Theatre On Ice (TOI) is a form of competitive figure skating that is popular in Europe, where it is known as Ballet on Ice. It combines the grace of figure skating with the excitement of theater and dance. Teams consist of between eight and 30 skaters. Solo skating is discouraged but is permitted in limited amounts if it enhances the overall telling of the program’s story. The programs are judged by U.S. Figure Skating judges and are evaluated using a Component Judging System (CJS) that rewards originality, costuming, artistry and musicality.

TOI Free Skate Programs are judged on five components:

Skating Skills: Quality of gliding; Quality of edges; Use of jumps, spins, steps and turns, lifts, etc.

Choreographic Composition: Use of various choreographic processes and gestures; Treatment of space

Quality of Groups: Formations and ensembles and their relation to each other; Balance and Cohesion

Theatricality: Acting; Scenery and/or Props (if used); Costumes

Creation of a Universe: Emotion and Feeling; Originality/Creativity; Intensity and Impact

Virginia Ice Theatre is gearing up for the 2022 National Theatre On Ice competition, taking place in Wichita, Kansas.

As part of the competition, each team will have a Free Program, and the adult, intermediate and preliminary teams also have a Choreographic Exercise (the “short” program). Here’s a little more about the CE:

The Choreographic Exercise consists of three required “axes,” all of which must be included in the program.

Theme: The theme is the purpose of the program. It is the unifying concept and can tell a story (narrative) or be abstract. It should have meaning and support the Choreographic Process and Gesture. For this season, the theme is “Contemporary.”

Choreographic Process: A set of movements which are performed by individuals, small groups and the whole team. For this season, the choreographic process is “Flocking.”

Gesture/Body Movement: The gesture is the type of body movements the skaters are to perform individually and in groups. For this season, the gesture is “Acceleration.”