November 12, 2004
ANDREA BOCELLI - TRIBUTE ON ICE
by Cris P.
Andrea Bocelli: Tribute on Ice is definitely one of the best ice skating concerts that I have ever attended. The experience was unforgettable. Bocelli’s music is wondrous, moving and touches the soul. The superb skating performances showcased classic artistry that I have not seen packed in one show for quite some time. It was hard to tell which performance was the highlight – the musician or the figure skater – because both were phenomenal. Together the combination definitely elicited a powerful impact. While I cannot remember many of the details, I do recall the feelings of wonder and awe I experienced during the show. It was like looking at a great piece of art, one that was powerful enough to stir your deepest emotions about the mysteries and beauty of life. I’ve attended many skating shows but this one was definitely special. I felt very privileged to see it live since tickets sold out quickly according to Dan Hicks, who was the one of the hosts for the event.
Since Katia is the main interest at the G&G corner, this review will highlight her performances. I don’t know the titles of the songs she skated to, but I really loved her skating at this show, because it was classic Katia-balletic and graceful. I saw her at Katarina’s Witt’s show in October, and her numbers were music from the soft alternative and pop genre, so it was a treat to see her skate to Bocelli’s classic, timeless opera pieces. The music highlighted her natural grace and style. For the opening group number all the skaters participated except for Brian Boitano and Todd Eldredge. Katia wore a simple, V-neck black dress. She did a pretty spiral during the opening. When it ended, she was the last person in the cast to be announced to the audience before going into the tunnel.
Her next appearance was right before intermission. Bocelli and 12-year-old Holly Stell, who has been studying opera since she was little, sang a beautiful duet for an upcoming movie, but they didn’t say what the movie was. I think the song’s name is Go Where Love Goes. It seemed to have a sweet theme and mentioned the word “angel” quite a bit. I was surprised to see Katia come out because they did not announce that she would be accompanying the duo during their performance. She wore a beautiful white dress. I think it’s the same one Yuka Sato wore in last year’s Stars on Ice finale. I don’t recall Katia’s elements because this one of the many performances where my attention was torn between the end stage and the ice. She did a few jumps, a camel spin, and a graceful forward edge spiral. She also did a gorgeous Ina Bauer. Most of the time she was gliding beautifully on the ice executing graceful, balletic moves. She ended up doing some re-takes of her double axel for this program at the end of the evening.
Katia’s second number was to Caruso. Bocelli didn’t sing this piece live. She wore the red Bolero dress and her hair was pinned up. Before each performance the skater would recite some words about the Bocelli piece they would skate to. I’m not sure if they were exact words from the song, or if it was their own interpretation of what the music meant to them. Nevertheless, a recorded message was played in their own voice about the music right before they skated their program. Then they would interpret the meaning of the song through their skating. Katia did not have a recording to introduce her interpretation for her first number, but she did for Caruso. I don’t remember her exact words, since I was excited to see her skate again, but she mentioned something about Kiev. This performance seemed to convey a sense of nostalgia. It was also more dramatic than the first number yet equally beautiful to watch. She did a few knee slides, her trademark back attitude spin where she holds one leg bent back, a butterfly, a forward edge spiral, a beautiful slide spiral, then finished the program with a gorgeous layback spin with her hands clasped together in the air (similar to the position in the COAL). She fell on her triple toe loop and did a 2 or 3 re-takes of this jump. She also did her lutz jump over during re-takes as well, although she did not fall on this jump earlier. She was having a bad night with her jumps. Leann Miller, who choreographed the show, told the audience that Katia was getting over a bad cold, but was pleased that Katia was able to join the show. Katia did look much thinner than she was at Katarina’s show three weeks ago, but she always had a big smile for the audience after hearing their appreciative applauses.
Bocelli closed the show singing a piece from his new CD. I don’t remember the name of the song, but it was great and much more upbeat than A Time to Say Goodbye, which what most of the Bocelli fans expected to hear to signal the close of the evening. He sang A Time to Say Goodbye live accompanied by Roca & Sur’s skating earlier. The closing number was very short with each skater doing one of their signature elements. However, I don’t recall Katia along with a few other skaters doing one of their trademarks moves. The costumes were beautiful. The women all wore these gorgeous, elegant dresses that were purplish brown on top, light pink in the middle, and darker/hot pink at the bottom. The men wore purplish/brown long sleeve shirts with dark pants. The number ended with the skaters forming a circle, each positioned on one knee, their faces turned along with one arm outstretched toward the audience. The audience cheered happily and gave standing ovations to Bocelli and the cast of skaters. Bocelli graciously and sincerely said Thank You to everyone. For an international singing sensation, he comes across as a humble, down to earth man. He was very appreciative of the audience and grinned when he heard a fan shout, Bravo Andrea! Although the show nearly lasted 3 hours, it went by so fast. While most of us would have loved an encore, we definitely look forward to watching it again when it airs on TV next month.
This show is a definite must see. The music was spectacular and the skating was beautiful. This skating show is filled with loads of classic artistry. For those of you who love watching Katia’s classic, elegant skating style and grace, this show will definitely deliver, so tune in on December 18th.
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