Olympic and world figure skating champions participated in Denis Ten’s show titled, Denis and Friends: Olympic Energy took part on May 29 and 30 in Almaty and on June 1 in Astana.
Kazakhstan-born figure skater and bronze medal winner at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, Ten gathered the brightest world stars in figure skating, including Olympic champions Maxim Trankov, Tatyana Volosozhar, Evan Laysachek as well as world champions Mao Asada, Daisuke Takahashi, Karolina Kostner and Stefan Lambiel.
The skaters came to Kazakstan on May 26 to begin preparations. According to Trankov, skating to live symphonic orchestral music is quite difficult, so the skaters needed time to get used to the particular atmosphere on the ice.
During the pre-show press conference, American skater Laysachek said the trip was his first visit to Kazakstan, but he has heard a lot about the country from other skaters. Japanese athletes Asada and Takahashi as well as Trankov and Volosozhar from Russia were also in Kazakhstan for the first time.
“I would like to thank all figure skaters for coming out to participate in my show. Such a renowned crew has made the show a world-class event,”Ten told the press. According to him, Asada leads a similar show in Japan, but this is the first time she has performed as a participant abroad.
“I am really glad to have organised such a large-scale project here in our country. I can see that people like the show,” Ten explained after the concert in Almaty. More than 300 fans from all over the world came to Kazakstan to see the show. According to him, this show means a lot to young people, especially to those who like figure skating.
“The show has attracted great media attention. I hope that Denis Ten and Friends will become world famous brand one day. As for now, we have a lot to do to make the show better and more challenging,”Ten said.
In talking about the show, the skater from Kazakhstan also noted the strong support seen from local fans that he could feel while performing.
“Obviously, the figure skating is becoming more and more popular among Kazakhstan’s youth; and I like this trend. I am sure, that the future projects, we are planning to launch soon, will also be warmly wellcomed by the local audience,” Ten concluded.
