Stars On Ice Shine Gold at Grand Casino Arena

This past Sunday, Mothers Day, families from all over the Twin Cities crowded in to the sold out Grand Casino Arena was a special show I’m sure for many, and especially nostalgia for myself as my grandma used to take us to see Stars on Ice. Spending years skating myself, there’s always something about seeing these athletes perform live that reminds you why this sport means so much.

The entire show felt joyful, heartfelt, and celebratory. After an inspiring winter games, why shouldn’t they be? Watching skaters like Aylsa Liu, Ilia Malinin, and Amber Glenn, perform pieces inspired by or directly pulled from their Olympic competitive programs was incredibly special. The crowd loved getting to relive their programs we collectively watched from our living rooms cheering and riding through the Olympic dramas this past winter.

The gold medal winning U.S. Figure Skating team members gave a moment to the fans of them regaling stories from Milan, Italy where the 2026 Winter Olympics were held, passed the mic and performed pieces of their winning skates. They brought out the team USA jackets and gold medals, standing on a podium they waved giving us all a chance to share in that collective gold medal joy.

Jason Brown brought the entire crowd to life with his energetic on ice presence. He skated around effortlessly with a bright energy giving us a playful skate to Aladdin's, Friend Like Me. Isabeau Levito felt ethereal and delicate in the most beautiful way, while Andrew brought this explosive, joyful energy that had the whole arena smiling.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates, three-time World Champions and seven times U.S. Champions, are among the most decorated teams in American History, brought their celebrated beauty and synchronicity to the arena. Chock’s iconic red cape flowing in the breeze as Bates anticipates her every move.

Also a notable pair, Danny O’Shea and his partner Ellie Kam delivered a flawless skate, both in their short program, and their fun artistic skate to a Pitbull song, a play on Danny and the singer's shared features. It was like a fun inside joke the audience was all in on, and they loved it.

The entire cast seemed to have a real camaraderie. The ‘Blade Angels,’ Alysa Liu, Amber Glen and Isabeau Levito, performed a group number to popular K-Pop Demon Hunter song, Golden. In a sport that has a rough history of sabotage in competition, it’s refreshing to see these three competitors sharing the spotlight and uplifting one another.

I also appreciated that Ilia Malinin, also know as the Quad God for being first in the world to ever land all skating jumps in quad rotations, after he spent a lot of time in the spotlight at the Olympics and sharing that it was difficult on his mental health, was given moments to show off what a groundbreaking skater he is and it didn’t feel a demanding or as though he was being pressured to perform all of his gravity defying jumps. He did however perform a beautifully artistic piece that lead in to House of Pains, Jump Around, where he pulled out 4-5 backflips in a row, and threw in a couple of quads.

I left feeling inspired, emotional, nostalgic, and so grateful to be part of a sport that can make people feel this much.