ICE SKATING: A Golden Moment - Concert On Ice

A Golden Moment Saturday, October 21, 2000, 7:30 PM Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA

"Would all the breast cancer survivors in the audience please stand up?" Richard Roundtree, the master of ceremonies, made this request, and about 20-30 people in the audience stood up.

There was a block of about 10-15 ladies wearing pink shirts, standing in the middle of the arena, celebrating their triumph over breast cancer.

"Now please stay standing," Roundtree continued. "We want to make a point here. Will everyone who knows someone who has or has had breast cancer please stand up?"

Within seconds, over 90% of the audience was standing.

"Look around you. You see, breast cancer affects everyone."

This was Kristi Yamaguchi's "A Golden Moment." The show, enjoying its encore performance, aimed to raise money for breast cancer awareness. This year, "A Golden Moment" partnered up with the San Francisco/Bay Area affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Together, they created a matching grant of $250,000 called the "Golden Opportunity Fund."

Kristi Yamaguchi's "A Golden Moment" was a noble contribution towards cancer awareness, and it was a true concert on ice, that brought live music and figure skating together onto one stage.

The show featured some of the most famous and highly respected figure skaters and musicians in the world. Kristi Yamaguchi, Brian Boitano, Scott Hamilton, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Kurt Browning - some of the most successful figure skaters in the last decade. Martina McBride, Peabo Bryson, Bobby Caldwell, Gary Morris, Roberta Flack - a few of the most talented singers in the world today.

The mistress of ceremonies, America's premiere skating sweetheart and breast cancer survivor, was Peggy Flemming. The master of ceremonies was the actor who rose to stardom as "Shaft," and then survived breast cancer himself, Richard Roundtree.

"A Golden Moment" attempted to do what few skating shows have attempted to do: blend the art of figure skating with the art of live musical performance. It was, as Kristi Yamaguchi called it, a concert on ice.

So many figure skating exhibitions are coordinated with recorded music, but live music added emotion, excitement, and difficulty to every performance.

Some skaters did not live up to the singing, and some songs did not fully compliment the skaters. However, when the singer and the skater came together perfectly, it seemed as if they completed each other.

The show opened with Scott Hamilton performing to Bobby Caldwell and his Big Band, "In the Mood." He was his usual entertaining self, landing two backflips and energizing the audience. Rosalynn Sumners then performed to Jennifer Paige's "Crush." Her program was flirtatious and fun, but a few missed notes by Jennifer Paige did not contribute to the total package of the performance.

However, the performance that would really draw the audience into the show was still missing. That performance came in Kurt Browning, skating to Bobby Caldwell and his Big Band, "Beyond the Sea." One of the best performances of the night, Kurt Browning's choreography and interpretation totally embodied the music. He did many tricky and clever footwork sequences, as well as landing quite a few triple jumps. Kurt's program was wonderfully blended with the music.

Renee Roca and Gorsha Sur performed next to Ann Hampton Callaway's "I'll Be Seeing You." The mesmerizing dance team outperformed Callaway with their emotional expression, lifts, and spirals. It was a bit of a disappointment, as the emotion of the team was somewhat subdued by the less emotional singing of Callaway.

Martina McBride sung to "There You Are," and she was incredible. The strength of her voice and her technique and control were amazing, and the song was very fulfilling. She left the audience wanting for more vocalists like her.

That was perfect, because the next performers were Brian Boitano, skating to Peabo Bryson's "Can You Stop the Rain." Bryson and Boitano's styles matched each other very well. Both had a very commanding presence, Bryson of music, and Boitano of the ice. Boitano landed a triple toeloop-triple toeloop combination, which got the audience very excited! He followed that with beautiful spirals and spread eagles, and still more powerful jumps. The powerful and elegant choreography went very well with Bryson's singing. However, the only distraction was in the middle of the performance, when Boitano stopped and stood still on the ice for up to a minute, while Bryson continued to sing.

While Bryson's singing was very enjoyable, it was difficult to enjoy it while Boitano was standing, motionless, on the ice. Everyone seemed to be waiting for him to start skating again. The performance would have been more effective if Bryson had sung his solo part in the beginning, and Boitano came out onto the ice in the middle of the song.

Then, the producer and main star of the evening, Kristi Yamaguchi, skated to Roberta Flack's "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." Yamaguchi struggled a little bit with her jumps, stepping out of a triple loop, but landed her triple toe and double axel very nicely. The program was classic, simple elegance.

There was a 20-minute intermission, and the second act started with a solo performance by Bobby Caldwell to "What You Won't Do For Love." It served as a signal for audience members still in line at the concession stands or wandering around outside to come back inside and enjoy the second act.

Martina McBride sung "My Valentine," interpreted by Rosalynn Sumners. The piece was very soft and romantic, and the choreography fit it well.

Ekaterina Gordeeva followed Sumners, skating to Jennifer Paige's new single, "Beautiful." The music itself is very full and yearning at the same time, and it seemed that Gordeeva was perfect for it. Paige's voice, however, was sometimes barely audible over the music, and other times too loud. It proved to be quite a distraction, possibly for Gordeeva as well. She struggled a bit with her elements, stepping out of a double lutz and falling out of a spin. However, her trademark speed and spirals were there, and by the end she had grown a bit more comfortable than in the beginning.

Kurt Browning then showed off his dramatic, emotional side, performing to Gary Morris and "Bring Him Home," from the musical Les Miserables. His jumps were spot on; he even landed three double axels in a row. The choreography was not as complicated as it had been in his first performance, but this fit the music. The music was a difficult piece to skate to and a difficult piece to sing, as there were barely any instrumentals, and only Morris's powerful voice carried the tune.

However, Kurt interpreted this dramatic piece just as well, and arguably even better, than he interpreted his fun-loving piece earlier in the evening. He received a standing ovation from some audience members.

Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson sang the beautiful duet, "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love," and the married pair Jenni Meno and Todd Sand skated to it. Meno and Sand, while they did not make any major mistakes, did not perform as nicely as they could have. Meno singled a throw double axel, and Sand had a bit of trouble with one of their lifts. The music was so touching, but sadly, Meno and Sand did not quite perform up to the caliber or Flack and Bryson.

Peabo Bryson then sung a very special song, which he dedicated to Kristi Yamaguchi, for her hard work for breast cancer awareness. Bryson said that the song symbolized all the hopes and the dreams of the world. He invited Regina Belle out onto the stage with him to sing "A Whole New World." Their duet was rich and overwhelming.

After so many slow songs, it was time to get moving again with a cheery song, and Brian Boitano skated to "Come Fly With Me," performed by Bobby Caldwell and his Big Band. Caldwell sung the first section and chorus of the song, and during the second section, Brian Boitano came out onto the ice and skated with his usual technical prowess. He showed off his lighter side, and even did his signature death drop (he didn't do a death drop or 'Tano Lutz in his first program). Brian got the second standing ovation of the night.

Scott Hamilton dedicated his performance to his mother, who died of breast cancer. He interpreted "With One More Look," sung by Gary Morris. The program was emotional and meaningful, and he also received a standing ovation from the crowd - the third of the evening.

Then, the star, Kristi Yamaguchi herself, performed an upbeat number to close the show. She skated to "I Love You," Martina McBride's single from the movie "Runaway Bride." Kristi fell on her triple flip, but landed her triple toe towards the end of the program. Her performance was a nice, fun way to close the show, and when Kristi finished, the whole arena stood up for her. The audience sat back down again, but everyone was soon back on their feet as the Golden Moment cast performed their final number to "You've Got A Friend." The applause was not only for the performances, the musicians, and the skaters, but it was for their noble cause and effort to raise funds for breast cancer awareness.

The show was very enjoyable, and featured some of the biggest stars in figure skating and in the music world. I very much look forward to attending the show again next year.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lynn Plage, who handled the publicity for "A Golden Moment." She made my attendance at the show, and the subsequent review, possible. Thank you, Lynn!