Former Dancing On Ice judge, Robin Cousins has joined the creative team for Wolverhampton Grand's upcoming pantomime.

The Olympic Figure Skating champion has choregraphed the spectacular opening of the show, which will see dancers skating around the stage as the curtain lifts on a beautiful winter wonderland.
 
Ensemble members Charlie Donnelly, Lucy Nolan, Elise Prosser, Jack Skelton, Ollie Thomas-Smith, Daniel Walford and Leonie Wall learnt skills from Robin as well as the choreography for the routine in their brand new boots, which were a bespoke creation by Everglides, who are based in Gosport.

Everglides was formed in 2005 by skaters to suit the demanding needs of fellow skaters and were the official skate technicians for ITV’s Dancing on Ice from 2008 to 2014, supplying and fitting Figure skates for the annual list of celebrities on the show. Lara Dring of Everglides said:

“Fitting the skates for the Wolverhampton ensemble cast was such a one-of-a-kind occasion! We received a warm and friendly welcome, and the entire experience left us feeling incredibly grateful to be a part of it.

"Watching the dancers as they took their first steps towards becoming "ice" skaters was thoroughly enjoyable. It was a truly unforgettable experience, and we're all eagerly looking forward to watching the final show. It's bound to be spectacular!”
 
Robin added: “I’ve skated in panto myself and I know first hand the wow factor it brings to the show. When the curtain lifts on couples skating, it adds an additional wow factor and a visual that you just don’t see very often in theatre shows.

"Our brilliant ensemble all have an excellent level of dance anyway, but it’s not just as easy as putting the skates on and performing a dance routine - it’s a whole new skill set to learn. They have really impressed me already and I can’t wait to see them on opening night in Wolverhampton!”

 

This year’s Wolverhampton pantomime has set and costume design by David Sheilds, a long time collaborator with Cousins. David has designed for many of Robin’s previous shows, including Holiday On Ice and Robin Cousins’ ICE. The partnership will ensure a spectacular opening to the show.
 
This year's panto stars Kelle Bryan (Eternal, Loose Women) as the Fairy, Elementa; Niki Colwell Evans (Blood Brothers, Kinky Boots) as Queen Dragonella; Evie Pickerill and Gyasi Sheppy (CBeebies) as Snow White and Prince William and Grand Theatre panto favourites Tam Ryan as Muddles and Ian Adams as Nanny Nolly return for their third and seventh years respectively.
 
Tickets for Snow White which run's from 2 December 2023 to 7 January 2024 can be booked online at grandtheatre.co.uk.