Elvis came to Cornwall

Yes, the real Elvis. No, not Costello, but Elvis Stojko, the two-time Olympic skating silver medalist was part of a touring group who held a press conference recently at the Cornwall Civic Complex to announce Rock the Ice. This won’t be your usual figure skating show because when they presented a video from their European shows, in the first five seconds, eyebrows were raised and jaws were dropping. This will be an exciting, unforgettable show not to be missed because it will be so different. Don’t let the name fool you. It is not a rock and roll show on ice. Think of “rocking the boat,” or shaking something until you get a reaction. The night of the show will feature some groundbreaking “ice rocking” entertainment featuring aerialists and acrobatic acts (think of Cirque du Soleil), plus some surprises you won’t want to miss.

The show is being produced by former two-time German figure skating champion Daniel Weiss. His company, Spotlight Productions, has taken to the road many ice shows in numerous countries around the world which led to Peterborough, Ontario last January selling out the arena to rave reviews.

Among the cast of performers will be:

-Emmanuel Sandhu – three-time Canadian Men’s champion and Grand Prix Final winner, and “So You Think You Can Dance” finalist.

-Gary Beacom – a revolutionary skater and a Canadian national, world, and Olympic member

-Surya Bonaly – a brave competitor with her trademark backflip

-Roselle Doyle – Canadian skater who concentrates on excellent choreography and the artistry

-Gladys Orozco – two-time Mexican National Champion and six-time Four Continents Competitor. She is now “Mrs. Elvis Stojko”

-We will also see pairs skaters like:

Elena Leonova & Andrei Khvalko (Russian);

Fiona Zaldua & Dimitry Sukhanov (British and Russian);

Isabelle Delobel & Olivier Schoenfelder –(French, Canadian) World Ice Dance Champions;

Violetta Afanasieva / Pete Dack – World Extreme Ice Skating Championship winners featuring Russian hula-hooping

Experience a touch of Cirque du Soleil with “Big Guy” Vladimir Besedin, “Small Guy” Alexei Polishchuk, and Emmanuelle Balmori, plus other stars to be announced.

General manager and producer Daniel Weiss, along with his Canadian Artistic Director wife Jennifer (Brett) Weiss also have their own professional skating resume. Jenny is the creative force behind Rock the Ice. Daniel once performed for Skate Canada and won first place in the Interpretive Event category three consecutive years. He came to the Cornwall Civic Complex in the mid-90’s and received a standing ovation which he fondly remembers.

Elvis Stojko. What can you say? Just the name brings attention which is deserving with all the talent he carries. Using his Kung Fu training (Black Belt in Karate), the Toronto area athlete channeled his energies into figure skating and brought about a new level of competition with his mastering “The Quad.” Triple jumps were hard enough but this raised the standard that no one has been able to match to this day.

After retiring in 2002, Elvis focused on his artistic side including acting and singing. His new CD “100 Lifetimes” will also be a part of the ice show. He does have vocal talent!

This tour will also reach out to the community by featuring the local figure skating clubs who will perform one number and be judged by Elvis and others in the show. A winning city will be awarded at the end of the tour.

Rock the Ice will be coming to the Cornwall Civic Complex on January 5, 2011 at 7:00pm.

Tickets are now on sale.

Photos courtesy of Judy Laffin