By Troy Schwindt
Crystalrose (Guerra) Sanders is standing rinkside this week at National Showcase near Boston, helping coach and cheer on her 32 skaters who represent Culver Ice Productions in Torrance, California.
It’s been nearly 20 years since Sanders glided into the spotlight at the first National Showcase in 2004 in Frisco, Texas. There, she won the novice light title, performing to music from All That Jazz.
Just two years later, at the 2006 National Showcase in Oak Lawn, Illinois, Sanders was discovered by a talent scout and placed in the Disney on Ice production of “High School Musical.”
“I went to Disney on Ice for nine months,” she said. “It was a whirlwind. We performed in all of the country’s iconic venues, such as Madison Square Garden and Staples Center.
Sanders returned to compete in National Showcase from 2007 to 2014, with her most memorable performance taking place in 2012.
“It was to ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ from Evita,” Sanders said. “I felt like I really performed my best. I was second in the (overall) Parade of Champions, and it sticks out in my mind because I felt I connected with myself and the audience.”
2012 was also the year Sanders started her coaching and choreography career, with just eight skaters. In 2014, she was forced to move to Torrance after the iconic Culver Ice Arena on Sepulveda Boulevard was shut down after 52 years. Fortunately, her skaters and parents were on board and moved with her.
“When I started with eight skaters, I wondered if this [Showcase] was going to be something that everyone embraced because it’s in the Los Angeles area,” Sanders said. “I would say it’s a very technical, freestyle kind of environment, but it has really grown and given skaters another outlet to love and have a passion for skating.
“I have had girls who showed up at the end of their technical skating [careers] and didn’t know if they were going to quit or keep going. They transitioned into Showcase and have had an extended life line with their skating.”
Sanders’ ability to cultivate a thriving Showcase program can be attributed in part to a collaboration between herself and her skaters. She listens to her pupils and gives them musical and creative options, while attempting to unlock their full potential.
“I want them to pick something that they really and truly connect to — lyrically, the storyline, because when you tap into that, it really shows when they skate and it’s such a beautiful thing to see.
“Most of the time I like to give them five options that I think will best match their skating or personality or dynamic between two skaters in a duet. I say, ‘You guys decide collectively which one you think you can best perform.’ It tends to work out great, because it’s not 100 percent me saying this is what you are going to do and you are going to like it. It’s a collaborative effort.”
Sanders’ skaters, duets and ensembles have earned their share of hardware over the years at National Showcase, but last season was especially satisfying. Culver Ice Productions won the Parade of Champions duet title, had two skaters in the overall Parade of Champions field, earned gold in the mini-ensemble silver division and gold and silver in the mini-ensemble gold division.
Although she is based on the West Coast, Sanders has a wide support system within the theatrical skating community that she relies on to enhance her Showcase program.
Adam Blake, the artistic director of TOI Boston, and Piercyn and Michelle Hunt at Harmony Theatre Company in Michigan, are just a few of the individuals that Sanders shares ideas with throughout the season.
“Adam Blake and I actually met on Disney on Ice and have been good friends since then,” she said. “Every year I’ll come up with a list of concepts that I want to do for my mini-production ensemble and we kind of pinball back and forth off each other. I’ll send him videos at the beginning of the season and he’ll give me feedback. He visits us every season. Piercyn and I are best friends and we support each other and each other’s skaters.”
One other huge supporter of Sanders and theatrical skating is “Mr. Debonair” himself, Richard Dwyer, who at age 87 lives in the Los Angeles area and still practices most days at area California rinks.
Dwyer, Sanders said, serves as a true inspiration for her, her skaters and the theatrical skating community in general.
“He’s really proven that skating is for everyone, and you can do it for as long as you want,” Sanders said. “He continues to inspire new generations of skaters. I feel like he’s inspired me as much as he’s inspired some of my younger skaters, which is amazing because he’s had such a long history in the sport and he’s still out there supporting us.
“He judged our local competition a couple of months ago and the girls were freaking out because Richard Dwyer told them that he really liked their skating. He is the one you want to impress.”
