Skater Stories: Valerie Levine
A longtime veteran of Ice Theatre of New York, Valerie blends dance and art on the ice.
Back in December, before my schedule got all absurd with Disney On Ice and Nationals (oh, and work, since Christmas Day is a big day in that other sport I pay attention to), I had the pleasure of chatting with Valerie Levine. In addition to owning her own company where she can be hired for dancing or skating performances, Valerie skates with Ice Theatre of New York. I got to see her skate in person multiple times last season, and I’ll get to do so again in May at their 2026 benefit performance. She’s a wonderful skater and an even better person, and I’m so glad she shared her story with me, so I could share it with all of you.
Q: I wanted to start all the way back at the beginning. You actually didn’t start skating until you were 11, right?
A: Correct. Well, I went once when I was 7 for fun. And I loved it, but I didn’t get a chance to go again until I was 11, and that’s when I actually started taking lessons and everything. So, yes, I started pretty late.
Q: What made you decide to take up the sport at that age?
Q: When I was very little, I would watch the cartoon Pippi Longstocking. I was, like, three and a half, maybe, ‘cause that was the first time I put on skates. Roller skates. She used to put little sponges on her feet and skate around the kitchen, and I was like, “Oh, my God, that’s so cool. I want to do that.” But in real life, it didn’t work. So, I found little roller skates at my grandmother’s house because I had cousins, the Fisher Price ones that adjusted to the feet. I was literally three and a half, and I found them in the closet, and I went to my mom, put them on my feet. I actually remember this. She put them on my feet, and I remember I was very disappointed, ‘cause they wouldn’t roll. They were not the good kind of roller skates. They would get stuck, so I would just walk around with them on.
Basically, I started roller skating when I was three, and then finally, I got a better pair when I was, like, four and a half, or five, I think. And that’s when I actually started roller skating. So I already had the skating bug in me, and I’ve always wanted to do ice skating, so, by the time I finally went, when I was seven, my adrenaline when we were arriving at the rink was just pumping. I could not wait to get on the ice. And my dad took my hand to get on the ice, and I just flew right by him, ‘cause if you start with roller skating, the transition to ice is actually pretty easy. I think it’s not as easy from ice to roller, from what I understand. I just loved it and went from there. And finally begged my parents enough that they took me again when I was 11, and my dad had a friend at the rink, and his daughter was taking lessons, and he’s like, “Your daughter’s very good. You should give her lessons.” I basically begged until he said yes. And that’s how it all started.
Q: You mentioned the roller skating background, but you had also been training in dance for years up to that. How much did that background help as you started advancing in skating?
A: Oh, it’s a huge help. I think they help each other a lot, but dancing is very important. I mean, I started with ballet, pop, and jazz, and, as you know, ballet is the foundation to basically everything, so it definitely helps with grace, and just learning combinations, and footwork, and patterns. So I would say it was very helpful for me. And I started that at four.
Q: As you got into figure skating, did you have any skaters that you looked up to or wanted to sort of emulate their style?
A: I remember watching the Olympics back in the ‘80s and ‘90s. And I remember Nancy Kerrigan, Tonya Harding, that whole thing. Nancy Kerrigan was obviously one of my idols, Kristi Yamaguchi, and those were the people I basically looked up to. And when I started training, my coach was Bonni Retzkin, and she also coached Emily Hughes, Taylor Hughes, and I would be on the ice all the time with Sarah, Emily, and Taylor, and I quickly realized how behind I was. Because they were younger than me. The first time back on the ice, I was, at this point, 11, and just starting my lessons, thinking, “Oh, I can go backwards, I’m so good.” Sarah steps on the ice at a freestyle session and does three double axles in a row. I’m like, “Oh, my!” And she was only nine years old. Emily was practicing her single axles and headless sit spins, and I was like, “Oh, my God.” It quickly brought me back down to Earth, but, obviously, growing up with them and skating with them, I just knew they were something special, and, obviously, I looked up for them, ‘cause they were in front of me, and you can’t miss talent like that on the ice when you’re on the ice, but someone like that is just very obvious.
Q: After high school, you had the opportunity to join Disney On Ice, but you chose to go to school at the Fashion Institute of Technology. So what went into that decision at the time?
A: I auditioned Thanksgiving Day of my senior year, and I’m born in October, so I’m a little behind age wise. I wasn’t 18 yet. I had just turned 17. And they said that we can’t touch you until you’re 18, but our turnover isn’t until August anyway, so touch back with us. We’ll be in touch with you. So I did. I reached out, and that was my first choice. I really wanted to do Disney. And then I figured I could do college after. And at that point, they still didn’t know, and I had to make a decision.
At that time, I got a scholarship to University of Tampa, so I said, “Okay, I’ll go ahead and go to Tampa.” And then they called me the day before I left for college, telling me they love my audition, and they’d love me to go on tour. And I was like, “oh,” so she said to me, “you know, you can always do it right after. You can always do college first, and Disney will always be here.” So, I ended up doing college first, and, um, I was minoring and dance in Tampa. And after two years, I transferred to FIT, ‘cause I realized my passion for my major was more in fashion, but I still did dance at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City every free moment I had.
A lot of my training came from my childhood, but a lot of it came from college. My minor in University of Tampa, and dancing a lot of it. I grew a lot there, and then, again, Broadway Dance Center, while I was attending FIT, that’s actually even how I got into belly dancing as well, so I think everything happened the way it was supposed to. I also skated for the Rangers when I was going to FIT. I got asked to be on the team the first year with four other girls, and so that was pretty neat. My skating life was still there. It wasn’t completely gone.
Q: I was actually going to ask about that. You skated with the Rangers for a couple years, and with the Islanders for a couple years. What was that experience like?
A: Very fun, very, very cool. It was exciting. Being in a stadium with 20,000 people is very exciting, and, you know, I loved everything about it. The costumes, the hype, the fans, everything was really fun. I didn’t know as much about hockey, obviously, as I know about figure skating, ‘cause my passion was primarily figure skating, but over the years, I’ve learned enough. But the experience was great. I wouldn’t trade it. It was definitely very, very fun, and it just opens up a different world of skating that you don’t really think about if you’re just a figure skater primarily.
Q: You mentioned the costumes, and I’ve seen the costumes you wear on and off the ice now. And honestly, they’re incredible. They’re gorgeous. And with your background at FIT, I’m curious how much of an interest in fashion and designing do you have these days?
A: I’ve always loved fashion, but it transferred into costuming. I mean I also did ballroom. I left that part out, but as soon as I graduated from FIT, I signed a full time contract to teach for Arthur Murray, and back then, I would be gluing all my crystals on my costumes, and I learned a lot from a best friend of mine who is a ballroom gown designer. I transferred that into the belly dance costumes, into the figure skating costumes, any costume, gluing crystals on everything, including my ice skates, actually. All of my skates that I’ve had over a year have crystals glued all over them. I like to break them in first. But yeah, it transfers well. It gives me the knowledge base to create what I want. I definitely still do it. I’m sitting at my kitchen table, and I have E6000 [glue], and jars of crystals in front of me for projects.
Q: Back in the day, you passed your gold level Moves in the Field test, which is now called Skating Skills. I was looking at the requirements for that test, and the word effortless appears a lot, but I’d imagine it actually takes quite a bit of effort to make that look effortless. Um, so back then, how much time a week were you spending training for that?
A: Oh, boy. So I actually took that test, I think it was my senior year of high school. I took it, and I failed it, and I was very upset. And the following summer, I actually got a job. I also am passionate about makeup, and I was gonna work at MAC. They hired me to be a makeup artist. So I was like, “Okay, I’m gonna go be a makeup artist at MAC.” That was one of my passions. But my father was like, “Listen, I know you really wanted to pass your senior moves in the field. And if you want, I’ll send you back to Lake Placid for a month, and you can take your test, and, you know, do your best,” and I was like, “Well I can’t turn this opportunity down.” I was also taking ice dancing, I have up to my pre gold in ice dancing completed. And I just said, “I have to do this.” So that’s what I did every single day. I mean, of course, many years leading up to it, but every single day, that summer, I was just doing it over and over and over and over again, senior moves.
I had one little fumble during my test, and because I was so in my head about it that I couldn’t mess up at all, I really didn’t think I passed. I did, like, an edge change. It wasn’t anything serious, but in my head, oh, no, I made one mistake. All that time and effort for nothing. And then when they told me I passed, Val Murray was my coach at the time in the summer. And I literally just started crying. First, I thought she was lying. I’m like, stop it. That’s not funny. And she’s like, Val, you passed. I saw the papers, and immediately, for the first time in my life, tears of joy just flew. 100%, I really didn’t think I was gonna pass, and I did, and I was so relieved, ‘cause it’s a lot of work. You know, it’s stressful, to make it appear effortless, and make zero mistakes on any edge. So I was very, very happy in that moment. And I was 19 at the time.
Q: You said back then, it was a month of spending all day, every day skating. How much time do you spend on the ice these days?
A: That was just for that summer, but prior to that, I would say I’d probably train five days a week in general, once I became a competitive figure skater. Now I do it here and there for fun, I’m still skating for myself, and also various companies. I’m also in Ice Theater of New York. We were in Philly recently. And I still do a lot of shows with my own company and any company who hires me for skating shows. Especially now with the tree lightings, there’s so many things going on. It’s hard to really pinpoint it, but I would say I’m probably on the ice at least twice a week around there. I don’t coach at the moment I used to, but now I’m primarily focusing on performing, ‘cause it does take a lot of time. So when I was coaching, I was on the ice a lot more, but not necessarily full throttle skating.
Q: How did you get connected with ITNY?
A: When I was teaching ballroom at Arthur Murray, I lived in Island Park, New York, and they had auditions for Ice Theatre in Long Beach, and I’m like, “this is amazing.” Someone had told me about it. I can’t remember who, actually. I think one of my coaches did, because they know I was very artistic and into dance, and they said, “this would be a good fit for you. I know you didn’t do Disney, but I know you like the artistry and dance on ice, all of that.” So I auditioned back in 2002, and I did an apprenticeship after that, ‘cause they had me on their roster as someone who wants to apprentice with them. So I started apprenticing shortly thereafter, and then performing with them. So, back in 2002 is how I started with Ice Theatre. Which is crazy, because we’re in 2025, almost 2026 right now. Now, for two decades.
Q: What is it about that type of skating, the artistic skating, the theatre on ice that appeals to you?
A: As a dancer, I mean, that’s kind of everything to be able to dance and move and have skates on your feet at the same time, ‘cause it gives you a different element of speed, along with dancing. You know? I just love the artistry behind it, the beauty and the endless amounts of things that you can create. And as you’ve seen, I do things with silk wings and all these different concepts, and most, most dancers haven’t been able to put them on the ice, ‘cause they don’t have the technical skills of figure skaters. So to be able to combine two disciplines, I think, is really amazing. And that’s why it appeals to me, ‘cause I started as a dancer and ended up as a skater and dancer.
Q: You mentioned the wings. I wanted to ask specifically about Arctic Memory. What is it like when you’re skating out there with that costume?
A: Yeah, great question. In the very beginning, I’m not gonna lie, it’s a little terrifying. I do have a lot of experience with props like that. Those wings are much bigger than anything I’ve ever used, in general, ‘cause they’re specially made. But with that said, you really have to be aware of your speed and where the wings are, ‘cause if they get under your blade, you obviously are going down. And, of course, that has happened. Not much, but it has happened. And it mainly happens when I’m not moving, when I’m not paying attention and just standing and talking. So the real trick is keeping your speed up, and keeping the wings afloat by movement, ‘cause the second you stop moving, that’s when they drop, and that’s when you’re probably going to trip on them. It’s real. You have to be aware. Even when I stop and I talk to people, I have to flip them up over my hands, and I never let go of them, ‘cause that’s when the problems happen.
Q: Jody Sperling, the choreographer of that piece, performed it on the polar ice caps. And I’m curious if you’ve ever had the chance to perform it out on wild ice.
A: No, but we’ve been talking about doing that. I said, Me, Moira [North] and Jody have all agreed that we need to make that happen, ‘cause that would be incredible. Whenever I’m there, we’re ready to go. We haven’t done it yet, though. But, yes, Jody is incredible, and her creativity is unreal. As a dancer, you think you’ve seen it all, and then I meet a choreographer like her, and I’m just like, Wow. The imagination is amazing. So I was very grateful to work with her and be friends with her. And Moira for connecting everybody together.
Q: When you’re performing that piece, what is it that you’re hoping that the audience is feeling?
A: For me, I want to make sure I’m portraying it the way Jody wanted me to, and her concept was to come out. It’s about the cycle of ice freezing and melting and refreezing again. Everything’s cyclical. So, in the beginning, I’m supposed to come out more like a hardened piece of ice glacier. That’s why it starts kind of slow, and I don’t move very much. And as the ice is the music breaking, as it kind of moves on and gets faster, I’m supposed to slowly emulate being more mobile and fluid like going into water, basically. So my whole mission is to make sure the audience feels that. The difference between the beginning, the middle, and the end. There’s this kind of an intensity to it. So I do always want to portray that it’s more of an intense vibe behind that piece.
Q: And another piece I’ve had the pleasure of seeing you skate is La Revolt des Enfants, which has been an ITNY staple for almost 20 years now. So I’m curious, what is it like skating that piece?
A: It’s so much fun. And I had the pleasure of being in the middle, so it was even more fun, because I get to be slingshot through two skaters, and stop just by fabric, and trust that they know that they had to stop earlier than me. It’s so much fun. I do love combining different props and fabric, which is why I see pieces that are so appealing to me. It’s fun. It’s different. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever done. It’s kind of like having a pair partner, but not always knowing where they are, until you feel a tug in one direction or the other. It’s cute and playful, and, again, the choreographer wants us to really convey the playful, cute, and kind of mischievous vibe, when we do that, ‘cause we’re supposed to be children getting into a little trouble and having fun.
Q: How challenging is it to develop the chemistry with the two other skaters who you’re attached to that whole time?
A: We call it the “together suit” as a joke, ‘cause you have to be together all the time. You have to plan everything out, you can’t just go to the bathroom. Everyone has to be coordinated. The chemistry’s, so far, been very lucky. I’ve loved everyone I’ve partnered with that piece in. So, yes, you should get along with them, ‘cause you are in very close quarters with them.
Q: The first time I posted a video of that piece, pretty much every comment was some variation of, “I’d get so tangled up.” So has that ever happened to you during a rehearsal or a performance where you just end up in the wrong spot?
A: Tangled? No, not necessarily. If someone goes down, you kind of feel it, it doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. But we always can play it off, and again, like I said, luckily, the piece is supposed to be playful, so if someone falls, they make a joke out of it. I wouldn’t say we’ve gotten tangled, but when there’s someone new that’s doing the piece that isn’t used to the feeling, there’s definitely a learning curve. You have to understand that you’re working against a constant pull. You should be feeling that tension of the fabric. You don’t want to leave it loose all the time. You want to have that pull and kind of feel where your partner is by being far away from them at times. It’s very interesting, but it’s very fun. I haven’t witnessed a tangling issue just yet. Not yet. Knock on wood.
Q: As you mentioned a few times, you’re involved in ballroom dance, you’re involved in belly dancing, in addition to skating. What is the feeling like, regardless of what version it is that you get, that rush you get from performing?
Q: Great question. They’re all different, but they all have that similar baseline that the adrenaline of performing in front of people. I just love it. I mean, again, I have pictures of me at four years old when I was in dance recitals, and I’m posing for the camera. It’s definitely in my blood, I’m not gonna lie. So I just enjoy it and all the different disciplines are just different avenues that I love. I can’t really pick one over the other.
I always say that music moves me. Whatever the music is, is kind of what I’m gonna feel like doing in that moment. If there’s... a trata playing, I want to dance, but trata. If there is a waltz, I want to move like a waltz, so the only difference on ice is the speed, which is also very unique, and I would say addicting, because there’s nothing like it. Roller, yes, but I still think ice has a more special feeling, gliding, the ice crunching. There’s just literally nothing like it.
Q: This time of year, you’re doing a lot of holiday shows on and off the ice. What does it mean to bring the joy of the season to so many people?
A: I was like, I don’t know, bucket list check. I’m so happy that I can do that for a living. Like, what’s better than that, to be able to spread joy and enjoy people’s festivities and their holiday parties and their birthday parties and their weddings. For me, that’s just like the best job ever. It’s fun. I love what I do. I’m able to do it at a level that people actually want to hire me to do it. So my whole goal is to give the best show possible, be well rehearsed, and make everyone have a great time.
Another element of the performance is, usually, if I’m at a holiday party, usually, we’re also hired to kind of start the party and get people up to dance. So that’s also interactive and pretty fun. You literally get people on the dance floor and get them dancing, so that’s a whole ‘nother element to it. If it’s a skating show, obviously, we can’t necessarily do that, but at the end, we have our finale, we clap, everyone gets excited. We go around, slap, slap whoever’s hands wanna do a high five with us. Get people involved, because that’s also memorable. It’s personal, then. I’m just grateful that I can do that.
Q: I want to wrap this up with a little lightning round. What is your favorite move to perform on the ice?
A: Ooh, okay. I think my best move, and I guess a crowd pleaser move would be my spread eagle. I have a good spread eagle. I love doing adagio pairs. A low spin is fun, and I love being spun around. A good old scratch spin is fun going super fast, and it’s obviously, as we know as figure skaters, the first spin that you learn. And yet, it is still the most, I think, crowd pleasing one that there is. There are so many much more difficult spins, but people love a good old scratch spin. Those were probably my top three elements.
Q: Favorite song you’ve ever done a skating performance to?
A: Moira is going to laugh at this one if she ever hears this. I always joke that “Hot Chocolate” is my favorite ice theatre piece, ‘cause it’s so fun, and, obviously, the music.
Q: It’s so funny, you say that because that’s the reel I’m posting tonight. The “Hot Chocolate” number from SeaWorld.
A: Oh, okay, that’s very funny. So we’re bringing it back to life. I’ve done it in the past with ice theatre, and, you know, it’s been around for a little while. They revived it a few times, and everyone thinks it’s funny that I’m, like, “Oh, I love ‘Hot Chocholate.’” It doesn’t get old to me, ever. And we’re gonna start doing it again for the kids concert soon, so, I think over the years, that one has proven the test of time of my favorite song to perform to. Upbeat, high energy, fun, all the things.
Q: Favorite figure skating movie of all time?
A: Well, I mean, I’d have to go back to “The Cutting Edge,” because I think that’s the first one that I saw. And when I was training in Lake Placid as a kid, I watched it, like, every single day when I wasn’t skating. That’s the only one I could think of, off hand, because it’s just a tried and true, and I saw it a million times. Yeah. But I’m sure there’s better ones out there that I don’t know of.
Q: There are six main kinds of jumps in freestyle figure skating. Loop, toe loop, flip, Salchow, Lutz and Axel. Which one is your most hated?
A: Hated Lutz. I couldn’t do it properly. I could do it wrong all day and do it great, but to change that edge, the last second bothers me. My favorite is loop. That was the first double I landed before I landed single Axel. I hope I didn’t take away your next question.
Q: No, you did not. Last but not least, one piece of advice you would give anyone starting out in skating?
A: Be patient with yourself. You’re gonna fall, and that’s part of it, part of the learning process. Never lose your passion, enjoy it. For me, having good music on when you skate makes it super enjoyable. I think that’s where we all get addicted, going to a good old public session, and skating around with music. And, you know, just always remember why you fell in love with it, and it’s there to have fun with. It’s not there for any other reason, so always remember, you do it ‘cause you love it, and it’s fun.
You can see Valerie perform Arctic Memory with ITNY this Tuesday at Bryant Park in New York City at 12:30 p.m. ET, and multiple more times throughout the winter season. ITNY’s year-end benefit performance and gala will take place May 4th, and tickets are available now.