Dancing in the Rain: Marcus Thomas Is Resilient En Route to 2023 National Theatre on Ice

Marcus Thomas loves the team aspect of Theatre on Ice and is looking forward to his first National Theatre on Ice competition later this week

By Abby Farrell

 

When Marcus Thomas takes the ice at this year’s National Theatre on Ice, he may have trouble remembering the steps to his program. But you can bet that he and his team will give a memorable performance.

Thomas was born with one kidney, heart issues and a sun allergy, but was otherwise a happy kid. But when the 16-year-old was in seventh grade, he began experiencing some unexpected cognitive delays. Seemingly out of the blue, Thomas lost his ability to read and write, as well as a significant portion of his memory.

Marcus and his older sister at her high school competition in 2018. His sister (left) stands with her arm around Marcus. She has her hair slicked back in a bun and she is wearing a bright blue skating costume. Marcus (right) is a young boy with glasses wearing an Avengers hoodie and sweat pants
Marcus and his older sister at her high school competition in 2018 where he volunteered as a score runner. 

Doctors are still puzzled to this day as to what happened since he retained his ability to walk and talk. Some suspected that he sustained a traumatic brain injury, but that was later ruled out. Thomas also went through several genetic tests which found indications of a cognitive delay, but still didn’t explain the sudden regression.

The Ohio native has loved the world of skating since he stepped into a rink for the first time, especially the feeling of being on the ice and skating fast and spinning, but because of this unexplained loss of memory, he still struggles with remembering an entire program.

“If it’s slow, I don’t know who you’re talking to,” said Thomas about his need for speed on the ice.

Thomas and his team, Brooklyn Blades on Ice, will be competing at 2023 National Theatre on Ice competition – which begins this week – in the open division, and this will be his first time competing at the event.

Participating in Theatre on Ice and having the ability to lean on his team for support and guidance has been a tremendous help for him to remember program components spanning an entire short program or free skate performance.

“It's a lot to remember. They have two programs that they’re competing in. They have a short program, which is two and a half minutes long, and then they have a free skate program, which is three and a half minutes long," Brooklyn Blades on Ice Coach Elizabeth Misson said. “But to his credit, he’s worked really hard this season and has made tremendous improvement in really just staying with the team and keeping up with the ensemble so he’s right there in it.”

At this year’s competition, fans can look forward to a nature-themed choreographic exercise that tells the story of a group that gets caught in a thunderstorm. Instead of letting it rain on their parade, they learn to embrace it and dance in the rain. Their free performance then tells the story of Snow White with a twist (no spoilers here) and features Thomas playing the part of the Magic Mirror.  

Thomas has proven to be a valuable member of the team through his work ethic and positive attitude, even when some days get hard or frustrating,

“Everybody loves Marcus. He’s an integral part of our team,” Misson said. “He always comes ready to work with a smile on his face. Classes are more fun when Marcus is around, and we all love having him on part of our team as part of our club.”

April Thomas, Marcus Thomas’ mom, is grateful for his skating journey because she has recognized that it has taught him important lessons such as resiliency, and she also hopes that people hearing about his story have the same takeaway.

“[It’s important to] learn that when you fall, you’ve got to get back up,” April Thomas said. “You can't stay down, and it's okay sometimes to glide through it, but you’ve got to put in the work and push so that you can glide, like all the lessons that can come from the skating terminology.”

Click here to follow the action at the 2023 National Theatre on Ice. To learn more about Theatre on Ice and how to get involved, click here.

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