Stars on Ice sparkles

Last night's Stars on Ice show delivered what it promised. More than a dozen world champion and Olympic-medallist skaters charmed a packed Metro Centre for the first stop on the annual cross-Canada tour.

From Olympic champs Jamie Sale and David Pelletier and Alexi Yagudin to crowd favourites Kurt Browning and Shae-Lynn Bourne, the arena was lit with the brightest stars of the skating world.

The fast-moving show alternated spectacular solo routines with tightly choreographed ensemble pieces, all set to music and lit with banks of coloured lights. Unlike tightly wound high-stakes skating competitions, Stars On Ice lightens the intensity and lets the skaters' personalities drive the show.

Browning is the charismatic centre of the production. Though he's left the quadruple jumps in his past, Browning is still the consummate entertainer on ice, melding precision skating with his irrepressible charm.

At the other end of the scale is Yagudin, the black prince of figure skating. Once the most dominating skater of his generation, the Russian performed two dynamic solo pieces.

He still looks like a caged cat, ready to explode in a heartbeat, even when skating in coveralls with a push-broom in a campy routine with other skaters.

Stealing the show were Sale and Pelletier, in a sultry, flowing piece to the song Come Away With Me. Their pairs skating is effortless, balancing artistry with athleticism. Later in the show, they tuned up their comic flair for a funny send-up as a squabbling pair of ballroom dancers.

Six-time Canadian champion Jennifer Robinson skated a cool-jazz piece, looking vampy and relaxed. The sentimental favourite of the night was former world champions and five-time Canadian champs Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, making their last appearance on the Stars On Ice tour after 11 years. The pair offered their take on Avril Lavigne's Sk8ter Boy, a hit with the younger kids in the crowd.