MASTERS OF EDGEWORK ICE SKATERS' LIVES TAKE CENTER STAGE.

Byline: Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writer

The Smucker's Stars on Ice show has all the pizazz, sparkle, and amazing jumps and spins that fans of great figure skating expect after 21 seasons of the tour.

But the new production, ``Double Exposure: The Many Lives of Figure Skaters,'' offers something more -- a special insider's glimpse at the skaters' life on the road and the struggles that lead up to the dazzling show.

Jumbo screens show interviews, rehearsal clips and informal moments between castmates such as Yuka Sato, Todd Eldredge, Steven Cousins, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, seguing into a single or pairs performance.

It's not all glamour

It's a delicate balancing act, showing the unglamorous, imperfect side of entertainers while maintaining the audience's sense of awe when these Olympic and world champions hit the ice.

``I'm sure there was a big question about that while the choreographers were putting together the show, and I think they achieved a pretty reasonable mix in how much you want to involve the audience,'' said Ilia Kulik, who is joining the company as a guest star in Los Angeles, Anaheim and 18 other cities.

One hope, he says, is that children in the audience will see that the sport is not as easy as the pros make it seem.

``It's actually a little bit of an educational process,'' Kulik said. ``They can see what it takes to be a professional skater, and they can see how demanding it is but also how rewarding.''

Kulik, 29, is married to Ekaterina Gordeeva, whose pairs partner and first husband, Sergei Grinkov, died of a heart attack in 1995. Together they are raising daughters Daria, 14, and Liza, 5.

He says Daria, who recently appeared with her mother in the TV special ``Kristi Yamaguchi: Family and Friends,'' skates well and enjoys it but does not seem inclined toward serious competition.

Ice, ice baby

Liza, on the other hand, already is showing a passion for the sport.

``She can skate hours and hours, and that's very surprising to see,'' he said. ``She's like a little Energizer bunny. When you put the skates on her, you cannot stop her.''

That's the sort of energy it takes to perform Stars on Ice's 26 routines, four of which involve the whole company.

But Kulik says the skaters have ways of keeping the show fresh through all 40 cities.

``After the choreographer is finished with the show, then the show's going to take off and take a little bit different shape because of the personalities of the skaters,'' he said.

``It's very interesting to see how the show is going to evolve on the road. Every day there are little surprises here and there,'' he said. ``There's always room for improvisation, and that's what makes a live show so exciting.''

Valerie Kuklenski, [phone]

[e-mail]

SMUCKER'S STARS ON ICE

Where/When: Honda Center, Anaheim, 7:30 p.m. Saturday; Staples Center, Los Angeles, 4 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets: General admission $25 to $125; kids 12 and under $10 to $125; seniors 65 and older $20 to $125. Call [phone], or visit www.starsonice.com.

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``It's actually a little bit of an educational process. (Audiences) can see what it takes to be a professional skater, and they can see how demanding it is but also how rewarding,'' says Ilia Kulik of ``Double Exposure: The Many Lives of Figure Skaters.''