Cool heads at work behind the scenes
THE ICE IS 3.8cm thick and put together in plates 2.5 metres by a metre wide. During tours, a Holiday on Ice show can be up and running in a new city within 48 hours.
Once the plates are put down, the ice is sprayed on layer by layer to build up. Twenty-four containers delivered for each new show contain boots, costumes, lighting equipment and all the other paraphernalia used for this hi-tech entertainment.
Behind the scenes crew work frantically to set up the light features and ensure everything is ready to roll for the show.
Timing during the show has to be meticulous as the dancers dash off the ice, change costumes and run back on for the next number. Backstage, the crew members have to be in place to ensure that the timetable runs smoothly and that people do not collide into each other. There is also a stall backstage with coffee and baguettes to keep energy levels up during breaks.
The show is timed, primed and professional, making the spectacle on the ice look as happy and relaxed as possible.
With 18 to 20 nationalities in the show, it is one big touring family. Some of the performers are the children or grandchildren of former Holiday on Ice dancers. There are Russians married to Czechs, Polish learning Japanese, a wandering nucleus of dancers moving from one capital to the next. And they have to get along, because they are cocooned together over long periods. Some dancing partners used to be married and are now divorced, but continue to enjoy harmonious professional relationships.
Costume designer Bonita Bryg is based in London. Once the concept of Hollywood was established, she had just weeks to come up with hundreds of costume ideas for the performers. Each costume had to be rugged enough to withstand the rigours of the tour. Bryg is a former ballet dancer who trained at the Royal Academy of Dancing before joining the Royal Ballet Company, where she danced with Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev.
Bryg later became the stylist for boy band Take That and has since worked in a similar role for other stars, including Level 42 and Lulu. Using her theatrical experience and flair as a stylist, Bryg designed the costumes for the Hollywood show, constructing extravagant outfits, including ones that light up for the Star Wars finale.
Many of the performers come from eastern Europe, including Russians and Ukrainians who have learned showbiz from the Americans and Canadians but bring a discipline to the show that comes from years of training.
The ice rink is not as big as it looks. Most of the rinks used by the performers are only a third or a quarter of the size of an Olympic rink, so it is important for performers to be precise in their movements.
