Torvill & Dean: Our Last Dance - 50th Anniversary Tour 2025

[victorskid]

On the 40th anniversary of their historic Bolero win in Sarajevo, their final tour has been announced: https://torvillanddean.com/

It will take place in April and May 2025 and tickets are available for sale from links on the page above.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I would go to that

On the landing page, I can’t get the video to play. I hope they would do Let’s face the music and dance.

 

[overedge]

I hope they're going to coach and choreograph and mentor for as long as they want to, and aren't leaving skating entirely

 

[skatingguy]

I hope they're going to coach and choreograph and mentor for as long as they want to, and aren't leaving skating entirely

Presumably they'll still be involved with 'Dancing on Ice'.

 

[Lanie]

Boo, I’ll be in the UK for 3 weeks but not until July. :-(

 

[overedge]

Presumably they'll still be involved with 'Dancing on Ice'.

I think I read somewhere that they were reluctant to come back for the current season because the show is so much work, especially behind the scenes. So I guess we'll see if they plan to continue with that (in non-skating roles presumably).

 

[Belsornia]

T&D's 'farewell' tour 30 years ago was my first live skating experience.

Good to have a tour back in the UK, and I hope the wider cast includes some current skaters or at least isn't just DOI 'celebs'.

A few retrospectives in the British press today for the 40th anniversary, including this dramatically titled article from the Beeb: Torvill, Dean and the death of romance

 

[pixie cut]

I think I read somewhere that they were reluctant to come back for the current season because the show is so much work, especially behind the scenes. So I guess we'll see if they plan to continue with that (in non-skating roles presumably).

That's why they ended the original series in 2014. At that time, they were doing almost all the choreography.

When they brought the show back in 2018, they changed their roles significantly and scaled back their involvement in production. I guess there is still a lot of work on their end. Too bad, it's still a fun show.

 

[Kateri]

Good to have a tour back in the UK, and I hope the wider cast includes some current skaters or at least isn't just DOI 'celebs'.

Yeah, respect for T&D and all, but given the ticket prices are kinda high, I'm waiting for a bit more info on what I'd actually be getting!

 

[Wyliefan]

I think they changed the title after you posted it, @Belsornia. But good piece! I watched the Olympic video again; it still gives goosebumps.

 

[FSWer]

Sounds like they're retiring.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Came across a couple videos of them the other day, one where they were in Sarajevo a couple days ago, on the exact same spot of the arena where they started Bolero for the Olympics. Building had been reconstructed a bit, but it was the same space and that was cool and I just came across this video. This just makes me wanna go to the UK next year and see them

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

And I still stand by my decision in 1994 they should’ve been in first place with this performance at the Olympics.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

I do prefer when ice dancing was just that, classic ice dancing, and not so much of what is become today …. Circus on ice

I was so pleased when the shibs did let’s face the music and dance about 12 years ago or so

 

[Aussie Willy]

They have announced they are going to be touring Australia in June next year. Performing at the big stadiums.

 

[FSWer]

COOL!!!!!

 

[Bunny Hop]

They have announced they are going to be touring Australia in June next year. Performing at the big stadiums.

I am hoping to get tickets.

I saw all but one of their shows in Sydney in the '80s and '90s and they were spectacular. That was back in the days when you had to queue in person at the Entetrainment Centre on the day tickets went on sale in order to get good seats.

I am glad I saw them in their prime, but I do want to see this show for the nostalgia value. It was seeing T&D on TV in 1984 that inspired me to take up skating in my teens (and they have outlasted me!).

 

[ostile17]

Torvill and Dean interviewed on A Current Affair on Australian TV

Torvill & Dean Interview on A Current Affair, Australian TV programme 8th July 2024

Chris & Jayne gave a relaxed interview to announce the Australian leg of their Farewell Tour in 2025, the final show will be in Perth, Western Australia in J...

youtu.be

 

[Bunny Hop]

Mr Bunny Hop texted me this morning to say he was number 957 in the online ticket queue, but he did get tickets.

 

[Orm Irian]

They have announced they are going to be touring Australia in June next year. Performing at the big stadiums.

Apparently Adelaide has no big stadiums.

(The Entertainment Centre has hosted Disney on Ice multiple times, it could host Torvill and Dean.)

 

[Aussie Willy]

I probably won't book tickets until closer to the date. I just cannot plan that far ahead. Unless it was Depeche Mode who have been threatening to tour for ages.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

T & D tix are something like AU $190. I almost died when I read that.

 

[Bunny Hop]

Tickets to a lot of shows (e.g. stage shows) are in that region nowadays. Unfortunately it's within the average range. Not saying that's right - it's a lot of money for many people.

 

[Belsornia]

The non-T&D cast for this show has finally been announced (scroll down). As anticipated, it's mostly DOI pros - including Mark Hanretty, Vanessa James and Eric Radford - plus a few team GB skaters (Bekker/Hernandez, Vaipan-Law/Digby, novice kids) and, more unexpectedly, Komatsurbaro/Koleto and Mirai Nagasu! And a backflip guy, because what ice show is complete without a backflip guy?


Full cast:
Karen Barber, Vanessa Bauer, Phebe Bekker, Hugo Brooks, Andy Buchanan, Luke Digby, Annette Dytrt, Isla Forsyth, Mark Hanretty, James Hernandez, Vanessa James, Robin Johnstone, Tim Koleto, Misato Komatsubara, Sylvain Longchambon, Lewis MacDonald, Mirai Nagasu, Eric Radford, Lukasz Rozycki, Alexandra Schauman, Anastasia Vaipan-Law, Darcy Walshaw, Philip Warren, Dan Whiston.

 

[Aussie Willy]

T & D tix are something like AU $190. I almost died when I read that.

Not surprised. The show will cost a lot to put on. But not sure I am that keen to see it, particularly as I would have to trouble from Hobart to the mainland which means airfares, accommodation, etc. And my favourite shoe shop (Fluevog) closed so I don't even have a good excuse for a Melbourne trip.

 

[Bunny Hop]

I hope that cast is the same for the Australian leg of the tour!

 

[Belsornia]

The tour kicked off on Friday evening. Here's a review from the Daily Mail, which is an epitome of Fail 'journalism'.


My mother and I went to the Saturday evening show at Wembley and it was a really entertaining show. A bit cheesy and nostalgic, but we were there for the nostalgia. Despite my years of ubering Grishuk & Platov, Torvill & Dean are still my second favourite team, and they were my skating first love and their first 'farewell' tour in 1995 was my first live skating experience.

Overall, the show has high production values, seamlessly choreographed through, great costumes, lighting etc. It felt a bit of a throwback in style to older T&D tours with big thematic ensemble numbers and highlight moments for individual cast members within the larger numbers. But I don't think anyone in the audience was looking for anything groundbreaking - the Mr Void pretentious artiste years are long past.

And in this case the linking theme for the whole show was a retrospective of T&D's career, from teaming up as teens in the 1970s, though Olympic glory to reality TV cheese. So we had thematic numbers based around Mack and Mabel (silent movies - no-one wore a gold unitard), Barnum (circus) and Let's Face The Music and Dance (jazz era). There was also an 80s number (because that's when T&D were at their peak / Chris was watching last seasons' RDs while planning the show), a reworking of the Planets (Holst) number from one of their early pro tours ( that they gave Jupiter / I Vow To Thee My Country to Vanessa James), and a cheesy but fun cowboys/cowgirls number starting with a reprise of the (in)famous A Little Less Conversation number from Stars on Ice.

The only solos outside the thematic numbers were James & Radford (choreographed by Mark Hanretty), Mirai Nagasu, Philip Warren (the crowd loved a backflip - or seven, backflip-backflip combo, backflip over Mirai...), Bekker & Hernandez (who weren't in any of the emsemble numbers) and Torvill & Dean (Bolero of course).

Things I particularly enjoyed:

• Torvill and Dean skated more than I was expecting. They didn't have any long solos but they were on ice a lot and had highlight moments in all the main numbers. Chris told the story about how it wasn't possible to cut Bolero down to below 4:28 for the billionth time, but they've got a much shorter version for this tour. Obviously they can't do everything they used to (and she looked a bit stiff in the upper back), but it wasn't just nostalgia that make them still good to watch: performance, skating skills, lots of footwork in hold, still doing mini-lifts in keeping with their era of skating.
• Possibly my favourite number was early on: Torvill & Dean started out skating their Summertime Blues OSP and then Komatsubara & Koleto took over with a modern interpretation. The OSP translated really well to T&D's current skillset, and KoKo's performance was elegant and emotive, maintaining the callback to the original number but with contemporary lifts and choreo moves. KoKo seem to be thriving as pros and its nice to see.
• Mirai Nagasu! Mirai was fab; she's got such great presence, whenever she was on the ice she just drew my attention. Landing more jumps than the rest of the cast combined, beautiful spirals, great spins with beautiful positions, quickstepping with backflip guy Philip Warren - Mirai can do it all.
• The last time I saw Vanessa James skate live was at the British Championships in the 2005-6 season, so I had been looking forward to finally seeing her again. James & Radford didn't disappoint; very dynamic skating, great performance and connection, and the most power from their stroking of any of the pros. They seem a great fit for pro skating and have added some adagio tricks, but short on the overhead lifts - I guess his back may still be bothering him - and their pairs elements weren't firing in the first half (scary novice-esq single twist). And on a shallow note, they're an incredibly good looking team. I know I'm not the target audience, but whoever had the idea for Eric Redford to skate to Relax in a costume straight from the video plus studded dog collar - well done.
• There was a noticeable difference in skating skills between the skaters who had competed at elite level and the DOI pros, but the adagio pairs brought a lot to the ice too. Just really experienced show performers, good at bringing the ensemble together and at working a crowd, eye-catching tricks that the audience loved.
• My mother's favourite was Bekker & Hernandez, who did an adjusted version of their James Bond FD. But tbh Phebe could have come out and done crossovers to the Muppet Show theme for three minutes and it would likely have been her favourite. I enjoyed it, but I've seen the competitive version live a couple of times. If the timing relative to Worlds had worked out it would have been nice to see them with a new programme. I'd have liked to have seen them rework a T&D programme, maybe the paso doble OSP, in a similar approach to KoKo's Summertime.

What was not so good:

• There's a lot of Chris Dean talking about how great Chris Dean is. The structure of the show called for narrative (some was pre-recorded video and some was on ice with microphones) but time has not dimmed his ego and it would have benefitted from some judicious editing. After the final bows he acknowledged people say he tends to hog the microphone - and then he talked some more.
• Dean running through the list of great skaters he'd choreographed for felt disrespectful: "French ice dancers who went on to win Olympic gold", "more French ice dancers who won Olympic gold". Use their names, Chris! Also factually incorrect: "a French pair team who won Olympic gold" was presumably Savchenko & Massot. And no mention of the Duchesnays.
• Also boo that he didn't mention any of the British skaters he's choreographed for. More Kerrs and Coomes & Buckland erasure.
• They jumped very quickly from teaming up to the 1981-82 season - no mention of their early competitive experience or even their first world title. And the only thing they said about their first Olympics was how bad their costumes were. It wasn't groundbreaking, but I like that FD.
• Many of my favourite T&D pro-numbers didn't even show up in the scrolling images on the in-arena screens: Tilt, Oscar Tango, Missing... Nevermind, Encounter (my all time favourite pro ice dance number) is still on YouTube.
• Mark Hanretty is sadly underused. He's partnered with Annette Dytrt and they're just not a good match. They have a short threes number with (I think) Dan Whiston and are in an exceedingly cringe Dancing On Ice skit. It's a shame they couldn't give him a little solo dance moment and show off his beautiful extension.
• I'd also have liked the child skaters playing young Torvill and Dean (we got Isla Forsyth and Lewis MacDonald, who I've seen compete in novices) to have had a longer number. They had to spend a few minutes standing and looking at each other while Chris yapped on, then skated for about 20 seconds, then didn't even come back for the curtain call.
• Neither of us had ever been able to make it though a series of DOI so the DOI section and the run though of every D list celeb to win really dragged (there seemed to be a lot of fans around us who were really into it though). I hope Olivia Smart was having fun at Coachella while her face was being projected the height of Wembley arena.
• Programme was £15 and there's no show list Also whoever wrote the bios for Bekker/Hernandez and Vaipan-Law/Digby clearly did some random googling and doesn't follow competitive skating at all. It told us that Digby came second at the 2018 Torun Cup and Hernandez trained under Philip Poole before he partnered with Emily Brown, but nothing about either team competing at European and World Championships.
• Wembley is on every metric the inferior London arena.

Overall, we had a great evening and really enjoyed the show - apparently I have so much to say about it that now I've written an essay.... But it was really fun; so much so that we booked to go again at the final run in Nottingham (even though Phebe won't be there).

And when the tour is over Jayne should give Gabby Papadakis a call and go listen to some feminist slam poetry at an open mic night.

 

[Aussie Willy]

@Belsornia - Is it worth seeing or should I save my money? For me to see it I would need to travel interstate which involves airfares and accommodation. Plus I think the tickets are quite expensive here.

 

[Belsornia]

I guess it depends on how you feel about Torvill & Dean as well as your budget constraints. It is genuinely a last chance to see them skate, not a retirement party where they stand around and get praised. I had no marginal cost to get to Wembley, but as someone who’s been watching them my whole life it would have been worth it if I’d had to travel somewhere and pay for accommodation. But there were some fans there from Japan, and I wouldn’t have flown to Japan to see it!

Beyond T&D, it’s traditional pro skating done very well. Nothing hugely creatively innovative (they’re definitely aiming for a good times atmosphere throughout) or great technical feats - but not content free either. It’s choreographed for an arena with audience on three sides so the cheaper seats should have a good view too. Wembley tickets sold really quickly so we were down the short end and every number except B/H seemed to be performed in the round.

 

[overedge]

Thanks for this @Belsornia .

 

[Bunny Hop]

Thanks for the review @Belsornia ! If there's some resemblance to their old shows from the '80s and '90s then I'll be happy, and I'll be there for the nostalgia value as the last opportunity to see T&D skate. Hopefully they'll cut down on the Dancing On Ice stuff for the Australian audience because the Aussie version only last a single season and the British one I don't think was shown here at all (I was in the UK for the early years of DoI so can't say for sure).

It was Torvill & Dean who first sparked my interest in skating, so I'm excited to go but have to wait until June.

 

[ostile17]

If you want have an idea on how the show looks, this YouTube channel has all the TD dances and moments of the show.
It was filmed on Saturday 13th at Wembley arena.

I flew in from Italy to London to see them and it was totally worth it!

As it was already mentioned, the show was a little cheesy and in my opinion wasn't up the their older tours' standards.
Still totally worth to see them one last time and, for me, to pay tribute to them.

Summertime Blues and Bolero were my favorites TD moments, but I'd gladly have done without team KoKo in the cast (LOL sorry)

The DOI part was too long as was the pre-recorded material, and I can't believe they didn't do Paso Doble and all those creative professional numbers that @Belsornia already mentioned.
The original Encounter is my very favorite and I was kinda mad at them for not doing that, albeit shortly.

I was also very happy that I got to meet them and talk to them afterwards after 16 years. I was so happy that they still remember me after all this time...

Go watch it if you can. Last chance to see these living legends LIVE