Harmony Claims Fourth Straight National Theatre On Ice Title

From the August/September 2018 issue of SKATING Magazine.

Harmony Theatre Company (Ice House Skating Academy) earned its fourth consecutive title in the senior division, performing an emotional and detail-rich routine to music from The Phantom of the Opera. Eighty-two teams composed of 1,400 skaters from across the country competed at the 11th annual National Theatre On Ice (TOI) Competition (June 27–30, 2018), held for the first time in Illinois at the Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva.
 

Harmony, which practices in both Brighton (summer) and Hartland, Michigan, also took top honors in the junior, novice and adult divisions.

It narrowly defeated Forte of Boston (SC of Boston) in the seven-team senior event. Forte of Boston performed cascading adagio movements and fast-paced steps that matched Gershwin's masterpiece, "Rhapsody in Blue."

"They worked hard on making a moment happen," Harmony coach Michelle Hunt said of her 18-member senior team. "They just wanted to bring everyone into their world. It was kind of magical — different and cool."

Hunt, who with her daughter, Piercyn, have built the top theatrical skating program in the country, said they listened to many selections of music before finally deciding on The Phantom of the Opera. They also incorporated other classical pieces into the final cut of music.

"We switched music until something completely clicked, and once it did it was super easy after that," Hunt said.

Finishing third, Los Angeles Ice Theater (Los Angeles FSC) used music from the soundtracks to Memoirs of a Geisha and China Girl to create an Asian-inspired fusion take on Alice in Wonderland that featured twizzles in unison and spread eagles. Creative Ice Theatre (Northern Ice SC) performed a whimsical free performance about looking up from their electronics and engaging the world around them en route to a fourth-place finish.

Junior
 

Several teams used a Halloween theme, including champion Harmony Theatre Company (Ice House Skating Academy). Skating to "This Is Halloween," Harmony used a series of technical elements—including flying broken leg sit spins—with a "quirky and Halloweenish" flair to regain the junior crown.  

"It was kind of like Tim Burton meets the fun house," coach Michelle Hunt said. "We also used Harmony colors—black, white and green. Every single costume had green, as did all of our props, including the pumpkins."

Last year's champions, San Francisco Ice Theatre (SC of San Francisco), claimed silver, skating to an original storyline of an enchanted forest, resplendent with fairies and magical qualities.

Creative Ice Theatre (Northern Ice SC) performed to a narrative on the life of French King Louis XVI to finish third. It won the award for Best Adaptation.

Channeling a revolutionary theme, Act 1 of Boston (SC of Boston) skated to the music from the Broadway hit Hamilton, exhibiting high energy and hip-hop movements to pull up from seventh after the choreographic exercise to finish fourth overall.

Novice
 

Harmony Theatre Company (Ice House Skating Academy) performed to music from The Lion King soundtrack to win the gold medal for the sixth consecutive year. 

They focused their routine on the dark side of the Disney classic, pretending to be the characters of Scar and the hyenas.

"They really owned that," coach Michelle Hunt said. "All year long we talked about being crazy dogs, and it was a lot of fun. There are a lot of young kids on the team who got some great experience."

Encore of Boston (SC of Boston) claimed the free performance and finished second overall, skating to an imaginative story of "The Great Escape," in which a group of orphans go on fantastical adventures in their dreams.

Ocean State Ice Theatre (Pawtucket & Providence FSC) repeated as bronze medalists, using a Middle East theme and the music from Aladdin to tell a story of a new world of love and acceptance. Eighth after the choreographic exercise, San Francisco Ice Theatre (SC of San Francisco) pulled up to fourth, performing a masquerade ball free performance that took home the award for Best Costumes.

Intermediate

Robert Crown Ice Productions (Robert Crown Basic Skills) performed a Halloween routine en route to the gold medal. Strong skating skills and an engaging performance propelled the team from Evanston, Illinois, to first place in both the choreographic exercise and free performance. It was the team's first time competing in the intermediate division.

The team used music from the soundtrack to the Blair Witch Project and from the group Evanescence. There was a popular "combat step" in the middle of the program, as members battled each other. It was the first element that they learned of the routine. There were voice-overs in the music and acting.

"We didn't' have a lot of acting last year, so we wanted to push them," coach Noelle Wright said.

Helping to make the team successful were three line captains (Camille Diekhans, Caitlin Glascott and Grace Newcomb), who assisted other members of the team with the choreography and elements outside of regular practices.

"We had very dedicated kids on this team," Wright said.              

James River Ice Theatre (Central Virginia SC) used its wizardry performance to "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" to finish in second place.

Skating a Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead)-themed program, Broadway Blades (Colonial FSC) captured the bronze medal in a performance that was highlighted by their costumes and makeup. Virginia Ice Box Ensemble (Richmond FSC) finished fourth, skating to a spooky circus program.

Preliminary
 

Space Coast Hurricanes (Space Coast Ice Plex FSC) found the treasure at the end of the rainbow, securing gold medals for their leprechaun program. Their energetic performance and cohesion solidified their place atop the podium, placing first in both the choreographic exercise and free performance.

Coach Katie Nyman McGovern welcomed 10 new skaters to the team this season, and chose a fun theme.

"One of the moms had the idea of putting all the girls in different styles of beards," Nyman McGovern said. "Each girl custom-made a beard, which was attached with spirit gum. Some of the girls were not sure about this at first, but eventually got into the transformation and it really made the number fun."

Team members, she said, loved the Irish accent in the lyrics of the music.

"We practiced singing it off ice to get into character," the coach said.

Harmony Theatre Company (Ice House Skating Academy) skated to a retelling of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory to garner the silver medal.

Winning the award for Best Costume/Makeup, Creative Ice Theatre's (Northern Ice SC) troll program delighted the audience with its whimsical wigs en route to a third-place finish. Robert Crown Ice Productions (Robert Crown Basic Skills) claimed fourth place with an engaging and fast-paced Ghostbusters performance. 

Open

Magic City Theatre On Ice (Birmingham FSC) captured the gold medal with a Wild West program that pitted the townspeople against bank robbers.

They performed to music from the TV show "Bonanza," the spaghetti western film "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly," the William Tell Overture and from the movie soundtrack to The Magnificent 7.

"It was the good-versus-evil type of scenario," coach Danny Tate said. "The good guys of course win over."

This marks the third year of National Theatre on Ice for Magic City. They have received mentoring help from Harmony's Michelle and Piercyn Hunt, which has paid dividends already, Tate said.

Birmingham FSC hosted the 2016 National Theatre On Ice Competition, and will do so again in 2019. The event will be held again in the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena, which has recently undergone a $7 million renovation.

"I hope that they like it even more this time," Tate said.

Proving that diamonds are a girl's best friend, IT'S HOT (Brazos Valley FSC) garnered the silver medal for its free performance that cracked the case of a diamond heist.

Minnesota Theatre On Ice of Rochester (Rochester FSC) touched the audience with its "Life is Short" program for third place. North Shore Crystal Blades (North Shore SC) finished fourth with a dynamic free performance that demonstrated an effective use of props in telling a story of diversity and acceptance.

Adult
 

It was Christmas in June as Harmony Theatre Company (Ice House Skating Academy) skated an Elf program, displaying strong technical skills and group cohesion to repeat as gold medalists.

"I felt like the adults were really serious and kind of dark this year — either serious or dark," coach Michelle Hunt said. "So when we came out, we were all just a bunch of silly elfs singing happy all the time. It was just a nice, fun change."

Imagica of Boston (SC of Boston) performed an energetic routine centered around a "Love on the High Seas" theme to take second.

In fifth place after the choreographic exercise, Houston Starz (SC of Houston) pulled up to win bronze with their free performance that followed three generations of women.

1st State Ice Theatre (University of Delaware FSC) rounded out the podium with a program that emphasized the importance of love and acceptance; it took home a special award for Best Message.

Special Olympics

Essex Special Skaters (Essex SC of NJ) took top honors with their "You've Got a Friend in Me" free performance from Toy Story that delighted audiences with their costuming and performance quality.

Chicagoland Ice Theatre Inspirations (Rockford SC) finished second, skating a powerful program to "This is Me" from The Greatest Showman soundtrack. The Inspirations also won the award for Best Original Story.

Skating to "Happy Birthday, Minnie Mouse!," Virginia Ice Theatre (SC of Northern Virginia) secured the bronze medal.