Torvill & Dean: Our Last Dance Review — A Heartfelt Farewell to a Legendary Partnership
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean are taking their final bow after an iconic 50-year career in ice skating, and they’re doing it in style. Their farewell tour, Our Last Dance, kicked off Friday night at London’s OVO Wembley Arena, offering fans one last chance to see the Olympic gold medalists perform together before officially hanging up their skates.
While the event is undeniably a crowd-pleasing, big-budget spectacle, it manages to steer clear of sentimentality. Instead, it leans into a sense of warm nostalgia, celebrating a legacy with grace and good humor.
Supported by a talented ensemble of 15 international and professional skaters—many familiar from Dancing on Ice—Torvill and Dean guide audiences through the highlights of their remarkable journey. Their easy chemistry and playful rapport infuse the evening with charm, whether they’re performing live or sharing memories on screen.
The show opens with a lively group number in Dickensian costume and quickly reaches an emotional high with a reprise of one of their classic routines—this time set to Larry Adler’s harmonica version of Summertime. Watching them glide together, even with a touch more caution than in their prime, is a poignant reminder of the elegance and magic that defined their partnership. When younger skaters Tim Koleto and Misato Komatsubara gracefully step in mid-routine, the torch-passing feels seamless and respectful.
The rest of the evening features a variety of performances: solos, duets, and ensemble pieces that range from playful to theatrical. Some—like a dramatic interpretation of Holst’s The Planets—are striking and sophisticated, while others, like a spoof of celebrity contestants from Dancing on Ice, fall a bit flat. Even a cheeky take on their legendary Bolero is more lighthearted than moving.
But of course, the real magic came at the end, when they delivered the performance everyone had been waiting for—their full, iconic rendition of Ravel’s Bolero. It was a beautiful and fitting conclusion to an evening filled with gratitude, laughter, and love for the ice.
Torvill and Dean’s final tour is not just a show—it’s a celebration of everything they’ve given to the world of skating. And as this chapter closes, their legacy glides on.