We might all live in the desert, but make a trip to Zayed Sports City next month and there’s a good chance you’ll see Santa, snow and even autumnal leaves falling off trees.
The Abu Dhabi Figure Skating Team (ADFST) are back for their seventh annual, community-led show, and this time the performance is called Seasons On Ice.
Taking place at the Zayed Sports City Ice Rink on December 7 and 8, this year’s theme will see 40 local skaters dance through the seasons, including those you wouldn’t normally associate with life in the nation’s capital, such as snowy winters and blustery autumns. The show starts with summer before heading into the colder months. Winter features Father Christmas, while summer will see skaters simulating hiking and surfing trips. What’s more, there’s a segment which celebrates National Day, along with Easter and even Halloween.
The show has been put together by Tunde Gal, a Romanian skater who moved to Abu Dhabi last September (and skated and co-produced last year’s cartoon themed show).
‘I’ve been skating for 18 years now. I competed internationally until I was 20, then I stopped. I was doing shows and studying and then I moved over here,’ says Tunde. ‘I started when I was seven, competed nationally until 12, then started internationally but stopped competing when I went to university. I chose study over skating but kept up with it at national level and through doing shows.’
Now it’s Tunde’s chance to put her own spin on this year’s Seasons On Ice. ‘We couldn’t repeat ourselves, I wanted to do something new. Lots of the people in this country know about summer because it’s always hot here. So we chose the theme of seasons so the children can get to know what it means to live in a country where it isn’t always sunny,’ she adds. ‘It just came to me, it was something new. Last year’s theme was given to me when I arrived and the music was already picked. This year it was left to me, so I can do whatever comes from my heart.’
All of the 40 skaters (who are from 15 countries, including Lebanon, Canada, France and the UK) she’s been training for the show, which started in 2006, are living in Abu Dhabi. ‘The skaters are all from the city’s skating scene. We have local skaters and it’s a really nice team aged from five upwards and from many nationalities,’ She says. ‘They are a good crowd; they always cheer for each other and help each other.
The team started in 2008, but there’s been a few changes over the years as people have come and gone.’
Of course, as this is a community led production, some of the skaters are very young indeed, and Tunde has faced many challenges making sure a five-year-old can nail a complicated dance routine.
‘A child that young has to be guided from one point to another, told to count to ten and stay there. It’s not an easy job, but they listen and they are really excited about it. Everyone has a job to do and has to learn their dance and spins,’ says Tunde. ‘We trained every Saturday from 6am until midday, rehearsing all the steps. We worked for three and a half months – that’s how long it takes to put it before an audience. In the middle of every week, everyone had their own lessons where we make sure they all know what they are doing.’
The show will feature classical music, but with a modern twist, says Tunde. ‘We had to choose music that was skate-able, for older people and for little kids. We had to design all the costumes for everyone as well. We’ve chosen classical and modern music combined. Skating is usually done to classical music, but to make it entertaining for our audience, we need to include modern music as well. We combine a lot of different genres.’
The show also has a star on its roster. Zahra Lari, the first veiled Emirati skater, is taking part this year. She has represented Abu Dhabi in international figure skating competitions (for the first time in the history of the UAE) and she is training for the 2014 Winter Olympics. ‘She’s very excited about it and so are we. She’s a big part in the show,’ smiles Tunde. ‘She has multiple solo parts. She deserves to be present alone on the ice, and we have a national day number and she is going to be part of it.’
Tunde will skate in the show as a snow princess, one of Santa’s helpers and is also part of the spring dance. A lot of time and money has been invested in the sets and the outfits, but all the cash earned from tickets is ploughed straight back into next year’s production. ‘It’s a community event, it’s for the kids and to get them excited about skating and for them to show what they learnt over the year,’ says Tunde. ‘It’s a team building exercise and about getting the community together.’
December 7-8, doors open 4.30pm, show starts 5.30pm, Zayed Sports City. Tickets are Dhs70 for adults and Dhs40 for kids and are available from www.timeouttickets.com
