Congratulations to our seven graduates of the Fall 2020 semester of Master Choreography Techniques (MCT)! They include:
Paola Fraschini, Genoa, Italy
Deborah Bell, Canela, Brazil
Melanie Black, Coleman, MI, USA
Gillian Robidas, Barrington, NH, USA
Sarajoy Cloud, Bakersfield, CA, USA
Luda Kalenuk, Dubai, UAE
Alessandra Lico, Shelby Township, MI, USA
Master Choreography Techniques (MCT) is an advanced online certification and training program for both seasoned skating coaches and those looking to specialize in a career as an ice choreographer. Created by AIT Founder Jodi Porter, the class is a mixture of choreographic creation, video lecture, reading and monthly discussion meetings. AIT Co-Executive Directors Garrett Kling & Kate McSwain lead the semester class.
At the end of the semester, each student creates a final capstone project incorporating the choreographic elements of time, space, energy and form.
View the graduates final video projects, get to know their background and hear their thoughts about the course:
Watch her final video on Facebook
Paola is a professional roller skater and a member of the Italian National Team since 1996. She is an 11-Time Italian Champion, 5-Time European Champion and 7-Time World Champion roller skater. She was the first ever woman to win a World Championship in the Solo Dance speciality, and the first athlete to blend roller skating with acting, bringing it into the mainstream via circus arts. She performed as one of the main characters in the international show “Volta” by Cirque du Soleil. She wrote the biography “Like the Lion and the Butterfly”, about sport and mental training.
“During this course I understood how to be more SPECIFIC in the creation of a piece. I’ve learned to use the language [of TIME, SPACE, ENERGY, & FORM] in a way that helps me to explain in a better way what I wanna say and helps me to create more variation in the creative process.“
Deborah is a choreographer and performer at Parque Snowland in Gramado, Brazil where an ice show runs throughout the year. She is also a two-time National Champion of Brazil.
“MCT has helped me with lots of new ways of organizing and creating new choreographies in a more coordinated and organized way. The course has broadened my variety of different dance styles and how Time, Space, Energy and Form is a very important aspect when creating a piece of choreography.”
Melanie is a National Showcase Champion, PSA Rated coach in Freestyle, Moves in the Field and Group. She is thankful to be skating with the help of stem cell treatments for her knees and the ability to be part of the contemporary skating community and AIT.
“MCT brought me freedom. It gave me the ability to build choreography with a sense of purpose, to be myself and have the support in knowing that there is no wrong or right.”
Sarajoy is a coach and choreographer at the Bakersfield Ice Sports Center. She was inspired to take MCT after attending a woman’s workshop at the beginning of 2020. Her two-year-old son, Lincoln, is her biggest inspiration.
“Using all these tools [from MCT] has helped me create more variation, more dynamics in choreography and has helped me have a clearer strategy when creating a piece.”
Gillian is a professional figure skater and most recently performed in Sea World Orlando’s “Winter Wonderland on Ice.” She is also a skating coach with a strong focus on therapeutic skating, hockey skills, and artistic skating. Gillian is a member of the AIT Boston performance company and is also a member of the Theatre on Ice Boston’s Unified Team, Overture of Boston. She is currently pursuing her B.A. in Psychology.
MCT helped me realize that I can create my own work, and gave me a deeper understanding of the tools and processes I can utilize to make that work. I have always thought that I was someone that just “wasn’t good” at choreography, as if choreographing was something people innately knew how to do. MCT helped me break down those walls I had built, and realize that just like anything else, good choreography comes from practice and commitment to working through a piece. And those are things I can do!
Luda was a competitive skater representing Ukraine for 10 years and began a career in coaching and choreographing afterward. She is the Managing Director of the Dubai Ice Rink inside the Dubai Mall in the United Arab Emirates. She has produced multiple shows during her time in Dubai.
“The class helped me to see how I can create a program which will engage the spectator more using the tools I have learned. It has pushed me to go out of my comfort zone read full report.”
Alessandra is a multiple-time National Showcase medalist and a member of the Onyx Theatre Troupe since 2013. She is a student at Oakland University studying both Communications and Theatre. Alessandra teaches Learn to Skate and is a coach for the Snowplow team at Onyx Synchronized Skating.
“From MCT, I learned how to use the body in different ways through the elements of time, space, energy, and form. I am now able to apply these newfound tools to my future choreography and understand the purpose and meaning behind certain movements!“