ELK POINT - Possibly the most entertaining nightmare ever seen in Elk Point hit the ice at the A.G. Ross Arena on Saturday, as Elk Point Skating Club presented their interpretation of Tim Burton’s ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ to a delighted audience.
Joshua Ashaolu began the evening with O Canada before ghouls, goblins — and even a spider or two — along with a supporting cast of an evil scientist, the Pumpkin King Jack and the other residents of Halloween Town opened the show.
The Pumpkin King, played by Kennedy Pierce, skated a solo lamenting his disillusion with the same old, same old Halloween. Sally, created by evil scientist Dr. Finklestein, agrees with Jack, before Hailey Danyluk and Montana Sharkey recreate the creation of Sally with their number.
Following a solo by guest skater Kendra Pardell of Cold Lake, CanSkaters Scarlett Sharkey, Natasha and Crystara Andrews, Victoria and Elizabeth Page emerge from a circle of trees as colorful images to welcome Jack to Christmas Town. Jack’s absence back in Halloween Town concerns everyone and the Mayor (Janyka Evans-Anderson) calls a town meeting just as a grinning Jack shows up, eager to share the joy of Christmas Town, with Hailey Danyluk and Bella Pinette exhibiting a little Christmas spirit. His joy becomes an obsession, portrayed by CanSkaters William Farrel, Gunnar Kelly, Aksel Aarbo, Mirabella Bezpalchuk and Jacob Botstein, but something is still missing - they need Sandy Claws!
Hailey Danyluk and Ellyra deMoissac were joined by Bella Pinette, Kennedy Pierce, Janyka and Raif Evans-Anderson and Montana Sharkey as they set out to kidnap the Sandy Claws (Cole Pierce). Meanwhile, CanSkaters Knox Mudryk, Taber and Tytus Gadwa, Alexander and Nicholas Habiak were busy making gifts and stuffing stockings as the excitement grew.
Following a short intermission, former skating club member Tallyn Gadwa, who now skates with the Bonnyville club, performed her solo, before Oogie Boogie (Hailey Danyluk) sets off to meet Sandy Claws. As Christmas draws closer Sally has a premonition that all won’t go well, and skates her way through ‘Sally’s Song,’ and Jack, who feels he can do the job and Sandy can take a vacation, sets out to deliver some very strange gifts as Ellyra deMoissac skates a Christmas Eve solo.
Concerned parents set out to cancel Christmas and send a missile to take Jack back down to earth, where he is met by Janyka and Raif Evans-Anderson and Bella Pinette, and realizes he is not cut out for the Sandy Claws job and must find the original, and he gets some help from the Junior Star Skaters before Kendra Pardell returned to the ice for her second solo of the afternoon.
Montana Sharkey followed up with a solo, followed by a charming duet by Raif Evans-Anderson and Bella Pinette, before they were joined by the rest of the club in celebrating the saving of Christmas.
A series of presentations to the program assistants by coach Dennell Anderson and gifts to her, music director Kaylee Radcliffe and narrator Brian Poitras by the club’s executive wound up a great afternoon.
This story was updated on March 9 to correct the omission of Joshua Ashaolu's rendition of O'Canada to start the show. Our apologies for the omission.
