Skating duo go in search of ‘wild ice’
NOTTINGHAM’S legendary ice dance champions Torvill and Dean will be giving a performance of their spell-binding Bolero routine like no other - on a frozen lake in the wilds of Alaska.
The Olympic-winning duo will feature in a new 90-minute ITV documentary Dancing on Thin Ice with Torvill & Dean this Christmas.
In the film, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean travel to Alaska on an extraordinary quest to fulfil a life-long dream that also provides a first-hand insight into the effects of climate change.
Despite spending a remarkable 45 years on the ice together they’ve never skated in the great outdoors.
Jayne and Chris recall how as children they were inspired by a mural at the Nottingham ice rink showing skaters on a frozen mountain lake.
Ever since, they’ve wanted to skate free in nature, rather than around in circles on artificial ice.
Travelling to Alaska, luck is against them - in the country’s hottest year on record there is not a lot of ice to be found.
The effects of global warming on the environment are already being felt. So Jayne and Chris’s travels into the remote wilderness will become a hunt for wild ice, skating wherever they can, as they seek to find the perfect place to dance a special Bolero.
From train to husky sled, from frozen lakes to glaciers, their spectacular journey is narrated by Stephen Fry.
Jayne said: “I’ve always dreamed of being out in nature, skating outside and this was the most perfect opportunity to achieve that, whilst also seeing the reality of climate change with our own eyes.”
Chris added: “This is an extraordinary chance for us to skate out in the open with no constraints or the barriers of a rink.
“To discover how quickly the ice is disappearing is truly devastating. We hope it will be a reminder not to take our precious planet for granted.”