Saturday, Revolutions Skating Club presents its 5th annual Aspen Ice Spectacular. This is the first year the local club will collaborate with an ensemble of professional figure skaters from Ice Dance International.
It’s Thursday afternoon at the Aspen Ice Garden. A cast of some of the world’s best figure skaters are learning choreography for the opening numbers on Saturday. Jeremy Abbott arrived a little late and is warming up in the locker room before hitting the ice. He’s from Aspen and has competed in the Olympics twice. In 2014 he won a bronze medal.
“I’m just trying to get my body moving," he said while jumping up and down. "Especially since it’s so cold on the ice. I really want to make sure my blood is flowing, that I’m nice and warm and I don’t like pull any muscles.”
In June he retired from competing to focus on performing in events like this. When he gets on the ice, he said, he expects he'll pick up the moves quickly.
“There’s something really, fun about skating in a cast in an ensemble like this," he added. "There’s a lot of camaraderie and it’s a lot of fun to kind of share the ice and the energy with your friends really.”
For some skaters it takes a bit more practice. Revolutions Skating Club has 35 skaters ranging in skill level. Some have been working on their programs since October. Peggy Behr is Aspen Ice Spectacular’s director. She said the shows Saturday are an opportunity for local skaters to share the ice with the best.
“That’s what they’re going to remember is all these fun special moments they shared with these great performers," said Behr.
There are two shows on Saturday at the Lewis Ice Arena. One begins at 2 and the other at 5. For more information, go to aspenshowtix.com.
