THE PASSION TO SKATE; An Intimate View of Figure Skating

Katarina Witt, Brian Boitano, Kristi Yamaguchi, Lu Chen - these are only some of the dynamic performers profiled in The Passion to Skate.
Now, for the first time, we can go behind the scenes with an insider for an in-depth look at the world of these skating superstars, from training to traveling, from performances to life off the ice.
Drawing on her experience as a world-renowned choreographer and former champion skater, Sandra Bezic describes the competitive and artistic strategies behind international gold-medal-winning performances. She outlines each of the critical steps in this process, from developing the sound...to the look...to the movement. Taking us backstage at Stars on Ice, one of North America's top touring shows, she describes the special challenges of translating skating onto film and TV screens. While vividly illustrating the drive, ambition, and passion necessary to succeed in the elite ranks of skating, Sandra reveals her many tricks of the trade with humor and clarity.

YA. A beautifully photographed, oversized volume. Current stars such as Oksana Baiul, Scott Hamilton, Katarina Witt, and many others give insight into their philosophies and appreciation of the sport, and are pictured in various performance roles. While much has been written lately about the pressures on young athletes, this account emphasizes their depth of commitment both to skating and to the inner circle of fellow professionals. There are moving reflections on the death of Sergei Grinkov and a tribute to his young wife and partner, Katia, by the family of skaters.?Frances Reiher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Bezic, a five-time Canadian pairs champion and competitor in the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, turned her ice-skating talents into a full-scale profession as a choreographer, director, and producer. She has been involved with more than 25 television specials, including the Emmy-winning "Carmen on Ice" and "You Must Remember This," which featured Kurt Browning skating in a downpour to "Singin' in the Rain." She also directs and coproduces the touring show Stars on Ice, which Scott Hamilton founded in 1986. The photographs in this picture book reflect Bezic's career, capturing in mid-spin such superlative individual skaters as Katarina Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi, Brian Boitano, and Brian Orser, and such outstanding couples as Barb Underhill and Paul Martini, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, and Ekaterina Gordeeva and the late Sergi Grinkov. Costumes are integral to a skater's performance, and several are displayed here along with the designer drawings. Photos taken on the road, during rehearsals, and while performing reveal aspects of the professional skater's life impossible to convey through televised coverage. Jennifer Henderson