Director's Letter

Eleven years and still going strong! In those eleven years, The Los Angeles Ice Theater has grown from a children's theatre team to one of the top-ranked teams in the world. Our faithful supporters and families have watched us grow, and thanks to their support, we've made history in Theatre on Ice. At long last, United States Figure Skating, our national governing body, has recognized Theatre on Ice as an official discipline. At the 2011 USFS Governing Council, a Theatrical Skating Committee was put in place to foster the growth, development and long-term success of Artistic Skating, Theatre on Ice and Showcase events. I truly believe LAITI has contributed to the evolution of this wonderful form of skating, and I like to think we have helped the skating world see the importance of artistic skating, where all the love and passion of skating is in the performance. In Theatre on Ice there are no downgrades, levels, or difficult variations. In my opinion, the freedom for team diversity - boys and girls, youngsters and teens and adults all skating together - contributes to the performances. It's wonderfully open for interpretation. If you want to do all ice dancing - great; acting and dancing - perfect; or just deep edges - even better! It's truly Art!

My proudest moment this year for LAITI had nothing to do with skating really. The team decided to adopt two families during the holidays to provide some gifts and holiday cheer. Sharing our blessings with those families was such a gift to us and gave us such joy! I still get emotional remembering their faces when they saw all the presents our team collected. One of the little boys said to his mom, "I thought we couldn't have Christmas this year?" Our skaters embraced the moment and that evening will remain in our hearts forever.

In March, we were truly honored to be invited to perform at the opening ceremony for the 2011 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. This was our third invitation to perform at a National Championship - how cool is that? It meant a lot to have the only other team discipline in figure skating - Synchronized Skating - actively supporting Theatre on Ice. While Synchronized Skating and Theatre on Ice differ in many ways, they share the goal of providing many skaters the benefits of team competition and team camaraderie. It felt really good to participate in a common event. In April, we were afforded another very meaningful opportunity to share our skating. LAITI was invited to appear in "Skaters Care" - a benefit for the survivors of the Japan earthquake - held at the Citizens National Bank Arena in Ontario. We were torn, because we had already committed to skate in another show for the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club that day in Burbank. Our loyalty to our home club and our desire to contribute to earthquake relief for Japan made us determined to do both! Thanks to the cooperation and creative scheduling of LAFSC and "Skaters Care", and to a super fast bus ride between Ontario and Burbank, we made it to both!

After the disappointment of missing last year’s inaugural Nations Cup (the World Championships for Theatre on Ice) due to the eruption of the volcano in Iceland, our team worked extremely hard and with even more determination to prepare for this year’s event. Our trip to the 2011 Nations Cup and U.S. National Theatre on Ice Championship, both held in Hyannis, Massachusetts in April, went without a hitch. During the days leading up to the Nations Cup, the international teams were very sober and intense. Our skaters, on the other hand, epitomized good sportsmanship and were friendly, lighthearted and wished all the teams good luck. We skated a fabulous long program and earned a standing ovation. I certainly got a new appreciation of what competitive teams at the top of the ranks are like and the importance of representing your country well and winning a title. We are extremely proud to have earned the Silver Medal in the World competition and to have won our fourth consecutive U.S. National Championship.

New and exciting for us this year is the collaboration of the Los Angeles Ice Theater and the U.S. Athletic Foundation to present "An Evening on Ice" - on August 12, here at Pickwick Ice Center, our home rink. LAITI is thrilled to share the ice and the spotlight with Alissa Czisny, Jeremy Abbott, Rachael Flatt, Richard Dornbush, Adam Rippon, Steven Cousins, Lindsay Davis & Themi Leftheris, to name just a few. It's a great challenge to produce a show of this caliber, and it just wouldn't be possible without the incredible backing of Darin Matthewson & Pickwick Ice Center, Michael Cruz and the Board of the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club, my LAITI Board of Directors, the many coaches and skaters from the Los Angeles area, the wonderful, talented and hardworking parents from teams present and past, and all of you who continue to come to our shows year after year. We look forward to seeing you in August!

Danelle Cole, Director