Dean injury will not affect show

Press, 23 February 1989, Page 6

Dean injury will not affect show

By

KAY FORRESTER

The ice skating star, Christopher Dean, is adamant that when he skates out on the ice for this evening’s opening show of the Torvill and Dean Christchurch season his back will be fine.

The show he, Jayne Torvill and their Russian co-stars will perform will be the one patrons expect. Changes had to be made to the couple’s routines during their Melbourne season last week-end after Dean suffered a back injury.

Dean says his back is recovering and he will take a full part in this evening’s show. “It’s been tender obviously but it’s fine,” he said, lifting his wrist to show off the hospital identification bracelet he was wearing

as a memento of his stay in a Melbourne hospital. The tour director, Mr Wayne Stevens, says there will be no changes to the original show for the Christchurch season. Dean will skate his regular routines with Jayne Torvill and the rest of the company. “He will participate fully.”

The skater’s participation in the Melbourne shows was cut when the seriousness of his injury was discovered just 90 minutes before the opening show last Friday evening. “We rearranged the progamme but Christopher appeared in all the Melbourne shows. Some of the routines were cut and replaced by other skaters, but he did take part in the shows,” Mr Stevens said.

Dean was hospitalised in Melbourne for three days on the advice of a sports physiotherapist after the Melbourne season, to give his back a complete rest.

Mr Stevens said announcements of the skater’s injury — which has occurred before — were made before each Melbourne show and a refund on tickets offered until the interval.

Of the 10,000 people at the opening performance 13 collected the refund. At the second performance two people asked for a refund. No refunds were sought at subsequent performances.

Mr Stevens labelled comments by the Victorian Consumer Affairs Minister, Mr Roper, about investigating the skaters’ per-

formance because of complaints about the amount of time Torvill and Dean were on the ice as "grandstanding.”

“The audiences generally were very supportive. We explained about the injury, gave them the option of a refund and went on with the show with Christopher taking part.” The Christchurch season for the show has attracted 45,000 bookings and Mr Stevens expects another 10,000.

Both skaters said last evening they were pleased to be back in Christchurch after so long. They cheerfully signed autographs and answered questions for young Christchurch skaters who had met them with flowers at the airport.