Russian ice stars skate through history

No one could accuse Cirque de Glace of lacking ambition. In the space of a couple of hours, this ice-show rattles through 4.5 billion years of history – from the formation of the earth to the pollution caused by modern industry.

And despite the admittedly huge scale of the subject, the company creates a show which is both affecting and jaw-droppingly spectacular.

The production, at Hull New Theatre until Sunday, features some 30 skaters – The Russian Ice Stars – who have all competed at world or European levels.

The performance sets its stall out from the first scene in which, to the thumping accompaniment of techno, we witness the fiery beginnings of the earth – with a choreographed skate scene around an 8ft high, flame-belching, volcano.

It's a suitably high-octane start for the next couple of hours in a show which is a pioneering, if not unique, meld of skating, acrobatic and circus skills. And among the highly-skilled cast, who criss-cross the ice at high-speed with a near nonchalant ease, there are some stand-out individual performers.

In one of the more reflective moments of the show is the turn from contortionist Valerie Murzak, who balances and pivots on top of a large globe. It's a wonderful moment of calm amid the adrenalin rush of the rest of the performances. In one, nearly unwatchable sequence, two acrobats – Aliaksei Dudko and Denis Kiselev – take to the Russian bar, which is, basically, a thin 20ft length of springy wood, balanced on the shoulders of two attendants. This routine sees the pair somersaulting high in the air and then landing again, inch perfect, on the bar.

Performed against a backdrop of moving projections with a lively soundtrack of contemporary music, the production rattles along at an extraordinary pace.

* Cirque de Glace is at Hull New Theatre, Kingston Square, Hull, until Sunday, 7.30pm. Matinees at 2.30pm tomorrow and Sunday. Tickets are £12.50-£23.50, call: (01482) 226655