PEOPLE & PL ACES
bit and place more emphasis on the artistry of the sport. “It’s a whole different feel,” Deairsto says. “For performances, you really have to be bigger than life and connect with the audience … (it’s all about) getting into your character and committing fully to it.” And that’s where Smith and coach Amy Schneider come in. Schneider skated professionally with Disney on Ice and Smith has performed in — and choreographed — the Beaver Creek shows since 1998. Now, they work together to deliver dazzling shows. “I wanted to have highlevel skating and have it feel like there’s a little bit of the Ice Capades in this beautiful mountain setting,” Smith says. The coaches have orchestrated Beaver Creek shows that run the gamut, from love songs for Valentine’s Day and holiday music for Christmas, to rock ’n’ roll, outer space and pop music themes. For the past 10 years, Schneider has carried on the tradition of blending professional-level skaters with beginners in a group number choreographed to “Angel Time of Year,” from Disney’s Family Christmas Collection. “When the little kids skate in front of an audience, it’s just kind of magical,” Schneider describes the show. “They just turn on.” ANIMATING THE ICE. Smith and Schneider help skaters understand their music and the character it suggests. Then, they teach kids how to use facial expres-
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BEAVER CREEK LUXURY G 2 013 A N N UA L
above The skating shows at Beaver Creek aren’t just about moves on the ice. Theatrical lighting, costumes and an overall theme are all aspects of the performances.
I WANTED TO HAVE HIGH-LEVEL SKATING AND HAVE IT FEEL LIKE THERE’S A LITTLE BIT OF THE ICE CAPADES IN THIS BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN SETTING.” sions, body language and the crescendos in music to bring characters to life. “Kelly has a good sense of what’s going to look good to the audience,” says Chelsea Christopher, an 18-year-old who aims to compete at Nationals this year, “and Amy is more detail-oriented, so (the skating and shows) look clean.” They mix fun, lighthearted tunes with more lyrical songs to create variety for the skaters, ages 5 to 20-plus. Though Christopher is
busy training for high-level competitions, she still plans to skate in Beaver Creek’s three or four winter shows, which help her “get my mind off training and competing every day,” she explains. “Some skaters are so focused on competitions that they don’t take enough time to step away from that and show the beauty of skating.” ART ON ICE. By co-producing and performing in the shows, Smith reminds his students that skating is a beautiful art form. He wants them to “skate for the love of it — not just for competition (but rather) for the thrill of just gliding over the ice,” he says. Smith worked with Deairsto for 10 years and helped her land the Disney on Ice job. “She’s definitely the prime example of a local mountain skater that took it and made a career out of it,” Smith says, adding that performing eight or nine times a year, as opposed to once or twice,
helps every skater learn to deal with nerves, excite audiences and act professionally under any circumstance — be it rain, snow, sunshine or just feeling under the weather. “One of the things that Beaver Creek offers is this magical, beautiful setting,” describes Schneider. “Skaters are usually practicing in a kind of cold rink environment. One of the nicest things is that they get to feel a whole different side of skating.” And though the shows offer so much to the skaters, they, of course, give even more to audiences — especially kids, who just about race onto the ice to skate after the 30-minute show. “They get to see such a wide variety of skating,” says Brian Hall, of Blue Creek Productions. “It’s all theatrically lit; it’s a beautiful showcase in the middle of the resort. It’s a very close and intimate location and, even though you’re outdoors, you feel cozy with the mountain lit up and fire pits around the ice rink.”
P H OTO BY YA N N B E N J A M I N