Theater On Ice 2014

So when I said there were five disciplines of figure skating (Men, Ladies, Pairs, Dance, Synchro), I LIED. 

There are actually six (well, arguably there are more but they're not really officially recognized by USFS or ISU). The sixth is a nascent one, at least on the competitive scene: Theater on Ice (or TOI). The idea of it has been around for ages (Ice Follies, Ice Capades, shows in the early 20th century, I could go on...), but it hasn't been a competitive event until the last few years. It was popularized in Europe, where they call it Ballet on Ice. 

Oh how I wish this discipline was legit when I was a kid. I would have be hardcore into TOI, but instead I had to pour my theatrical urges into off-ice theater and cram it into freeskating programs between tricks. Poor me. But lucky me too, because you don't have to be a kid to do it! It's still not super popular, but I daresay it is picking up. And the coolest part I think, is that you don't have to be a superstar skater. TOI lends itself as well to beginners as it does to higher level skaters.

In TOI competition, teams of 8-30 skaters perform a "story" to music. Solo skating is discouraged, and teams are judged on a combo of technical merit and presentation, but with an emphasis on "originality, costuming, artistry and musicality," according to US Figure Skating.

I say all this because this weekend is TOI Nationals, held in Dearborn, Michigan. I'm looking forward to watching some of the performances.

Here's a video of some of last year's competition. It's kind of like synchro, but more dance-y.

And here's a good demonstration video for some of the technical requirements of Theater on Ice.