Performers

Guest Performers (MAY 4TH ONLY)

EMILEA ZINGAS and VADYM KOLESNIK are World Bronze and are one of Team USA’s top ice dance teams. They are the 2026 Four Continents Champions and placed 5th at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, capping off a breakthrough season on the international stage. In addition to their major championship success, they have earned multiple medals on the ISU Grand Prix circuit and competed at the prestigious Grand Prix Final. Known for their speed, precision, and powerful connection on the ice, they bring a fresh, modern style to every performance. They reside in Ann Arbor, Michigan and are coached by Igor Shpilband. Off the ice, Emilea studies neuroscience and has a passion for fashion, beauty, and fitness, while Vadym is dedicated to coaching and mentoring young skaters. This team combines elite athletic achievement with dynamic personalities that captivate audiences worldwide.

Photo Robin Ritoss

Guest Performer

EMMANUEL SAVARY won the US Junior Championships in 2009 and was the National Silver medalist at the novice level. In 2020, Emmanuel and Starr Andrews were the only two African Americans to take part in the U.S. Championships. Emmanuel is also a student at the University of Delaware, studying aerospace engineering. He is part of an acapella singing group and enjoys dancing. Emmanuel is the brother of Joel Savary, the founder of Diversify Ice (2023 Will Sears Honoree), and enjoys being a mentor to other minority skaters through Diversify Ice.

Performer

SARAH BAETGE is an Asian American artist from Los Angeles, who has 20 years of experience in competitive figure skating. She has performed for ITNY several times, as a performing apprentice, including performances in Billingham, UK for the tribute show “The Creative Spirit of John Curry.” Sarah's skating showcases a blend of strength and fluidity, symbolizing the duality of life — wild and tame. Her movements on ice serve as a canvas for deeper human connections, fostering empathy, understanding, and the power of healing through the medium of skating. Sarah joined the ITNY Ensemble in 2024.                                                                                                                                                               

Performer

JACQUELINE BENSON (she/her) is a professional skater, choreographer, coach, and dancer based in New York City. This is her second year performing with ITNY and she is thrilled to return for this year's Home Season. Her current professional engagements include touring with Montreal-based contemporary skating company, Le Patin Libre. She has also worked with American Ice Theatre, the Contemporary Skating Alliance, and the Figure Skating Diversity & Inclusion Alliance. Jacqueline is a US Figure Skating triple gold medalist in Freestyle, Moves in the Field / Skating Skills, and Solo Free Dance. She is a Professional Skaters Association Master-Rated coach & choreographer, and has choreographed programs across all disciplines for skaters ranging from National Development Team athletes to showcase skaters to Excel competitors. She is trained in multiple styles of dance and has performed with several contemporary dance companies in her hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. Jacqueline graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University and also has experience in marketing, communications, and nonprofit advocacy work.

Performer

DANIL BERDNIKOV joined ITNY in 2021. Originally from Samara, Russia, he competed as part of the junior national team and across his home country throughout high school. He later moved to Moscow to further his education and joined Stage Entertainment Russia, where he began performing professionally as a skater. Performing for live audiences gave Danil a renewed passion for skating, leading to an international career spanning eight years. He has performed with Willy Bietak Productions and Wheeler Productions in the US, Stageworks Worldwide Productions in the UK, and Holiday on Ice and Dynamic Shows Entertainment throughout the EU. Since 2025, he has been a cast member of Art on Ice in Switzerland - the most famous ice show in the world, where he performed alongside world-class skaters and international music stars. Danil is deeply grateful to his parents, coaches, choreographers, and fellow skaters for their unwavering support.

Performer

GEORGINA BLACKWELL has been skating for 20 years and competes at the Gold and International Solo Dance level. She is a two-time USFS Gold Medalist, National Solo Dance Final competitor, and former British Figure Skating Championships competitor. Outside of skating, Georgina is a recent graduate of Columbia University with a degree in Art History. She has been performing with ITNY since 2019.

Performer

SARAH FRANCE joined ITNY in 2018, bringing her passion for the creative process and broad knowledge of dance, skating skills, choreography, and technical rigor to the company.  An interdisciplinary artist who has extended her lifelong fascinations with movement and creativity into many professional pursuits, she is a dancer and choreographer both on and off the ice, aerialist, visual artist, author, researcher, musician, and grant writer. When not on the ice, Sarah is a dancer with The Equus Projects, where she relishes the opportunity to dance with equine partners. She is internationally regarded for her knowledge of skating skill development and on-ice choreography, having coached beginner through Olympic athletes, leading clinics and seminars worldwide. Sarah is proud to represent her intersectional communities as an LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, and disabled artist. Instagram: @sarahdoesstuff

Performer

JOE JOHNSON is a former Team USA ice dancer. With their partner and fellow company member Karina Manta, they competed internationally for four years before retiring to join Cirque du Soleil. During the pandemic, they worked in England on the reality show Dancing on Ice, and after two years abroad, started touring nationally with Ice Dance International. They have since settled in New York City and perform with ITNY in addition to coaching and choreographing full-time. Joe’s first season performing with ITNY was 2023.

Performer

ISAAC LINDY is a NYC-based performing artist working across figure skating, dance, and musical theatre. Professional skating: The Gig (Williamstown Theatre Festival); Le Patin Libre's Murmuration (Théâtre de la Ville de Paris, Venice Biennale); Holiday on Ice (Line Captain, Ensemble); International Ice Stars (Principal, Royal Opera House of Muscat); IceLab Leipzig. Theatre/Opera: Bottle Dancer, Fiddler on the Roof (Alliance Theatre/Atlanta Opera); Solo Dancer, The Daughter of the Regiment (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Principal Dancer Understudy, OSCAR, La Traviata (Opera Philadelphia). Isaac holds a BA with Honors in Urban Studies from Vassar College and is a proud member of the American Guild of Musical Artists. This is his second season with ITNY isaac-alan-lindy.com

Performer

KARINA MANTA is an ice dancer and former international medalist and Grand Prix competitor for Team USA with her partner, Joe Johnson. Since retiring from competitive skating, she has toured with the Cirque du Soleil show AXEL and performed as a professional for the UK television series, Dancing on Ice, which she and her celebrity partner won in the 2021-22 season. She has been a company member of Ice Dance International since 2021. Karina's first season performing with ITNY was 2023. In addition to performing, Karina is the author of the young adult memoir, On Top of Glass, about growing up queer in figure skating.

Performer

LIBBY MCGROSKY has been skating with ITNY since 2023. They began skating at the age of four and continued skating through high school with a focus on freestyle and an interest in synchronized skating. In college, they skated for the Hayden Synchronized Skating Teams at the Junior and Senior levels and represented the US for three international seasons. After completing their competitive career, Libby joined ITNY and began the process of switching to professional figure skating. Libby obtained a BS in environmental science with a minor in climate change and sustainability from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Performer

VAKHTANG MURVANIDZE, is a former competitive figure skater from Georgia and he represented his country twice at the Olympics. As a choreographer and skating skills teacher Vakhtang has worked with Alexei Mishin as his assistant and now coaches at the Ice House in Hackensack, New Jersey. As a professional skater he has performed in many international and touring shows. He has performed with ITNY (off and on) since 2003, when he participated in our proscenium stage performance at the Eisenhauer Hall at West Point. This year Vakhtang rejoined us for our City Skate Concerts and kids programming.  He is thrilled to be a part of this year’s Home Season.

Performer

JANINE RHO, joined the ITNY ensemble in 2025. Previously, she trained as a competitive ice dancer in Montreal, Quebec, under world-renowned coaches, and has podiumed on a national stage. With a foundation in ballroom dance, ballet, and gymnastics, Janine uses her athletic and artistic merits to bring grace and fluidity to the ice. Her explorations of movement are deeply influenced by her passion for music, which she pursues through a multi-instrumental skillset and academic study. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science and Music at Columbia University.

Performer

LIZ YOSHIKO SCHMIDT has been skating with ITNY since 2017. Luscious edges, artistic movement, and ice dance inform her skating and professional career, which began in 2013 at the age of 18. She has performed across Europe, Egypt, and the US, most recently in Switzerland with Art on Ice. A Japanese and German American skater who hails from Chicago, IL, Schmidt approaches the ice as an artist. She holds a BFA in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute and is the founder of Dansu Wear, an ice fashion line extending her practice into form and design.

Performer

AARON SINGLETARY grew up in Pennsylvania skating for the Penguin Figure Skating Club and started his national competitive career training at the Ice House in Hackensack, NJ. Aaron earned gold in Moves in the Field as well as singles Freestyle. Aaron now coaches primarily at City Ice Pavilion in New York City. Over the years, Aaron has had many internationally revered coaches. Each left a prominent mark on his approach to skating and singling out one or two would be a disservice to the others. He aims to further his knowledge so that one day he too may be an internationally recognized performer and coach. The 2019 Home Season marked his debut with ITNY.

Performer

MATT THOMAS remembers seeing ITNY perform at Rockefeller Center as a young boy and feels privileged to have become a member of the educational outreach and performance groups of ITNY, passing on that dream over the last decade. Introduced to skating through the Learn to Skate Program in Syracuse, NY, he went on to train as a figure skating competitor, earning the title of Eastern Sectional Champion in 1998. Today, Matt remains deeply active on the ice as a competitive short track speed skater, a skating coach, and a proud member of the ITNY community — a testament to a lifelong love of skating that began close to four decades ago. Off the ice, Matt is an accomplished saxophonist holding a Bachelor’s in Music from SUNY Buffalo. A versatile performer, he regularly plays with multiple NYC bands spanning salsa, jazz, boogaloo, and beyond, and has graced the stage at Lincoln Center, music festivals across the country, and venues internationally — bringing the same joy and dedication to his music that he brings to everything he does on the ice.

Guest Artist 

ILIA MALININ, Olympian, Two-time World Champion, three-time National Champion and two-time Grand Prix of Figure Skating Champion, Ilia “Quadg0d" Malinin was the youngest person named to the 2022 TIME100 NEXT list, after being the first and only skater to ever land a quad axel, the most difficult and elusive jump in figure skating (4.5 revolutions in the air), making him the early favorite for Olympic Gold in Milano Cortina 2026. The innovative and unconventional Malinin became a true game changer in 2022, establishing a World Junior Record for the men's short program, free skate, and combined score, and becoming the youngest ever men's champion at Skate America - while landing a quad axel. He won his first US National Championships in 2023 and successfully defended that tile in 2024 and 2025. He won the Grand Prix Final in 2023 and 2024 and he capped off his 2024 campaign by setting a World Record and winning World Championship Gold at the 2024 ISU World Championships in Montreal, Canada. In March of 2025, at the ISU Worlds in Boston, Ilia defended his title with a total score of 318.56, securing his second consecutive world title with a landslide victory. After the event, at the 2025 ISU Figure Skating Awards, he won Most Entertaining Program and Skater of the Year. The son of two Olympians, Malinin is a sophomore at George Mason University, and when he's not training and competing, enjoys skateboarding, playing video games, and watching extreme sports. This season marks Ilia’s third appearance with ITNY.

Performer/Choreographer

MILLY WASSERMAN has been performing with ITNY since 2015 and became a member of ITNY’s Junior Ensemble in 2017. She made her choreographic debut at the 2022 ITNY Home Season Performances with her piece In An Instant. Milly is the 2023 Intercollegiate Solo Pattern Dance National Champion, a four-time national competitor in ice dance, the 2024 Intercollegiate National Champion, and the 2025 Intercollegiate Novice Solo Free Dance National Champion. She is a member of the NYU Figure Skating Team, which has placed in the top four at the Intercollegiate National Championships for the past three years. When she is not choreographing or skating, Milly studies psychology at New York University.

Performing Intern

ELISABETH EHRHARDT began performing with ITNY in 2025. She is a former synchronized skater from Chemnitz, Germany. She competed nationally and internationally with the German team Skating Graces and the Polish team IceFire. While skating for the Polish national team, she competed in two World Synchronized Skating Championships (Lake Placid in 2023 and Helsinki in 2025) and the Shanghai Trophy in 2024. She has always loved the artistry of ice skating and left competitive skating to focus on ice skating as a performing art and to develop as a skater. Besides ice skating, she studies sensors and cognitive psychology.