STYLE 1 MEDIA >>> ICE THEATRE OF NEW YORK SPRING FLING BENEFIT
Ice Theatre of New York Spring Fling Celebrity Skate Benefit
Pier 61, Chelsea Piers, NY, NY | 05.17.2012 | by Merry Esparza
The Ice Theatre of New York (ITNY) stirred things up this year at its
Spring Fling on May 17th at the Chelsea Piers Sky Rink.
At Celebrity Skate 2012, NY1 News Anchor Pat Kiernan,
fashion designer Nicole Miller, and Nobel Prize winner Robert Engle
competed in ice dancing numbers, each paired with a professional ITNY performer.
Actress Rebecca Budig and ITNY Artistic Director Douglas Webster hosted the event,
which raised money for rehearsal costs of ITNY’s upcoming season. Performances were judged by Olympic Gold Medal winner and broadcast commentator,
Dick Button; ITNY Founder/Director Moira North; and Parsons Dance Founder/Choreographer,
David Parsons.
(left: Pat Kiernan, Douglas Webster, Rebecca Budig, Dick Button, Nicole Miller)
The benefit was co-chaired by Lori Berlin, Christina Elwell, and Rebecca Budig,
who looked stunning in a dress designed by Nicole Miller. Best known for her role in ABC's soap, "All My Children," Ms. Budig
is no stranger to ice skating--she took the crown in ABC’s first season of "Skating with the Stars."
ITNY Executive Director Jirina Ribbens coordinated publicity and welcomed guests to the performance and subsequent
reception at Pier 61's Sunset Terrace.
The program's opening number, "Don't Stop Me Now" was an energetic piece performed by ITNY Ensemble members Alizah Allen, Patrick Connelly, Mikey Dionysiou,
Taylor Grant, Line Haddad, Jessica Huot, Alicia Jackson, Josh Murphy, Kevin Sidwell, and Alex Tregre.
The celebrity competitions began with "You get What You Give," featuring an endearing performance by NY1 News Anchor Pat Kiernan
and his partner, ITNY's Eve Chalom. Pat Kiernan is well known to New Yorkers as the morning anchor for NY1 News, a position
he has held since 1997. He is Founder/Editor of PatsPapers.com, where he posts his favorite
news stories, expanding upon his signature "In the Papers" coverage each morning on television. He has also hosted a variety of other news, talk, and game shows during his career.
Ensemble Director/Performer Eve Chalom has been an ice performer with ITNY for four years, and is also a dancer and skating coach.
In the next celebrity number, fashion designer Nicole Miller performed with ITNY's Andrew Lavrik in "Set Fire to the Rain."
Nicole Miller (whose clients include Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Lauren Hutton, Felicity Huffman, and Eva Longoria Parker)
showed herself adept at the many lifts required by the number. Andrew Lavrik is originally from the Ukraine, where he was a National Champion in ice dance.
In the last celebrity competition, Professor Robert Engle and ITNY's Elisa Angeli performed together in "The Way You Look Tonight."
Robert Engle, the Michael Armellino Professor of Finance at NYU Stern School of Business, was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Economics
and is an expert in time series analysis of financial markets. Elisa Angeli, originally from Milan, Italy, has been a principal
performer with ITNY since 2005. She is also a teacher, dancer, and aerialist.
After each celebrity number, judges Moira North, Dick Button, and David Parsons commented wryly on
the celebrity's technique and performance, holding up cards that displayed overall scores. The celebrities, although obviously comfortable on ice, are not ice dance professionals.
They did quite well and took the comments with grace and good humor. The audience also had a chance to submit their votes, which were included in the final evaluation.
The professional ice dancing program resumed with "Spring," a lyrical piece performed by Junior Ice Theatre Performance Group members Christie Corn, Julia Giordano, Caroline Hoffman, Alana Resnick,
and Vida Weisblum. ITNY Ensemble members Patrick Connelly, Mikey Dionysiou, Taylor Grant, Line Haddad, Jessica Huot, and Jonathon Hunt
performed in the rousing "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy."
Soloist Elisa Angeli performed the aerial-inspired "Glitter in the Air," and guest artists Sinead and John Kerr performed
"Pencil Full of Lead."
Following the finale came the moment of truth, when the celebrity competition winners were announced. Nobel Prize winner Robert Engle
and his partner, Elisa Angeli, were named champions. Guided by Ms. Angeli, the 69-year-old professor showed great style and agility on the ice, and still had plenty
of energy left to discuss time series analysis of financial markets at the reception! All in all, it was a greatly entertaining evening in support of a great cause.
The Ice Theatre of New York was founded in 1984 by Moira North and is
considered the nation’s premier ice dancing ensemble. ITNY has changed the face of figure skating by creating works
that integrate the sensibilities of contemporary dance, music and art. In addition to building and performing works of
artistic merit, ITNY also reaches out to the next generation of skaters and audiences through its exemplary education,
community outreach and training programs.
For more information, please visit: www.icetheatre.org
