Above: Renowned artistic skaters perform works from foremost choreographers in the upcoming SOAR tour.
By Lynn Rutherford
As Douglas Webster considered a title for the Ice Dance International (IDI) 10-year anniversary tour, he thought about the flight and freedom of moving on the ice — the energy it creates and the excitement it offers both performers and their audiences.
And then it came to him: SOAR.
“It starts with the idea of an ensemble floating and gliding through this expansive space,” he said. “So we went through a lot of different words, but ‘soar’ really was one that I felt applied not just for skating but for when people need something uplifting in their lives — something that makes them feel hopeful.”
The 14-city tour, which opens on Feb. 28, offers a unique chance to connect with world-class skaters in fresh, unbounded ways, performing in both ensemble and solo pieces created by some of the most prominent choreographers working today.
The cast includes two-time U.S. champion Alissa Czisny; Rohene Ward, longtime star of Holiday on Ice; 2022 US Open Professional Championships grand champions Kseniya Ponomaryova and Collin Brubaker; 2019 U.S. junior champion Ryan Dunk; and 2022 World Junior ice dance champions Oona and Gage Brown, who placed fifth at the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
“Some people might say, oh, why do they call it Ice Dance International? They have free skaters in the cast,” Webster, a former singles competitor, saif. “But dancing on ice is what we all do. If you’re in love with skating and movement, you’re a dancer.”
Reigning Olympic ice dance champion Gabriella Papadakis, winner of five World titles with Guillaume Cizeron, has joined the tour, hot off her celebrated performances in the Art on Ice tour in Switzerland.
“(Gabriella) is just the most amazing, unique person, and she really does align with the mission and values of what we do,” Webster said. “She wants to see IDI grow.”
Papadakis, who partnered with three-time U.S. ice dance champion Madison Hubbell for her Art on Ice performances, will partner with Czisny for “Reflections,” choreographed by Benoit Richaud to Arvo Part’s “Spiegel Im Spiegel.”
“It is a duet for two women, and I feel it resonates with the work Gabi has been doing with Madi (Hubbell) to push the movement of same-sex skating forward,” Webster said.
Performers are not selected strictly for competitive pedigrees but for skating skill set, musicality and a deep desire to perform ensemble work. Through funding supplied by the Libra Foundation, the company has a residence at Piscataquis County Ice Arena in Central Maine, near where Webster lives. There they work together to achieve the choreographers’ visions.
“It hasn’t always been easy to find nuanced movers,” Webster said. “We really are a troupe that shares a community of interest in physical movement, and that just makes beautiful skating to me. But it has to move —you have to have a sense of deep edge work; you have to have a sense of speed and power and glide; and you also have to know how to partner because there’s a lot of lifting in IDI.”
Czisny, long renowned for her elegance and superb spins, treasures the connection performing with IDI lets her forge with other cast members and the audience.
“For me, skating has always been about emotions and feelings and storytelling, combined with music, to inspire others,” she said. “IDI has not only given me the space to explore all of those things but has also inspired me to pursue them even further. I love what Doug and IDI promote in skating — the flight and flow and freedom of skating — and also the community.”
Ward not only performs in the show but choreographed “Emotional Seasons,” a 16-minute work that is composed of two movements set to music by the late Italian composer Ezio Bosso. A prolific choreographer for competitive skaters, including two-time U.S. Olympian Jason Brown, three-time World champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan, and two-time U.S. champion Amber Glenn, among others, it is his first time choreographing for an ensemble.
Photo by David Murray
“(The piece is) is about trauma or let’s just say personal relationships,” Ward said. “You have things happen along the way that kind of create chaos, whether it be with family, lovers, or friends — a relationship ends, someone passes away, you don’t make the team. Something that stops you in your tracks.”
While Ward’s inspiration came from a fractured love relationship, he stressed that “Emotional Seasons” is relatable to many life circumstances.
“It is about healing, which I needed,” he said. “That after all of the destruction and all the chaos and the madness, there then comes the quiet, the peace, the rebirth, the renewal, the light. And that (comprises) the second movement.”
SOAR features other prominent choreographers such as Richaud, ISU’s 2024 Choreographer of the Year for his work with two-time U.S. champion Bradie Tennell and two-time European champion Adam Siao Him Fa, among others; Edward Villella, one of the most celebrated American male ballet dancers of all time, and a founder of IDI; Webster, who has choreographed for virtually every major skating company as well as countless television productions; Cindy Stuart, longtime Disney on Ice choreographer, who has been honored by the Professional Skaters Association; and Garrett Smith, who has worked with several leading ballet companies, including the Mariinsky and Bolshoi.
“Skating with others is way more fun than skating by myself,” Czisny said. “With IDI especially, I enjoy being part of the collective and what we each bring to the ice to make something special together …. Each piece is so different, it’s a chance to perform in different styles.”
Performing is just one facet of IDI. Through partnerships with organizations in the New England region, the company runs engagement and education programs, including Building Community through Skating, which offers local skaters opportunities to learn on-ice skills while connecting with others. IDI is also partnering with local skating clubs at its tour stops, offering free tickets to youngsters. “The goal is to engage and inspire the next generation,” Webster said.
For more information, or to purchase tickets to SOAR, visit icedanceinternational.org.
