Kurt Browning’s Humility, Nicole Bobek’s Radiance, And Heteronormativity on Ice!

Kurt Browning’s Humility, Nicole Bobek’s Radiance, And Heteronormativity on Ice! October 12, 2015

Last night I saw the Halloween on Ice tour in Richmond, VA. Because this is a full-service blog I will give you my impressions. The main thing is that you absolutely should go if you are in the market for a good old-fashioned skating cheesefest.

Shawn Sawyer was the MVP. He’s so much fun, and seems to have a gift for weird, creepy skating programs. Tons of cool extension moves and spirals and spins.

Nicole Bobek did her aerial hoop thing, plus her characteristically beautiful spirals. Also she just radiates charisma and joy. I don’t always get the aerial hoop but it was fearless and inspiring here, and worked well with the music (a woman’s version of “House of the Rising Sun”).

Kurt Browning played Igor! No idea it was him until suddenly at the VERY end this hunchback starts busting out phenomenal jumps. What a trooper.

The stars were Nancy Kerrigan, who was (unsurprisingly) better as a vampire queen than as a pretty princess, and Johnny Weir as Dracula and also a devil and also a veiled commentary on the heteronormativity of family entertainment. (Literally veiled.) She still has that lovely carriage and he is a pro at that crowd-pleasing fierce strut, although jumps weren’t 100% there for either of them. He can still do a terrific “Lucinda spin” so what more do you want, really. The framing story was kinda dumb, especially in the first half where Kerrigan has to pretend to be scared of everything, but I mean, it’s not like you go to these things for the complex narrative arcs.

What you do go to these things for: Ice acrobats who catch fire! Scary flies (flys?) by pairs skaters! Alissa Czisny channeling Jennifer Connelly circa Labyrinth, and doing some lovely, wistful skating! Local ice maidens, but no local ice men–surely there are some Richmond boys who skate? Maybe Werewolf Shawn Sawyer will inspire them.


Browse Our Archives