Fans were treated to a dazzling display of elegance on the ice as the Holiday Festival on Ice returned to the Langley Events Centre for the second straight year.
In addition to some of the world’s top figure skating talent, the event — which was held on Dec. 6 — featured award-winning jazz singer Holly Cole.
Cole, a Canadian jazz singer performed Christmas favourites lives while the figure skaters perform on the ice.
The on-ice talent included Kurt Browning, Elvis Stojko, Joannie Rochette, Jeffrey Buttle, Kimmie Meissner, John Kerr, Sinead Kerr and Shawn Sawyer.
Browning is a four-time world champion while Stojko twice won Olympic silver medals in his career.
Rochette won bronze at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, delivering a stunning performance with a heavy heart just days after her mother’s sudden passing. She became the first Canadian figure skater to land on the podium in 22 years.
The Kerrs — a brother/sister combination from Scotland — are seven-time British ice dance champions.
And two local figure skaters — Emily Bator of the Langley Figure Skating Club and Rachel Rollke of the Aldergrove Figure Skating Club — were also invited to perform.
The 17-year-old Bator has competed in the Gold level in all four disciplines and was eighth at the B.C. section championships in 2012 for junior ladies. She was also the Gold ladies champion and the silver interpretative champion last year.
Rollke, 15, received the gold medal in the introductory interpretative event at the recent Jingle Blades competition. She also helps out with the club’s younger skaters in the Learn to skate session.
Both skaters performed solos with Rollke skating to Hedley’s ‘Heaven’s Gonna Wait’ and Bator performed to Geri Halliwell’s ‘It’s Raining Men’ and ‘I Will Survive’ by the Pussycat Dolls.
The entire event was filmed by CBC and will be broadcast on Dec. 16 at 9 p.m.
