Above: Harmony Theatre Company of Michigan - Senior (Melanie Heaney/U.S. Figure Skating)
Eight gold medals were awarded at the 2023 National Theatre on Ice, which took place June 27-30 at Big Boy Arena in Fraser, Michigan.
Harmony Theatre Company of Michigan clinched gold in three of the eight divisions – senior, adult and novice – and secured four podium finishes across the competition. Their senior squad remains the most decorated team in the history of National Theatre on Ice with their sixth win.
The Space Coast Hurricanes secured titles in two divisions: intermediate and preliminary.
Senior
The senior competition served as the finale for the week and Harmony Theatre Company of Michigan was victorious with an overall score of 139.72. Their free performance titled “Bitter Earth” told the story of an apocalyptic society that must pull itself together to build a universe they are proud of from the ground up.
Harmony, which served as the host club, is the winningest team with the most senior titles at National Theatre on Ice, winning the event for the sixth time in front of a home crowd.
Finishing in second place was Forte of Boston. Entering as the reigning champions, it was a close margin between the top two spots with Boston finishing just over four points behind Harmony with a total score of 135.42. Representing the Skating Club of Boston, the team captivated audiences with their free performance by using chains as props to deliver a performance that earned a total score of 135.42.
The Capital on Ice Senior Team secured a bronze medal with a total score of 106.96, and the Virginia Ice Theatre completed the podium in fourth with a score of 98.30.
Junior
Act 1 of Boston had the audience hoping for Act 2 as they clinched their third consecutive junior title. The reigning champions skated to “Simcha” by Barrage for their free performance, which was awarded a free performance score of 81.77 and an overall score of 126.21.
Los Angeles Ice Theatre gave an emotional free performance to “Turn to Stone” by Ingrid Michaelson to earn the silver medal and a total score of 112.55.
In third place was fellow California team, San Francisco Ice Theater, with 102.82 total points. Their performance was inspired by the movie Black Swan.
Following with pewter was the Chesapeake Diamonds, which received 101.28.
Novice
Harmony Theatre Company of Michigan’s novice team added to the program’s list of titles in the novice division. Their free performance to an orchestral version of “Paint it Black” from the Netflix show Wednesday jumped the team from second place after the choreographic exercise to the top of the podium as they secured a free performance score of 63.81 and an overall score of 98.28.
Capturing the silver medal was Ocean State Ice Theatre. Their Lion King choreographic exercise and military-themed free performance earned the team hailing from the East Coast 95.55 total points.
Encore of Boston collected the bronze medal by earning an overall score of 93.45.
Taking the final spot on the podium for the pewter medal was Los Angeles Ice Theater with 89.09 total points.
Intermediate
The Space Coast Hurricanes out of Rockledge, Florida won gold in the intermediate division with their magical performance to music from the movie Aladdin. The program earned a score of 71.54 from the judges.
Following in second place was the Harmony Theatre Company of Michigan, which finished with a score of 69.84, skating to “Step in Time” from the movie musical Mary Poppins.
Taking the two remaining spots on the podium were Team Spectacle representing IceWorks SC and Los Angeles Ice Theatre, which received 66.97 and 64.52 points, respectively.
Preliminary
Space Coast Hurricanes on Ice snatched the top prize in the preliminary division with a fitting hurricane-themed choreographic performance. They moved up the leaderboard from third after the choreographic performance to first overall while skating to “Come Follow the Band” by Michael Crawford and Barnum Ensemble.
Following behind by just over one point with a score of 48.73 was Capital Theatre on Ice, which maintained its position in second place in the overall standings throughout the competition.
Team Envision representing IceWorks SC in Pennsylvania skated their way onto the podium with bronze, securing an overall score of 48.38, whi.
Houston Ice Theatre Skaters climbed up the rankings to finish with the pewter medal after ending the choreographic exercise in sixth place.
Adult
Harmony Theatre Club of Michigan’s third title of the week went to the adult team, which stood on top of the podium after earning a total score of 82.22 thanks to their free performance to a medley of various upbeat songs which they titled “Ballroom Blitz.”
Atlanta Ice Theatre Unsupervised joined them on the podium with silver. Their free performance titled “The Typewriter,” which was accompanied by “The Mirror” by Alexandre Desplat, depicted the internal turmoil a writer goes through to finish a novel. The skate claimed 76.33 points.
Finishing in third place was San Francisco Ice Theatre with 56.56 points. Their free program told the story of a group’s journey to search for a magical golden veil.
Imagica of Boston earned fourth place with a total score of 60.20.
Adaptive/Unified
All three teams in the adaptive/unified division gave captivating performances that delighted and entertained the audience.
Standing at the top of the podium was the Virginia Ice Theatre, which gave a fun performance with a pirate theme, featuring the skaters sailing across the ice in a pirate ship.
In second place representing the Essex SC of New Jersey was Unified BRAVO. They gave the audience an energetic performance themed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which all the skaters dressed as different superheroes.
Rounding out the division was the Chicagoland Ice Theatre Inspirations. Skating to a medley of songs from the movie Aladdin such as “Friend Like Me” and “A Whole New World,” the skaters charmed the audience.
Open
Houston Ice Theatre Skaters stole the show in the open division with their performance to “A Night Sky,” in which skaters dressed in costumes resembling fireflies. The team won by 10.49 points with a total of 69.92.
Earning the silver medal was the North Shore Crystal Blades out of Reading, Massachusetts with 59.43 points.
Ocean State Ice Theater went home with the bronze medal and a total score of 58.01, and Ice Theatre of the Rockies secured the pewter medal with 56.39 points.
Full results can be found here.
