Performers

Guest Artist

ILIA MALININ, at 17, Ilia “Quad God” Malinin was the youngest person named to the 2022 TIME100 NEXT list, after being the first and only skater to ever land a quad axel, the most difficult and elusive jump in figure skating, making him the early favorite for Olympic Gold in Milano Cortina 2026. The innovative and unconventional Ilia became a true game changer in 2022, establishing a World Junior Record for the men’s Short Program, Free Skate, and Combined Score, and becoming the youngest ever men’s champion at Skate America - while landing a quad axel. At the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Columbus, Ohio, Ilia defended his title, winning back-to-back US Championships. Ilia capped off his 2024 season by setting a World Record and winning World Championship Gold at the ISU World Championships in Montreal, Canada. The son of two Olympians, Ilia is a freshman at George Mason, and when he’s not training and competing, enjoys skateboarding, playing video games, and watching extreme sports.

Performer

DANIL BERDNIKOV has been with ITNY for three seasons. He hails from the city of Samara, Russia, from which he competed as part of the junior national team, as well as across his vast native land through high school. He then moved to Moscow both to continue his education and to join Stage Entertainment Russia to begin performing as a skater. Performing for an audience allowed Danil to fall in love with skating in a new way and his career blossomed over eight years with Willy Bietak Productions and Wheeler Productions in the United States, Stageworks Worldwide Production in the UK, and Holiday on Ice Productions and Dynamic Shows Entertainment in the EU. Danil is grateful to his parents, coaches, choreographers, and the fellow skaters who have supported him along the way.

Performing Apprentices

OONA & GAGE BROWN, are a sister and brother U.S. ice dance team from Long Island, NY. Oona & Gage started apprenticing with ITNY in 2016. They were crowned the 2022 World Junior Ice Dance Champions in Tallinn, Estonia! Since then, they have made the transition to the senior level and competed for Team USA. Oona and Gage perform regularly with ITNY while training with their coaches, Inese Bucevica and ITNY choreographer, Joel Dear. Recently, they have been training part-time at the Ice Academy in Montreal.

Performer

COLLIN BRUBAKER hails from Chicago, Illinois, and made his ITNY debut at Rockefeller Center on March 8, 2022. He started skating at the age of six, following in the footsteps of his older siblings. A former team USA member, Collin has a US National Junior Silver Medal under his belt and represented the USA in the ISU Junior World Championships, ISU Grand Prix Skate Canada, and other international competitions. After finishing his competitive career, he completed his degree in Finance & Communications at Eastern Michigan University. He and his partner Kseniya Ponomaryova are the 2021 US Open Professional Championships Skater’s Skater Award winners and 2022 US Open Professional Championships Grand Champions.

Performer/Director of Outreach Programming

SARAH FRANCE joined ITNY in 2018, bringing her passion for ice dancing and broad knowledge of skating skills, choreographic styles, and skating disciplines to the company. Sarah has translated her skills to many different areas as both the Director of Outreach and within the ITNY Professional Ensemble, 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, who firmly believes in the life-transforming nature of skating. She is a six-time US Open Professional Figure Skating Championships competitor, national ice dance competitor, and US Figure Skating triple gold medalist, and is honored to realize her childhood dream of performing as a member of ITNY. In addition to her work with ITNY, Sarah’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. Her well-rounded education on and off the ice has allowed her to flexibly work in all disciplines of skating, and she loves to share her passion for movement, glide, and artistic expression with others through performing, teaching, and introducing others to the joy of skating.

Performer

THERON JAMES (TJ) made his ITNY debut in the 2019 City Skate Concert Series when he skated “Presence," a piece that acknowledges the presence and absence of blackness within the predominately white space of skating in honor of Black History Month. Following his amateur career as a national-level skater, TJ joined his first touring ice show in 2009 and has been a principal soloist for most major professional companies including Holiday On Ice, Disney On Ice, Royal Caribbean, and many more through the span of his vibrant career. He has also performed for television shows such as Dancing on Ice and Instinct through ITNY with Alan Cumming on CBS. When TJ is not performing, he is a full-time real estate agent and advisor here in NYC with Nestseekers International.

Performer

JOE JOHNSON is a former Team USA ice dancer. With their partner and fellow company member Karina Manta, they competed internationally for four years before retiring to join Cirque du Soleil. During the pandemic, they worked in England on the reality show Dancing on Ice, and after two years abroad, started touring nationally with Ice Dance International. They have since settled in New York City and perform with ITNY in addition to coaching and choreographing full-time. This is Joe’s first season performing with ITNY.

Performer

KARINA MANTA is an ice dancer and former international medalist and Grand Prix competitor for Team USA with her partner, Joe Johnson. Since retiring from competitive skating, she has toured with the Cirque du Soleil show AXEL and performed as a professional for the UK television series, Dancing on Ice, which she and her celebrity partner won in the 2021-22 season. She has been a company member of Ice Dance International since 2021. This is her second season performing with ITNY.  In addition to performing, Karina is the author of the young adult memoir, On Top of Glass (Knopf 2021) about growing up queer in figure skating.

Performer

LIBBY MCGROSKY has been skating with ITNY since 2023. They began skating at the age of four and continued skating through high school with a focus on freestyle and an interest in synchronized skating. In college, they skated for the Hayden Synchronized Skating Teams at the Junior and Senior levels and represented the USA for three international seasons. After completing their competitive career, Libby joined ITNY and began the process of switching to professional figure skating. Libby obtained a bachelor of science in environmental science with a minor in climate change and sustainability from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Performer

KSENIYA PONOMARYOVA made her ITNY debut at Rockefeller Center on March 8, 2022. A native of Odesa, Ukraine, she started skating at age five and trained with the Figure Skating Team of Ukraine beginning at age 11. She has won a Ukrainian Novice Championship and ISU Junior Grand Prix and competed internationally for Ukraine, as well as five times at US Nationals, where she was a US Sectional medalist. Kseniya holds a Master Rating in Choreography and a bachelor’s degree in sports education. She and her partner Collin Brubaker are 2021 US Professional Championships Skater’s Skater Award winners and 2022 US Open Professional Champions.

Performer

LIZ YOSHIKO SCHMIDT has been skating with ITNY since 2017. Luscious edges, artistic movement, and ice dancing inform her skating and professional career, which began in 2013, at the age of 18, performing internationally in Europe, Egypt, and across the US. She is a Japanese/German American skater who hails from Chicago, IL, and recently moved from San Francisco, CA, to New York City. She is a U.S. Figure Skating double gold medalist in Freestyle and Moves in the Field, and a silver medalist in Ice Dancing. Liz received her bachelor of fine arts in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2018, has an art studio in Brooklyn, and is the creator of the ice fashion line Dansu Wear.

Performer

AARON SINGLETARY grew up in Pennsylvania skating for the Penguin Figure Skating Club and started his national competitive career training with Craig Maurizi at the Ice House in Hackensack, NJ. Aaron earned gold in Moves in the Field as well as singles Freestyle. Aaron now coaches primarily at City Ice Pavilion in New York City. Over the years, Aaron has had many internationally revered coaches. Each left a prominent mark on his approach to skating and singling out one or two would be a disservice to the others. He aims to further his knowledge so that one day he too may be an internationally recognized performer and coach. The 2019 Home Season marked his debut with ITNY.

Performing Apprentice

GEORGINA BLACKWELL has been skating for 19 years and competes at the Junior Solo Dance level. She is a USFS Gold Medalist and National Solo Dance Final competitor. Georgina is a former member of ITNY’s Junior Ensemble and currently skates as a performing apprentice with ITNY, and she looks forward to skating with the company. Outside of skating, Georgina is a student at Columbia University studying Classical language and literature.

Performing Apprentice

CAROLINE MURA has been skating for 14 years and competes at the Novice freestyle and Senior Solo Dance level. She is a four-time US Figure Skating gold medalist and sectional qualifying competitor. Additionally, she has won multiple intercollegiate national titles and is a three-time National Solo Dance Final competitor. Outside of skating, Caroline is a senior at New York University studying biology on a pre-med track.

Performing Apprentice

MILLY WASSERMAN has been performing with ITNY since 2015. She became a member of ITNY’s Junior Ensemble in 2017. Later, Milly made her choreographic debut at the 2022 ITNY Home Season Performances with her piece “In An Instant.” She is the 2024 intercollegiate national champion, a four-time national competitor in ice dance, and is the 2023 Intercollegiate Solo Pattern Dance national champion. Milly is a member of the NYU Figure Skating Team, which placed 4th at the 2024 intercollegiate national championships. When Milly is not choreographing or skating, she is at New York University studying psychology.

Choreographer

LORNA BROWN, a British and World Professional Champion and World and Olympic coach, has been a principal performer in numerous ice shows across the globe, including John Curry’s Ice Dancing on Broadway and Theatre of Skating at the London Palladium. She has appeared in TV specials, touring galas, and commercials worldwide and has studied contemporary dance, working with some of the world’s leading choreographers. She has coached and choreographed for over 50 national champions including two world professional champions. Lorna most recently choreographed for Emanuel Sandhu (three-time Canadian Champion), Kevin Van Der Perren (Belgium Champion, two-time European medalist, and 2011 silver medalist in Bratislava and Skate America), and Jenna McCorkell (10-time British Champion). Lorna has given workshops on all aspects of figure skating at national and international seminars for both skaters and coaches. She has produced and directed her international skating school in the UK called Skate of the Art with the world-famous Rafael Arutunian. She specializes in the latest physics and aerodynamics in skating techniques, focuses a great deal on expression and style in her choreography, and has written several articles for skating magazines on these subjects. Lorna moved to the USA several years ago, has been awarded the PSA Level 7 ranking, and holds a bachelor’s in sports science.

Choreographer 

ELIOT HALVERSON, a native of Minneapolis, started skating at age six. She won the 2007 U.S. Junior Championship, 2006 U.S. Novice Championship, and 2004 U.S. Intermediate Championship. Eliot is a national and international level competitive choreographer and served as choreographer for the Bressanone Summer Skating Camp in the Italian Alps. In addition to “Take Five,” she created “Swimming,” a piece for three skaters to music by Florence and the Machine, for ITNY in 2016.

Choreographer

JOANNA MENDL SHAW, a veteran choreographer and dance educator, has been expanding the parameters and strategies for dance-making since 1998. Her company, The Equus Projects, tours throughout the States and Europe, creating site-specific works in immersive collaboration with local communities. An internationally recognized dance educator, JoAnna has taught on faculty at NYU, The Juilliard School, Alvin Ailey, Princeton, Mount Holyoke, and Montclair State. JoAnna is the recipient of NEA Choreographic Fellowships and multiple NEA grants for Interdisciplinary Performance. She has brought her somatic practice of Physical Listening into elementary schools and academic think tanks, the Naval War College, NYU Medical School, and in 2024, as a Visiting Adjunct Professor at the Stanford School of Medicine. JoAnna is a certified Laban Movement Analyst and is the author of Physical Listening, A Dancer’s Interspecies Journey.

Composer

KELLY MORAN is an American composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Brooklyn. Her music spans classical, electronic, minimalist, jazz, impressionist, and metal genres. In many of her compositions, Moran utilizes electronic musical techniques in combination with the John Cage-pioneered technique of the prepared piano. Moran signed with Warp Records in September 2018 to release her album Ultraviolet, which has been recognized by the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Vice, among others. Ultraviolet is more rooted in improvisation than Moran's other meticulously composed works. Until Ultraviolet, which was released in November 2018, Moran had been the sole engineer and producer of her records.

Choreographer

BENOIT RICHAUD stands as a preeminent figure skating choreographer whose artistry and innovation have left an indelible mark on the world of figure skating. Hailing from the culturally rich enclave of Avignon, France, he embarked on a remarkable journey from ice dancer to choreographic luminary, captivating the hearts and minds of audiences worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to his craft, Benoit has forged a path that continues to reshape the landscape of figure skating. Consistently recognized for his groundbreaking work, Benoit garners annual nominations for Best Choreographer at the ISU Skating Awards. Over the past decade, he has consistently earned acclaim as the most original choreographer in the figure skating world, a testament to his unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of his craft.

Choreographer 

DOUGLAS WEBSTER is the Executive and Founding Artistic Director of Ice Dance International. Under his direction, the company has produced two PBS specials, two performances at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, multiple national tours, and has created distinctive partnerships in Stowe, VT, and Portsmouth, NH. His extensive career in performance skating has spanned 36 years. Douglas’s previous credits include Artistic Director for ITNY, where he choreographed over 30 pieces since co-creating Appalachia Waltz in 1997; Creative Director of Shall We Dance on Ice, a three-year Disson television series that featured Meryl Davis, Charlie White, Tanith Belbin White, and Ben Agosto, and choreographer for Holiday on Ice and Disney on Ice for a decade in a variety of roles. Douglas skated in Carmen on Ice in 1989, choreographed by Sandra Bezic, and is humbled to have been one of Judy Blumberg’s skating partners. He toasts all the ITNY awardees tonight for their significant contributions and thanks ITNY for providing a special home to so many lovers of artistic skating.