Performer Biographies
ELISA ANGELI
Born in Milan, Italy, Elisa has skated since she was 6 years old. She initially skated freestyle and then turned to ice dancing. Elisa represented Italy in senior ice dancing from 1998 to 2001. She won a bronze medal at the Italian National Championship in 1999-2000 and placed 3rd at European Cup in Tallinn in February of 2000. Following her competitve career she skated in shows choreographed by Italian Champion Barbara Fusarpoli as well as other performances in Italy and around Europe. Elisa started performing with Ice Theatre in the 2005-2006 season.
ANGELA CHIANG
Angela has passed her Senior Ladies test and began training and performing as an apprentice with Ice Theatre of New York during the Company's 2002 Summer Residency in Jamestown. In 2004 Angela became a full-fledged member of the Ensemble and has been performing with the Company on a regular basis, including her participation in Dance Visions on Ice . Angela is an NYU student in her final year of journalism.
AIDAN DALEY-HYNES
Aidan is originally from Washington, DC and has performed with Ice
Theatre since winter 2004. She has her gold medal in freestyle
skating and trained with the Chesapeake Skating School in Laurel
Maryland. She began ensemble skating at age 14 with the Chesapeake
Diamonds, competing internationally and earning two silver and one gold
medal. She has also performed professionally for three seasons with The
Next Ice Age. Aidan is a currently attending the New School University
in New York City working towards her BA in Literature.
TYRRELL GENE Cockrum
Tyrrell started dancing at the age of three in his hometown of Wenatchee, WA. Dancing, which was initially a form of therapy for his stroke-induced paralysis, led him into figure skating. For the past 13 years, Gene has trained as an ice dancer and was a 5-time national competitor. He has continued his cross-training with his studies and performances of jazz, ballet, modern and ballroom dancing. He has been with Ice Theatre for five years and performed in Dance Visions on Ice this past season.
MARNI HALASA
Marni Halasa, a United States Figure Skating double gold medalist, hails from Cleveland, Ohio. It was her move to New York City that made this lawyer/journalist achieve her aspirations as a multi-faceted performer. Currently, Marni skates with Ice Theatre of New York in various shows. She previously appeared in the Tri-State Area along with Olympic champions Katarina Witt and Oksana Baiul. Marni was also one of the first innovators of ice hockey inter-period entertainment, being the Artistic Director for the Ice Angels as well as an original member of the New York Ranger's Ranger City Skaters. As a spirited performer, Marni's projects have included understudying Ms. Baiul's role in the skating musical, "Cold as Ice," as well as a skating on plastic ice for MTV's TRL's promotion of the movie, Blades of Glory. As a choreographer, Marni choreographed the opening and closing ceremonies for Stars, Stripes & Skates 2006, as well as several inline skating scenes for the Disney movie, Enchanted.
DAVID LIU
David was born in Taiwan, immigrated to the United States at the age of six and began studying dance and figure skating at the age of eight. He auditioned for New York City Ballet's School of American Ballet (SAB) and was accepted on full scholarship, under the tutelage of Richard Rapp and Andre Kramerevsky. George Balanchine promoted him to the first "Special Class" at the SAB under the intensive training of the late Stanley Williams. After finishing his dance training at SAB, David pursued his skating career and competed at three Olympic Games for his native country, Taiwan. He teaches, choreographs and performs in both skating and dance. He has performed and given workshops and intensive classes in the United States, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong and Finland. David has choreographed programs for skating luminaries such as Brian Boitano, Lu Chen, Midori Ito, Nicole Bobek, Rosalynn Summers, and for major television specials including Kurt Browning's Gotta Skate, Divas on Ice with Katarina Witt, PBS' An Evening with Champions, and NBC's Rockefeller Center Christmas Specials. In 2002, David received a commissioning grant from New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) through Ice Theatre for a collaborative work with choreographer JoAnna Mendl Shaw. In April, 2004, David was invited to China where he created the ice gala "Spherical." In June, 2004, the world premiere of David's latest dance choreography, Visual Reference, part of H.T. Chen's Ear to the Ground project was presented by the Mulberry Street Theatre in New York City. Liu has also choreographed for dance companies such as City Contemporary Dance Company, Hong Kong Ballet, and Singapore Dance Theatre. Francis Mason of WQRX Radio called David, "Nijinsky on ice." He has choreographed at least five works for and/or with Ice Theatre in the years he has been with the Company, some of which were showcased in “Dance Visions on Ice” last season. He was appointed co-artistic director this year.
SUZANNE McDONALD
Suzanne has been performing with the Ice Theatre of New York as an apprentice and a soloist since the age of twelve. Prior to becoming a company member of Ice Theatre, Suzanne was a North Atlantic Regional medalist every year from 1996 to 2007. In 2000 she was the Empire State Games Champion and the State Games of America silver medalist. She is a USFSA double gold medalist. Suzanne was also the 2002 Gletscher Cup bronze medalist in Switzerland and in 2004 she was the US Senior Ladies Eastern Sectional Champion. As a national competitor Suzanne trained under the tutelage of Peter Burrows, Carol Heiss-Jenkins, Evgeny Platov, and Tatiana Tarasova. Suzanne attended Sarah Lawrence College, and she is currently enrolled in the Wine and Spirits Education Trust working towards becoming a sommelier. She owns and operates a boutique wine shop in Sayville, NY called “Down the Rabbit Hole Wine Boutique” where she specializes in selling handcrafted, artisinally-made wines from around the world. Visit her @ Downtherabbitholewines.com.
KIMBERLY NAVARRO and Brent bommentre
After competing internationally with previous partners, Kim and Brent came together as a team in May 2005. A Columbia graduate originally from Santa Rosa, CA, Kim brought a stellar reputation as a 2002 U.S. Olympic Team Alternate and member of the renowned Ice Theatre of New York. Brent, a resident of Horsham, PA, and part-time student at Villanova, had acquired crucial experience representing the US at top events such as Skate America and Cup of Russia. The dance team currently trains under the guidance of coaches Robbie Kaine and Cheryl Demkowski Snyder. In 2006, Kim and Brent placed fifth overall at the US Figure Skating Championships and earned the Olympic Alternate designation. The Professional Skater’s Association named the charismatic couple’s Free Dance the best ice dance performance of the championships. Kim and Brent first skated together with Ice Theatre on the proscenium stage at Lehigh University in the spring of 2006.
JAMIE COFFEY REYNOLDS
Jamie is thrilled to be making her international debut with ITNY during the French tour in June, 2008. A three-time national competitor and principal performer with Disney on Ice, Jamie has taught skating extensively throughout New York City and Indianapolis, IN. Aside from skating, Jamie is also an actor, dancer, choreographer and yoga practitioner. She recently obtained her Masters Degree from New York University and aims to pursue a Ph.D. in Dance & Theater Studies.
ALYSSA STITH-Melsen
Alyssa was born and raised in West Point, New York, and spent the majority of her formative years on the ice as a competitive figure skater. She began dancing in 1996 while touring with Living the Dream Theatre Company and earned her BA with Distinction in Dance from Ohio State University in 2000. Since then she has been striving to translate dance to ice while training and performing in both areas. She was a principal in Rory Flockhart's Ebony on Ice/Soul Spectacular on Ice. Before her 2005 marriage and relocation to Denmark to be with her new husband, Alyssa taught skating and dance for the Figure Skating in Harlem program. In May 2005, she received her Masters Degree in Fine Arts & Dance from New York University (NYU). Alyssa has been with Ice Theatre of New York since 2000 and even though she now lives in Denmark, she remains an important member of the Company.
JENNIFER WESTER and DANIIL BARANTSEV
Jennifer and Daniil teamed up at the end of 2003. Jennifer, originally from Dallas[Texas], has been skating since she was 12 and formerly partnered with Italian skater Massimo Scali. Daniil, originally from Russia, is a two-time Junior World Champion with former partner Natalia Romaniuta. Jennifer & Daniil have been guest performers with Ice Theatre since 2004. They are currently training with coaches Angelika Krylova and Pasquale Camerlengo at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. They are 3-time Midwestern Champions, 5th at the US National Championships 2007-2008, winners of the Nebelhorn Trophy [Germany] 2007, and received 4th place at the Four Continents Championships 2008 held in South Korea. The couple has a goal of making the 2010 US Olympic Team.
GREG WITTROCK
Greg is an experimental ice theater artist who uses ice skating, self-made masks, and dance to explore, communicate and characterize the human condition in his one-of-a-kind ice show "Freezer Burn". He has performed at various venues throughout New York City including, Rockefeller Center, DKNY and H&M clothing stores, and appears in the documentary film "Dances of Ecstasy". Greg's masks, characters, and choreography work is featured in the rock video, "Down to the Sea", for U.K. recording artist Tim Booth.
APPRENTICE BIOGraphieS
RAYE LEVINE
Raye began training and performing with Ice Theatre during the Company's 2003 Summer Residency in Jamestown. In the past, she has worked with Moira North. She returned to the Residency in 2004, prior to starting her first year at Cooper Union, majoring in Architecture.