Choreographers, skaters have put a new spin on ice shows

Every four years the Olympic galaxy expands, sending forth new stars into the firmament. Some are long-heralded, others have just become household names. But when the last medal is handed out, and the flags folded away, what remains? If you're a pretty darn good skater, plenty, actually.

Currently, there are two premier troupes of Olympic-class skaters on the road. ''Smucker's Stars on Ice'' rolls into Manchester tonight and ''Chevy Champions on Ice'' turns up at the FleetCenter tomorrow. Both companies are packed with skaters even casual sports watchers have heard of, and both offer high-tech, fast-moving exhibitions, replete with state-of-the-art lighting, sound, and surprisingly adventurous music (Leonard Cohen, Ozzy Osbourne, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs).

Not to mention the surprisingly adventurous decisions by skaters eager to tweak their images. Some seasons back, Tara Lipinski buried her pixie persona when she bared her midriff, put on a pout, and skated to Christina Aguilera's ''Genie in a Bottle'' in ''Stars on Ice.'' This season, Todd Eldredge recites poetry while appearing in a ''Stars on Ice'' number, and 2002 pairs gold medalists Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze portray Marilyn and Elvis, complete with costumes, wigs, and uncannily accurate hip-swiveling. There's a refreshing cheekiness in both ''Stars'' and ''Champions'' that would make a competition judge blanch, and start deducting those 10ths-of-a-point for ''artistic presentation.''

Why do the skaters do this? Because there's an enormous appetite to see world-class performers, and skaters can achieve a career longevity denied to most other solo athletes. (Much as one might wish, there is no ''Stars on Luge'' scheduled for your nearby arena.)

This year, ''Stars'' added Eldredge, and the co-gold medalists in pairs, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier and Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze. ''Champions'' added fresh Olympians like Tim Goebel, Sarah Hughes, and Irina Slutskaya to an established roster including Michelle Kwan, Elvis Stojko, and Surya Bonaly. The main distinction between the two companies is that ''Stars'' is crafted in the fall by director Michael Siebert and choreographers Sandra Bezic and Christopher Dean (yes, of Torvill and Dean), while ''Champions'' is assembled in the week after the World Championships in the spring. Choreographer Sarah Kawahara has mere days to work with a dozen-plus skaters, all of whom bring numbers that they've worked out with their own trainers and choreographers.

How did figure skating go from winter sport to one that twinkles year round? One name: Peggy Fleming. (With a footnote for Sonja Heinie, whose crossover film career has yet to be duplicated.) Before Fleming, skaters brought their hardware home, stuck it on a mantel, and looked for a coaching gig at their local rink or school. After Fleming, skaters got their ticket punched on the ''Ice Capades'' or ''Ice Follies'' train. Sure, they might have to wear silly costumes, or skate below their own level, but there was still room for a Salchow -- even if no one recognized it.

After medaling in the Olympics, Scott Hamilton spent a few increasingly unhappy seasons with the ''Ice Capades.'' ''There were plenty of days I'd be pushing through a number, landing a triple Lutz, only to overhear a bunch of Cub Scouts and Brownies talking and laughing through my performance,'' he writes in his frank memoir ''Landing It.'' Getting fired was a blessing -- he'd start his own show. ''The emphasis would be on skating, athleticism, and contemporary entertainment. No kiddie acts, gimmicks, or show girls.'' In 1986, ''Stars on Ice'' debuted.

Essential ingredients include first-rate direction and choreography. Both ''Stars'' and ''Champions'' have longtime professionals on board. Bezic, Dean, and Siebert have designed the look and feel of ''Stars'' since the start. Choreographer Kawahara (''Champions'') has had a lengthy professional alliance with Hamilton. She also designed this year's opening and closing numbers for ''Stars,'' which includes the intro, ''Orin Does Ozzy,'' a medley of brash guitar licks arranged by Orin Isaacs.

''Champions on Ice'' celebrates a quarter-century this year and also features a dazzling repertory company of skaters -- from veteran favorites like Stojko to more recent arrivals like Hughes. Kawahara muses on the longevity of skating stars these days. ''It's fascinating,'' she says. ''Skaters have more time to develop and to take their stand in the public eye. You can last an awful long time if you build an audience and increase your versatility as a skater.''

Compared to the rigors of competition, where a set number of jumps and maneuvers must be completed, skating shows allow the artists' range and depth. ''Great steps are not enough,'' explains Bezic. ''The philosophy of `Stars on Ice' is that it's a combination of high technical standards and interesting ideas and choreography.''