Ice Theatre Of New York To Present CITY SKATE Concert, November 15

Ice Theatre of New York (ITNY) presents Winter 2022-23 City Skate Concert Series, starting with a City Skate Concert on November 15, 2022 at 11:50am at the Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park. The series will continue on January 10 & February 21, 2023 and the events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit icetheatre.org/2022-pop-up-fall/winter-performances.html.

The program will feature ITNY Youth Apprentice performer, Ella Bauer skating to "All I Want for Christmas" choreographed by Olympic Ice Dancer Kaitlyn Weaver, to kick off the holiday season. British Ice Dancers Phebe Bekker and James Hernandez will also perform; they are just back from winning a silver medal on the Junior Grand Prix Circuit. This marks their first appearance with the Ice Theatre of New York.

ITNY repertory works will include:

Of Water and Ice

Performed by Sarah France and Valerie Levine

In the polar regions, a constant interplay takes place between H2O in its liquid and solid forms. Set to a DJ Spooky score, generated itself by the geometry of ice crystals and the math of climate change data, the dance explores what happens when this fragile balance of water and ice spins out of control. Choreography commissioned by Ice Theatre of New York with the generous support of the New York State Council on the Arts.

When Atoms Embrace

Performed by Liz Yoshiko Schmidt

Choreography by Lorna Brown

Music by Arvo Part - "Spiegel im Spiegel"

Costume by Lorna Brown

When Atoms Embrace, an acclaimed solo choreographed and costumed by original John Curry Theatre of Skating member, Lorna Brown. Lorna is an artist with a deep interest and knowledge in science.

The piece is set to Music by Arvo Pärt's "Spiegel im Spiegel" and was inspired by a poem Lorna wrote herself:

She comes to us in blue and lavender light which shines on us all to give mankind energy and love and to help and heal our planet. Lay me in a field of wild flowers, let the scent perfume the hours. When The Atoms embrace and time changes pace, I find my magical powers.

Take Five

Performed by Danil Berdnikov

Choreography by Eliot Halverson

Music by saxophonist Paul Desmond, arr. Dave Brubeck, and performed by The Dave Brubeck Quartet

The Dream Duet from "Unforgettable"

Performed by Sarah France and Aaron Singletary

Choreography by Douglas Webster

This season, ITNY will also perform at The Rink at Rockefeller Center, Wollman Rink, Brookfield Place, Riverbank State Park, Lefrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park, City Ice Pavilion in Long Island City, and World Ice Arena in Flushing.

About the ITNY Performers

Danil Berdnikov is from the city of Samara in Russia. Danil was a part of junior national team and competed within Russia until he completed high school. Danil then decided to move to Moscow to continue his education and to join Stage Entertainment Russia for an opportunity to begin performing as an ice skater. Performing for an audience, Danil fell in love with skating in a new way, so he has continued to skate professionally for the past eight years. Over the course of his professional skating career Danil had a privilege of working for Willy Bietak Productions and Wheeler Productions in the US, Stageworks Worldwide Production in the UK, Holiday on Ice Productions and Dynamic Shows Entertainment in the EU, Stage Entertainment Russia. Ice skating has brought Danil many different opportunities, including the chance to travel the world and do what he truly loves. He is very grateful to his parents, coaches, choreographers, and fellow skaters who have supported him along the way, and he is very excited to fulfill another incredible dream of performing for Ice Theatre of New York, Inc.

Sarah France joined the Ice Theatre of New York in 2018, bringing her passion for ice dancing and broad knowledge of skating skills and disciplines to the company. France has translated her skills to many different areas as an ensemble performer with ITNY, in addition to being a choreographer, edge class instructor, aerialist, inline skater, dancer and off ice instructor. Her dedication to skating and desire to share her love of the ice with others has made her a sought-after instructor and performer. She believes strongly in the ability of skating to transcend barriers, teach life lessons and give opportunities to all who wish to make their home on the ice. In addition to her work with ITNY, France's skills have been highly valued in training developmental through internationally competitive skaters, working as a coach, choreographer and program director. She is a faculty member for Shattuck-St. Mary's International Figure Skating Center of Excellence training camps and a welcomed guest coach in skating programs around the world. France has worked with competitive athletes representing over 40 different countries and facilitated the transition to professional careers for many young skaters. She takes particular interest in developing strong foundational skating skills, mentoring coaches, as well as teaching those who wish to further refine their mastery of skating technique. Her well-rounded education on the ice has allowed her to flexibly work in all disciplines of skating, as well as successfully lead instructional programs as a skating director. She is honored to be the Director of Outreach Programming for ITNY and looks forward to sharing the joy of dancing on ice with students around the greater NYC area through these efforts.

Valerie Levine has been dancing tap, jazz and ballet since she was 4 years of age and started roller-skating at that time. After begging her parents for figure skating lessons, she started training at 11. She auditioned for Disney On Ice during high school and was accepted but decided to get her bachelor's degree in college first. She went on to get her Senior Ladies Moves and Pre-golds in ice dance by 19 and skated as an ice girl for the NHL teams the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders during those years. She furthered her dance knowledge while in college getting her bachelor's degree in Product Management Textiles from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She minored in dance and trained at the Broadway Dance Center in many dance styles, which led her to her current career as a professional belly dancer, ballroom dancer, Brazilian samba dancer, fire performer and the like. Valerie has collaborated on ITNY events for the past decade. You can find out more about Valerie Levine on her website: Valerinadance.com

Elizabeth (Liz) Yoshiko Schmidt has been skating with ITNY since 2017. Luscious edges, artistic dynamic movement, and traditional ice dancing inform her skating and professional career which began in 2013 at the age of 18, performing internationally in Germany and across the US. A Japanese/German American skater who hails from Chicago, IL, she recently moved from San Francisco, CA to New York City. A U.S. Figure Skating Double Gold medalist in Freestyle and Moves in the Field, and a Silver medalist in Ice Dancing, Liz received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2018, and has exhibited her work across the Bay Area.

Aaron Singletary grew up in Pennsylvania skating for the Penguin Figure Skating Club and started his national competitive career training with Craig Maurizi at the Ice House in Hackensack, NJ. Aaron earned gold in Moves in the Field as well as Freestyle. Aaron now coaches primarily at City Ice Pavilion in New York City. Over the years Aaron has had many internationally revered coaches. Each left a prominent mark on his approach to skating and singling one or two would be a disservice to the others. He aims to further his knowledge so that one day he too may be an internationally recognized performer and coach. The 2019 Home Season marked his debut with Ice Theatre of New York .

Ice Theatre of New York (ITNY) exists to create and advance ice dance as (an ensemble) performing art form with its professional ice dance company. ITNY is also dedicated to providing education and to presenting public performances to people of all ages. We aim to inspire people to experience the balance, flow and flight of skating and to engage in a lifelong healthy activity.

Founded in 1984 by Moira North, Ice Theatre of New York has changed the face of figure skating by creating works that integrate the sensibilities of contemporary dance, music and art challenging the perceptions and conventional definitions of figure skating. Through its performances in both traditional and site-specific venues, ITNY presents ice dance that opens one's eyes to seeing skating in unexpected ways. ITNY was the first ice dance company to receive dance program funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information, visit www.icetheatre.org.

City Skate Pop-Up Concerts are supported, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. ITNY is also supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and NYC Council Member Mark Levine and by Dance/NYC'S Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund.

Additionally, ITNY receives funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, Lisa McGraw Figure Skating Foundation, the Will Sears Foundation, and its generous private patrons.

Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is popularly known as NYC's only free admission ice skating rink. Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is open daily through March 5, 2023, and in addition to The Rink, the annual winter event features fun, outdoor activities including The Holiday Shops by Urbanspace, delicious food and drink offerings at The Lodge, the Curling Café, Cozy Igloos, and Bumper Cars on Ice. For more information, go to WinterVillage.org.