Olympic Champions Bring 'Stars on Ice' to Boston's Agganis Arena

Stars on Ice brought a roster of American and international skating talent to Agganis Arena in Boston on April 25th, turning the evening into a live showcase of programs that many of these skaters have performed throughout the season. The tour itself has been running for decades (since 1986, to be exact), featuring some of the best competitive and professional figure skaters in the world. For this year's tour, Olympic and World-level athletes share the ice throughout the evening: Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Ilia Malinin, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, Isabeau Levito, Jason Brown, Andrew Torgashev, and the team of Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko. The Boston performance also featured guest appearances from World Championship bronze medalists Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik.

Watching Stars on Ice in Boston from a visual artist's standpoint, I was consistently re-evaluating exposure, framing, and timing as the tone changed from one song to the next. Nothing really stayed visually consistent for long, but that’s exactly what made the show feel so enthralling — even in its quieter moments. 

The show opened with a full-cast intro to “Brink of Annihilation/Fearless." The cast spread across the ice in a way that made the rink feel larger than the space itself, with overlapping movement that worked better in wide frames. I remember spending most of that section simply trying to follow patterns of motion rather than always locking onto a single subject. The synchronized movements were definitely mesmerizing to watch.

The first of the individual performances was by Andrew Torgashev, set to “Out of Time” from the film A Star is Born. Then Isabeau Levito’s “Material Girl” moved in the opposite direction visually, with a slower tempo, of course, but still fun and light-hearted.

Jason Brown’s “Friend Like Me” was one of the clearest transitions of the first act. I found myself timing shots more around emotional gestures than technical elements. Jason wore bright red pants, a blue shirt, suspenders, and a bowtie. This song choice seemed to fit right in with his personality and natural inclination towards the silly and theatrical. 

When Madison Chock and Evan Bates skated “Paint It, Black,” I was drawn to how much their program relied on shape and shadow. The red details on Madison’s outfit really added to this. Both Madison and Evan’s movements especially highlighted their silhouettes, which translated well with the arena’s spotlights. Amber Glenn’s “That’s Life” followed with a more cheerful tone, and I found myself slowing down with it, both in how I shot and how I followed the choreography. Amber wore a charming black suit and tie for this number. 

Ilia Malinin closed the first act with “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” — a firm stance, and a hand holding a rose outstretched to the audience. His speed changed my approach a bit, as I had to anticipate jumps earlier than usual and accept that sometimes I’d react slightly behind the peak moment. All in all, though, this made Ilia’s skill all the more thrilling for me, and it challenged me to be as attentive as possible. 

After a 15-20-minute intermission, the second act kicked off with “I Just Might.” Multiple skaters shared the ice this time, donning sparkly sage green suits. 

The final stretch of the show included Ilia Malinin’s “Lose Yourself/Jump Around” — there was no shortage of impressive jumps and high-energy bursts. Madison Chock and Evan Bates alskated to “Slide.” 

Alysa Liu’s “Promise” and “Stateside” were undoubtedly standouts. No matter how many times I come across video clips of her skating to PinkPantheress & Zara Larsson’s “Stateside,” I will always be astonished at her talent and the way she exudes pure joy. It was clear from the persistent waves of cheers that the audience as a whole had been looking forward to Alysa just as much. 

By the time the cast came back out for “Life in Color,” there was a sense of completeness. I was shooting a bit wider for most of it to ensure I captured the full cast in frame. It wasn't really about highlights at that point, but more so for all the talent coming together for the last few minutes of a dazzling 2-hour show. 

Looking back through my photos, what strikes me most is how ice skating photography requires a malleable attention. This kind of athletic movement required that I take into account the individual performers and how they carry themselves along a spectrum between smooth and eccentric. Documentation aside, however, Stars on Ice is an experience worth seeking out for people of all ages and backgrounds. The roster brings more than enough range in personality and style that there's genuinely always something to connect with, whether you came in knowing every skater's name or none at all.

If you're there with a camera like I was, or just in a good seat, this show gives you plenty to hold onto. 

SETLIST:

Act I

• Brink of Annihilation / Fearless – Cast
• Out of Time – Andrew Torgashev
• Material Girl – Isabeau Levito
• Say It Right / Maneater – Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko
• Promise – Alysa Liu
• American Gold – Team USA
• Paint It, Black – Madison Chock & Evan Bates
• Friend Like Me – Jason Brown
• That’s Life – Amber Glenn
• The 305 Experience – Ellie Kam & Danny O’Shea
• I Was Made for Lovin’ You – Ilia Malinin
• Too Darn Hot – Cast

Act II

• I Just Might – Jason Brown, Ilia Malinin, Danny O’Shea, Anthony Ponomarenko, Andrew Torgashev
• Like a Prayer – Amber Glenn
• Shallow – Ellie Kam & Danny O’Shea
• Spiegel im Spiegel – Jason Brown
• Golden – Amber Glenn, Isabeau Levito, Alysa Liu
• This Place Was a Shelter / Good News – Andrew Torgashev
• Zou Bisou Bisou – Isabeau Levito
• Lose Yourself / Jump Around – Ilia Malinin
• Slide – Madison Chock & Evan Bates
• Stateside – Alysa Liu
• Life in Color – Cast

For more information on the tour and future stops, visit the Stars on Ice website: https://starsonice.com/