2011 CSOI Reviews/Vids

[seabm7]

I'm surprised that no one has posted the program list yet. Here is the one from Toronto last night.

Act 1

"I Like It" Enrique Iglesias - Cast
"Hold It againts Me" Sam Tsui - Shawn Sawyer
"Nobody Knows" Pink - Sasha Cohen
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" Daft Punk - Jeffrey Buttle
"Use Somebody" Kings of Leon - Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto
"On Golden Pond" Dave Grusin - Buttle, Ina, Lysacek, Sale, Pelletier
"Steppin' Out of my Mind" Geoffrey Tyler - Kurt Browning
"True Colors" Cyndi Lauper - Joannie Rochette
"Wild Horses" The Rolling Stones - Jamie Sale & David Pelletier
"El Tango de Raxanne" Jose Feliciano - Evan Lysacek
"Knock, Knock!" Various Artists - Cast

Act 2
"Who's There?" Various Artists - Cast
"Love the Way You Lie" Rihanna - Kyoko Ina
"Party in the Park" Rachel Portman - Browning, Cohen, Pelletier
"Working for the Weekends" Loverboy - Shawn Sawyer
"Show Me How You Burlesque" Christina Aguilera - Joannie Rochette
"Enigma" Edward Elgar - Jeffrey Buttle
"Mein Herr" Lisa Minnelli - Sasha Cohen
"The Climb" David Hernandez - Evan Lysacek
"Flamenco" Vicente Amigo/Rogrigo y Gabriela - Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto
"Downstream" Supertramp - Kurt Browning
"Let's Go Crazy" Prince - Jamie Sale & David Pelletier
"The Best" Tina Turner & Simmy Barnes - Cast

I like the Canadian version better than the US version (I went to the Chicago stop, felt it was my duty to cheer up Mr. Lysacek). The atmosphere in Toronto was cozy and more relaxed. Certainly the audience knew Kurt very well and they were well connected to him. Besides, the kite was obeying Mr. Pelletier nicely for their "Party" number. Todd Eldridge had some troubles with the kite in Chicago. Perhaps they decided to use a smaller one in Canada?

I appreciate Kurt's program more now since I have seen them two times. Needed some exposure to understand them. In Toronto, Mr. G. Tyler came out on his skates and gave a live performance for Kurt. His real voice was as smooth as the recorded version. About others: I got impressed by Jeffrey's "Enigma" a lot, the only classic music piece from the entire show. Its choreography was full of intrigue and freedom. Shawn came out with a small suitcase for his second number and used it as a .... (I will not spoil it!). Joannie was full of energy and looked very healthy. Maybe she can come back to competitions anytime she wants?

In case someone's interested: jump points. If I remember correctly, Joannnie, Evan, and Shawn did clean ones. I believe the rumor Evan is practicing 4T. Sasha didn't fall, but she didn't try many, either. Kyoko fell once on 3T, but I'm glad that she did try it after all. Kurt and Jeff had some small problems here and there.

[skamper23]

Oh thanks so much for this list!! It answered a few questions I had...I always love to compare the U.S. SOI and the Canadian version!

[paskatefan]

^ same here! Is there anyone who can provide a list of the songs/artists used in "Knock, Knock" and "Who's There?"

[Erica Lee]

Jamie & David-centric photos available at http://sale-pelletier.com/nggallery/...m-1/gallery-8/

I hope to have a chance to edit the rest of my photos sometime soon.

[Teenes]

My ridiculously uber-long review of the Toronto and Hamilton shows:

http://www.kurtfiles.com/soi/soirevi...oi11torham.php

I guess after seeing the show five times, I had a lot to say about it... Photos still to come. In the distant future...

[luckiest1]

I attended the London show on Sunday afternoon and there was a decent sized crowd. I think the 50% off tickets probably helped, there seemed to be a lot of families with kids up in the higher seats. We sat on ice on the end opposite the skater's entrance to the ice. I really enjoyed the show, and appreciated Kurt's great introduction of Shawn Sawyer (he was the total highlight for me, so happy he was there!) Have to say Tessa & Scott were very much missed, but of course there was polite applause for Tanith & Ben. I hardly recognized Sasha in the opening number with her short, curly hair. She's not one of my favourites but she really did skate well, and I was impressed. I was also totally blown away by Joannie....she could come back to competitive skating anytime. She is really looking great. Another note - it was very nice to see David Pelletier smiling in his second number with Jamie. Kurt of course is great as only Kurt can be. I also liked the way they showed all the skaters past and the way Kurt mentioned some of the 'greats' by name. All in all it was an enjoyable show. And they gave out advance ticket order forms for London next year, so that's a positive sign!

[Teenes]

If there are any fans of Kurt's "Steppin' Out" program here, or people who are just interested in the creative process that goes into developing a program like that, I had the opportunity to interview Geoffrey Tyler (the singer in Toronto, and the co-creator/choreographer of the program) recently. He gave me a lot of insights into working with Kurt on everything from developing the concept to shaping the structure to working on the choreography to tweaking the program after seeing how audiences received it. Hope people find it interesting!

Steppin' Out with Geoffrey Tyler

[WildRose]

If there are any fans of Kurt's "Steppin' Out" program here, or people who are just interested in the creative process that goes into developing a program like that, I had the opportunity to interview Geoffrey Tyler (the singer in Toronto, and the co-creator/choreographer of the program) recently. He gave me a lot of insights into working with Kurt on everything from developing the concept to shaping the structure to working on the choreography to tweaking the program after seeing how audiences received it. Hope people find it interesting!

Steppin' Out with Geoffrey Tyler

This is an excellent interview - I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the creative process.

[DFJ]

Just read that Ando and Kozuka will be in Vancouver. Wow! V/M also there - would love to see some of that FD, but probably not going to happen.

May 13 - can't wait.

[WildRose]

Wow - that's great news!

[Bailey_]

Just home from the Winnipeg show. Another fabulous show!!

All were wonderful, but some performances a little more than others, IMHO. Joannie was fabulous - as always. Evan Lysachuk was so much more impressive in person (especially his Tango Roxanne number). Kurt was hilarious - as always. Sale and Pelletier brought the house down with Let's Go Crazy.

Scott and Tessa deserve special mention because the joined the tour in Winnipeg following the world championship. In less than a week, they have traveled from Russia and they learned all the group numbers. Very impressive. We were blessed to see a modified version of their free dance - in a much prettier pink dress than the one she wore at worlds. It was fabulous!!

And, although I love Sasha Cohen's skating, she should not be touring if she can not do anything more than a double toe jump. For goodness sake, I can do that! Everyone was very impressed with her flexibility but she needs to keep up her jumps a little more than that if she wants to tour for any length of time.

Great show. Lots of fun. Waiting now for next year...

[tapper88]

Bailey thanks for your review!! Did Tessa and Scott do "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as well as their FD?

So impressive they've learned the group numbers already! wow!!

[Bailey_]

Yes, they skated "I want to Hold your Hand" in the first half and their free dance in the second half of the show.

[nlyoung]

When I saw the Toronto show it looked to me like Sasha was favoring her back. Her dancing was nowhere near the level of the others in the group numbers, which is not something I remember from past years. This would also explain the lack of jumps. She actually looked like she was in pain much of the time.

[tapper88]

I'm going to the Vancouver show- can someone tell me how much is it to purchase a program? Is it worth it to buy one? What do they look like this year, what's inside, etc.

[Bailey_]

They are 15 dollars. Same as every year. Nice photos - each skater gives a little comment on the first SOI show they remember attending.

[Teenes]

My photos from the Toronto Stars on Ice show. Hamilton still to come.

http://bit.ly/k4jzBM

[shutterbug]

Was anyone at the Saskatoon show? Jamie gave a shout out to Paige Lawrence & Rudi Swiegers afterwards on twitter. Did they perform as guest stars or were just in attendance at the show?

Haven’t brought my camera to SOI since the MTS Centre banned DSLR cameras a few years ago, but recently picked up a Sony Nex 3 and thought I would play with it at this year’s show. Surprisingly decent results for a small camera and cheap little kit lens. I’ve uploaded some from Act 1 here, more to follow: http://skateshutterbug.zenfolio.com/p764392899 I'd forgotten how much fun Kurt is to photograph!

ETA: Teenes, gorgeous work as always!

[puglover]

I am the most fortunate woman in the world - my husband took me to the Calgary CSOI for Mother's Day. It was "simply the best". I concur with all of the previous comments - excellent skating and top notch entertainment value for the money. It was so great to see Tessa and Scott live again - they also skated at the Calgary Stampede last year. Tessa looked strong, healthy and happy. The crowd seemed really responsive to everyone and gave a standing ovation at the end. What a great afternoon.

[jeb]

My photos from the Hamilton Show:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/janetli...7626686282934/