The Skating Club of Boston is proud to welcome you to the 2023 Dick Button Artistic Skating Festival from October 13-14, 2023. As part of the festival, we are offering a workshop completed with on and off-ice classes with all our participating companies on October 14, 2023. All skaters must be at least 8 years old to participate in these workshops and seminars.
Deadline to register is October 12, 2023. Walk-in registrations will be accepted. If you have any questions, please email leslie.graham@scboston.org.
There are two different tracks for this workshop:
Track 1: Designed for skaters who have passed their intermediate moves in the field test
Skaters rank their on-ice classes and will be assigned 3 on-ice classes
Classes will be held on the West Rink between 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Track 2: Designed for skaters who have not passed their intermediate moves in the field test
Skaters rank their on-ice classes and will be assigned 3 on-ice classes
This track also includes the AIT Class on the West Rink at 2:50 PM
All other classes will be held on the Performance Center between 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Skaters signed up for this track can observe any other class, in the West Rink, from the stands or on the ice
Skaters registered for either track can participate in the off-ice classes
West Rink: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM (subject to change)
10:00 - 10:50 AM: Ice Dance International: SKATE 360- Celebrate the joy of flight and flow and explore multi-dimensional ways of movement on ice in IDI’s signature Skate 360. This class will cover all advanced turns and edges and helps a skater develop a keen understanding of the nuance of skating.
11:00 - 11:50 AM: The Next Ice Age: The Next Ice Edge - Learn the steps of an exercise. Learn the technique of that exercise. Apply the breath to the skating. Formulate an intent from the movement. The exercises focus on line, efficiency, and how the body relates to the circle.
12:00 - 12:50 PM: Ice Theatre of New York: Plie Power Edges - Skaters gain a repertory of exercises designed to develop skills necessary for accomplishing the athletic elements of skating. These exercises help create the freedom of ice movement essential to style. The workshop focuses in-depth on these basics:
• Grounded knee bend (Plié)
• Dynamic placement of the free leg
• Twisting and the use of the arms to shape space
• Full use of the eyes for balance and style
Through full and proper use of the body, skaters come in contact with their basic strengths and ultimately discover their own unique ice personalities.
1:00 - 1:50 PM: Stephanee Grosscup: Theater On Ice Improv (Witches) - Improvisation class based on a witch character. Skaters will go into character, express character as who you think you are and create movement from imagination. Performance is the focus - how to dive into character, movement and structure. Feel free to bring witchy/fairy material.
2:00 - 2:50 PM: Joy Skate Productions: IceFlow - A yoga-inspired edge class which connects leaning, twisting and stretching movements with the breath as we flow with each other across the ice to music. Technically, the focus of the class centers on weight transfer, and discovering a full range of motion in every direction.
2:50 - 3:50 PM: American Ice Theatre: 6 Ways of the the Spine & Improvisation - AIT will share their core body movement philosophy called 6 Ways of the Spine, as well as guided improvisation exercises working to access skaters' innate creative, authentic, expressive movement. Contemporary skating is a new art form that challenges the traditional norms of figure skating by offering collaborative, innovative, inclusive, and explorative spaces examining the relationship between the ice, our bodies, and the world around us.
Performance Center: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Open to skaters of all levels on either a participating or auditing basis. Instructors from each of the companies will teach 20-minute segments to participants on one half the ice. Skaters will be guaranteed a minimum of 3 classes each and will have the opportunity to practice and mingle with skaters from the companies on the other half of the ice.
SCHEDULE (subject to change)
10:00 - 10:20 AM: The Next Ice Age- The Next Ice Edge
10:20 - 10:40 AM: Joy Skate- IceFlow
10:40 - 11:00 AM: Ice Theatre of New York- Intro: Plie Power Edges
11:00 - 11:20 AM: American Ice Theatre- 6 Ways of Spine & Improvisation
11:20 - 11:40 AM: Stephanee Grosscup- Theatre On Ice Improv (witches)
11:40 - 12:00 PM: Ice Dance International- Community Class
OFF-ICE CLASSES (open to all)
12:00 - 12:50 PM American Ice Theatre (movement class)
1:00 - 1:50 PM Joy Skate - SockFlow (movement class)
2:00 - 2:50 PM Ice Theatre of New York - Dynamic Movement and Expression (movement class)
2:00 - 2:50 PM Q&A with Olympians Paul Wylie and Jeremy Abbott
3:00 - 3:50 PM Ice Dance International - Video and Q&A