous years, but the ones who did provided a lot of entertainment. Meryl Davis and Charlie White played the music for their fast program, and they were flying around the ice. Charlie in particular seemed to be in quite the hyper mood, chatting with all the skaters on the ice. Nathan Chen also did a run-through, and he put one thousand percent energy into all his footwork. He also nailed a couple of quads. The funniest part of the rehearsal by far was the group practice for the ice dance program. Karen Chen stood in for Ashley Wagner as Nathan's partner, and she wasn't well-versed in the steps as you can see in this video. 😂

The show started with a high-energy bang with the opening number to P!nk's "Raise Your Glass." Meryl and Charlie always stand out in the group numbers for me. With their touring and show experience, I think they have a way of going full out, no abandon in all the group choreography.

The highlights of Act I for me were Vincent Zhou, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, the girls' number, and Meryl and Charlie.

I was highly anticipating Vicent's "Take on Me" program choreographed by Josh Farris, and it didn't disappoint. Vincent hit all the clever moments, including a dab in the middle of the program and a full split at the end that both made the crowd go wild.

I think Karen is at her best in show programs where she can let go and show off her wonderful speed and flow. The song "Never Enough" was perfect for her style.

The girls' number to "Dream" was a quiet, beautiful program featuring Karen, Ashley Wagner, Mirai Nagasu, and Bradie Tennell. It let each girl take a turn in the spotlight and show off their elegant lines.

Nathan doesn't have to jump to provide an entertaining performance, but he still graced us with a beautiful quad in his "Back From the Edge" program. He's so quick on his feet and can really dance on the ice. I love how he throws himself into every step.

Meryl and Charlie closed the first act with a program that had me smiling from beginning to end. Skating to "Hold My Hand," they filled the arena with their infectious energy. The way they move across the ice with so much ease, as if they are on a dance floor, is truly incredible. I loved Randi Strong's choreography for them - it suited them perfectly.

My highlights from Act II were the dance group number, Jason Brown, Bradie, Adam Rippon, Ashley, and Meryl and Charlie.

The second half started with another fantastic group number. This one set to "Shape of You" featured Meryl and Charlie, Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue, and Ashley and Nathan. It was ice dance-themed, so I watched Ashley and Nathan for most of it to see how they would fare. They more than held their own! I love seeing skaters out of their element, so it was a treat to watch Ashley and Nathan dance in hold together.

Jason had a sprained ankle, so he couldn't jump or do his gorgeous Russian splits (I missed these most of all!), but he still provided a thoroughly entertaining performance that was one hundred percent Jason. The song "Can't Stop the Feeling" was the optimal vehicle for him to have a party on the ice and bring us all into it with him.

Bradie's program to "This Is Me" was also a great choice for her. She has an elegant power to her skating that I find very enjoyable to watch. The security of her jumps also makes it enjoyable because there's no fear of blemishes marring the performance.

The loudest ovations of the night came during Adam's reprise of his short program to "Let Me Think About It," and they were SO deserved. Adam amped up every move in the program and sold it like nobody's business. It truly felt like we were in a club, losing ourselves on a pulsating dance floor.

Ashley created an entirely different mood with her "La La Land" program. She drew me in with her attention to the details of the choreography and her visible affection for the music. I wish we'd been able to see her compete with this program for an entire season.

My favorite program of the entire night came near the end of the show - Meryl and Charlie's "Elastic Heart." They used a long, red scarf throughout the program, weaving it between each other and using it with great musical effectiveness. It was obvious how emotionally involved they were in the performance, and the audience was right there with them, hushed and captivated. Meryl and Charlie have grown into such amazing artists. Their artistry goes beyond what their feet are doing on the ice.

Overall the show was a fantastic two hours of entertainment, and I hope the tour continues for many years to come! Here are all my photos from the show => PHOTOS

Shall We Dance on Ice

I've been wanting to attend Shall We Dance on Ice since the show was first created a few years ago, and it was finally held in an easily accessible city! I traveled to Las Vegas this past weekend to see the skating and dance show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Both the skating and the dancing were divine, and the Goo Goo Dolls exceeded my expectations as the live band. The ice dance cast was comprised of Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Naomi Lang and Todd Gilles (Peter Tchernyshev's mother passed away two weeks ago, so he wasn't able to make it), Sinead Kerr-Marshall and John Kerr, Isabella Tobias and Ilia Tkachenko, Alexandra Paul and Mitch Islam, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen, Kim Navarro and Brent Bommentre, Beata Handra and Joel Dear.

The theme of the show was music and dancing through the decades, and it started with the 50's and 60's. Chelsie Hightower (from So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With the Stars) and Tony Dovolani (DWTS pro) did a beautiful foxtrot on the stage, and then the skaters took to the ice for their own foxtrots.

The disco era of the 70's was next, and Meryl Davis and Charlie White were the featured performers. I love their playfulness with the choreography, and it reminded me of the videos I saw of them from Art on Ice last winter. All of the skaters did a great job expressing the funky style of the Hustle.

The 80's was such a fun section, and the highlight for me was the Kerrs skating to "Take on Me" by A-Ha. There was a group number to "Addicted to Love" by Robert Plant, and Naomi and Todd skated to "True" by Spandau Ballet. Chelsie and Tony took to the stage during this section for a jive to "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham, which was a lot of fun.

The Goo Goo Dolls ushered in the 90's with their hit "Slide" as a group of the skaters took to the ice. After this number, Anna Trebunskaya and Dmitry Chaplin danced to the first verse of "Iris," and then Meryl and Charlie took over on the ice for the remainder of the song. This was my favorite performance of the night with the incredible guitar work from the band combined with Meryl and Charlie's emotional power on the ice.

The 2000's began with a sexy cha cha from Chelsie and Tony to Lady Gaga's "Let's Dance" followed by a strong Paso Doble from Anna and Dmitry to "Firework" by Katy Perry. Most of the ice dance cast also participated in these numbers. The Goo Goo Dolls came back for the finale, which included the entire cast of skaters and dancers. I know I've omitted a few performances in here, but my memory is failing me at the moment! The show will be televised on Feb. 11 on ABC, and you don't want to miss it!

Here are all my photos from the show and the Meet and Greet! => PHOTOS

Galleria Holiday Show Rehearsal

I'm in Dallas this holiday weekend to visit my sister, so of course when I heard Meryl Davis and Charlie White would be skating at the Galleria Christmas Tree lighting, I had to go! We went down to the mall for the rehearsal Saturday morning and got to see Meryl, Charlie, Carolina Kostner, and Amber Glenn practicing for the show later that evening. All of them were laughing and having a great time together!

Meryl and Charlie did a brief television interview rinkside, and then all four skaters messed around on the ice for the television cameras. At one point, Charlie was twizzling, and he gave Amber some instruction on how to do it. Then he busted out the Bollywood twizzle (see it here!)

Carolina and Amber were doing triple jumps and having a little fun competition, and someone in the audience told Charlie he should show off his jumps, too. He laughed and said it's been eight years since he did jumps; plus, he was wearing ice dance skates ;)

Amber, Carolina, and a young skater practiced their trio to "When You Wish Upon a Star," and then Meryl and Charlie did a run-through of their "Blue Christmas" program (see Part I and Part II). It was a super cute program!

Here are the rest of the photos and lots of videos from the rehearsal->PHOTOS/VIDEOS

I'll try to get some photos and videos at the show tonight, but I've heard it's very hard to get a good view of the rink because of the crowds. I'll try my best!

Monday Moves

Happy Monday! I've been looking forward to this Monday for weeks because tonight is the season premiere of Dancing With the Stars, and Meryl Davis and Charlie White are part of the cast! So, for today's Monday Moves I'm highlighting my favorite ice dance lift of all time - Meryl and Charlie's "swoop" lift from their 2008-09 Samson and Delilah free dance. SO romantic and absolutely perfect for the music:

Watch Meryl and Charlie compete against each other this season on DWTS! Meryl will be partnered with Maks (lucky girl!), and Charlie will be dancing with Sharna. It's going to be so fun to see them dance on the floor instead of the ice!