A Brief History
The history of artistic skating has its roots in both competitive figure skating and dance. Throughout the history of Figure skating there have always been skaters who were artists in their own right, who stretched the bounds of the competitive format, but still stayed in that arena. The intention/content of their performances shifted from perfect execution of a set or required elements to movement as language and a means of self expression which just so happens to include a set of required elements. The competitive format requires the choreography to be a certain number of minutes, to contain a certain number of jumps, spins and footwork. The judging system rewards points based upon correct execution of the required elements. The event is reliant on television audiences and producers and advertisers profiting from ratings. Such a system will produce mostly predictable skating.
With the formation in 1976 of the Canada Ice Dance Ensemble,
the first non-profit arts organization dedicated to ice skating as an art form, the scope of ice skating broadened. Skating could now be art instead of Gymnastics, the main focus could be the choreography. Several competitive skaters contributed greatly to this new art form, these skaters include Gary Beacom, Torvil and Dean and John Curry. One of the founders, the late Frank Nowosad,
“…enamoured of both skating and dance, had proposed in Skating Magazine that skating companies equivalent to those in dance should be formed to pursue skating as a serious art-form. He felt strongly that there should be goals for skaters and choreographers other than amateur competition and “glitzy” professional shows.”
Excerpt taken from the Canada Ice dance Theatre web site, written by Ron Vincent.
In 1976 John Curry won the Olympics. John went on to form a touring company much like a ballet company on ice, his Theatre of Skating performed at the Metropolitan Opera and Royal Albert Hall. John established a company class format in which skaters move as a group, keeping in sync and in relation to one another while turning and gliding. This formation is called birding. Birding is the basis of all group/ensemble skating and has been used to train skaters in both artistic and commercial shows. Despite popular success, Curry’s company lasted only 2 years (in the early 1980’s) as the cost of mounting a performance on a stage in a theatre is $20,000 per performance.
In 1984 Curry’s company disbanded. Concurrently another company, the Ice Theatre of New York was founded by Moira North. ITNY was based at the old SkyRink in NYC on 33rd and 10th avenue at the top of an office building where the company maintained a small office adjoining the rinks dance room. Rehearsals were held at 1:00 in the morning as that was the least expensive ice time. Generously, Skyrink donated much of that ice to the ITNY cause.
The former rehearsal director of Curry’s company, Rob McBrian, served as Artistic Director for the first 12 years of the company’s life. While living in NYC from 1984-1990, Mr. Curry taught ensemble classes sponsored by ITNY to company skaters and the local community. Tragically, Curry, along with many treasured skaters developed AIDS, eventually returned to Europe and passed on in April of 1994.
Soon after it’s formation Ice Theatre of New York was awarded it’s first grant as a dance company by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Notable among Ice Theatre’s early performances was the Hard Edge. This show featured the skating of Gary Beacom as well as works by the company members, John Curry and Judy Blumberg and Michael Siebert. In this show Gary skated several solos one of which was choreographed by Frank Nowosad, one of the Founders of the Canada Ice Dance Theatre. Gary Beacom was a former Canadian competitive skater whose inventive eccentric and highly theatrical skating afforded him a career as a celebrity skater. Though Gary never had an interest in ensemble skating, his totally different point of view has brought theatrical skating into another realm. His contributions to ITNY as a guest skater throughout the years was emblematic of ITNY’s dedication to ice skating as a form of art.
The mainstay of ITNY’s work are works composed by modern dance choreographers. Over the years, ITNY created a repertory of over 60 pieces, including works by Jacqulyn Buglisi, Ann Carlson, Laura Dean, Alberto Del Saz, Donlin Foreman, David Dorfman, Lar Lubovitch, Elisa Monte, David Parsons and JoAnna Mendl Shaw. The repertory ranges from 12-skater ensemble pieces, to solos, duets and trios, with music from classical to contemporary; each choreographer brought a completely different sensibility to a very controlling medium. The challenge and intrigue of translating dance movements onto the ice inspired dance choreographers to forge ahead into a medium in which they had no prior mastery.
Ice skating has intrinsic qualities such as the tendency to glide, to flow, to spin quickly and to move along curving patterns. These qualities tend to dictate the nature of movement that an ice skater will explore. The combination of a dance choreographer and an ice skater who is able to translate the dancer’s ideas onto the ice creates very interesting ways of moving and goes beyond the technical necessities of skating challenging the body mind and spirit of the performer and the audience.
ITNY also performs the work of innovative skating choreographers, however neither the NEA or NISCA will fund those projects as their mission is to support the dance community. ITNY like most dance companies is largely funded by a wonderful community of private donors. The company has kept a regular performance season at Skyrink, now located at Chelsea Piers since 1988. ITNY also sponsors a benefit performance and honors a well known skater each year. Ice Theatre’s dance hosts include Boston’s Dance Umbrella, Vermont’s Flynn Theatre, Dancing in the Streets, Creative Time, as well as various European producers.
In 1988 ITNY took on its first apprentice to the company, Beth Woronoff, an 18 year old just ending a competitive career. Woronoff, coached by company member Adam Lieb, a former national competitor and member of the Curry company, soon became a company member and went on to choreograph several works for the ensemble and to create and find funding for New Works and Young Artist Series and the Sports and Arts in Schools skating program. Due to an injury Woronoff was forced to stop skating for more than 5 years. In 2002, Woronoff began teaching in Saugerties and began what is now called the Boundless Edge Skating School.
In 1988 another ensemble of ice skaters was formed by Nathan Birch three time NEA choreography fellowship recipient, and Tim Murray, both former Curry skaters, Their company based in Maryland was called the Next Ice Age. The company performed largely the work of Nathan Birch at prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center.
Nathan was quoted as saying “What truly separates us from conventional dancers is our ability to lean at a 45 degree angle”.
Several other companies including groups led by Elin Scran in Boston and Becky Safai in Seattle and the Los Angeles Ice Theatre have formed and disbanded. Canada Ice Dance Theatre recently named Gary Beacom as the new artistic director. Ice theatre of New York is moving into the future with a recent endowment and the continued strength and leadership of founder Moira North. ITNY plans to return for a second year to Saugerties, NY to spend three weeks creating new repertoire and teaching classes to the local community.
This is a living history unfolding as we speak and we are part of it.
