The Nanaimo Skating Club’s ice show this year will be for the birds. The figure skaters are presenting Birds of Rio on Saturday (March 3) at Frank Crane Arena.
“This particular show, the music is really vibrant and exciting, [there are] bright colours,” said Carrie Hawkes, the club’s coach. “It’ll be a lot of fun and really entertaining and upbeat.”
The skaters have been practising hard, and ice shows always have an added degree of difficulty due to the sometimes elaborate costumes and the performance lighting.
All ages of athletes from the club will skate in the show, including a three-year-old.
“Usually the most entertaining will be that first group of little ones that come out for their first time and wave at their parents, of course, while they’re out there,” said Hawkes. “You’re never sure what they’re going to do.”
The show’s director, Hollie Benoit, said it’s adorable to see the youngest skaters simply proud to show off how well they can stand up on the ice, and said the older skaters, on the other hand, will impress with their array of jumps and spins.
“Hopefully we’ll have some people in the audience think, ‘oh, well, my kids wanted to get into skating, and here’s what they can do,’” said Benoit.
The Birds of Rio theme should lend itself well to an ice show, she said.
“It’s a bit of a love story with the birds losing each other, finding each other,” said Benoit. “It’ll be a really cute show.”
Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for children or $20 for a family of four. Tickets will be available at the door or they can be purchased in advance at the Art 10 Gallery at Nanaimo North Town Centre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com