For the week of June 13 - June 19, 2001

Skating stars will step into spotlight

2001 Sun Valley Ice Show debuts Saturday

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"I think it’s going to be a very exciting summer"

-Sun Valley ice show producer Rainer Kolb

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By JODY ZARKOS
Express Staff Writer

Rainer Kolb has been in charge of the Sun Valley ice shows for the past 24 years, but he is especially enthusiastic about this summer.

Gia Guddat, Sun Valley Ice Show artistic director and choreographer. Express photo by Willy Cook

The 2001 summer schedule of 17 ice shows begins Saturday, June 16 at dusk at Sun Valley Skating Center and continues each Saturday evening through Sept. 22.

"What excites me is we are bringing in quite a few new, great skaters and, of course, some very big names. It is a great mix," Kolb said.

"From a headliner standpoint it looks like our strongest group ever."

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time World Champion Katarina Witt will appear on the Sun Valley ice three times, including a special Fourth of July show during the middle of the week. The strong, graceful German beauty also skates on July 7 and July 14.

"Katarina is a real star." Kolb said. "She is an absolutely classic skater and she loves it here."

Another star in the skating galaxy is nine-time French champion Surya Bonaly, known for her athleticism, including a one-footed back flip.

"People always leave happy after they see her. She is very exciting," Kolb said.

Bonaly, a three-time World silver medalist, takes the Sun Valley ice on July 21.

Prior to Independence Day, which is the unofficial start to the summer season at the resort, there will be three ice shows and some fine-tuning of the show’s acts by ice show director Andrzej Dostatni and artistic director/choreographer Gia Guddat.

Kolb said Guddat is working on an ensemble piece revolving around the Moulin Rouge theme, prominent in recent weeks because of a new movie.

U.S. Open bronze medalists Darlin Baker and Andrzej Dostatni. Express photo by Willy Cook

Professional world champions Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding kick off the weekly ice shows on Saturday, June 16, followed by 2000 professional world champions Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko of Russia on June 23.

U.S. silver medalist Tonia Kwiatkowski will skate the first three shows.

Leonova and Khvalko won’t perform at Saturday’s debut show, but they’re scheduled for each show through Aug. 4. Hartshorn and Sweiding will perform through Labor Day.

Ice show mainstay, Olympic bronze medalist and European champion Jozef "Jumpin’ Joe" Sabovcik of Slovakia headlines on June 30.

And the Sun Valley Ice Show is brightened each week by U.S. Open bronze medalists Darlin Baker and Andrzej Dostatni—ice dancers equal to any who visit the Sun Valley rink. Dostatni is a six-time Polish ice dancing champion, and statuesque Baker hails from Utah.

Kolb said he is currently negotiating with three-time world champion Aleksei Yagudin of St. Petersburg. Kolb is also hoping to entice Nancy Kerrigan, 1998 Olympic king Ilya Kulik and Scott Hamilton to appear on Sun Valley ice.

There is some discussion about Dorothy Hamill And Kolb is continuing his talks with 15-year-old American amateurs Sarah Hughes and Sasha Cohen.

"It is hard right now because people are training for the Olympics, but the way it looks we are going to have a great combination of name skaters and new skaters. There are some amazing skaters out there at the moment," Kolb said.

Providing the comic touch at the shows from June 16 through July 10 will be the comedy team of Akop Manoukian and Armen Saakian. Several years ago Manoukian performed here with then-partner Ari Zakarian.

Kolb said he regrets that the enormously-popular acrobats Vladymyr Besedin and Oleksiy Polishchuk, from Kiev, Ukraine, won’t be able to perform until late summer, at the earliest. "They have so much work this summer," Kolb said.

But Kolb said he is excited to have national bronze medalist Dan Hollander for a month, starting June 30. "Dan is a great show skater," said Kolb.

There is also a good chance that 1996 Swiss national champion Lucinda Ruh will return at the end of July, through Labor Day. Ruh, known for her 270-revolutions-a-minute spinning technique, was the hit of last summer’s ice show.

The Sun Valley Ice Show runs through September 22. Each show lasts one hour and 15 minutes. Capacity crowds draw just over 2,000 spectators.

Prices for general admission tickets start at $27. Sun Room seating and buffet tickets are also available at the Sun Valley Sports Center, or by calling 622-2231. Visit the Web site at www.sunvalley.com.

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.