Nutcracker on Ice (1994) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Nutcracker on Ice" is a figure skating adaptation of the renowned holiday fantasy ballet. Oksana Baiul skates the part of Clara, and she is a natural for the role because she wanted to be a ballerina when she was younger. During the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, Oksana showed how much classical ballet has inspired and influenced her ice skating. For her technical short program, she skated to Tchaikovsky's music from the ballet "Swan Lake." After winning the gold medal, she skated her exhibition performance to 'The Swan' from "Carnival of the Animals" by Camille Saint-Saens, another famous ballet routine. Oksana's skating is ballet on ice! Victor Petrenko performs the role of Drosselmeyer. He skates in the same form that won him the gold medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. Victor's individual flair makes him convincing in the role of Drosselmeyer, who is Clara's eccentric, magical godfather. Both leads turn in outstanding performances.
Tchaikovsky's music is brilliant and really makes this presentation special. The score is basically presented in its complete form, with a few minor changes. The most noticeable one is Victor's opening skate to the "Andante Maestoso" section of the romantic pas de deux from the second act. (Not to worry though, as Oksana also skates to it in its usual place, along with the Nutcracker Prince, Vladimere Petrenko, who is Victor's brother.) It is understandable that both stars wanted to skate to that particular piece of music, as it is the most moving section of the entire score. "Andante Maestoso" means flowing majestically, and the choreography to Victor's routine emphasizes this flow, beginning with a couple of combination spins. As the music gradually grows, Victor starts working in some jumps. The first one is a huge double axel, followed by a beautiful triple toe loop. He builds up speed for his most demanding element, the triple axel. He jumps into the air, and then spins 3 and 1/2 revolutions before landing. Well done! All of his jumps are landed cleanly. Next, he does an impressive flying camel sit spin, and he ends the routine with a fast-forward upright spin, with the orchestra crashing the final chords and the tympani roaring. Victor has turned in an excellent opening skate.
The guests arrive for the holiday Christmas party, and the ice rink is decked out with a Christmas tree and lots of presents. The rink is shorter and more narrow than regulation size, making less room for the skaters to operate in. Oksana arrives at the party dressed in a very cute costume. Near the end of the first act, she skates to the "Waltz of the Snowflakes," where she is accompanied by a group of skaters who emulate a small "corps de ballet." Oksana is so graceful, but her performance seems to have an extra commanding edge to it, as her confidence got a boost coming off her come-from-behind victory to win the gold medal.
The corps skaters take to the ice first for "Snowflakes." The mood is set by light snow that is gently falling down from the rafters. The eight corps members skate gently in unison, as the woodwinds chase the strings' melody, emulating snowflakes chasing one another. Then, a couple of harp arpeggios and some fluttering flutes mark Oksana's entrance in a sleigh. Oksana admires the corps skaters for a bit, then she joins in with graceful movements and fluid arm work. She does a beautiful layback spin. Later, she does some 1 and 1/2 revolution jumps (RFI take-off edge; RBO landing edge) that are perfectly timed to harp bursts. Eventually, the corps skaters clear the way for Oksana to solo. They assume positions on the side of the rink and strike Bolshoi-style poses, while Oksana skates in the middle. As the music gradually builds, she does a gorgeous double toe loop, an effortless double loop and a beautiful combination spin. As the tempo quickens, she performs some fast footwork and caps off the routine with a double axel. Her skate is compelling for its artistry and musicalness, but it is not her most technically challenging one. She is wearing a flesh colored brace on her left knee. One can surmise that she did not to attempt any triple jumps because she was holding back with one knee at less than full power. Nevertheless, the routine is beautiful and satisfying, and she skated it very gracefully.
The supporting cast of skaters is adequate. Occasionally they excite, such as Mouse King Paul Guerrero's back flip. Occasionally they disappoint, such as the weak death spiral during the Arabian divertissement. The Sugar Plum Fairy is skated by Rory Flack Burghart. She seemed uninspired at first, but her performance improved as she went along. Occasionally, a skater will miss a jump, but multiple outtakes were not made, as this performance was filmed live on tour.
In the second act, Oksana skates with Vladimere Petrenko in the romantic pas de deux. Oksana is not a pairs skater, and therefore there are no overhead lifts, pair spins or throw jumps. What is interesting, however, is that this routine gives you some idea of how she might have looked if she had chosen to skate pairs, instead of singles. She could have been very promising.
Overall, this is a very charming production. A one point reduction in the star rating is merited because of the minor issues already discussed. Rest assured, this video is appropriate for kids of all ages. Overall, this is a delightful performance with great music, featuring some distinguished skaters. Why don't you buy a copy and enjoy it with the entire family?

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