SHOW REVIEW

Standing slightly over five feet tall, the small woman with a big talent took to the specially-imported mobile ice rink in a long black jacket and matching trilby hat. She opened the show by showcasing some basic Arabic she had learned for the occasion.

"Salam A Lakem, Bahrain," she said in her soft French-Canadian accent.

She began the performance with Crazy For Loving You and as she belted out the first note, the warmth from her voice practically melted the ice.

I'm not easily impressed, but to see someone combining three things that I can't do into one performance was frankly astonishing. She effortlessly glided along the ice, microphone in hand, with a huge smile on her face as she fought hard to win over the crowd of shoppers.

Frankly, I got dizzy just watching her dart from one end of the rink to the other.

From the performance it was quite clear that Joanie loves a wide selection of music and is confident having a go at anything from Patsy Cline country to Elvis Presley rock'n'roll.

Her energy was incredible, although I wondered how she could possibly keep up the pace for the duration of the show. Usually Jazz on Ice lasts for around an hour and a half, but since the show was on a smaller scale (without her live band and on a much smaller rink) it was condensed to 45 minutes.

It was clear to me that above all else, Joanie has great fun every second she is on the ice. Even following a brief slip, she managed to quickly laugh it off and continue without stopping, she almost made the stumble look like part of the show.

The atmosphere was amazing, with the multi-coloured spotlights beaming down and majestically glistening off the ice and the smoke machine lightly filling the air with a soft mist that added to the ambience.

After a 10-minute interval to catch her breath, she glided back onto the ice in a sparkly costume that dazzled in the spotlight.

Each classic song had Joanie's own style and personality blended in to it. Her skating and dancing perfectly complemented each number.

My favourite part of the show was when she brought a chair onto the ice and proceeded to skate over to it and sit down for a moment. I wondered to myself if that was part of the show or just a well deserved rest, but nonetheless, it worked a treat.

She oozed confidence and sophistication throughout the entire performance and after the show I took a moment to ask her how she managed to be so cool.

"In real life I'm quite shy, but once I put on my skates and I have a microphone in my hand, I'm confident. It's like my release, my chance to express myself," she said with a giggle.

The show continues tomorrow at Seef Mall's new extension from 8pm and entry is free.