Courtesy photo
Tired of the cold weather? Maybe a jungle-themed figure skating show will warm you right up.
The Aspen Skating Club will host its annual spring show on Saturday at Lewis Ice Arena, with a theme of “Jungle Safari on Ice.” The two shows — one at 2 p.m. and another at 6 p.m. — will showcase approximately 60 local skaters and three professional guest skaters.
Performances will be based off movies with a jungle setting, including The Lion King, The Jungle Book, Tarzan, Madagascar and Rio.
“Lots of great music. We did dress rehearsal on Sunday and the costumes are fabulous. Really bright and colorful and fun,” said Aspen Skating Club head coach Teri Hooper. “Get some summer going somewhere as it’s dumping snow again.”
Returning as the show’s emcee is Paul Wylie, who won Olympic silver at the 1992 Winter Olympics in France.
“I’m going to have him perform with the high schoolers this year,” Hooper said of Wylie, “which is kind of cool for the high schoolers, just that interaction of them actually being able to skate with an Olympian is exciting for them. They are looking forward to it.”
Also returning is Alexander Johnson, who is an international medalist. Highlighting the guest skaters is Mirai Nagasu, who won team bronze in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. Last winter in Korea, the native Californian became the first American woman to land a triple axel at the Olympics.
As they do most years, the Aspen Skating Club performances will include a special “dad’s skit,” which is especially fun for the youngest of the skaters, who are around 3-years-old.
“The kids get their dads to skate in this number and it’s super fun. Because some of them can skate, some of them can’t, and it’s entertaining,” Hooper said. “It’s made for some great camaraderie. Last night we had our dress rehearsal and all the little girls were lined up in the stands yelling and screaming for their dads. It was very cute.”
The spring show is one of the club’s largest fundraisers. New this year is a public, online auction for the local nonprofit, which ends Sunday. There is no requirement to attend the Saturday shows to take part in the auction.
Tickets for the spring show can be purchased at aspenshowtix.com and at the door the day of the event. On-ice tickets are $40, while off-ice tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children between 5 and 17. Kids 4-and-younger get in free.
A link to the online auction can be found on the club’s website at www.aspenfigureskatingclub.com.
acolbert@aspentimes.com