Broadway on Ice

The name more or less speaks for itself. It’s Broadway, on ice. However, when one begins to think about how this feat could be accomplished within a theater, that’s when things really begin to get interesting. And it surely was an interesting, and quite thrilling, afternoon when CWE365 took over 65 students and leaders to Walton Arts Center’s Broadway on Ice, thanks to the Take a Seat program.

When a chance to see “Broadway on Ice” was presented to our students, they all had similar reactions. Firstly, the excitement hit. Thanks to the Walton Arts Center’s generosity, we’ve treated hundreds of students to free performances of incredible shows. Because of their past fun experiences associated with the theater, kids are always looking forward to any show! Then, the questions came. “Wait. How exactly are they going to ice skate… at the Walton Arts Center?” Directors sat on the same question as well. How would something so brilliant be accomplished? Our answers were, needless to say, not satisfactory. “Maybe, there’s… ice?” We scraped the bottom of the barrel to try and explain how the show would work. We all had the same question and the same growing excitement. Anticipation built throughout the week, as more students signed up and made hypothesis after hypothesis of how the promise of an ice skating show could possibly happen within the theater’s walls.

It wasn’t until students filed into the dimly lit balcony that the truth of Broadway on Ice was revealed. A large, square skating rink had replaced the stage, and costumed skaters weaved and floated gracefully to jazzy music. A wave of awe washed over students and leaders as packs of skaters danced across the ice in tight formation. It wasn’t long before the audience was thrilled by the high-risk acrobatics of skaters. With every surprising backflip, collective gasps echoed. “It’s just so sparkly,” one Bentonville 6^th grader stated in the midst of a female skater balancing above the head of her skate partner. Students would later recount the thrill of a spinning skater as she wind-milled through the air (her head dangerously close to the ice), held by the feet, “It was terrifying, and awesome!”

We left the theater a few hours later feeling a happy sort of warmth. The stunning show was a thrill and a treat!

Bentonville Primetime Girls at the Walton Arts Center