November 12, 2005
Christmas Tree Lighting
by KJBH
Just got back from the Galleria. Thanks to my dearest friend I did not miss this event. I have been so busy lately that I hadn't checked the forum for over a week. So thankfully my friend e-mailed me about it and I was able to attend. I'm not going to be able to give to detailed/technical information on Katia's skating (I was busy trying to take pictures). Katia skated two times. The first was to a instrumental Spanish style music and she was wearing a very pale teal colored outfit. The second performance she skated to a Christmas song and she wore the peachish/red outfit that has 3 layers of frindge. She skated very well, I noticed she did pop one jump, or at least it looked like it. She also came out again at the end when Santa came out and the tree lit up.
I did want to let you know a few more details. When they introduced Katia they mentioned that she was an Olympic champion and that she one two gold medals in pairs skating. They said that when she is not touring with Stars on Ice that she spends her time residing in Connecticut raising her two daughters with Ilia Kulik. I also remember them mentioning that she has been on the ice since she was 4 years old. This was the routine that she wore the pale teal outfit.
Most of the music for the evening was by a live choir, but I believe that the two songs that Katia skated two were not live. I wish I knew the name of the Spanish song she first skated to (Ok, I"m guessing it was spanish). It was a very fast paced guitar type of music. The second song was "All I want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey. She wore the orange outfit to this routine.
I was curious if either routine was an actual program or if she improvised. Either way it was very good. She was clean and smooth, did a lot of fancy footwork.
The Galleria is 3 stories and where the ice rink is one can look all the way to the top which is where the tree is. There were a lot of people. I was fortunate to get close to the rink due to a nice couple who saw my camera. (it's amazing what a big camera around your neck can do! Ha, ha). The biggest disapointment was the 3 little boys at my feet who were very wiggly and not interested in the show as much as I was. It seemed that each time Katia was right near me they would bump my knee and I would get a blurry shot. Still, I was glad to even get a few and to see her live.
For the local skaters there were two girls who were twins who skated. They were fantastic and in my opinion reminded me of the yougn Katia at the 88 olympics. Their body style, skating, and their smile and hair resembled her. I kept looking to see if Katia was watchign but couldnt' tell if she was in the crowd of local skaters on the landing.
Anyway, I hope this helps to explain the evening.
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