On November 1, the renowned figure skating choreographer and artistic director Ilya Averbukh unveiled the premiere of the ice musical Carmen, a production that marries narrative theatre with performance on ice. The show invites audiences into a cinematic rink drama, where a full cast of skaters and performers translate the tragic romance of Carmen into dazzling choreography, tableaux, and daring stunts. At the center of the evening stood Evgenia Medvedeva, a two-time world champion, whose presence anchors the production and elevates the drama on the rink. Her portrayal anchored the evening, giving Carmen both warmth and menace as the story unfolded across the ice. The production’s opening night set a high bar for ice theatre, signaling a fresh direction for this unique art form that sits at the intersection of sport, music, and storytelling.
The rest of the ensemble reads like a hall of fame. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, a world and European champion known for her lyrical lines and fearless artistry, contributed a sense of poise that balanced Medvedeva’s intensity. Alexander Enbert, an Olympic medalist, brought clean technique and musical sensibility to the supporting choreography, while Tatyana Totmyanina and Maxim Marinin, Olympic champions, added a veteran grace and precision refined through years of competition. Alexey Yagudin, a Games champion famous for his power and speed, offered a commanding presence, and European champion Mark Kondratyuk provided intricate footwork and dramatic timing. The combined experience of these performers created a stage where every lift, spin, and gesture aimed to tell a story as vividly as the music itself, elevating the quality beyond a conventional dance routine.
‘Tatiana Navka shone with us,’ Averbukh remarked, recalling a night when Navka watched from the wings and delivered her own quiet praise. ‘Then Margarita Drobyazko and Zhenya Medvedeva watched the performance while training, and she told me she really wanted to play Carmen. Today we finally see her in the leading role.’ The director’s memory captured the sense of destiny that seasoned skaters carry into a project like Carmen on Ice, where the emotional arc of a single character is expressed through breath, balance, and timing as much as through spoken lines. The creative team worked to fuse operatic storytelling with skating language—moments of stillness alternating with explosive movement, lighting cues that echo the lighting of a theatre stage, and a musical score that threads passionate themes through the action on the ice. The result was a seamless blend of theatre and sport that resonated with both skating fans and theatre-goers alike, inviting audiences to invest in Carmen’s fate as a living photograph in motion.
Among the premiere attendees was a diverse line-up of personalities from sport, music, and dance. T-Killah, a popular figure in the music scene, mingled with Ksenia Alferova and Natalya Podolskaya, while Angelina Strechina joined the gathering with a cadre of fans. Dina and Arina Averina, celebrated for their dominance in rhythmic gymnastics, brought their own energy and attention. Yaroslav Sumishevsky, a noted performer, and Alla Dukhova, a renowned dance figure, were also in attendance, along with Gedeminas Taranda, a name known in the broader performing arts circles. Completing the circle, Averbukh’s wife, actress Elizaveta Arzamasova, attended with her three-year-old son Leva, making the premiere feel like a family celebration of art, athleticism, and collaboration. The presence of these guests underscored the cross-disciplinary appeal of Carmen on Ice, as it drew cheering supporters from multiple corners of the cultural world.
The production continues at CSKA Arena through November 4, inviting spectators to experience a new format that blends Carmen’s drama with the acrobatic beauty of ice skating. Set pieces combined grand stagecraft with kinetic skating—grand entrances, swift turns, and expressive, almost cinematic sequences that traced the protagonist’s inner turmoil on a frozen stage. Music and movement were tightly stitched, creating an immersive experience that felt less like a traditional ballet or revue and more like a hybrid art form designed for today’s audiences who crave spectacle, emotion, and craft in a single evening. As lights dimmed and the arena roared, spectators found themselves pulled into Carmen’s story, caught between passion and peril as Medvedeva carried the arc with a confidence earned on the world’s biggest stages.
In a closing note from the evening, a former Russian champion spoke about the difficult recovery after a serious illness, reminding the audience that resilience is a central ingredient in any elite performance. The words landed with a quiet resonance, framing the premiere not just as entertainment but as a testament to perseverance and the enduring power of sport and art to overcome adversity. The night concluded with a sense of anticipation for the run ahead, as audiences looked forward to witnessing Carmen on Ice continue to evolve on the CSKA Arena ice.