GLITZ & GRIT: Beyond the Spotlight –
Falling, Rising & Reinventing
By Christine Reeves Beleznay
A Journey Through Failing, Resilience, and Reinvention
From the glittering stages of Le Lido in Paris to the grueling reality of life on the road with Disney and Holiday on Ice, to competing Internationally, Glitz & Grit takes you behind the glamour and spotlights into the raw, honest world of professional figure skating.
This isn’t a story about perfection—it’s about falling, rising, and discovering that strength isn’t the absence of fear, but picking yourself up and performing anyway.
Spanning 25 years and 22 countries, Christine’s story reveals the highs and lows of show skating: the weekly weigh-ins, career-threatening injuries, the tension between motherhood and the spotlight, and the relentless pursuit of excellence that defined her life on ice.
Read an Excerpt
I didn’t set out to write a book about perfection. This isn’t a story about flawless performances or a career without stumbles. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll be disappointed by the third chapter.
This is a book about falling—and getting back up. About the moment your timing is off and you’re on the ice before you can think, and the choice you make in that split second: stay down or rise. It’s about the thousand small failures that no one sees, the mistakes that happen in empty arenas during practice, the doubts that whisper in the dark before a performance.
I wrote this book to share my journey through the glittering, grueling world of show skating, a life lived on the ice, traveling to towns across twenty-two countries. The highs were intoxicating—the spotlight, the applause, the feeling of flight when a lift went perfectly and when the crowd roared. But the lows cut deeper than any blade: the weekly weigh-ins that reduced us to numbers, the injuries that threatened everything we’d built, the homesickness that gnawed at twenty-two-year-old me dragging a steamer trunk through Heathrow airport and the conflict between motherhood and the spotlight.
— From the Preface
I didn’t set out to write a book about perfection. This isn’t a story about flawless performances or a career without stumbles. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll be disappointed by the third chapter.This is a book about falling—and getting back up. About the moment your timing is off and you’re on the ice…
Watch & Experience the Journey
Performance Highlights
Behind the Scenes
Christine’s Personal Message
This is not a book about perfection. It’s about falling—and choosing to rise. About the split second when everything goes wrong and the decision that follows: stay down or get back up. It’s about the quiet failures no one sees, the doubts that surface before the lights come on, and the truth I learned skating across twenty-two countries—that the moments we fear most are often the ones that shape us. The highs were intoxicating—applause, flight, the thrill of a perfect lift—but the lows were sharper: weigh-ins, injuries, homesickness, and the tension between motherhood and the spotlight.
I wrote this book for skaters, athletes, and anyone who has stumbled and wondered if failure defined them. Strength isn’t the absence of fear—it’s moving forward anyway. When the music changes and life demands reinvention, it is not an ending but an invitation. The ice taught me its cold truth early: falls are teachers, resilience is built, and flight is earned. I’m still learning to rise—and to fly
About the Author
Christine Reeves Beleznay is a former world-class professional figure skater whose 25-year career spanned 22 countries, blockbuster movies, television specials, elite cabarets, and iconic stages including Le Lido in Paris, Disney on Ice, and Radio City Music Hall. Known for her signature adagio lifts and captivating showgirl artistry, she built a life on the edges of her blades—one defined by discipline, daring, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.
When the spotlight dimmed, Christine reinvented herself again and again: as a fitness and performance coach, stunt double, and later as a mindset trainer dedicated to helping athletes overcome fear and develop resilience. Her own journey—surviving career-ending injuries, navigating body-image battles, rebuilding after divorce, and raising her son as a single mother—shaped her into a powerful advocate for growth through adversity.
Today, Christine inspires audiences with her message of falling, rising, and reinventing, translating the lessons learned from global stages and personal trials into meaningful guidance for athletes, parents, and anyone confronting change. Her work continues to empower others to discover strength beyond the spotlight and courage in every new beginning.
Contact
careeves62@gmail.com
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