The Russian ice-show Scheherazade premiered in India at the EKA Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday and will run for four more shows over the weekend. Created by Tatiana Navka, winner of the Gold Medal for Ice Dancing at the Winter Olympics in Turin in 2005, the show offers up a spectacle of figure skating with state-of-the-art technology, music, costumes and choreography. The organisers have brought in over 1,000 tonnes of ice to the venue for the show, which features a 50-member cast and crew from Russia.
Addressing a news conference at the venue ahead of the show, Ms Navka said that the show, which is based on the world-famous 1001 Arabian Nights story, is meant to be an immersive experience. “This is our first visit to India but hopefully not our last. Ahmedabad is a great location for our debut, because we are told this city has a culture of dance. And it is also the city of Prime Minister Modi,” she said.
With the ice-dancers rehearsing in the background as Ms Navka addressed the press conference (in Russian, aided by a translator), the show certainly seemed to have the potential to mesmerise. Depending on the show timings, the tickets have been priced in the range of Rs 1,199 to Rs 6,999.
Produced by Navka Show and brought to Ahmedabad in collaboration with Laqshya Media Group, Scheherazade features several champion ice-skaters, including Victoria Sinitsina (in the role of Scheherazade), Nikita Katsalapov (as Shahriyar), Egor Murashov (as Aladdin) and Ivan Righini (as Jinn).
