Champions On Ice Review

Dan Hollander, skater and entertainer, really made the audience happy. He performed a very funny program. In the background, "Dick Button" was commenting on his program as he did amazing moves and footwork. There was a comment that Dan needed to "please the French Judge." In a flash, Dan changed his clothing and became a French mime! At the end of the performance, Dan performed a stunning back flip on the ice and "Dick Button" commented that Dan was now disqualified because he did an illegal move. The speed and skating Dan performed thrilled the audience.

The comedy and acrobatic team of Vladimir Besedin and Oleksiy Polishchuk put on a very dangerous and impressive performance. They performed a gymnastic routine that included Oleksiy Polishchuk balancing upside down on Vladimir Besdein's shoulders and head (sometime with one hand!). There were moves where Polishchuk skates stood on Besedin's shoulders. There were "close calls" where Besedin "dropped" Polishchuk. They did all these moves in a slow motion type style that looked like they could not really skate. Not until the finale did the audience realize that these two men are really quite accomplished skaters.

Irina Grigorian did an amazing program on skates with multiple hula hoops. I have seen skaters do juggling on skates before, but her performance was by far the most impressive I've ever seen. Juggling multiple hula hoops on skates is obviously not easy.

A teen from the United States, 2006 World Champion, Kimmie Meissner, was not present although she is listed in the program. I would have liked to have seen her perform. She has a fresh quality in her skating that would have brought joy to many in the audience.

The show ended with a very impressive finale. The skaters became a chorus, but also showed eachother off clothed in white. As the Champions waved good-bye to the audience, they skated to "We Are the Champions." It was an emotional moment seeing the top skaters of 2006 in one place!