Ice Age (Ilia Averbukh Tour) in Germany

Review of the show in Nuremberg , March 29

After the conclusion of the second TV project “Ice Age” (Skating with the Stars), Ilia Averbukh launched another huge skating tour with about 70 shows mostly in Russia, but also in Europe and even the USA. The tour came back to Germany end of March after one first successful guest performance in Düsseldorf last November. It will be in Germany again on May 16 in Mannheim and May 18 in Hamburg . The full schedule of the tour can be found here: www.icesymphony.org. Tickets for the shows in Germany can be ordered here: www.starsarena.de as well as here: www.eventim.de and www.ticketonline.de. Telephone hotline: 0911/ 240 29 94 0 or SAP ARENA Mannheim: 0621 - 18 19 03 33.

 

The “Arena Nürnberg” that seats 7 000, was almost sold out. The great majority of spectators were Russians living in Germany . The show was a big success with the crowd and went really well.

1. Opening
All skaters and show stars got on to the ice and were presented with spotlights to drum music

2. Ilja Klimkin
He skated to “Confessa” by Adriano Celentano and landed some solid triple toes. It was nice to see Ilja again. He is also performing in an ice ballet now.

3. Elena Leonova/Andrej Khvalko
“Misere” from the “ Mission ” soundtrack (with lyrics). They were impressive as usual with beautiful lifts, although they had missed out the past ten days due to Elena being sick. “We are skating something slower tonight”, she joked. But you still felt their dynamic skating.

4. Albena Denkova/Igor Vernik
Gypsy Kings. He is an actor and Albena’s show partner. I remembered immediately when I had gone to the taping of the TV show and saw them doing their African number. He had painted his body dark brown and then after the show left the studio without taking off the paint! I wondered what people would think if they saw him in his car or on the street! Ilja Averbuch pointed out that Igor Vernik didn’t skate for like one and a half months due to other commitments but he did a good job.

5. Margarita Drobiazko/Alexander Djatchenko
Shadritsa (Gypsy music) This was one of their famous programs during the TV show. Alexander Djatchenko is a very tall man (like 2 meters). Margarita is brave, letting herself being lifted by him. He has a guitar and she is a gypsy, reading her cards. A passionate dance.

6. Alexander Abt
Gazolina. He used this program last year on the tour as well, but I really like it. It’s very powerful, Sascha threw in some triple toes and got the audience going.

7. Anna Semenovtich/Alexej Makarov
Mal po Malu by Alla Pugatcheva and Garik Sukatchev. She was dressed up like a lady of the 40s and had a cane. The costumes were reminiscent of the video of Pugatcheva’s song. He was obviously out of breath right away. I guess he needs some endurance training!

8. Albena Denkova/Maxim Staviskij
They skated an expanded version of their “Libertango” OD from the 2005/2006 season. I always loved that program, and the exhibition version is very characteristic and passionate.  They added some lifts and a text in the beginning that speaks about passion and the relationship between man and woman.

9.  Irina Lobatcheva/Dmitrij Marjanov
The Artist. I don’t know the real name of the music. He was a painter, she was his muse, dressed up in a stunning dress and impressive hairdo. She looked like a doll.

10. Maria Petrova/Alexej Tichonov
Backstreet’s Back by Backstreets Boys. Dynamic and strong performance with their trademark lifts. They were really popular with the crowd.

11. Irina Slutskaja
“Falling in Love”, performed by Alexander Djatchenko, who was signing on the ice while she skated. Irina looks great, it’s hard to believe that she just in November had her baby. She did double loops and even double Axels. She singled the first Axel but then went for another one and landed it. Her competitive character is still there. I spoke briefly to her. She seems so happy and is very proud of her little boy.

12. Anastasia Volotchkova/Maxim Marinin
The Scarf. A number that uses a scarf, as the name indicates. She is a ballerina and looks tall and a little like a stork on the ice with her long legs!

13. Alexej Jagudin
Overcome. I guess he chose this program now because of having overcome the appendix surgery! Alexej looked somewhat tired during practice, but not in his performance. The surgery was just about three weeks ago. As Alexander Abt told me, Alexej was off the ice for just six days, then came back, did the first four shows without jumps. Now he was back to doing triples! He got huge applause. He did the “Winter” footwork as an encore.

14. Tatjana Navka/Marat Bascharov
“Tango”. The program with him as an army officer and her as a waitress. She serves him and then he takes her to dance with him. A charming program. They did it last year on the tour as well and it was one of their numbers for the TV show in 2006 (“Stars on Ice”). Bascharov is probably still the best skater of all the celebrities. As an encore they did the cute number where he plays a clumsy fellow who tries to skate and she is his beautiful girlfriend (to the song “But I like him”).

Break

1. Ilja Klimkin
Esmeralda from Notre Dame de Paris. This was a new program for me. He had skated to Notre Dame de Paris before (“Belle”), but this was different. Did some triples. I wish he’d do the triple Salchow out of the camel spin again.

2. Margarita Drobiazko/Alexander Djatchenko
“The Wheel” (Russian song). I didn’t take any notes here and don’t remember what this program was about.
 
3. Alexander Abt
“Olga” by Garik Sukatchev. A romantic song. The program was choreographed by Ilja Averbuch for Sascha. Lovely song and program.

4. Albena Denkova/Igor Vernik
“Ivan Vasilievitch changes his job”. That’s a famous soviet movie from the 70s where a man from our time and the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible switch places thanks to a time machine. Vernik played the role of the tsar/man from our time and Albena was a Lady from the 16 th century. Funny, but I think you need to know the movie to understand the number.

5. Margarita Drobiazko/Povilas Vanagas
“Let me Fall” from Quidam (Cirque du Soleil). This was a new program for me. A romantic and lyrical dance highlighted by their beautiful lifts.

6. Leonova/Khvalko and Petrova/Tikhonov
Abba Medley. Their number as “Fours”. Fun to watch and crowd pleasing. They did parallel lifts and even a throw double Axel and, of course, a death spiral together.

7. Anna Semenovitch/Alexej Makarov
Some Russian Dance. I thought this could have been a Folk OD!

8. Tatjana Totmjanina/Maxim Marinin
Tango. Very expressive program. They have grown so much as performers in the past two years. Tatjana landed a perfect throw triple loop.

9. Irina Lobatcheva/Dmitrij Marjanov
Adagio (version with lyrics). She played a bird. Nice idea.

10. Marat Bascharov and Ilja Averbuch
The Duel. This was a clown number.

11. Anastasia Volochkova/Maxim Marinin
New York , New York . He was elegant in a golden suit with a hat. She is really slow. But the program looked very sophisticated.

12. Irina Slutskaja
Two Guitars (Gypsy dance). This is an older program of her. She did the double loop again but fell on double Axel. I think that was the only fall in the whole show.

13. Tatjana Navka/Marat Bascharov
Quadrille. Russian Folk song. Cute program with him “riding” a hobbyhorse and her as a farmer. She looks beautiful even with a headscarf.

14. Alexej Jagudin
Rock’n’Roll. New program for me.

15. Tatjana Nakva/Roman Kostomarov
Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson. Cool and fast dance with them dressed in black and white. They proved their versatility with the encore “Don’t renounce love” by Alla Pugatcheva, a very romantic song. I always preferred their exhibition programs over their competitive programs, and those two are excellent again.

16. Finale
All skaters on the ice to “Kalinka”, some of them dressed in traditional Russian costumes.

It was a very enjoyable show.