Just got home from SOI at the Corel Centre and thought I'd quickly type up my notes - if I go to bed without doing it, I'll get busy with other things tomorrow & it'll never get done (much like my Sears Open & Winterlude Ice Champions reviews....). This was a well-attended event - the on-ice seats, 1st level, and most of the 2nd level were full, with people even up in the 3rd level. The audience loved to clap along to the music tonight, and many stood for partial or full standing O's on several occasions. I was with two friends, who sat on my right - we were at the end of the ice, the end opposite the skaters' entrance, 12 rows up, but it was quite a good view. On my left was a lady & her 2 daughters, age 7 and I'd guess about 10 or 11, who provided a few smiles for me with their occasional comments.

This was a good jump night with few real falls, only a few step-outs. Kurt had one fall in his Guitar number that he covered so well, it made you think it was part of the choreo. He had a fall again on footwork in his elevation number - that one didn't get covered up, looked like it caught him right off guard. Todd was a joy to watch out there - other than in his LOTR program, he wore a smile all night and he looked UP at the people. He looked happy and in my opinion, was a good "fit" out there.

The opening ensemble number had everyone being introduced by their own voices, just as in the US tour.

Tango (Kurt, Alexei, Brian) - a good number, that could have been much longer and I would not have complained. :) Too short for my liking. Kurt seemed a little out of sync with the other two at first but by the end of the number had settled in.

Todd - Lord of the Rings - 3 toe, 3 Axel, 3 Lutz, 2 Axel, and his usual fast, impressive spins, incl. a blindingly fast scratch spin to close. He was very warmly received here. It is only the 2nd time I've seen him live, the 1st time being the Sears Open in early Dec., and he was sick there so not at his best.

Bourne & Kraatz - Michael Jackson - huge crowd response when they took the ice and the music began. And yes, the lift that gave them grief at the Olympics is still in the program. Partial standing O.

Kurt - Guitar - other than the fall I mentioned which he covered so well you'd think it was deliberate....a good program. 3 toe and 2 double Axels, great footwork & twizzles, 3 toe, and a partial standing O. from the crowd.

Kristi - Gold - a beautiful program, the music is nice, and she skated it clean and with grace. 4 triples including a Lutz, loop, toe, and another I didn't catch....lovely Ina Bauer as well.

Brasseur & Eisler - Never Tear Us Apart - lateral twist lift, a nice program. Instead of her usual ponytail, her hair is cut quite short now & I like it - it's nice look. They rec'd a partial standing O.

Alexei - Overcome - Introduced by another 4 time world champ, Kurt - 3 toe, 3 Axel, another triple he lost control of and flipped out of, very close to the on-ice people, he managed not to fall/step up there onto them. 3 toe-3 toe. An almost complete standing O.

Vanity Tango with the guys - one of the jokes by the girls was that the perfect guy ought to have big feet. Well, this was the beginning of the fun comments with the kids beside me...the one girl asked her mom what that comment had meant, and the mom was trying to dodge the question. Finally the girl said something like "big feet....like a hockey player?".

Can Can/Because We Can - the Because we Can part had the guys (Kurt, Lloyd, Todd Sand, Victor) in drag - they pulled it off. Lloyd has obviously dressed this way before in previous routines, but I had to laugh at seeing Victor like that....definitely a first!

Act II

Lucinda - Hurting Each Other - more of her famous spins, incl. a Bielleman, a nice spiral and Ina Bauer. She did what she does best - spin - tonight and the crowd loved it.

Meno & Sand - First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - nice program, with a throw 2 Axel. BODS that didn't get very low. Still, warmly rec'd by the crowd & some even stood for them after.

Oh Yeah - Kurt, Kristi, Brian, Lucinda - no spotlights, just each skater holding a flashlight. Spinning while holding them (and thus blinding us) and other moves....very effective.

Brasseur & Eisler - She Ain't Pretty - in drag. Isabelle wearing a bandana like Lloyd sometimes does, and they even did an attempt at a BODS (her trying to pivot) and she even "threw" him, too. They did a headbanger, but that was one move they did the traditional way. :) Standing O.

Todd - Your Song - 3 loop, fell out. Here is where we noticed the smile that wouldn't leave and that he was looking up at the crowd. 2 Axel, 3 toe.

Bourne & Kraatz - Sadness - their new hydroblading number, incl. a move or two by Victor on his own. Some moves I'd not seen from them before that I'm not even going to try and describe, but well done. Partial standing O.

Brian - Somewhere in Time - loved this at Sears Open, still love it now. Pure skating and edging, and figures. Too bad it was his only solo number of the night but with 5 men......did a 3 Salchow, delayed Axel, 2 Axel, backflip into 3 toe, 2 toe, 2 Axel. Different costume than at Sears Open - still a vest on top over a shirt but more of a suit vest than the previous sweater vest. 3/4 Standing O.

Kristi - Trust - two triples, 2 Axel. Sold the program well, the crowd seemed to enjoy it and responded warmly. The crowd seemed to like all the "up" numbers a lot tonight.

Alexei - Winter - Standing O. when he took the ice, another at the end. 3 toe, 3 Axel, 3 toe, fast footwork & lots of smiles for the crowd.

Kurt - Elevation - he had a little fall on footwork - he somehow got tripped up & he didn't see it coming. Otherwise, a good program - more good footwork, 2 Axel, 3 Salchow?, 2 Axel, 3 toe, 2 toe. Standing O.

Finale, which included the songs Close to You, For All We Know/Hurting Each Other, Top of the World, Solitaire, I Won't Last a Day Without You, Say Goodbye To Love, I Need to Be in Love, and We've Only Just Begun. Each pair or individual skated to a portion of one of these but I didn't write down who skated to which. I do remember Kurt skating to Solitaire, though, and really liking that. Shae-Lynn did a fair bit of solo work in the finale, and interplay with other male skaters.....and Kristi & Alexei skated together a little bit, very flirtatious and fun.

A long standing O. at the end of the finale for the cast, and the cast went and shook hands with as many on-ice people as they could - I saw people running down the stairs towards the ice where Alexei was hugging/shaking hands trying to get in on it, but....had to come to an end sometime. :) It was a good show - the cast is very male-heavy, but they are each SO talented, I'm not complaining! It was well worth it to go and was nearly two solid hours of skating.

Janice