Choreography Gets a Chance to Shine

Choreography is one of the most important aspects of skating. Actually, it's everything in skating. You don't get from one move to the next without it, and it can make or break your competitive program.

It's not easy either. But some people have an astounding ability to choreograph on ice.

My coach is a fantastic choreographer, and watching him work on my programs throughout the years has been fascinating. It's not just about cramming in all the technical elements and separating them with some arm and leg flourishes. It's about finding the right sequence of movements that brings out the strengths (both technical and artistic) of an individual skater/s.

How does one become a choreographer? There's no school for it. You just gotta try it. There is a great program out there however that inspires younger skaters to give it a try. The MK Blades Young Artists Showcase is an online choreography competition. Skaters 16-35 years old are invited to submit videos of their work based on five "challenges" via YouTube, and finalists are invited to a live showcase event (this year's is on November 30 in DC). The whole thing was the brainchild of coach Audrey Weisiger (she coached Michael Weiss, among other notable skaters), who started it with former skater-turned-choreographer Doug Mattis in 2010.

There are videos on the site that are simply amazing. You'll see some nontraditional things on the ice: experimentation with body, movement, footwork, the ice, and more.

Here's a piece by Mauro Bruni, the winner of this year's challenges:



And here's one by a past finalist, Garrett King, that I just love: