Alyssa Stith #BLM

Ice Theatre of New York is proud to continue to share with you some performances and messages from our skaters and choreographers of color. Here is Heather Harrington's Choreography of “Once Again” from our Staller Center performance, along with her personal statement, a tribute to Alyssa Stith.

"I first met Alyssa on the ice. We were chosen to be the two skaters for a duet, "Angel Part 2", that Ann Carlson, an inter-disciplinarian artist, was choreographing for Ice Theatre of New York. Carlson was deconstructing an ice-skating piece, turning upside down all the expectations one could have when they viewed an ice skating performance. That first day of rehearsals I found a person that was not afraid to break boundaries. She was fearless in her explorations, and even more than that able to strip away self-conscious movements. I felt like she encouraged me to be more authentic when I was simply "performing." My experience both rehearsing and performing this piece brought us closer and closer together both as artists and friends. I treasure my time inhabiting this special place that was full of in-depth creative discovery coupled with many laughs, because Alyssa could always see the humor in a situation. After this piece, I would ask Alyssa to dance in my company where we continued performing together. We would also both coach for Figure Skating in Harlem and ITNY.

When the opportunity came up to translate a duet, "Once Again", that I had choreographed for myself and a male dancer to the ice, I knew the only female skater I could work with for this process was Alyssa.

I could have never choreographed this piece without Alyssa. She danced and skated, and was able to meld the two into an embodiment that very few people can. She was an artist that dug into the psychological motivations of the movement. "Once Again", which was commissioned by NYSCA for ITNY, was a piece that explored power dynamics in gender and was full of psychological facets. The male skater that was chosen, Ty Cockrum, was ready for the challenge also, and the three of us bonded both on and off rehearsals. I have a memory of Alyssa and I being freezing cold, but laying on the ice trying to figure out ways that we could travel on our stomach using our toe picks, as Ty skated around us in a hovering manner. We kept at it, letting go of all else except finding how to express what we wanted to on the ice.

Alyssa was a gift to anybody that met her. The gifts that she gave the skating world; the exploration of movement that goes outside of the codified skating technique and the ability to reveal a vulnerable emotional connection to movement that is not "performed"--- all sprung from an authentic place. She was willing to go beyond into territory that many others could not or just didn't have the curiosity to. Alyssa always dared to go further."
- Heather Harrington

ITNY continues to remain invested in raising awareness, sharing resources and offering performance and choreographic opportunities to skaters of color. We believe firmly that moving our society forward and treating everyone with the dignity and respect they deserve is a responsibility we all share. That is why we recommit to fighting racism and bigotry in all its forms. Together as a community we can make lasting change!

The Mabel Fairbanks Skatingly Yours Fund

The Mabel Fairbanks Skatingly Yours Fund financially assists and supports the training and development of promising Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) figure skaters with the goal of helping them realize and achieve their maximum athletic potential.

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