Learn, Teach, Choreograph & Perform with AIT
Customized, One-on-One, Online Course for Skating Choreographers
Want to kick-start your choreography or contemporary skating career? Are you interested in learning more about figure skating choreography in a multitude of skating disciplines? This AIT Mentorship Program customized, online course provides skating choreographers with the chance to build their choreography skills, resources, teaching vocabulary, and skating network. Read below to discover more about our 5-month, specialized Professional Mentorship Program for skating artists & professionals who are looking to pursue a career in skating choreography.
Grow your knowledge, connect with a community of like-minded artists, and launch your contemporary skating career through opportunities to:
- learn,
- teach,
- choreograph, and
- perform.
AIT Mentorship 5-Month Program
Purpose
The purpose of the AIT Professional Mentorship Program is to provide growth opportunities and education for aspiring, career figure skating choreographers. This program will foster development and learning specifically designed to hone young artists’ skills in 5 significant areas: research & history, mindfulness & self-awareness, choreo tools for multiple skating disciplines, improvisation techniques, and teaching methods. We also give skating artists the opportunity to receive regular feedback, study & answer critical thinking questions, and examine their selected topic of artistic skating in depth.
Guidelines
Mentors and Mentees agree to embark on a 5-month educational partnership focused on these sections:
- history & research of artistic/contemporary skating
- mindfulness & self-development exercises
- choreography tools
- improvisation techniques
- teaching best practices
For each section, the Mentee agrees to meet with the Mentors via Zoom once a month for approximately 1.5 hours. This will be a time to go over in-depth all the resources, materials, questions, videos, and comments. Both the Mentors and Mentee agree on a schedule of progress & guidelines, maintaining confidentiality, and openly exchanging feedback.
The Mentee will do much of the monthly research on their own time; the total time commitment is about 4 hours per week each month.
Throughout each month, the Mentee will read the required textbook, observe multiple videos, review articles & resources, and answer critical thinking questions. Mentees must also record & submit videos of their own creative work & teaching methods as well as keep the Mentors updated on their thesis progress. The Mentors will offer feedback based on the monthly topic’s techniques & tools, and the Mentee’s final month will culminate in a paid, virtual opportunity to teach American Ice Theatre’s Monthly Instagram Live class! In addition, Mentees will choose a thesis topic of contemporary or artistic figure skating that interests them the most and present it to the Mentors at the end of the course (i.e. IJS choreo, activism in skating, entrepreneurship, coaching, theatre on ice, etc ).
Certification
AIT offers 3 college-level education courses, and with full completion of each course, students will receive one AIT Certification Level. If students pass this course, they will be AIT-Certified Level I. If students pass this course as well as Master Choreographer Techniques, they will be AIT-Certified Level II.
Tuition Cost
This program costs $875 for Mentees; payment plans for $185/month (for 5 months) are available if requested. Please note, this tuition cost does not cover the cost of the required textbooks (they can all be easily acquired on Amazon and Kindle). If you’d like to move forward with this course, we will then begin to setup a timeline with you and send over the Mentorship Agreement. If you have any questions, please email Garrett Kling & Kate McSwain at info@amerianicetheatre.org and we will send you more information.
Are you interested in learning more with AIT? Fill out our AIT Educational Course Interest Form.
Additional Mentorship Opportunities
Examples of learning opportunities include:
- being a camp counselor and participating in the track at CORE Camp;
- observing the AIT Directors Annual Meeting; and/or
- observing a Theatre on Ice practice or AIT performance company rehearsal.
Examples of teaching opportunities include:
- presenting a session at the American Contemporary Skating Festival;
- presenting at a local AIT satellite location seminar; and/or
- serving as guest coach for one class at CORE Camp.
Examples of choreography opportunities include:
- choreographing a solo piece for the American Contemporary Skating Festival showcase.
Examples of performance opportunities include:
- performing in AIT’s annual U.S. Open piece; and/or
- performing in a solo or ensemble piece at the American Contemporary Skating Festival showcase.
If you want to learn, teach, and have a platform to perform or choreograph, please contact us and let us know. We would be happy to get the conversation started!
Ricky Harris Scholarship Award
Are you interested in learning more about how to be an entrepreneurial leader in contemporary skating in your local area? AIT offers an annual scholarship for opportunities to artists and entrepreneurs of contemporary skating. The Ricky Harris Scholarship Award is given to a recipient annually who wishes to pursue leadership in contemporary skating in their area. Consider applying for this $500 award, and continuing Ricky Harris legacy’s of being a leader in choreography for additional opportunities with American Ice Theatre.
