Crew get warmed up for a very cool show

By RENEE KIRIONA

A popular ballet show performed on ice is bound to send shivers down the spines of its audience - or at least those sitting in the front four rows.

More than 14 tonnes of ice have been used to transform the stage at the Civic Theatre in Auckland into a 15m x 15m ice rink.

The Nutcracker on Ice, which opens tonight, features 26 of Russia's best ice dancers skating on 75mm of solid water to Tchaikovsky's musical score.

The theatre's production manager, Stephen Crowcroft, said that although the ice rink was "high-maintenance" - it is made up of a plastic membrane insulated with polystyrene, plywood and an $8000 pool liner - it was great to see a show of this calibre and size come to New Zealand.

Special props have also been fitted beneath the Civic's stage to stop it flexing and cracking.

Among the crew are five technicians whose main role is to maintain the ice rink and its refrigeration system.

The show tells the story of young Clara's Christmas Eve adventures with her nutcracker doll, who is transformed into a handsome prince.

The cast of colourful characters, from toy soldiers and mice to the Land of Sweets and the Sugar Plum Fairy, will showcase technical skating on a level never seen in New Zealand.