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Quick answers
Theatre On Ice (TOI) is a form of competitive figure skating that combines the grace of figure skating with the excitement of theatre and dance. Known as “Ballet on Ice” in Europe, TOI teams consist of eight to 28 skaters on the ice telling a story together. TOI brings skaters together and increases club skaters, giving athletes the chance to be a part of a team, travel locally and internationally and make new friends. (USFS Website Definition)
Each team has two programs, a Choreographic Excercise (CE) and a Free Skate (FS). The CE is universally 2:30 +/- 10 sec accross all levels and follows universal guide lines. All teams wear variations of all black attire and perform different interpretations of the same theme. The CE theme for the 26/27 season is Narrative, choreographic process is Canon, and the Gesture is Percussive. The FS can be whatever theme the coaches pick. It can be an original story or an adaptation of existing work. These programs are allowed to have elaborate sets, costumes, hair, and makeup to transport the audience into the story telling.
Each teams season is different. In the past, MCIT has started weekly, Saturday, practices in September. This season we are going to start main season, weekly practices, in November. We will run November through June. Auditions will be at the end of August/early September. We will hold two, one to two hour, development classes in September and October to start building the teams foundations and get skaters excited for main season start up in November!
Yes! Skaters are encouraged to participate in skating as much as possible while participating on MCIT. We have skaters competing in all forms of individual events such as the Solo Dance Series, National Qualifing Serise, Adult Nationals, Excel, Showcase, etc. We accommodate practice conflicts, due to individual competitions, by making sure our skaters are up to date on choreography and giving them opportunities to catch up either solo or in a lesson.
Our teams will travel to two competitions this season.The first competition will be Cardinal Classic TOI Festival with On-Ice Critiques! This will be held in Lessburg, VA, April 10th & 11th.The second competition will be Nationals at the end of June. Nationals is June 22nd-26th in Fraser, Michigan. We will also perform an exhibition at Skate Nashville in April as well as a Nationals Send Off Exhibition in June. Monthly dues cover coaches fees, ice time, merch, set pieces, costumes, props, competition costs. All you will be responsible for is the monthly team dues and your personal travel to and from competitions!
MCIT Open Adult Team:Requirements: - One USFS Skating Skills Test OR One USFS Ice Dance Test- Age: 18+ - No specific skating requirements ALL levels and abilities are encouraged to tryout. MCIT Junior Team:- USFS Juvenile Skating Skills Test- Ages: 11-18 (Cannot have more than 4 skaters outside of age range)- Seeking Skaters With CONSISTENT Axels, Double Jumps, Triple JumpsThose without an axel will be required to demonstrate STRONG skating skills, non jumpers are encouraged to tryout!MCIT Open Team:- One USFS Skating Skills Test OR One USFS Ice Dance Test- Age: No Limit- Seeking Skaters With Single Jumps Such As: Toe Loop, Salcow, Loop, Flip, Lutz, and Axel. An Axel Is Not Required But Encouraged. Skaters below Aspire 1 are still encouraged to tryout and demonstrate their skating skills
Yes, select participants will be offered the opportunity to cross skate on up to one other team. USFS allows no more than half of one team to compete on another team. Cross skating is a perfect for those interested in learning more choreography, performing more routines, and have the time to commit to practicing four programs for the season.
Your skater will run through their TOI programs with their teams every week during practice. We expect our skaters to practice their program for at least an hour every week. It is their choice whether to work on their TOI programs in a lesson or not. Some private coaches want to help with this, others may want to focus their private lesson time on other aspects of skating. If their coach has TOI experience, let them know your skater is on a TOI team! They may love to help out with some moves and the expression of the program!
Still Have Questions?
Head to the “Contact” page or reach out through our team email! We would love to clear up any further questions you may have!
FAQs
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