About the Company

What we do

Ice Theatre of New York® exists to create and advance ice dance as an ensemble performing art with its professional ice dance company. It remains dedicated as well to providing education and to presenting public performances to people of all ages. We aim to inspire people, especially children, to experience the balance, flow, and flight of skating and to engage in a lifelong healthy activity. In so doing, we represent our city in its diversity and international flavor across axes of ethnicity, race, and gender expression.

Founded by Moira North in 1984, ITNY created the first not-for-profit professional ice dance company in the U.S. and was the first to receive 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. ITNY represents one of the hidden- in-plain-sight gems of NYC, presenting dozens of free public performances at The Rink at Rockefeller Center, Bank of America Winter Village in Bryant Park, Wollman Rink in Central Park, Brookfield Place and Governors Island as well as at Sky Rink, Chelsea Piers where our Home Season and Gala take place. We also perform and do outreach at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park, Brooklyn and City Ice and World Ice in Queens.

ITNY achieves its public arts and education mission by:

    • Commissioning and performing new pieces created by recognized and emerging dance and ice skating choreographers. The company has created exclusive works by choreographers as varied as well-known skating choreographers Elisa Angeli, Lorna Brown, and Joel Dear, modern dance choreographers Jacqulyn Buglisi, Elisa Monte, David Parsons, and Jody Sperling, performance artist Ann Carlson, McKnight Choreographer Fellow Deneane Richburg, and ballet great Edward Villella. We just completed our first commissioned work for the Tree Lighting at Bank of America Winter Village in Bryant Park choreographed by Broadway Dancer Kolton Krouse.
    • Making performances accessible to diverse audiences and presenting dozens of free performances, featuring our current repertory throughout New York City.
    • Offering arts education programs on ice dancing and figure skating for school-aged children in Brooklyn, Queens, Harlem, and Central Park, annually serving 1,000 NYC school students.
    • Training company skaters and guest skating artists in our seasonal Master Edge Classes at Chelsea Piers Sky Rink and Bryant Park, as well as offering training programs for aspiring ice dance artists, including our Junior Ensemble.
    • Collaborating with choreographers, producers, presenters, administrators, and advocates from the dance and skating worlds and beyond while exploring creatively exciting relationships with artists from theatre, music, and new media disciplines.

How we started

Moira North saw a need for a place where skating artists could create works that integrate the sensibilities of contemporary dance, music and art challenging the perceptions and conventional definitions of figure skating. The company was founded at the end of 1984 by Ms. North in collaboration with Belgian modern dance choreographer Marc Bogaerts, figure skating coach Cecily Morrow and artist Marjorie Kouns. Modeled as a dance company, ITNY has trained a professional ensemble of skaters and built a critically acclaimed repertory of performance pieces that have been presented both nationally and internationally.

The company's Founder/Artistic Director, Moira North and Executive Director, Jirina Ribbens have equally impressive backgrounds in choreography and management and a combined experience of over three decades in production, artistic direction, and public relations.

Since its inception Ice Theatre of New York® has changed the face of figure skating by creating over 125 pieces of repertory choreographed by ballet, modern dance, skating and contemporary choreographers.

In tribute, Olympic ice skating gold medalist Dick Button has lauded ITNY as “making a forceful and valued impact on the creative artistry of the fine art of skating” through championing bold, new choreography and uniquely expressive performances in association with top ballet and ice dance masters.

How we reach the community

ITNY is dedicated to making performances accessible to diverse audiences and presents many free performances featuring the current repertory throughout New York City. ITNY also reaches its public arts and education mission by:

  • commissioning new choreography, with pieces by recognized and promising ballet and ice skating artists;

  • offering free admission to public performances each year, including our City Skate Concert Series at area seasonal rinks;

  • holding Master Classes led by ITNY dancers for skating professionals and enthusiasts at our home rink, Sky Rink;

  • offering apprentice/training programs for aspiring young ice dance artists and providing performance opportunities for this Junior Ensemble;

  • conducting our New Works and Young Artists Series for NYC public school children, which introduces them to the fine art of gliding on ice and the sport of figure skating with both a performance and a skating clinic component;

  • presenting the Will Sears Award at our annual Fall Frolic in October to a skater who has shown exceptional daring and persistence in pursuit of their passion;

  • presenting our Annual Benefit Gala honoring someone who is accomplished in our Ice Dance world and has stayed connected beyond their own performances; someone who has given back to our 'icy" world and has been a role model for others to follow.

Ice Theatre of New York® believes that it is vital to reach out to the next generation of skaters and audiences through education, community outreach, and training programs. We are committed to continuing and expanding our joyful work with public school children with the aim of introducing America’s youth to the athleticism and artistry of skating and ice dance.

We are dedicated to promoting skating as a healthy recreational activity for people of all ages by educating the public about the tremendous benefits of coordination, balance, focus, and discipline that is required and gained from learning on a challenging surface of cold slippery ice.

To support ITNY click here.

With your help we continue to create dancing on ice for all to enjoy and we reach more public school children to introduce them to the joy of dancing on ice. 

Thank you!

Highlights of the current 2024 - 2025 Season

  • Our Master Edge Class on the ice at Sky Rink Chelsea Piers began on September 11, 2024, and continued until December 18, 2024. This class was taught by ITNY Ensemble Member Sarah France and other company members. Contact the office about participating and to be added to our class notification list.
  • Our Fall Frolic Performance and Fundraiser will took place on Friday, October 25, 2024, at Sky Rink and the Sunset Terrace at Chelsea Piers. The show took place in an "unplugged" format without theatrical lighting. Performers include our ITNY's Professional Ensemble, ITNY performing apprentices, and guest artists Gracie Gold, and Emmanuel Savary! 
  • Our Master Edge Class on the ice at the Rink at Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park began on October 29, 2024, and continues until February 25, 2025. This class is taught by ITNY Ensemble Member Sarah France. Contact the office about participating and to be added to our class notification list.
  • Our City Skate Concert Series will feature performances by the ITNY professional ensemble, special guest artists, and youth apprentices at rinks around the city including Bryant Park, Wollman Rink & Rockefeller Center. For more info, click here. 
  • ITNY again participated in the Winter Village at Bank of America in Bryant Park's Annual Tree Lighting on December 3, 2024. ITNY presented two peices, "Baby It's Cold Outside" and "Christmas on Broadway" sung by the host of the evening, Lea Salonga. 
  • In December we presented our annual Winter Holiday Skating Celebration and Tree Lighting at Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park, free for the community, on Saturday, December 14, 2024, at 4 PM.
  • Our Master Edge Class on the ice at Sky Rink Chelsea Piers began again in the new year on January 8, 2025, and will continue until April 30, 2025. This class was taught by ITNY Ensemble Member Sarah France and other company members. Contact the office about participating and to be added to our class notification list. Click here to register!
  • Our New Works and Young Artist Series (NWYAS) for NYC public school students will take place again at Riverbank State Park, Sky Rink, Wollman Rink, LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park, and World Ice Arena in Queens. As well as one session of Virtual programming for students in Staten Island. First, our talented professionals and young apprentices performed for the students. ITNY teachers and performers then engaged the students in a free skating clinic. Students learn that ice skating is more than a competitive sport; they are introduced to the integration of athleticism and artistry necessary to create dancing on ice. For more info, click here. 
  • ITNY's 2025 Home Season will take place in May. 
  • ITNY's 40th Anniversary Benefit Gala & Performance will take place on May 5, 2025. 

Editor: Jirina Ribbens

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