Like many Americans, my quadrennial passion for figure skating was reawakened this February by the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. As a young girl with little interest in athletics, it was one of the rare sports to completely enthrall me. That is, for two weeks every four years. After the Closing Ceremony, my adoration would return to hibernation, collecting dust until the next winter torch was lit.
However, thanks to this year’s spectacular American figure skating team, I was able to return to my childhood obsession with more fervor than ever. What began as casually cueing up the women’s short program to ambiently run in the background as I tackled a stack of homework quickly escalated into memorizing the Italian to American timezone conversion so I could easily orient my schedule around the events. I finally understood what it felt like to be deeply emotionally invested in spectating a sport. For all intents and purposes, this was my Super Bowl.
For the first time, figure skating didn’t feel like a fleeting fixation that would fan out by March. And to me, the duality of the skaters made all the difference. On one hand, they were so clearly superstars, both at the top of their fields and in a league of their own. And yet, they were also so distinctly human. It was incredibly easy to root for them, and I caught myself cheering loudly in my living room after each performance and bursting with genuine pride at their every triumph.
Suffice to say, when I managed to score tickets to see many of these outstanding Olympians perform live, I was absolutely ecstatic.
Stars On Ice, a touring skating showcase featuring American Olympic and World medalists, triple-axled its way to San Jose’s SAP Center on May 17 – a date circled on my calendar in glittery pink ink from the moment it was booked. While the tour has run for 40 years and included skating powerhouses like Nathan Chen and Tara Lipinski, I felt that this year’s ensemble – buoyed by one of the most celebrated American Olympic figure skating teams in recent memory – truly lived up to its name.
Given the event was roughly three months after the Olympics wrapped up, a part of me had already begun to forget just how massive of a deal it would be to see these skaters in person. As I fiddled with my thumbs in my seat overlooking the Zamboni machine smoothing out the ice, I still hadn’t fully processed what I was in store for. Only as the lights dimmed and each skater glided out onto the ice during the dramatic opening number did it set in that I was in the presence of true pioneers of the sport.
The lineup included Olympic champion Alysa Liu; gold medalists Ilia Malinin, Madison Chock, Evan Bates, Amber Glenn, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea; silver medalists Isabeau Levito, Andrew Torgashev, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko; and bronze medalist Jason Brown. While it would be easy to assume that placing so many ridiculously talented individuals on the same ice would lead to a competition for attention, the chemistry of this team was electric. There was a genuine sense of camaraderie between these athletes, and each skater was able to shine in a way that complemented, rather than challenged, the strengths of the skaters around them. This was especially evident in the men’s group routine to Bruno Mars’ groovy “I Just Might”. Bursting (synchronously, of course) onto the ice in matching mint suits and dazzling grins, the boys were a masterclass in collective charisma and playful sportsmanship. Their female counterparts were every bit as captivating, a fact illuminated by Isabeau, Amber and Alysa’s radiant group routine to “Golden” from the KPop Demon Hunters original soundtrack. It was wonderful to see the popularly-dubbed “Blade Angels” unite under a singular rhythm, and the talent possessed by this trio is truly second to none.
With that said, I would not recommend Stars On Ice for those expecting a live-action reenactment of the Olympic Games. And that is not because the skill level is subpar – quite the contrary, in fact. The atmosphere in Milan was thick with intoxicating intensity, which some may argue was what made it so thrilling to watch. From faces crumbling after dramatic falls to athletes waiting with bated breath to receive their scores, it was clear that taking the world’s biggest stage was having a physical and mental toll on the experiences of many skaters.
Stars On Ice is something altogether different. And, in my opinion, something altogether special. Liberated from the weight of gold medals, world rankings and global expectations, these athletes skated with a freedom and joy that was visibly absent in Milan. This was figure skating in its purest form: playful, generous and radiantly alive.
I wholeheartedly feel that skating is at its most beautiful when you can feel the passion, not the pressure. And to me, Stars On Ice was one exquisite love letter to the sport.
Towards the end of the show, my facial muscles were starting to strain from smiling ear-to-ear for such a prolonged period of time. A bulk of the blame falls on the wildly entertaining Jason Brown, a skater I was initially unfamiliar with. He won me over within seconds of his performance of “Friend Like Me” from Disney’s Aladdin, an endearingly Broadway-esque routine ripe with props, comedy and incredibly impressive maneuvers. He was truly a star on ice.
I did much more than laugh my way through the night. During the Olympics, I remember thinking Alysa Liu’s program to “Promise” by Laufey was one of the most beautiful performances I had ever seen. I never imagined I would be lucky enough to witness it in person. To say that I was profoundly touched would be an understatement. Seriously, I almost cried. It was a gorgeous routine, and Alysa was mesmerizing. Carving swooping arcs into the ice as she gracefully landed elegant spins and loops, she truly embodied each note of the somber music while maintaining her signature airiness and ease.
Similarly, watching Amber Glenn skate to “Like A Prayer” by Madonna was practically a religious experience. One of my favorite songs, routines and skaters of all time, all wrapped up into one strikingly ethereal package. Amber has a real knack for musical selection, as I couldn’t have chosen a more fitting song to accompany her second program of the night than Lady Gaga’s soulful rendition of “That’s Life”. Her confidence was just as palpable as Alysa’s joy, and both women electrified the ice and audience with their ability to emotionally connect to their art.
Isabeau Levito, the third Blade Angel, the People’s Princess. She is the epitome of the elegance and lyricism that draws so many to the sport, almost reminiscent of a porcelain figurine twirling inside a music box or snow globe. However, she was also so lively, gliding across the ice with both smiley charm and flawless precision.
The story of my renewed passion for figure skating would be incomplete without the mention of Ilia Malinin. His short program singlehandedly swept me into suddenly tracking and recording every men’s skating event to follow simply so I could watch his journey progress. It’s difficult not to be awestruck by his skating capabilities, as he is currently the first and only skater in history to land a quadruple axle, regarded as the most technically difficult skating maneuver of all time. He is truly a living legend, and witnessing him having so much fun on the ice was incredibly heartwarming. Plus, he can backflip on the ice. Four times in a row! If I could do that, I would never stop. It was exhilarating, and I somehow left as an even bigger fan than I was already.
I love a good duo skate for the very same reason: the thrill is incomparable. Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko’s program to a remix of “Say It Right” and “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado was daring, edgy and very charming. The audience clearly adored the pulsing bassline and flirtatious dynamic between the two, as the energy was through the roof of the arena – especially in the precarious moments when the pair defy physics and gravity with their spins and lifts. The same goes for Evan Bates and Madison Chock, my favorite married couple, who, despite opting for relatively softer programs, were just as breathtakingly fearless. My favorite ice dancing routine of the night would have to be Pitbull’s “The 305 Experience” by Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, a hilarious play on Danny’s physical resemblance to Mr. Worldwide himself. It was a blast, a seamless integration of dramatic lifts and club-style dance moves.
It would be remiss not to circle back to Andrew Torgashev, who arguably set the tone for the entire evening. Opening the solo performances, he commanded the rink with effortless musicality and cool, slicing across the ice to Bradley Cooper’s soulful “Out Of Time” and raising the bar high from the very first note. It was a reminder that artistry, not just athleticism, would be the language of the night.
I left SAP Center as much more than a casual, quadrennial figure skating fan. Stars On Ice was an electrifying experience I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone even remotely curious about the sport. It was a love letter to figure skating at its most joyful, most human and most alive. In Milan, I was captivated by the intensity of the competition; in San Jose, I was reminded of why these athletes skate in the first place. The sense of genuine passion radiating from the skaters was infectious, and left me feeling like the little girl who was so glued to her first Winter Olympics that she begged for lessons at the local rink. The Olympics may have relit the flame, but Stars On Ice made sure it would keep burning.
