Thirty-three shows in the glorified Luna Park: Fifteen days of tiny hallways, uneven stairs and ramps creating a fun-house maze to get to our backstage ice. Three weeks of slanted ceilings that prevent one from standing up all the way (or just hitting your head every time you stand up), and a completely lost concept of personal space. Fifteen days of knocking knees or bumping heads as we put on our skates, jumping jacks with our arms only reaching a quarter of the way out, and accidentally running into crew equipment as we warm up. Fifteen days of excessive heat and sweat, one bathroom to share, and maybe an inch of built up ice making a tiny ramp to slide (or slip) onto the backstage ice.
Luna Park certainly has its challenges; some different from anything I’ve ever experienced before. Yet, I wouldn’t trade the experience of performing here for anything. Built in the 1930’s, the building itself is a Historic National Monument in Argentina, and it still somehow holds up through the hundreds of major touring concerts and shows that come there. It was built as an open-air building (the roof was added later), and was primarily a venue for boxing matches. Other events, concerts, and live shows took place there as well (the most exciting to me being a charity event at which Evita first met Juan Peron), and it has been an icon in the city since its construction.
Luna Park certainly has its challenges; some different from anything I’ve ever experienced before. Yet, I wouldn’t trade the experience of performing here for anything. Built in the 1930’s, the building itself is a Historic National Monument in Argentina, and it still somehow holds up through the hundreds of major touring concerts and shows that come there. It was built as an open-air building (the roof was added later), and was primarily a venue for boxing matches. Other events, concerts, and live shows took place there as well (the most exciting to me being a charity event at which Evita first met Juan Peron), and it has been an icon in the city since its construction.
Despite the challenges of the old tiny building itself, we performed to thirty-three amazing sold-out audiences. Every single show, we could hear a collective slow clap build from the audience at the three-minute call. We have our backstage stories we can laugh about now, and I firmly believe my feeling a part of the D15 family catapulted in our oh-so-close environment there. And hey, we even saw Argentina’s world cup team goalie with his wife and kids in the front row one night
At the end of the day, it is something special to know we performed an ice show in a Historic National Monument in Argentina. The challenges of a building designed and built in the 1930’s, and the history that comes with it made it an incredibly fun experience; one I will always be grateful for, and will never forget.
At the end of the day, it is something special to know we performed an ice show in a Historic National Monument in Argentina. The challenges of a building designed and built in the 1930’s, and the history that comes with it made it an incredibly fun experience; one I will always be grateful for, and will never forget.
