Torvill and Dean’s Dancing On Ice at Arena Birmingham - review and pictures
The weather outside may have finally begun to warm up, but a winter wonderland was brought to Birmingham with the return of Torvill and Dean’s Dancing On Ice's live tour this weekend.
Stunning costumes, sizzling stars and stupendous routines made up the afternoon's entertainment yesterday as thousands of fans packed into the city centre arena for the last of the shows on the tour, which ends today.
Those on the bill were actor, singer and dancer Ray Quinn, X Factor star Jake Quickenden, ITV weatherman Alex Beresford, TV presenter and Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker, singer and actress Donna Air and rugby player Max Evans.
And while the crowd, made up of eager fans young and old, was elated to see each and every celebrity, the show's top star performer was undoubtedly Ray Quinn whose excellent flair and polished moves blurred the lines between the programme's contestants and professionals.
The event was split into two halves: the first of which saw the contestants compete, with judging from Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean and Denise Van Outen, as well as text-in voting from the crowd.
Breathtaking
The second half, meanwhile, saw the afternoon's winner revealed, followed by a series of performances from both the celebrities and professionals - separate and combined.
Husband and wife pro skating couple Łukasz Różycki and Alexandra Schauman were the afternoon's highlight, with breathtaking lifts, astonishing jumps and stunts, and beautiful spins.
The legendary Torvill and Dean also performed in a stunning duet - proving themselves still to be brilliantly talented skaters, despite it being 34 years since the pair won gold medals at the Winter Olympics.
Each skater donned stunning costumes; the women in glistening dresses and leotards, and the men in colour co-ordinated shirts and trousers.
The show ended with a huge group performance made up of all the show's participants skating to Uptown Funk, before the stars ran to the side of the ice to hug and shake hands with the fans sitting around the edges. This was a hilarious sight, as women of all ages could be seen sprinting over to Max Evans for a chance to embrace the hunky sports star.
As the show drew to a close, audience members sprung to their feet to give a standing ovation for what was a truly immersive, entertaining show.
Bravo.
