Ice Theatre of New York's Ice:Dance Delivers

Chelsea Piers NYC: The Ice Theatre of New York pulled out all of the stops for their 2013 Benefit Gala. Let me first say that I can count on one hand the number of times an artistic performance has brought me to tears. One was a cello performance of Saint Saens' 13th movement of Le carnaval des Animaux, Le cygne (The Swan). The second was the Ice Theatre's opening premiere performance of Roots, brilliantly choreographed by Douglas Webster. It's theme, Appalachian style gospel and revival music from Mumford and Sons, Andrae Mae and Jason Castro but the beauty was in how the choreography amplified the joy and redemption of the human spirit.

ITNY's Act I opened with the premiere of Roots.

THIS is why we come out to see theatre and the arts as a necessity in the affirmation of our total consciousness. We are not whole without it. I am so thankful that I was exposed to the classical arts at a very young age as it has enriched my life beyond words. This is in part what the ITNY does for inner city children and it is a most important work.

Another high point of the evening came with the premiere of Reveries set to Tchaikovsky's Orchestral Suite #3 in G Major and choreographed by Edward Villella. A romantic ice ballet rich in classical music and dance, I'm sure it made Prima Ballerina Sonia Rodriguez feel right in her element.

Honorees, Kurt Browning & Sonia Rodriguez
I've had the pleasure of seeing Kurt Browning and his wife, Sonia Rodriguez perform together over the years but tonight was something really special. Kurt's iconic rendition of Gene Kelly's "Singing in the Rain", choreographed by Sanda Bezic was absolutely enchanting! Just as Gene used the backdrop of a city street for his dance steps, Kurt equally used the ice as his medium for ice dance. With his umbrella as a prop, his program was delightfully entertaining with lots of dance steps and technical ice-work.

Kurt Browning's delightful rendition of "Singing in the Rain" was the evening's highlight.

Ice:Dance The heart and soul of the ITNY.

Dinner & Cocktails at the Lighthouse
After the show, attendees were invited to dinner and cocktails at the Lighthouse Restaurant on Pier 61. We always have a great time meeting with friends, old and new as I have been attending and covering the ITNY's Benefit Galas since 2003 when Vera Wang was honored.

Honoree, Sonia Rodriguez, Dick Button and 2005 Honoree, Aja Zanova Steindler

Kurt Browning greeting everyone at the cocktail party.

Sonia Rodriguez and Magda Miczak enjoying the party.

Kurt and me.

Ice Theatre of NY Ice Dance Performance October 24-26

The Ice Theatre of New York's Ice Dance Performance is October 24th - 26th!

The Art of Ensemble Ice Dance

October 24 - 26 at 7:00PM
Sky Rink, Chelsea Piers

Chelsea, NYC: The Ice Theatre of New York presents the innovative show ICE:DANCE with 14 of the world’s top dancers on ice, including US Men’s Champion Ryan Bradley, 7-time British Dance Champion John Kerr, World Team Members Eve Chalom, Kim Navarro and Brent Bommentre; skating a program dedicated to elevate the art of ensemble ice dance. The first evening of the Home Season will feature the world premiere of a new work by ballet great, Edward Villella, entitled “Reveries,” along with a new piece by Artistic Director, Douglas Webster, entitled “Roots.”

ICE:DANCE TICKETS

Gen Adm: $25 (Oct. 24 & 26)
Students/Seniors: $15 (Oct. 24 & 26)
Gala Show featuring Kurt Browning - Gen Adm: $45 (Oct. 25)

Group rates available for groups of 10 or more for 10/24 and 10/26.

Kurt Browning's 2013 ITNY Honoree Gala Performance!

This October 25th join the ITNY in honoring Kurt Browning and Sonia Rodriguez, The Best of Ice & Dance.

Chelsea Piers, NYC  Tickets are now on sale for this exciting 2013 Benefit Gala Performance featuring Kurt Browning and his wife, ballet dancer Sonia Rodriguez!

2013 Annual Benefit Gala and Performance at Sky Rink on Friday, October 25 at 7PM.

The evening will begin with a performance featuring the Ice Theatre Company in the world premiere of two new pieces - one by renowned dancer and Founder of the Miami Ballet, Edward Villella and one by Artistic Director, Douglas Webster. In addition our skaters, including US Men's Champion Ryan Bradley, 7-time British Champion John Kerr, World Team members Kim Navarro, Brent Bommentre, and 10 other world class skaters, will re-stage some of our major repertory pieces.

Kurt Browning will honor us with a performance of his iconic "Singin' in the Rain" routine.

Immediately following the performance guests will transfer to The Lighthouse downstairs on the same Pier for cocktails and a star-studded benefit honoring Kurt Browning and Sonia Rodriguez.

All of the evening’s proceeds will support ITNY’s New Works and Young Artists Series, an education & outreach programming for public school children in the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens, as well as all of ITNY’s 2013-2014 season's artistic programming. We will be producing a beautiful Benefit Journal with congratulatory messages for our honorees - contact us at itny@icetheatre.org if you would like to place an ad. Journal ad form.

Sarah Hughes and family in attendance at the 2012 Gala Event.

Tables: $4000, $6000 and $10,000
Individual tickets: $400, $600 and $1,000
*Tickets will be at the door for pick-up.  Please arrive at Sky Rink by 6:45 p.m. to pick-up your ticket.

Table setting at the Lighthouse Restaurant

For more information please call (212) 929-5811. To buy tickets online click here.