http://www.ifsmagazine.com/articles/517 ... in-a-dreamOriginally published in June 2011"Art on Ice" - A Dream Within a DreamBy Susan D. RussellThough the “Art on Ice” extravaganza that takes place in Switzerland every year is not well-known in North America, the dazzling spectacular is the not-to-be-missed event of the season for Europeans.
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Every year, tens of thousands of people flock to the sold-out shows, which are a blend of live performances on stage with singers, dancers and acrobats while figure skaters twirl on the ice.
The 2011 tour, which kicked off with six shows in Zurich, was headlined by Swiss stars Stéphane Lambiel and Sarah Meier.
They were joined by an all-star cast composed of Shizuka Arakawa, Evgeni Plushenko, Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao, Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, Joannie Rochette, Jeffrey Buttle, Sinead Kerr and John Kerr, Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder, Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov and adagio pair Fiona Zaldua and Dmitri Sukhanov.
The arena in Zurich was turned into a rocking disco hall by the iconic American diva Donna Summer, who noted it was the first time she had ever been to Switzerland. Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins, Coco Gfeller and Rhonda Dorsey rounded out the onstage stars.
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Plushenko has been performing in “Art on Ice” for more years than he can remember and enjoys a strong following in Switzerland. “I think it is one of the best shows in the world; it has everything,” he said. “It is not just figure skating but musicians, acrobats, ballet dancers — and in Zurich it is such a great stadium. Everything is so professional. I really enjoy it.”
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