HOULTON, Maine – Aroostook kids and families got to skate with international skating champions for free in Houlton on Saturday as part of the Aroostook County town’s holiday weekend.
On Saturday, Ice Dance International performed two 30-minute shows and then the cast returned to the ice to skate with mostly ice skating neophytes.
Some shuffled in tentative strides, clinging to the rink wall, some opted for the support of blue ice walkers while others, after several rotations, found their rhythm. But all were thrilled to meet, chat, get photos and tips from the stars, including skating notables – two-time U.S. champion Alissa Czisny, U.S. solo dance champion Brooke Tufts and Olympic silver medalist Tim Koleto.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to get up here and share what we can with communities across Maine,” said Douglas Webster, founder and executive artistic director of IDI. “Especially to get to places that don’t have access to the arts as easily and to make it accessible and free is awesome. “
Webster’s long list of credits include more than two decades with the Ice Theater of New York and choreographer of a host of national shows including Disney on Ice.
Since ice skating in Augusta as a kid in the 1970s, New Hampshire native Webster always dreamed of skating in Northern Maine. He recalled a girl he skated with was from Presque Isle and it seemed so far away, he said.
So this weekend, along with his nationally touring ice dance company, he finally made it north and for the first time brought their Holiday on Ice show to Aroostook County this past weekend.
With two performances at the John A. Millar Center in Houlton as well as two shows in Presque Isle on Sunday, Webster said it is like planting seeds.
“Hopefully this grows, this is our first year of taking the holiday show outside of Stowe ,” he said.
The Maine-based company out of Dover-Foxcroft tours nationally and famed skaters Dorothy Hamill and JoJo Starbuck are on the IDI board of directors.
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The ice dance company will take their holiday show to Stowe, Vt. just before Christmas and then perform a few more winter events before their national tour begins in March, Webster said, adding that the national tour is like a ballet company on ice doing more repertoire pieces.
The company’s goals are to build skating as a performance art as well as build community through skating, he said.
“We want the community to see skating as something fun, accessible, recreational and an opportunity to get out in the winter and be inspired to skate,” Webster said. “And to see skating in new and different ways.”
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