Stars on ice

THOUGH a skating phenom at an early age, Katarina Witt found opportunities in her native Germany bound by a 96-mile concrete remnant of the cold war.

But when the Berlin wall crumbled underneath the weight of Communism's demise, it laid the foundation for a success that would take Witt not only to Olympic stardom but across the world as an actress, business entrepreneur and show producer.

"My main home is still in Berlin," said Witt in a recent telephone interview with NH Weekend. "I still live in Germany, but when the wall came down, there were all of these opportunities. Because skating is so popular in the United States, I was really able to fulfill my dreams as a professional and be part of great skating shows, like 'Stars on Ice'."

Witt, a two-time Olympic champion singles figure skater and four-time world champion, will skate into Manchester for a 7:30 p.m. performance in "Smucker's Stars on Ice" Friday, April 11.

The show also will feature Alexei Yagudin, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, Kurt Browning, Todd Eldredge, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman, and Renee Roca and Gorsha Sur.

"All of the skaters ... are involved throughout the show," Witt said. "I'm involved in the opening and closing. It's a fun number with a couple of guys -- a blues number. Then I have my solo program to Barbra Streisand's "What are You Doing For the Rest of Your Life."

Witt, born in 1965 in Staaken, Germany, began her skating career at 5 at the Sport Club Chemnitz. At 9, Witt earned the tutelage of prestigious skating coach Jutta Muller. Soon, she was winning championships across the globe.

"The United States has become sort of a home for me," Witt said. "I used to have a place in New York and ... a place in Los Angeles for a few years, but I'm constantly traveling. I spend most of my time in hotels and airplanes."

Though skating remains a large part of the six-time European champion, Witt has expanded her career to include a host of endeavors, from acting to jewelry design.

"My main passion is to be a skater, to be out there on the ice in front of an audience," said Witt, known for her graceful style. "But at the same time, I have other interests, such as such as producing ice shows -- I produced a few ice shows in Germany, and one, 'Divas on Ice,' has run on NBC for the last four years -- and getting into the jewelry business.

"The company came to me, and it's sort of a mutual relationship. It's just so great," Witt said. "The last four or five years, we were able to really establish a good line of jewelry in Germany. I have designers but I also bring in some influence, some trends."

In Europe, she has released several different collections of her jewelry line, "Katarina Witt Feelings," and her fitness book, written in German, is a European best-seller. Both the book and her new line of anti-aging beauty products, "She's So Pure," are projected to hit the North American market shortly.

Though she teasingly contends she'll leave acting to those who have spent years learning the craft, Witt also has earned kudos on television, cable and film. She garnered an Emmy Award in 1990 for a title role in HBO's television movie "Carmen on Ice" and she was nominated for another Emmy for her role in the CBS television special "Night Moves."

In addition, she appeared in the films "Jerry McGuire" with Tom Cruise and "Ronin" with Robert DeNiro, the HBO series "Arli$$," and in Pamela Anderson's television series "V.I.P."

"I did a few things here and a few things there. It's really interesting and really fun," Witt said. "But I'm so busy with skating. Once (I got) into the producing part of it, there is so much more time-consuming things that took away possibility to do other things.

"But I loved working with DeNiro. It was incredible," she said, adding with a laugh. "But I think there are so many great actresses out there that have earned it. I'm sticking with skating right now."

Not a bad choice for someone who placed first in nearly every world, European and national championship from 1989 to the mid 1990s. One of the most memorable moments in her skating career came during the Olympic winter games in Lillehammer in 1994, when she dedicated her performance, set to a new composition of Pete Seger's peace song "Where Have All the Flower's Gone?," to the war-torn city of Sarajevo.

"It's very difficult to (choose) one or two moments," Witt said when asked about a highlight of her career. "There have been so many opportunities and so many moments -- being at the Olympics and winning, but at the same time, the World Championships in Cincinnati in '87. I came there to win the title back because I had lost the year before.

"Or the opportunity to meet very interesting people," Witt added. "When people come up and remember something you said or did, those are nice moments. You know you've made an impact on someone else's life."

After completing an International tour with other Olympic and World Champions in 1989, Katarina and American Gold medalist Brian Boitano teamed up for a North America tour from 1990 to 1992. Witt performed with "Stars On Ice" from 1994 through part of 1997, and again for the 2001-2002 edition.