By: Roxanne (@flailingsequins) and Patrick (@team_pdd)
All photographs used with permission from Jennifer Comeaux and yokolog. |
| The star-studded cast of An Evening on Ice take their bows. Photo by Jennifer Comeaux. |
An Evening on Ice is an annual benefit show put on by the US Athletic Foundation in order to provide skaters with financial coverage for facets of the sport such as coaching, costuming, and travel expenses. Created in 2010 by Nicholas & Tricia LaRoche, AEOI has showcased some of the best in skating, as well as future stars of the sport. This year was no exception--the cast for the 5th anniversary included national and international champions, as well as several Olympians.
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| 2015 U.S. Nationals bronze medalist Karen Chen performs her short program to "Nessun dorma." Photo by yokolog. |
Only two skaters--Karen Chen and Daisuke Murakami--chose to perform new competitive programs for the 2015-16 season. Karen Chen performed her short program set to “Nessun dorma” from Puccini’s Turandot. She successfully performed a triple lutz, a triple loop, and a double axel, along with footwork and spins. She had a brace below her knee, but didn't appear to be in any physical pain during her performance.
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| 2015 NHK Trophy winner Daisuke Murakami during his short program to "Bring Him Home." Photo by Jennifer Comeaux. |
Daisuke Murakami performed his new short program set to Josh Groban’s cover of “Bring Him Home” from Les Misérables. Wearing a simple white shirt and black pants, he captured the quiet, contemplative nature of the music and delivered a stunning performance.
Roxanne’s Favorite Performances
My three favorite performances came from Yuka Sato, Jeremy Abbott, and Jonathan Cassar.
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| 1994 World Champion Yuka Sato dazzles in her skate to "32 Flavors." Photo by Jennifer Comeaux. |
Yuka’s program to a cover of “32 Flavors” by Ani DiFranco was nothing short of perfect. It was amazing to watch the 1994 World champion skate a program that had all the trademarks that highlight Yuka’s power and grace on the ice more than twenty years later.
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| Four-time U.S. Champion Jeremy Abbott performs his new exhibition to "Black Skinhead." Photo by yokolog. |
Jeremy’s program to “Black Skinhead” was another highlight for me. I was surprised by the 180 in direction this program had for him; the sharp movements of the choreography, as well as the edge of the music, created a very engaging program for the audience.
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| Jonathan Cassar in his "Bridge Over Troubled Water" exhibition. Photo by yokolog. |
Jonathan’s program to “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was just lovely. Jonathan’s natural artistry matched well with the music. I’ve always enjoyed watching Jonathan’s skating because of this, along with his ability to always execute the best spread eagles I’ve ever seen.
Patrick’s Favorite Performances
My three stand-out performances of the night came from Rohene Ward, Alissa Czisny, and Richard Dornbush.
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| Rohene Ward skating to "A House is Not a Home." Photo by Jennifer Comeaux. |
Rohene Ward delivered a stunning beautiful skate to “A House is Not a Home,” demonstrating his choreographic ingenuity and featuring a perfectly timed hydroblade. His program was a terrific demonstration that less can be more when it comes to choreographic choices.
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| Two-time U.S. Champion Alissa Czisny's program to "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was a standout. Photo by Jennifer Comeaux. |
It’s impossible to describe how gorgeous Alissa Czisny’s skating is in person. Despite difficulties with her double axel attempt, I found myself completely mesmerized by her performance and unable to look away as she skated. Her spins are as flawless as ever, and nothing beats her smile.
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| The charismatic Ricky Dornbush performs to "Don't Worry Be Happy." Photo by yokolog. |
Thanks to Ricky Dornbush, I now have my hashtag for the 2015-16 season: #DontWorryBeHappy. While this program isn’t as over-the-top as his past two exhibition programs, “Don’t Worry Be Happy” certainly captures Ricky’s charm and ability to deliver a playful performance that leaves the crowd smiling.
By the Numbers
- 1: New hashtags for the 2015-16 season (#DontWorryBeHappy, courtesy of Richard Dornbush)
- 1: Number of clean double axels from the ladies’ 1994 World Champion
- 2: Clean triple lutzes (Karen Chen & Jeremy Abbott)
- 3: Skaters who performed backflips
- 6: Bellybuttons on display
Program List (in order of appearance)
- Opening Number: Music from Burlesque
- Chase Rems: “Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’”
- Jonathan Cassar: “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
- Braden Overett: “Feeling Good”
- Douglas Razzano: “Your Song” from Moulin Rouge
- Leah Keiser: “On My Own” from Les Misérables
- Derrick Delmore: “Adiós”
- Beatrisa Liang: “Give Me Love” (Cover)
- Karen Chen: “Nessun dorma” from Turandot
- Courtney Hicks: “Amazing Grace”
- Daisuke Murakami: “Bring Him Home” from Les Misérables
- Richard Dornbush: “Don’t Worry Be Happy”
- Shawn Sawyer: “We No Speak Americano”
- Rohene Ward: “A House is Not a Home”
- Polina Edmunds: “California Dreamin’” (Cover)
- Alissa Czisny: “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” from Evita
- Brendan Kerry: “Troublemaker”
- Madison Chock and Evan Bates: “Interrupted Flight”
- Yuka Sato: “32 Flavors” (Cover)
- Kimmie Meissner: “Latch” (Cover)
- Jeremy Abbott: “Black Skinhead”
- Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford: “One”
- Gracie Gold: “I Was Here”
- Finale
