Story by Claudia Ramirez / Photos by Javier Vicencio
The 2026 edition of Stars on Ice brought Olympic-caliber skating and unforgettable entertainment to the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, on May 29. Featuring an all-star cast that included Olympic champions Alysa Liu, Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn, Madison Chock, Evan Bates, Ellie Kam, and Danny O’Shea, the evening celebrated the artistry, athleticism, and camaraderie that define the sport at its highest level. The show kicked off with the full cast skating coordinately all over the ice in black hooded costumes and cargo pants to “Brink of Annihilation/Fearless” by Tommee Profitt. Olympic gold medalist Ilia Malinin came out halfway through and while he had a small solo performance, the cast removed their black costumes to unveil orange and green costumes. They continued skating, jumping and spinning before being introduced one after another at center ice. Texas native Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Ilia Malinin received the loudest cheers and screams from the crowd.
First-Half Highlights
Starting off the individual program numbers was 2026 U.S. silver medalist Andrew Torgashev. This was Torgashev’s first Stars on Ice tour and he woke the crowd up by starting off with a double jump and a backflip. After adding another double jump to this routine, the crowd started clapping to the chosen tune of “Out of Time” by Bradley Cooper. Next was 2024 World silver medalist Isabeau Levito. Her elegant mannerisms, bedazzled pink outfit, and a wide variety of spin moves throughout the performance played along perfectly with Madonna’s “Material Girl”. Next were 2026 U.S. bronze medalists Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, who skated to “Say it Right” by Hyperboat and “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado. Their routine was intimate and close, with Carreira making two complete 360-degree vertical flips in Ponomarenko’s arms and several 360-degree spins around his neck. In the end Carreira jokingly pushed Ponomarenko down on the ice, stood beside him and then proceeded to drag him a bit on the ice before taking their bows. Next was the 2026 Olympic Champion, Alysa Liu. Liu glided effortlessly on the ice perfectly matching every stride, jump and spin with the rhythm of “Promise” by Laufey. A fan favorite, Liu’s ability to turn so easily on a dime deceives you into believing anybody can dance on that frozen surface.
Reliving Olympic Glory
Liu’s performance segued into a special moment of the show. She was joined by her 2026 Olympic gold medal teammates Madison Chock, Evan Bates, Amber Glenn, Ilia Malinin, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea. After high-fiving Liu, Bates mentioned that these have been a couple of crazy months for Alysa and asked her: “Alysa, is there anything you want to say?”, to what she responded with a smile: “That’s what I’m … talking about!” while Chock and Bates use their microphones to “bleep” that famous middle part of her sentence. Bates mentioned that those seven skaters brought home the gold in the Milan 2026 Olympics last January. “We are about to recreate our Olympic gold medal Olympic performances, right here, right now for you!” he said. Then they took turns skating a few seconds of their memorable programs from the team event in Milan, while their teammates watched seated at white boxes at the end of the rink. First up was Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea. The couple skated a few minutes of their Olympic free skate routine with O’Shea lifting Kam over his head with one hand to the tunes of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Cinematic Pop. “Allen, Texas, you brought the energy tonight!” said O’Shea before jokingly accepting Malinin’s request to rub his bald head for good luck.
Plano, Texas native, Amber Glenn followed them by skating the final moments of her high-speed presentation to the tune of “I Will Find You” by Audiomachine. It had so many spins that one wonders how can she avoid being dizzy. “It’s a great crowd by the way!”, said Alyssa Liu, “I have a challenge for you guys, can you clap on beat? Because our next skaters will be skating to the sound of your clap, so let’s not mess up!”, she said. Then Madison Chock and Evan Bates skated a few seconds of the sequence of their Olympic free dance to the beat of the clapping of the audience. “The Quad God”, Ilia Malinin, closed out this trip down memory lane by adding another backflip to the evening during a fast-paced performance of the last minute of his free skate “A Voice” with music of Power-Haus.The team took their bows at center ice and Amber Glenn remembered the moments before finding out the American team had won the gold in the team event back in Milan. “When I tell you, I was more nervous for those results than I was actually competing at the Olympics, I am not joking, I was completely terrified.” She said, “Luckily, I had my wonderful teammates there for me, telling me that in their hearts, I will be a champion. I will always be grateful for their kindness.” Then the team flipped over the white boxes in which they were sitting to reveal the words “American Gold” on them. They stood on the boxes and put gold medal replicas around each other necks, reenacting their Olympic medal ceremony. The crowd started chanting “USA! USA!”
Champions in Their Element
After the medal ceremony, Madison Chock and Evan Bates skated their flamenco free dance “Paint it Black” by Ramin Djawadi in a mid-tempo, acrobatic performance where Chock, her red skirt flying all over, rode on Bates’ back putting her skates on his thighs. A perfectly synchronized piece, they did a great job at keeping the pace and distance between them at all times, showing their experience and professionalism. Next was 2018 Olympic team bronze medalist Jason Brown dressed up in a tuxedo and a top hat. Brown’s high-energy program included a coat rack, a chair, and a baton pulled out of his costume. Brown’s gravity-defiant routine included a costume swap when, in the middle of fast spins and 180 degree open-legged leaps, he got rid of the tuxedo and finished skating to “Friend Like Me” by Ne-Yo in a blue shirt, red pants and bedazzled red suspenders.Next was 2026 Olympic gold medalist Amber Glenn. Dressed in a dark grey suit, a sleeveless white shirt and a black rhinestone tie, Glenn’s routine demonstrated her skills to jump and spin at high speed while skating backwards and her unique ability to skate with her back parallel to the ice. After removing the top part of her suit, she continued spinning in all kinds of styles skating to “That’s Life” performed by Lady Gaga.
Next were Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea. Kam dressed in a crystal rhinestone dress and O’Shea dressed in a white suit and pilot-style sunglasses, they performed their routine skating to “On the Floor” by Jennifer Lopez and “Give Me Everything” by Pitbull. This was a highly acrobatic presentation where O’Shea grabbed Kam by a hand and an ankle, and spun her around several times with her body horizontally close to the ice. This was before lifting her on top of his head and holding her with one hand. All this without O’Shea breaking a sweat. Next was the last solo performance of the first half of the show. Olympic gold medalist Ilia Malinin skated to YUNGBLUD’s cover of the KISS song “I Was Made for Lovin’ You.” Dressed in a white shirt over a white tank top and black jeans, Malinin skated and spun all around the iced surface before taking off his shirt, grabbing a red rose and throwing it to the audience. Growing in intensity towards the end, Malinin’s theatrical routine, which included his trademark backflip, showed a performer at the top of his game.
Next, the cast danced in pink, purple and burgundy-colored costumes to “Too Darn Hot” by Sara Gazarek in a Broadway-style fun, high-energy jazz-pop presentation. “There are many reasons to celebrate tonight!” Jason Brown said, “We have been driven around this country for the last six weeks, we have been in the back of the bus, talking, relaxing, yelling, screaming, sleeping, and all that while our bus drivers have been pulling all-nighters. They have been going nonstop. But they are here tonight, so please give it up for TC, Matt and Bill in section 105!” Brown also had the audience say happy birthday to Andrew Torgashev on his 25th birthday.
A Second Half Full of Energy
After a 15-minute intermission, Brown, Ponomarenko, Malinin, O’Shea and Torgashev skated in light green suits to “I Just Might” by Bruno Mars. During this presentation, the Brunos (as O’Shea called them) tricked the crowd into a group backflip that never happened and high-fived people sitting near the ice. Next was the 2026 World bronze medalists Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik. They looked like two highly-skilled, acrobatic ballroom dancers enjoying their moment in the spotlight. In a high-energy performance, Kolesnik spun Zingas both near ice level and around his neck while dancing to the tune of “Thrift Shop” and “Downtown” by Macklenmore. At one point, Kolesnik high-fived a couple of people in the audience before Zingas skated between his legs. It was obvious they were having a blast. Next was Amber Glenn. Wearing a burgundy dress, Glenn took the audience into a spiritual trance skating to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer”. Sliding with one knee on the ice while the lyrics said “You know I’ll take you there…” sounded more like a prophecy than a promise. The crowd started clapping and Amber received a Texas-sized ovation at the end of her presentation.
Next was Olympic gold medalists Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea. They skated a perfectly choreographed mid-tempo pair routine to “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in which both skaters comfortably perform difficult athletic feats. Kam and O’Shea moved from one technical element to another without missing a beat with the most impressive part being when O’Shea spun Kam in a diagonal position and her head traveled very close to the ice at a high speed. Next was Jason Brown. Brown performed a modified version of his free program from the 2024-2025 season to the tune of “Spiegel im Spiegel” by Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà. Dressed in a black full body leotard, Brown gymnastically danced a very emotional piece, matching his pirouetting movements to the rhythm of the sounds of the violin and piano.
The Feel-Good Moment of the Night
Next were the “Blade Angels”. Arguably, the feel-good presentation of the night. Glenn, Levito and Liu started the performance together, then skated all over the ice, then came together again to “Golden” by KPop Demon Hunters. Each skater had her time to shine, yet they knew their power was in the union. This presentation lifted some hearts, watered some eyes and felt just… awesome. Next was Andrew Torgashev. He skated his competitive free skate to “This Place Was A Shelter” by Òlafur Arnalds and “Good News” by Apashe. Dressed in a black Lycra outfit with gold rhinestones, Torgashev’s face went from serious to determined. His movements were exact; his spins deliberate and his speed increased until his time ran out. After watching the freedom of the “Blade Angels”, Torgashev’s routine looked like a serious pro aiming for the gold medal. Next was Isabeau Levito. She prepared a mid-tempo, elegant, yet resilient session for the second half of the show. She flew down the ice in red dress and gloves, holding her leg up while spinning to “Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo” by Sophia Loren. Then Madison Chock and Evan Bates skated a romantic piece inspired in the chase, catch and togetherness of life to “Slide” by James Bay.
And then, covering his face with a hoodie, Ilia Malinin provided a memorable, high energy performance skating to “Lose Yourself” by Eminen and “Jump Around” by House of Pain. The “Quad God” shook hands with people at ice level and did four backflips in a row. The crowd loves Ilia, and the presentation was choreographed to take advantage of that fact.
Alysa Liu and a Colorful Finale
After a short video presentation of some of her recent televised interviews, Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu stood in a rhinestone dark blue dress at the skaters’ entrance, which now was dolled up with a red curtain. Liu skated her Olympic exhibition program to “Stateside” by Pink Pantheress, and she mimicked a happy little girl running around and discovering the beauty of life in a forest. In contrast with her other routines, in this one we could see that smiley face that we loved watching during the Olympics.The final group number was “Life in Color” by OneRepublic. The full cast came out in black, full body costumes that had pixelated colors throughout. They spun, danced and jumped their way around the ice. They all high-fived people on ice level before their final goodbye bow. The people in the stands responded to this amazing show of talent in the best way they could, by applauding and cheering their hearts out.
Conclusion:
These Stars on Ice athletes performed most of these technical elements at inhuman speeds, yet, they made it look so easy. They spun and jumped and stopped, they did it with such grace and finesse.
They definitely make figure skating look so much fun. Stars on Ice, they put the awe in awesome.
