UAE’s Ice Princess performs in Abu Dhabi

The country's top figure skater Zahra Lari was one of 50 ice skaters of different ages who took to the rink as part of the Abu Dhabi Figure Skating Team show called 'The Ice Factor' at Zayed Sports City.

Figure skater Zahra Lari performs during the figure skating European Cup last year in Italy. She and other skaters took to the Zayed Sports City rink at the weekend for The Ice Factor. Andrea Solero / AFPShow less

ABU DHABI // The UAE’s top figure skater performed on Friday and Saturday as part of an annual show in the capital – and called for more UAE nationals to take up the sport.

Emirati Zahra Lari, 18, was one of 50 ice skaters of different ages who took to the rink as part of the Abu Dhabi Figure Skating Team show called “The Ice Factor” at Zayed Sports City.

Zahra, the first Emirati figure skater to compete internationally, said: “The show is almost like the X-Factor. We have judges, and different groups come in and skate to different bands and singers, so it’s like a parody.”

Taking part in the competition for the fourth time, Zahra performed in two solos. “I play different roles in the show,” she said. “We do it every year and this year, the show is really nice. The good thing about it is that we perform and skate in front of an audience, which is not what we usually do. Usually, it’s just judges and parents.”

The scripted performance is modelled after popular TV talent shows.

“It’s a great thing to be able to dress up in different outfits,” said Zahra, also known as the Ice Princess. “I decided I wanted to figure skate after watching the movie The Ice Princess and, once I watched it, I loved it because I’d never seen it before. I asked my parents if I could try it seven years ago and my dad brought me to Zayed Sports City ice rink.”

“Music idols” skated around the rink as they adopted celebrity personas from pop groups, including the Spice Girls, One Direction, Bruno Mars, Steven Tyler, Katy Perry and Rihanna.

“The annual showcase from the figure skating team is one of Zayed Sports City’s most cherished events,” said Barry Bremner, Zayed Sports City’s general manager.

Zahra said she hoped more Emiratis would take up the sport.

“We have a few who joined the team recently and they’re very good,” she said. “It’s good that more locals are trying to take up the sport, it’s a different country so people don’t tend to think of joining a winter sport.”

More information about the Abu Dhabi Figure Skating Team and the Learn to Skate programme can be found on www.zsc.ae.