Our Sun Valley coverage continues with another glimpse of the skating world beyond the dazzling three or four minutes that we see Johnny on the ice in a show.
Before that moment ever happens, there is endless rehearsal time, alone and with other cast members of whatever show he’s starring in. It’s humbling to see how hard all these skaters work to entertain the rest of us, and how much they love what they do.
And thanks to Johnny’s unbridled spirit and sense of humor, a lot of that rehearsal time is also pretty dazzling.
As mentioned previously, he didn’t make it to Sun Valley in time for the regular early-afternoon outdoor rehearsal, so instead fans got to watch the indoor preshow warmup. Johnny arrived first and was briefly alone on the ice, and then, as the rest of the cast trickled in, Sun Valley on Ice lead skater Ashley Clark—who is awesome—taught him the basics of the finale number for that evening’s show.
Or she tried to, anyway.
While Johnny is surely one of the most apt pupils on the ice, he’s also one to take every moment and make it his own—no matter how exhausted he is—and crack up everyone else along the way. You may have noticed this if you’ve ever seen footage of him doing anything at all.
So below we have some photos of this whole process, plus HD video (two clips in one! Because I just couldn’t leave anything out!). And while he seems a bit more subdued toward the end, when the group rehearsal is over and he’s very focused on doing his own thing, he’s still absolutely amazing.
Please enjoy both the lolworthiness and beauty that follows
Ashley explains how the finale works, while Johnny is ... Johnny.
OK! The group thing is done, and now it’s every skater for himself for a few more minutes of warmup time...
VIDEO!
This is possibly more fun than should be legal. And the ending is wonderful.
2019 UPDATE: The previous version of this video was blocked in all countries like three years ago, unbeknownst to me until last week, so please enjoy this replacement: same footage, better edit, and now with great-tasting copyright-free audio. And the ending is still wonderful.
Video link.
BONUS PICS
Johnny and Ashley.
Exclusive photos © David Keyser.
