Rockefeller Center Presents Ice Theatre Of New York in OF WATER AND ICE

Ice Theatre of New York (ITNY) will hit the ice at The Rink at Rockefeller Center on March 10, 2023 at 12:30pm with ITNY Ensemble members Sarah France and Valerie Levine performing Jody Sperling's Of Water and Ice. For more information, visit icetheatre.org/calendar.html.

Of Water and Ice

Choreography by Jody Sperling

Performed by Sarah France and Valerie Levine

Music: "Of Water and Ice" by DJ Spooky

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.

About the Artists

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 collaborated on ITNY events for the past two decades and has been roller-skating as well as dancing tap, jazz, and ballet since the age of four. She started training in figure skating at 11, going on to compete and test until graduating high school, when she turned down a Disney On Ice to pursue her Bachelor's degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). At 19, she earned her gold level in Senior Ladies Moves and pre-golds in ice dance before skating professionally. While earning her BS in Product Management Textiles from FIT, she minored in dance and trained at Broadway Dance Center in many dance styles, leading to an off-ice career as a professional belly dancer, ballroom dancer and samba dancer. She currently teaches and performs these styles worldwide, while managing her own entertainment company Valerina Dance, which can be followed at ValerieLevine.com or on Instagram @Valerielevine.

Jody Sperling is a New York City-based dancer-choreographer and the founder and Artistic Director of Time Lapse Dance. Her artistic focus is on engaging with climate creatively. Sperling and Time Lapse Dance have performed and taught throughout the US and around the world. Sperling is considered the world's leading exponent of the style of early modern dancer and performance technologist Loïe Fuller (1862-1928) and has expanded Fuller's genre into the 21st century. This work influenced Sperling's awareness of the body's relationship with the larger environment, and in 2014, she participated in a polar science mission and danced on Arctic sea ice. Her short film about the expedition, Ice Floe, won a Creative Climate Award. Sperling also earned a World Choreography Award nomination for her work on the French feature film "The Dancer" and was commissioned to create a major new work featured in the forthcoming Fuller documentary "Obsessed with Light." Sperling is also a dance writer and scholar and has served on the Board of Directors of the Society of Dance History Scholars (SDHS). She holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University in Dance and Italian Studies, an M.A. in Performance Studies from New York University Tisch School of the Arts, and an MFA in Dance from Montclair State University.

Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky, is a composer, multimedia artist, and writer whose work immerses audiences in a blend of genres, global culture, and environmental and social issues. Miller has collaborated with an array of recording artists, including Metallica, Chuck D, Steve Reich, and Yoko Ono. His 2018 album, DJ Spooky Presents: Phantom Dancehall, debuted at #3 on Billboard Reggae. His large-scale, multimedia performance pieces include "Rebirth of a Nation," Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica, commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Seoul Counterpoint, written during his 2014 residency at Seoul Institute of the Arts. His multimedia project Sonic Web premiered at San Francisco's Internet Archive in 2019. He was the inaugural artist-in-residency at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's The Met Reframed, 2012-2013. In 2014, he was named National Geographic Emerging Explorer. He produced Pioneers of African American Cinema, a collection of the earliest films made by African American directors, released in 2015. Miller's artwork has appeared in the Whitney Biennial, The Venice Biennial for Architecture, the Miami/Art Basel fair, and many other museums and galleries.

About 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. ITNY's programming is 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 Shaun Abreu. Additionally, ITNY receives funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Daniel & Corrine Cichy Memorial Foundation, Hearthland Embers Fund, The Lisa McGraw Figure Skating Foundation, the Will Sears Foundation, and its generous private patrons.

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