Robin Cousins’ Ice

Olympic Gold medal winner Cousins has spent his post competition career choreographing and directing ice shows on an international platform. Now he brings his own vision to the Brighton Centre and it is immediately apparent that this not going to be Holiday On Ice. What Cousins has done is put together a show that is based on the artistry that skaters, like himself, John Curry, and Torville and Dean brought to competition skating, artistry that took British skaters to gold – over and over again.

So don’t expect towering confections of sequins and feathers, instead there is a more cohesive and creative approach to the production that allows you to see the beauty of ice dance. Cousins was always a pusher of boundaries in his dance style and this is evident in the show with extreme lifts and the signature back flip that garnered such attention when he did it himself in his performing days.

Most importantly though is the vision of dancing on ice that is not tied to glitzy razzamatazz but to a far more balletic form peppered with the jazz influences of Bob Fosse and an element of street dance. The music is stunning, hauntingly serene at times and full of swing at others and technically the dancers are all of the very highest standard, no chorus, just 14 brilliant soloists. There’s even one member of the company who skates and sings live – at the same time! And he sings beautifully too.

I have to be honest and say that, where the costumes succeed in this artistic vision, the set did not, but it’s a minor point as my eyes were fully engaged with the superlative ice dance at the heart of the show.

Brighton Centre, 22 January 2014

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