Maddie Aybar, Wilmette IL
Erin Foster, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Kjerstyn Hall, Boston MA
Paula Jagodzinska, Sydney, Australia
Shannon Jahrling, Pittsburg, PA
Sadie Pressman, Harpswell, ME
Kat Vitaro, Duxbury, MA
Maddie Aybar
Maddie is a professional figure skater and has performed with Holiday on Ice, Disney on Ice and Glacier Ice Shows. They are the 2021 Young Artists Showcase Champion.
“(The Choreographic process of) Space can be used as a determinant of where movement will go and what the movement will look like.”
Cameron Claire
Cameron has been an AIT-MSP Professional Company Member for two seasons and is a USFS Double Gold Medalist and World Jr. Synchronized Skating Medalist. They were also formerly on the University of Minnesota Hockey Cheerleading squad.
“With new choreographic tools to use and new framework to restructure my thinking, I have felt my trust in my instincts grow stronger, and I can define my unique artistry more clearly.”
Erin Foster
Erin, who has been coaching for 15 years, holds Gold Level Canadian tests in Skating skills, Dance, Free skate, and Interpretive Skating. Growing up competing in singles and synchro, her passion has always been in choreography. She hopes to bring Ice Theatre to Canada.
“Choreography doesn’t have to be pretty, it doesn’t have to fit into a box. It can be anything you want it to be, so long as you have a purpose for the movement.”
Kjerstyn Hall
Kjerstyn is a figure skating coach and choreographer currently based in Norway. She was a 2020 Young Artists Showcase Finalist and member of the AIT Boston Professional Company.
“I learned a vast amount of tools and techniques that I knowI will carry with me and utilize throughout my career as a choreographer for both skating and dance. This class thoroughly taught me about the techniques of structuring a fully formed piece and how to effectively emote the intent behind the piece through each movement.”
Paula Jagodzinska
Paula is a professional show skater, previously performing with Holiday On Ice, Illusion On Ice and Dynamic Shows as part of the Autostadt shows in Wolfsburg, Germany. She is a figure skating coach, choreographer and Pilates instructor.
“MCT has taught me that every type of movement can be taken to the ice and it doesn’t have to be traditionally ‘aesthetically pleasing’ in order to be appreciated. MCT has exposed me to the power of intention and the choreographic tools that can be used to display this effectively.”
Shannon Jahrling
Shannon is a Team USA Alum and world team member in synchronized skating. She represented Great Britain in Ice Dance & will be a certified yoga teacher this spring.
“A takeaway from my education at MCT is that I feel like I now have a more well rounded and thoughtful approach to choreography- by organizing my thoughts in the four categories of time, space, energy and form, I am able to now create more depth and balance in programs. A personal takeaway from my education at MCT is that there is a huge community of people that are pushing skating in so many more directions than just the traditional competitive realms, which is very exciting because it creates space for a lifelong journey in the sport.”
Jessica Kemper
Jessica is a former Team USA competitor and Junior National Showcase Champion. She is currently coaching and on track to become a certified Athletic Trainer.
“I learned that we can take our creativity in floor movements and the Six Ways of the Spine and transfer them to the ice, even if it means adapting in order to create something new and unique.”
Sadie Pressman
Sadie is a Professional Figure Skater with Disney On Ice. She was a member of the AIT Boston Professional Company and is currently enrolled in AIT’s Mentorship program for choreographers.
“MCT gave me the tools and knowledge necessary to conduct intentional research of movement on the ice.”
Karen Siedenburg
Karen is a Two-time winner of the Dance Inspiration Award at the Cactus Classic competition. She is the 2017 National Solo Dance Series Final Champion and is the 2021 Young Artists Showcase Runner-Up.
“Through MCT I have learned a great foundation for creating a piece and for analyzing choreography that is not my own by using the four elements of choreography—TIME, SPACE, ENERGY, and FORM. Whether I need to create a solo, duet, trio, or any size of group number or work I have an arsenal of options to choose from—a spring board to get me started and a fountain of ideas to support me throughout the process.”
Samantha Skene
Samantha is a figure skating coach and choreographer in Toronto. She is a graduate of York University’s Dance & Performance BFA program.
“(I learned) how to view movement in so many different ways and explore different dials of movement through tempo, energy shifts, space and spatial design when creating a piece.”
Katie Tetzloff
Katie is an ice dance coach in Hartford, CT. She is a member of the AIT Boston Professional Company.
“In learning different choreographic tools, I am able to choreograph with much more intention, and it has made my choreography so much stronger and has given me more confidence in my work!”
Kat Vitaro
Kat is a member of the AIT Boston Professional Company schweiz-libido.com. She works as an admin assistant for AIT and was an office coordinator for the Skating Club of Boston. Kat has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
“Intention was a big focus that I had as the class progressed…this course really helped me focus my energy, understand the process of choreography and create the art that has just been sitting in my head.”