icenetwork.com

"Dancing on Ice" is a huge hit in the United Kingdom. (© ITV)

By Lois Elfman, special to icenetwork.com

(01/17/2008) - Matthew Evers calls himself a "blue collar skater" because he has neither a World nor Olympic medal. As of late, though, he's achieved more fame and popularity than some medalists could ever dream of as one of the professional skaters on the smash British TV show Dancing on Ice.

Evers and his former partner, Heather Allebach, won the 1998 U.S. junior pair title. Their coach, Priscilla Hill, tried to emphasize the European style of pair skating, and worked to instill in them dance qualities. Hill sent the pair to Colorado Springs to work with Tamara Moskvina and Igor Moskvin, and hoped Christopher Dean would choreograph a program for them while they were there. Unfortunately, Dean was busy at the time, but he clearly made a mental note about Evers. When Dean and ice dance partner Jayne Torvill were developing Dancing on Ice, he had the producers contact Evers.

"I got a phone call one summer afternoon from the producers in England offering me a contract," Evers says. They explained the concept for the show, which is similar to Skating with Celebrities in the U.S., but Torvill and Dean would be doing all the choreography. No one knew whether the show would click with British viewers, but Evers didn't hesitate to accept the job. "It combines my two passions: skating and television."

For the first series, which aired in early 2006, he was teamed with West End theatre star Bonnie Langford (currently appearing as Roxie Hart in Chicago). They had eight weeks of training prior to the first show and then eight weeks of shows.

"Bonnie had never ever stepped foot on the ice," he says, but she embraced the challenge totally. "To work with somebody who was such a complete novice day in and day out was incredible. When Bonnie comes into work, she is there 110 percent. As the professional, I saw the gradual progression every day. She felt like she was rubbish every day. It was amazing how much the human body can achieve when it's put under pressure and a time commitment."

There is a judging panel, which includes Olympians such as Robin Cousins and Nicky Slater. Their votes count for 50 percent of the overall score. The home audience counts for the other 50 percent, and viewers can text in their votes, or phone in, or use an option on their digital cable. Langford and Evers made the finals, where they came third, so they didn't get to do the "Bolero" skate-off for the title.

"The fact that the public did not get to see Bonnie's Bolero became this national phenomenon," he says. "We got hired to do the British version of The Today Show to perform as well as all these special events. People wanted to see Bonnie's Bolero." Evers and Canadian ice dancer Kristina Lenko are the only two skaters who have appeared on every season of Dancing on Ice. After the first season in Great Britain, they headed to Australia with Torvill and Dean. For that series Evers partnered bikini model Lara Bingle. Back to Britain, Evers partnered pop star Lisa Scott-Lee for the 2007 season. They made it to week six, which was fifth overall.

Torvill and Dean are the creative directors of the show, and along with the producers they select all the music and costuming. The professional skaters are responsible for teaching their celebrity partners to skate. "As well, Chris does give me the freedom to put choreography ideas together, which is really nice," Evers says.

After nearly a decade off the ice, Torvill and Dean have returned to skating for the series, and they open each show. "They are better than ever," Evers says. "Jayne and Chris blow us away every week with the routines they do."

Last spring, Dancing on Ice went on tour in Great Britain and Evers says he experienced adulation beyond anything he'd ever fantasized about. "The audiences were so loud you couldn't hear the music," he says. "They wouldn't stop screaming for the entire two hours." On tour, he performed with both Langford and Scott-Lee.

The 2008 season debuted on Jan. 13, and Evers is partnering pop singer Suzanne Shaw, whose former group, Hear'Say, won Pop Idol, the British precursor of American Idol. This season has been expanded to 12 celebrities. He says the casting is the best yet, and the level of skating looks to be very high. Will that bring out the claws?

"Everybody gets along," he insists. "The show has sportsmen on it who can be very competitive, but not in a nasty sense. It's not what the tabloids write by any means. We are a cast. We are there to have fun. The celebrities are there to enjoy the experience and also raise their profiles. The professionals are there to support them. Torvill and Dean really create a family atmosphere."

Evers says that first season back in 2006, everyone was kind of learning as they went. It's now a well-honed process, and he knows it's okay to give himself and his partner some down time. On those days off, he tends not to go out too much, because much to his astonishment, he cannot go anywhere without being recognized-even back in the U.S. When he went to Las Vegas with friends a few months ago, British tourists approached him for autographs.

"It's amazing the power of television and media," Evers says. "It's absolutely changed my life on all aspects."

The official Web site for the show is Dancing on Ice. Evers posts updates on his own Web site, Matt Evers Online. Official show videos can't be viewed in the U.S., but you can usually find most of the performances on You Tube.