The ACAC Presents
Boston Ice Dance Weekend at The Skating Club of Boston
August 16-18, 2024

Join us for a fun-filled social ice dance weekend with a community of fellow ice dancers and friends!

Tentative Schedule of Events:

Friday, August 16, 2024

4:00-7:00 PM Registration

5:00-5:30 PM Balletics with Brooke Frieling in the Kasputys Family Studio

6:00-7:00 PM Ice Flow & Go with Elin Schran

7:00-9:00 PM Program Ice Dancing

9:15 PM Soup-Sandwich-Dessert at The Frieling Club Lounge

Saturday, August 17, 2024

8:30 AM Registration.  Coffee, tea, and muffins

9:00 AM Specialty Class with Ron Kravette

10AM-12:00 PM Program Ice Dancing

12:00-1:00 PM Beginner Ice Dancing (Preliminary and Pre-Bronze)

1:00-3:00 PM Program Ice Dancing

12:00-3:00 PM Afternoon Delight: Tea & Tasty Morsels

6:30-9:30 PM Dinner Dance with the Bo Winiker Band: in The Frieling Club Lounge

Sunday, August 18, 2024

9:00-10:00 AM Specialty Class with Walter Lang

10AM-12:00PM Program Ice Dancing

12:00-2:00PM Brunch – The Frieling Club Lounge

Friday and Saturday skating will be at the Tenley E. Albright Performance Center.
Sunday skating will be in the West Rink.

About Boston Ice Dance Weekend and The Adult Community

The Adult Community Activities Committee (ACAC) is very pleased to present the 2nd annual Boston Ice Dance Weekend at The Skating Club of Boston.  Co-Chairs for the weekend, Laura Morrissette and George Blaszczynski, are enthueastic social ice dancers who started the revival of social ice dance in the Boston area by organizing and running the Minuteman Ice Dance Weekend for several years. In 2022 they were invited to bring the Boston Ice Dance Weekend back to The Skating Club of Boston.

The ACAC is thrilled to welcome everyone to The Skating Club of Boston to skate in both the West Rink and the Tenley E. Albright Performance Center throughout the weekend of activities.  Once again, meals will be created and provided by Executive Chef Mark Flemming and the Club’s Hospitality Team. Saturday evening will feature the well-known Bo Winiker Band in the Club’s beautiful Frieling Club Lounge.

Please take a look at the schedule below for more details. Use this link to register for the weekend. Early Bird pricing is available through May 31st, and options to participate just for the social, off-ice activities, or you can select your options a la carte as well.

What is Social Ice Dancing?
The quick answer: Ballroom Dancing on Ice. Ice dancing has a long history and began as a social activity to attract skaters and families to figure skating clubs. Clubs had weekly social ice dance sessions, often including an off-ice social event. Experienced dancers would teach new dancers the steps to dozens of standard patterns. Ice Dancing gradually evolved into the competitive, Olympic figure skating event that it is today. It has a recognized USFSA test structure and sanctioned competitions at all levels. Social Ice Dancing is not competitive and goes back to the sport’s roots. Nobody’s judging you, so you are free to enjoy the dancing and chat with your partner. The Club has reintroduced Social Ice Dancing on select Friday nights.

Is This for Me?
Whatever your skating level, you will enjoy the weekend. It’s all about being social and having fun. If you love to be with other skaters who share your passion for ice dance, you will have a great time. And the food, so much wonderful food.

Do I need to come with a partner?
No, it’s social ice dancing. Everyone is encouraged to dance with lots of different partners. If you don’t come with a partner, no worries, you’ll get plenty of offers to dance. If you are a solo dancer, this is a wonderful opportunity to try skating with a partner.

I’m a Solo Dancer, will I have to dance with a partner?
An Ice Dance Weekend is meant to be social. All dancers are strongly encouraged to skate with partners whenever possible. If you’ve never danced with a non-coach partner, you’ll find it’s a whole different experience. Try it; you might like it. If you are asked to dance, courtesy requires that you either accept the invitation or sit out the dance. If you can’t find a partner, you are welcome to skate solo as long as you maintain a good pattern, enter the pattern behind all paired dancers, and don’t skate through partnered skaters.

​What dances should I know?
You should be comfortable with most of the first six dances in the USFA test structure to get the most out of the weekend (Dutch Waltz, Canasta Tango, Rhythm Blues, Swing Dance, Cha Cha, and Fiesta Tango). It doesn’t mean you have to have tested or passed, just that you know the steps and feel comfortable doing them with a partner. If you can add the Willow Waltz, Ten Fox, Fourteen Step, or Hickory to your repertoire, you’ll be dancing much of the time. Bronze through Gold dances are danced frequently at Ice Dance Weekends and even a few international dances by request. If you’re a high-level dancer and are afraid that you’ve forgotten all the lower-level dances, don’t worry, you’d be surprised how fast they come back. There are some dances not part of the test structure that are often done at ice dance weekends, including the Golden Skaters Waltz, Rose Petal Waltz (Three Lobe Waltz), Riverside Rhumba, Baby Blues, and the Swing Waltz. Skaters who know these dances are more than happy to show you the steps, and you can also find the patterns on the internet. We may all try learning a new dance from the archives of “Dead Dances.”

How can I learn?
Any skater, hockey, figure, or recreational can learn to ice dance. If you are comfortable skating forward, on one foot, and on inside and outside edges, you can learn the preliminary dances. Here’s your chance to give it a try.

What should I wear?

Ice Dance weekends offer you an opportunity to dress up and show off some of those test and competition clothes hanging in the back of the closet. This year’s theme is “A Night at the Movies”. Friday night is when many, but not all, skaters have fun dressing up in costumes. But the emphasis is on fun and ice dancing, so you are welcome to wear whatever is safe and comfortable. Bring a light jacket or sweater in case the rink is cold.

Are all ages welcome?
Yes, well-behaved skaters of all ages are welcome to join us at the Boston Ice Dance Weekend.

Where should I stay?
If you are coming in from out of town and would like a hotel recommendation, the Club has set up a rooming block at the Marriott Courtyard at 64 University Ave. Once you register for the program, we will provide a link to the block if you request it.