Skating to an Eminem beat

“Hot ICE,” Magic Mountain’s first-ever ice show, is not your mother’s “Ice Capades.”

No classical music or show tunes here: The pre-show lights in the Magic Moments theater dim to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” -- also used in the finale -- while the opening number, “Let Me Entertain You,” isn’t a song from Broadway’s “Gypsy” but a pulsating Robbie Williams rocker.

In other group offerings the eight skaters -- two women, two men, two pairs -- leap and spin to the high-decibel likes of Avril Lavigne, Beyonce and reggae artist Shaggy. Solo spots include Ricky Martin’s “Maria,” Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” the Scorpions’ “Hurricane” and Jessica Simpson’s cover of “Take My Breath Away.”

And the skaters sport an urban streetwise fashion sense -- those sparkles come from navel rings, not sequins; torn fishnets stand in for feathers; and denim is de rigueur.

“I’d been to Magic Mountain before, and I knew the traditional ice show would not be right there,” says “Hot Ice” producer Willy Bietak, who pioneered the theater ice show concept and has staged shows for Knott’s Berry Farm and Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

“The shows have been growing older with the audience. If we don’t find a younger crowd, we may lose them eventually,” he adds. “There are wonderful tunes the older generation knows, but we need to pay attention to young artists and see what kids are watching.”

What they’re watching is reality TV, so “Hot Ice” features a competition format. Various combinations of skaters go blade to blade; the audience, divided into two camps, votes for the winner via a noise meter that projects psychedelic video images. A rotating trio of high-energy DJs handles emcee duties and talks with audience members.

Bietak, director-choreographer Sarah Kawahara and others listened to hundreds of songs before settling on the 14 used in the 30-minute show.

Besides being melodically and rhythmically appropriate, “the music had to be related to the theme -- being the best, competing,” says Kawahara, a two-time Emmy winner who helped stage the Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies in Salt Lake City and is director-choreographer of the touring “Champions on Ice.”

“And the competition numbers had to be strong enough so that the skaters could win with them.”

Skating the show is a major departure for the cast, ice show veterans who range in age from 23 to 33. “The music is different -- so new and exciting,” says Joanna Ng, 26, of Woodland Hills, who starred as Pocahontas in “Disney on Ice” and soon rejoins the European “Holiday on Ice.” “No one’s ever seen music done this way. And the audience gets to participate.”

Then there’s the challenge component. “I’d been out of competitive skating since 1996, so when I heard this was going to be a competition, it created those old butterflies,” says Gig Siruno, 33, of North Hollywood, on summer break from “Disney on Ice.” “But you’re not skating in front of a panel of judges, but for the audience. And they’ve been great here -- cheering, getting into it.”

Competition keeps performances fresh even with the 20-show weekly schedule. Over several shows in two days recently, there was only one repeat winner, the bouncy Siruno. The daredevil lifts and spins of Ekaterina “Kat” Grishina and Aleksey Korchuganov captivated audiences in one outing, while Alexander “Sasha” Murashko’s back flip evoked cheers and whistles in another.

“Sasha was tight,” said park-goer Sebastian Smith, 18, from Baton Rouge, La., after that show. “It was cool, man.”

Said a Birmingham, England, visitor named Mona, 20: “I loved the mix of music. You get into the beat. It was very entertaining, exhilarating.”

After another performance later that afternoon Joy Bitten, 19, of Van Nuys, also said she was surprised to see a skating show “done to the music of today. You don’t see that with most of the skaters on TV.”

Added her friend Albert Vintayen, 20, of San Diego: “I was surprised about the music of Eminem. Especially with all the controversy, you wouldn’t think that would be associated with a family outing.”

The skaters improvise during the one-minute Eminem segment of the finale, another departure from the traditional ice show.

“They challenge each other with greater freedom, more spontaneity,” Kawahara says. “They’re all seasoned skaters, so it’s nice to shake them up.”

In more ways than one: Ng notes that her red and blue hair extensions are a first for her. “I told them that if they wanted to have their hair in a crazy way,” Kawahara says, “this was the show to do it.”

*

Libby Slate can be reached at weekend@latimes.com.

*

‘Hot Ice’

Where: Six Flags Magic Mountain, 26101 Magic Mountain Parkway, Valencia

When: Performances daily, except Tuesday. Weekday showtimes 3:30, 5:30 and 7 p.m. On weekend days there is also a 2 p.m. show. Ends Aug. 30.

Price: Free with Magic Mountain admission

Info: (661) 255-4100, (818) 367-5965 or www.sixflags.com