Alice in Wonderland and the Arabian classic 1001 Nights are set to receive a cool makeover at Emirates Palace this weekend.
Ice Vision will make its Abu Dhabi debut with the two shows, which promise to combine Russian theatrical excellence with larger-than-life video projections and elements of acrobatic circus. Karina Glushkova, who will be donning her skates for Alice in Wonderland, has only just turned 14 but has already been performing for five years with theatre-on-ice productions including Princess Anastasia on Ice, The Nutcracker, The Lord of Darkness, and Ice Stories.
She tells The National about her gruelling training schedule – and why she doesn't spend nearly enough time on her school lessons.
How did you get discovered?
My parents first took me to an ice-skating rink when I was 5. Since that moment I’ve been training hard, three hours a day, with only one day off a week. I started taking part in international competitions when I was a grade-seven student. I travelled to many countries including Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, France, Finland, and Sweden. The figure skating coach Alla Pyatova noticed me and invited me into her group, and I enrolled into the Figure Skating Academy of St Petersburg.
The shows will be performed at Emirates Palace on synthetic ice, which is made from plastic. How do you find skating on synthetic ice compared with real ice?
Synthetic ice requires more strength and energy as you have to press blades more intensively and with more strength to skate smoothly. Skating at high speed is also an issue. The synthetic ice likely allows some spins, jumping elements and tricks.
What are the top skills you need as a figure skater?
Ice is my world and nature. I can’t see my life without figure skating. I believe the most important characteristics to have as a figure skater are motivation, steel nerves, a strong will, a strong work ethic and enthusiasm. If you have no talent but you work hard, you will achieve success faster than a slug with a talent.
Do you worry about the trickier moves going wrong?
Sometimes I feel uncertainty while coming out in championships, so I have to concentrate and I struggle with that. I’ve had bad experiences, too: performance music failures, broken CDs and my locker being broken into.
Were you a fan of Alice in Wonderland when you were a child?
I read Alice in Wonderland many times for sure, but my favourite character has always been Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio. I love him very much for his kindness and fairness. I believe I should live with my soul in peace and my conscience clear.
Do you still find time for school work?
I have a first senior degree in single skating now. Next season I am going to start my Candidate Masters. I speak English fluently and I have two Cambridge certificates. But studying is very tough as I don’t have enough time to attend lessons.
• Both shows are at Emirates Palace on Friday and Saturday. Tickets cost from Dh100. Visit www.ticketmaster.ae to book
Arabian Nights on Ice
Vladimir Petrov, head of Ice Vision, the company bringing the two shows to Emirates Palace, explains how it came to adapt a collection of Arab folk tales into a modern ice show:
"The performance on ice was inspired by the Arabian Nights tale of King Shahryar of Persia, and his queen, Scheherazade, who narrates the stories. The settings are inspired by the most famous fairytales, such as Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and Aladdin and the Magic Bird. Transforming the famous Arab tale into an ice show makes for an interesting visual combination. We already knew the tales of 1001 Nights, as this book can often be seen on bookshelves in Russia. In fact, many people know this book from their childhood."
Creating the rink
Emirates Palace has played host to an international film festival, a tennis championship, Russian ballet and even a Bon Jovi concert in the past, but this is the first time it will host two different shows on ice, albeit fake, not frozen.
Covering an area of 220 square metres, the ice is made of plastic — or if you want to get technical, interlocking panels of high-density polythene, which become an “ice rink” when sprayed with special “gliding” fluid.
Getting all that “ice” to its destination, and then turning it into a rink, is quite an undertaking. It will be transported by lorry in blocks by the Sharjah-based international synthetic ice providers Xtraice.
Synthetic ice is becoming popular as an ecologically sound alternative to real ice, and not just in warmer climates: Xtraice has three synthetic ice rinks set up in the foothills of the Alps.
The parquet on Emirates Palace’s auditorium stage will be covered before the ice is laid down. It will then take two days to install the rink, in time for the first performance of Alice in Wonderland at 4pm on Friday.
artslife@thenational.ae
