The Imperial Ice Stars, an international ice dance sensation, brings every little girl’s fairytale to life through their recreation of the well-known story of Sleeping Beauty.

The show delivers a visual feast from beginning to end through the use of grandiose costuming, aerial acrobatics, pyrotechnics, and even LED costume elements. All of this is paired with fantastic lighting and visual effects, a magnificent set, and performed to the memorable music of Tchaikovsky. The only distraction to all this delight is a couple of awkward landings, and some minor deviations from the storyline — such as the Prince waking the beloved Princess Aurora not with a romantic kiss, but with a serum. None of that matters, though, when the skilled performers are leaping across the stage in quick succession, spinning into oblivion and showing their masterful prowess on the ice.

A wonderful duet in the first Act by the Queen (played by Fiona Kirk) and the King (played by Volodymyr Khodakivskyy) is a partnership is so natural and effortless and the moments of brilliance are followed by comedic relief performed by Khodakivskyy, drawing audible chuckles from the audience.

Another standout scene is the fight sequence between the villain Carabosse (played by Yahor Maistrou) and Prince Desire (Egor Chudin).The fight scene itself begins with snowfall through which the dancers fly, giving the impression of an intense blizzard and building the anticipation to become a storm of clashing swords. The entrance of Carabosse and his entourage brings to mind the image of a dragon’s tail as they weave around the stage, and the clever lattice formation created with the five dancers stacked on each other is very impressive.

The final scene fulfills every little girl’s fantasy of a fairytale wedding. The use of aerials creates a fluidity in the air that reflects the fluidity of the movement on the ice and gives a multi-dimensional experience for the audience.  The celebrations transition into the encore which treats the spectators to a happy indulgence, showing off each performer’s finest tricks.

In all the show is a very family friendly experience that will thrill all ages with some of the best ice dancing tricks and performers in the industry.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer