Estonia’s Maria Sergejeva and Ilja Glebov perform during the Figure Skating Pairs short program, at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver during the XXI Winter Olympics on February 14, 2010. AFP
As a young figure skater, Maria Sergejeva had a singular goal—to compete in the Winter Olympics.
At 17, that dream came to fruition when she represented her country, Estonia, together with her skating partner, Ilja Glebov, at the pairs event of figure skating at the 2010 Games in Vancouver, Canada. But little did she know that she would one day tour the world doing ice shows.
“I was very happy when I reached my goal—it was a dream come true. I stopped competitive skating soon after and tried to get into skiing. But I realized I couldn’t give up skating, because it’s in my heart, and I have been doing it all my life,” she told the Inquirer at a recent press conference for “Magic on Ice,” which runs till Jan. 2 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum (call 911-5555).
“Luckily, through friends, I discovered that there’s a world of ice shows, which I had no idea existed,” the three-time Estonian senior national champion added. “I was pleasantly surprised. And now I’m here in the Philippines for the first time to perform.”
Created by Steve Wheeler, “Magic on Ice” is a dynamic show that fuses “athletic skating, intriguing magic tricks and illusions, and dramatic stagecraft and costumes.”
Maria plays the “Raven,” who makes its grand entrance in an ornate bird cage that bursts into flames.
The show has been mounted in numerous countries around the world, including the United States, Germany, Mexico, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
Unlike competitive skating, where she found herself more focused on pulling off required technical elements, doing ice shows, she said, is more about making a connection with the audience.
“Here, you have to be more emotive since you’re closer to the people. And I don’t have to worry about the elements. I can just enjoy myself and perform without much stress. You can pick the moves, and the jumps you’re comfortable with, and not worry about getting injured,” said Maria, who will also be part of group numbers, in addition to her solo production spots.
The 26-year-old skater, who’s now based in London, United Kingdom, also pursues acting and modeling on the side.
She has appeared in “Dancing on Ice” 2018 and had a speaking role in the sci-fi drama series “Humans.”
She’s also set to play a small role in the upcoming film “Hobbs & Shaw,” a “Fast and the Furious” spinoff.
But one of her most memorable experiences in show biz so far, Maria said, was teaching pop star Harry Styles how to skate, for the music video of the One Direction song “Night Changes” in 2014.
“It was an amazing experience … I arrived at the Natural History Museum Ice Rink, and everything was closed. It was confidential. When I got inside, I saw huge cameras. They were shooting a music video. And [there] was the big surprise—Harry Styles,” she related.
Maria recalled Harry having some trouble with his pair of skating boots, because they were brand-new. “You have to break in new boots—otherwise, they would be uncomfortable. And he couldn’t skate then, so his feet were hurting like hell,” she said. “We just gave him tips on how to bend his knees and how to be more confident on the ice.”
But while she’s trying to discover other career paths, skating, she said, remains her top priority.
“I go to castings and auditions and then skate. I practice every day and spend between half an hour to three hours on the rink, depending on how I’m feeling,” she said.
Meanwhile, Maria said she’s looking forward to spending the holidays in the country: “I’m curious how you guys do it here.”