Jayne Torvill's skate lessons for London at Somerset House

Ice to see you: Torvill at Somerset House
Genevieve Roberts12 April 2012

Ice skater Jayne Torvill will take to the ice at Somerset House this month to help launch the Skate School, teaching community groups across the capital to dance on ice.

The patron of Skate at Somerset House, presented by Tiffany & Co, has seen the growth of skating at the centre over the last 11 years.

"It's been such an honour to be part of it and enjoy it each year," she said. Since 2000, more than one million Londoners have skated there.

Visitors to the romantic outdoor skating rink this year will be able to choose from dancing to the accompaniment of music from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker before Christmas, or live music by Norwegian composer and instrumentalist Terje Isungset, using instruments of pure ice, for three days in January.

Torvill, 53, added that she had been reunited with Christopher Dean, with whom she was awarded an Olympic gold in 1984, through Dancing on Ice: "Because of the programme, Chris and I got together again after being retired for eight years.

"We'd always kept in touch anyway, but this was like being given a second chance at something. We've had so much fun coming up with new routines." Somerset House will offer a new programme this year in partnership with Big Dance and English National Ballet.

It will include lunch-time work-outs in January where, after a warm-up with members of the English National Ballet, Londoners can practise their ice dance skills with Somerset House's coaches.

Elsewhere, the capital's largest open-air rink is expanding this year to 15,000 square feet to respond to the growth in popularity of seasonal outdoor skating.

The Lidl Magical Rink in Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland will be created from 405,000 pints of frozen water, weighing 20,471 stone.

More than 42,000 feet of piping will be laid underneath the rink to keep it frozen.

For tickets and information to both events, go to www.somersethouse.org.uk/ice_rink and www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com

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