Tuesday, April 24, 2007 | 7:12 a.m.
Who: "Ice: Direct From Russia"
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday and then 8 p.m. Sundays and Mondays and 8 and 10 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
Where: Riviera's Versailles Showroom
Tickets: $59.95 to $65.95; 794-9433
The entertainment in the Riviera's Versailles Showroom is going through a change, a solid transformation from water to ice.
For more than 20 years the revue "Splash" entertained thousands of fans (although the production had nothing to do with water in its last few years, other than the title).
The creators of "Ice: Direct From Russia" (which has everything to do with ice) wouldn't mind finding similar success.
"Ice" debuts Wednesday but won't begin its regular schedule until Sunday .
The production is a collaboration of Sergey Ryshkof, creator of the Moscow Ice Circus, and Debra Brown, award-winning choreographer who helped create "Mystere" and "O" for Cirque du Soleil.
But don't call the show at the Riviera "Cirque du Sergey," even though it is a blend of figure skating and acrobatics.
"I worked with Cirque since 1987," said Brown, a native of Ontario, Canada. "It was pretty much a big, long stretch there. Until 1999 I was on the creative team of Franco Dragone (creator of 'O' and 'Mystere'). Do I say things have a Cirque feel? I am who I am. There is a feel, but hopefully I am not repeating myself."
Las Vegas has had a long love affair with ice shows, some topless, some not. This one has the potential of fitting into the sensual category. Brown created some of the most erotic numbers for Cirque's "Zumanity," including the water bowl, aerial silk and body-to-body routines.
The Riviera arena is small - a stage 50 feet by 45 feet, plus a runway.
The Moscow show, which lasted more than two hours, had an aerial act. The act had to be cut from the local production because the ceiling was too low.
There is a cast of about 40 in the 90-minute Vegas version. No attempt is made to tell a story. The emphasis is on performance art.
With cast member Elena Shvagina interpreting, Ryshkof talked about the evolution of his show, which began in Russia almost 20 years ago and has traveled all over the world.
It had a lot to do with former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms.
"When Gorbachev became president he made it possible to create private companies," said Ryshkof, who performed as an ice skater in circuses for 25 years before creating his own show. "Before that, it was impossible."
Ryshkof graduated from the Moscow State Circus and Variety School in 1969. In 1972 he began performing with the state-owned company "Circus on Ice." In 1992 he created his production, sponsored by Terra Publishing, one of the largest publishing companies in Russia.
He said representatives of the Riviera contacted him a few months ago about bringing his production to Las Vegas.
"This is not the same show," Ryshkof said. "It's new , especially for Las Vegas. The artists are the same, the choreography was new."
Ryshkof brought Brown aboard to create the production.
In addition to her stage work, Brown has choreographed for films ("Catwoman" in 2003) and concert tours (Shakira). She won an Emmy Award in 2002 for her choreography of the 74th Annual Academy Awards. She won 14 choreography awards in gymnastics from 1980 to 1988.
When asked to do the choreography for "Ice," Brown flew to Kiev to watch the troupe perform.
"To be honest, actually the show was not what I was impressed with," she said. "What impressed me was I went backstage and met the artists. The eyes of the artists is what moved me. The beauty of their souls that came through their faces, and I said, 'Yes, I would like to work with these people.' "
She has had about a month to adapt the show.
"Whether it will work in Las Vegas will be the public that defines that," Brown said. "I'm here with the challenge of working in the air and on the ice, with artists who are so beautiful. And that inspires me to work with the group.
"But it will be the public that will tell us if it will work in Vegas."
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