Above: Figure Skating in Harlem skaters cheer on a teammate during a performance. Photo credit: (Disney/Stephanie Keith)
By Mimi McKinnis
Figure Skating in Harlem is not just skating. Since its inception in 1997, the nonprofit organization has prioritized the overall success of its participants, using figure skating as a catalyst for development both on and off the ice. Now, for the first time, viewers can experience the highs and lows of a special FSH skating season through the eyes of its skaters and coaches as “Harlem Ice” hit digital devices this week on Disney+.
For nearly 30 years, FSH has combined the power of education with access to the artistic discipline of figure skating, giving girls of color the opportunity to transform their lives and grow in confidence, leadership and academic achievement. “Harlem Ice” gives its audience a look beyond the on-ice training and allows the world to see the unique experiences FSH skaters have as “girls of color breaking the ice ceiling and gaining access to a global stage.”
The five-part docuseries follows sisters Tori and Ashley, newcomer Adrianna and FSH veteran Ariyana as they “make their mark and help to put Harlem Ice on the map.” Each episode chronicles the organization’s preparation for competition and performances, culminating in a “life-changing global experience” as FSH skaters bring the lessons of skating all the way to South Africa.
“We always had this dream to be able to have our students become the teachers, go somewhere where skating hadn’t blossomed yet and introduce it peer to peer,” FSH CEO Sharon Cohen told U.S. Figure Skating after the trip in 2023. “Many of our students have roots in Africa and feel a connection there, so we thought South Africa would be a fantastic place to start.”
“Breaking down barriers is really the heart of this,” she continued. “Whether it’s cultural, racial, in sport, outside sport — we’re all human. We share the same values, and those feelings of friendship are what sustain us and that connection.”
True to the mission and heart of the organization, the trip featured in “Harlem Ice” was planned to provide skaters the opportunity to serve as global ambassadors for the sport and bring the benefits of figure skating to a community without access, much like FSH has done for the communities around upper Manhattan. Once considered the “Capital of Black America,” about 56,000 African Americans live in Central Harlem, amounting to 44% of the population according to city data — a stark contrast from the U.S. Figure Skating fan profile, whose demographic is only 2% African American.
By streaming to 159.8 million Disney+ subscribers, “Harlem Ice” will bring the global mission and impact of FSH to a massive international audience, complete with a star-powered team that includes director Samantha Knowles, known for her work co-directing the HBO docuseries “Black and Missing,” which earned her an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Documentary Series, and executive producer Ron Howard, whose many prestigious credits include two Academy Awards, five Emmys, a Grammy, and two Golden Globes. Howard is joined by WNBA great and acclaimed television broadcaster Robin Roberts, and Brian Grazer, who, with Howard, founded Imagine Entertainment, which has amassed an impressive 276 Emmy nominations with 57 wins, 47 Oscar nominations with 10 wins, and 72 Golden Globe nominations with 11 wins over the years.
Throughout the series, skaters are guided by coaches Ila Epperson, a former senior on FSH’s performance team and now a full-time college student working as the organization’s creative director of skating; Katie Thordarson, a former professional skater who coaches the Harlem Ice synchronized skating team with Epperson; and Vashti Lonsdale, who spends her time coaching international competitors in Australia between her annual trips to assist with FSH’s ice show every February and March. As women of color themselves, each coach brings a personal understanding of the barriers Black skaters face, and work together in empowering FHS athletes — and “Harlem Ice” viewers — to “find their passion,” “find their place,” and “find their power.”
“When we skate on the ice, we make a statement,” Thordarson teases in the series trailer. “We are girls of color. And we’re powerful.”
