DAZZLING and dramatic are just two words to describe the latest offering from Stageworks Worldwide Productions.

As the smoke cleared at the start of the Hot Ice 2000 premiere on April 29, sharp-suited skaters with slick sunglasses and mobile phones moved like automatons, spelling out the humdrum reality of everyday life in the modern age. And Rhythmos was born.

Straight from the imagination of director and producer Amanda Thompson, this impressive ice ballet is Hot Ice with heart and soul. Throbbing tribal music, thought-provoking poetry, African drums, Celtic symbols, and even gyrating belly dancers influence this contemporary piece of intense theatre, which is quite a surprise to find in the heart of tourist trap Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Phil Winston's ice choreography is once again faultless, and the sheer skill of an amazingly talented cast brought gasps and spontaneous applause from an audience thrilled by gravity defying lifts, spins, twists, turns and twirls as bodies and skates flew high in the air. But that's just the half of it.

The second part of the evening, entitled Le Mirroire, reflected on favourites from past shows with the ever-smiling Oula Jaaskenainen leading the pack in pink and black and wowing a capacity crowd with his cheeky charm and expert skating in Voodoo Swing.

And boy can these cats swing!

Even Santana's Smooth got the Amanda treatment, complete with Philippe Veil and Albert Maslov coolly smoking cigarettes before launching into a breathtaking routine.

The beautiful Russian champion Natalia Pestova was perfectly cast as the supervixen Carmen, and the Amazonian Nicky Scott once again made every woman in the audience green with envy in a sheer black bodystocking. But all members of the Hot Ice skating team look superb and combine to produce a scintillating performance.

Amanda Thompson wants the audience to free their spirit, and there can be no better way to begin than with a trip to this stunning piece of ice entertainment.

Hot Ice runs until November 5 with performances at 2.30pm and 7.30pm. For more information and tickets from £7 call (0870) 4445566 or call into Blackpool Pleasure Beach box offices. Family tickets, group discounts and dinner packages available.