Illinois native Madeline Stammen, 24, began her competitive career at the age of 8. She excelled at ice dancing and freestyle skating at a highly competitive level until she was 18 years old.
After competition, Stammen was hired for her first professional show on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines performing in shows on the ship’s ice rinks.
In 2016, while taking a six-month sabbatical from skating, Stammen auditioned for Cirque du Soleil: “Crystal” and landed the role of The Reflection, the alter ego of the titular character Crystal. She has since been alternating roles of The Reflection as well as main character Crystal. You can see her perform on Sept. 20-23 when the show comes to the Denny Sanford Premier Center.
She answered several questions about the show recently.
On what makes Cirque du Soleil’s Crystal so unique
It’s new, it’s Cirque’s first ice show. They’ve never tackled ice or had to deal with figure skaters. I think it’s new especially because of the cultural theme between sports as far as figure skaters and acrobats. It’s a big playground, and they put us in together. Last summer, we spent a lot of time exploring and seeing what we could come up with together fusing our sports. So, it was a really cool, creative time.
On her competitive skating career and her transformation to Crystal
I had been participating professionally before this show, so I had already transitioned from competitor to performer. I did cruise ships for four years and a couple of stationary shows. That sort of primed me for this. I think the most different thing about this show was having an acrobatic element. All the other shows I did was just fully figure skating, so now all of a sudden you have chair balancers and acrobats, people who fly, people who race, and skaters and musicians as well. Just the combination of all these different types of talent is what makes this show really special.
On working with former professional skaters and Crystal’s skating performance directors Kurt Browning and Benjamin Agosto
We worked with them last summer. To be honest, I watched Ben Agosto on TV as a little girl and idolized him. When I found out I was going to be working with him, I was a little starstruck. I made him dance with me around the rink a couple of times and asked him to make a little girl’s dream come true. Working with Kurt was cool; he’s just an amazing storyteller. He has a really wildly creative brain that really helped bring this show to life, I think, especially the characters. The character I play and the other characters on the show, he really helped us developed those characters as well.
On playing the roles of Crystal and Crystal’s reflection
What’s nice is, I get to play both characters. Sometimes I’m the evil twin, and sometimes I’m the good guy. I’m switching back and forth, which is fun. Both characters are very complex. One is a leader in a way. Crystal’s reflection takes Crystal through this journey of self-discovery, so she’s more like the guide, or the white rabbit. And when I’m Crystal, it’s a much different experience. She’s more vulnerable and unknowing. Being able to experience both characters I think really helped me perform the other.
On skating techniques and acrobatics
I’m a figure skater, and I did ice dancing by trade as well; that’s the niche of my role. But I also perform in the straps act; I do a little bit of flying and aerial as well. I had never had to do anything super upper body before this contract. They wanted me to put on muscle on my shoulders and do pull-ups, which is something I never had to do. That was something new I had to learn because I was going to be flying in the air and using my arms in ways that I haven’t before. My favorite part to perform myself is the traps act because I get to fly, leave the ice, and I get to go high up in the air, which is really fun and liberating.
On what the audience takes away from the show
The thing that really speaks to me about Crystal is that she’s going on a journey of self-discovery. She doesn’t quite fit into society. There’s a little bit of everybody who feels that. There’s a message that it’s OK to be unique and to be yourself.
On her continued employment with Cirque du Soleil
I can see myself skating with Cirque for a while. I’m fulfilled on both ends of the spectrum as an athlete and an artist. That’s the magic of being in show business theater. That’s why I’m so happy here. It opens you up as an athlete to become an artist to innovate and do things that you’ve never seen. That’s what Cirque is.
{ SOURCE: Argus Leader }
