Shanghai to be first stop of 'Fantasy on Ice' next year
The figure skating show, “Fantasy on Ice”, will make Shanghai the first stop of its maiden world tour next year, staging performances at Pudong's Oriental Sports Center on May 30-31, 2020, organizers announced on Wednesday.
“Fantasy on Ice” was launched in 2002 by Kikuo Makabe, president of Japanese event organizer CIC Inc. It invites world-known figure staking stars and musicians to perform for Japan’s figure skating fans. It also serves as a communication platform for Japanese skaters and their world counterparts.
Japanese skating stars, like Mao Asada, Shizuka Arakawa, and Daisuke Takahashi, have performed frequently as guests at the event.
For the first time, “Fantasy on Ice” is skating out of Japan for a World Tour in 2020, and Shanghai has been named the first stop.
“Shanghai and the Oriental Sports Center have staged premier skating competitions, like the short-track speed skating and figure skating world championships,” Makabe said.
“Shanghai has a very professional venue and fans. It’s a great honor for us to reach this cooperation. I hope our event will attract more Chinese children to the sport of figure skating,” he added.
Makabe revealed that the Shanghai event will invite Japanese singer Show Wesugi to perform the theme song of the popular Japanese anime “Slam Dunk” for Shanghai audiences. Chinese figure skaters will also be invited to perform in front of their home crowd.
“We hope the event will help enhance communication between China and Japan in the two areas of sports and culture,” he stated.
