It has been nearly three decades since Beatrisa Liang lit up the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Salt Lake City in 1999. Not yet able to see over the boards in the rink, "Bebe", as she is affectionately known, captured the novice women's bronze medal at that event at the tender age of 10. It was evident, even then, that there was something special about Liang's innate ability to interpret music. The Granada Hills, California, native created magical performances across her dozen appearances at the U.S. Championships.
 
Liang retired from competitive skating in 2010, leaving behind a legacy of artistic excellence that culminated in a top 10 finish at the World Championships in 2008. Though the results may not always have gone her way, Liang was a formidable competitor whose attention to artistic detail and storytelling was on par with the world's best. The 2007 U.S. pewter medalist's Harry Potter short program in the 2006–07 season is still remembered as an example of commitment to a character and theme.

 
Off ice, Liang was an accomplished dancer, studying ballet, modern and hip hop among other styles. So, after graduating from California State University-Northridge, it was a natural progression for Liang to return to the rink as a coach and choreographer.  
 
"I absolutely love to choreograph," the 38-year-old said. "I will definitely continue doing this for as long as I can."
 
As she developed her body of work in choreography, Liang caught the attention of Danelle Cole, the founder and director of the Los Angeles Ice Theater (LAIT). Established in 2001, LAIT was created to provide skaters with the opportunity to be a part of high quality performances and be able to express themselves in a way that the traditional competitive track may not.
 
"I was a coach with LAIT all the way up to the pandemic, and soon after Danelle took a step back and I became the executive director," Liang said. "Right now, we have three teams and I kind of oversee everything. Each team has their own dedicated coach, and I just let them run with their own ideas and advise as needed."
 
In her role, Liang is also the primary coach for the junior team, who is the reigning National Theater on Ice bronze medalists. This season, her team will skate two programs — the first is called the choreographic exercise, similar to the short program. A second program, likened to a free skate, is called the free performance.
 
"This season the theme for the choreographic exercise is Time," she said. "Everyone has to be dressed in black with no crazy hair or makeup — it's all about the movement and how you bring out the theme."
 
"Our free performance is a murder mystery Clue type program," she continued. "There are really no boundaries in terms of our artistic vision, but there are amazing backdrops and set pieces that are top-notch. We have a team of 20 kids, and it is a four or five-hour process to do full hair and makeup. It is a true theatrical production in a competitive environment."
 
The LAIT also fields an open combined team that allows skaters of any age to skate as a group. This team is coached by Bianca Marro, who selected a "Daughters of the Moon" theme. The novice team, coached by Marro's daughter, Brianna Weissman, is tackling a circus theme with lots of props to further the storytelling.
 
"They do cool things with hula hoops, fire sticks and are supported by cool visuals," Liang said. "The makeup is representative of what you would see at a circus — lion faces, clowns, and the like. It's fun. The open team's theme is basically a take on a witch's coven with beautiful makeup and costumes that complement the program. It's a beautiful performance."
 
Liang loves the platform that Theater on Ice provides to her as a coach and choreographer, but maybe even more so for the athletes who have become part of their organization. She has seen anxious competitors find new life in the team setting and has even seen some of those same skaters go back into singles skating with newfound confidence.
 
"I have heard kids say that they don't love competing and it stresses them out," she said. "We've seen kids come in and blossom into beautiful skaters. They have discovered that competing doesn't have to be scary or stressful, and they get back into singles skating with a different mindset. I love to see it on both sides."
 
Currently, the LAIT is preparing for the 2026 National Theater on Ice at the Great Park Ice & Five Point Arena in Irvine later this month. The novice and junior teams will look to improve upon their bronze-medal finishes last season, while the open team is making their national debut.
 
The LAIT is also looking ahead to auditions later this summer, where it will thoughtfully assemble the teams that will represent their organization next season.

"We always entertain the idea that we could have as many as 200 kids show up to tryout," she said. "Of course we want to keep as many as possible, but our biggest obstacle is ice time to fit them all in. If that were to happen, we would try our best to make it happen."