Figure skating has a long history as one of the most-beloved and watched Olympic sports. Shimmering costumes, graceful routines, and seemingly effortless jumps and spins – the sport easily draws in a large and loyal fan following.
This year, Canadians were proud to cheer on ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir who took two golds at the Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games, bringing their cumulative number of gold medals to five, making them the most decorated figure skaters in history and the longest-standing ice dance team in Canadian history, having skated together for over 20 years!
Figure Skating vs. Ice Dancing
It becomes important to take notice of the differences between ice dancing and figure skating:
Figure Skaters are mostly judged on jumps, death spirals, lifts, spins and the connected footwork between all of those elements. Competitors may enter as pairs or as singles with a non – vocal soundtrack.
In contrast, Ice Dancing can be compared to ballroom dancing with elegant pairs completing enthralling routines to rhythmic music with a heavy emphasis on the precision of their footwork and choreography. No throws or jumps are permitted.
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Wish you could see the beauty of ice skating up close? This week, Gen’s Delights is happy to present you with two amazing and artistic productions that brings out the beauty of this beloved winter sport to the front.
Stars on Ice – Canadian Tour!
Anyone who sat riveted to their television screens watching the astounding accomplishments achieved by our Canadian skate team at this year’s Pyeongchang Olympic winter games, would readily agree that the grace, musicality, artistry and athleticism required to become a professional figure skater is astounding.
For those who wish they could see up close the mesmerizing ice dance moves and choreographies prepared by our Canadian athletes, prepared to be amazed as the Stars on Ice 2018 Canadian tour comes to a city near you in the up-coming weeks.
The production is an elaborate theatrical show featuring a small cast of elite skaters who perform together in ensemble as well as in solo numbers. Canadian champion Jeffrey Buttle leads as director of Stars on Ice in addition to his roles as a choreographer and past performer in the 2017 tour.
This is your unique chance to see Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Patrick Chan, Kaetlyn Osmond, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford plus skating legend Elvis Stojko and more of Canada’s Olympic Medalists live!
WATCH the 2018 Stars on Ice promo video here:
http://www.starsonice.ca/videos.html
The tour is expected to stop in Ottawa at the Canadian Tire Centre on April 29th, Montreal Bell Centre on May 2nd and Air Canada Centre in Toronto on May 4th.
For a complete tour listing and for various information on ticket prices and opportunities for meet and greet packages, please visit the Stars on Ice official webpage at:
http://www.starsonice.ca/welcome.html
LE PATIN LIBRE presents: THRESHOLD
// Seated around the dimly lit skating rink of Arena Saint-Louis (5633 Saint-Dominique Street, Montreal), snugly wrapped within the folds of cozy fleece throws, audience members look on in anticipation at the rink while a hazy mist slowly covers the ice… Silence takes over the arena: the show is about to start! //
Threshold, the latest creation by Le Patin Libre Company offers a hypnotic, contemporary reinvention of traditional ice dancing – somewhat similar to choreographic poetry that blends together athleticism and art to bring out the beauty of the “glide” in skating.
This show is presented as part of the program of the 20th season of Danse Danse, a series that showcases and celebrates the immense talent of Canadian and international creators with spectacular dance productions in Montreal.
The five members of Patin Libre: (Alexandre Hamel, Pascale Jodoin, Samory Ba, Jasmin Boivin, Taylor Dilley) including writer Ruth Little, are all highly trained figure skaters that made headlines back in 2014 with their sensational and revolutionary show Vertical Influences: an ice dancing choreography that inherited moves from the great currents of contemporary dance.
“In our choreography we make full use of what makes skating unique and legitimate as an artistic medium: gliding” summarizes Alexandre Hamel.
“The glide allows the disconnection of the body’s displacement in space from its physical movement.”
Set to minimalistic contemporary music, the one hour, two acts performance, including a 20 minute intermission, astounded audience members as the skaters defied gravity by executing various adrenaline packed repetitive jumps, runs, swirls, tumbles and of course harmonious gliding almost effortlessly around the frozen rink.
It was mesmerizing to see how the skaters used basic principles of physics to launch their bodies from one end of the rink to the other, or use another performer’s body as a pillar to gain speed in their spin rotation. The choreography was fluid, and came to a peak climax in the second half of the show.
For those left amazed or wondering where or how they could learn to ice dance, the troupe often offers workshops and dance skating parties where anyone is invited to go on the ice and learn a couple moves with the guidance of the performers, for only a minimal cost.
After their two week Montreal run, the company is expected to tour in Europe and the US :
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To learn more about Le Patin Libre, their workshops and up-coming projects, please visit their site at:
https://www.lepatinlibre.com/english/calendar/
To learn more about the up-coming 2018 /19 productions from Danse Danse,please visit their main website:
https://www.dansedanse.ca/en/danse-danse