Milestone 55th edition of Northbrook-On-Ice features 344 skaters, including Icette alumni and their children
The annual Northbrook-On-Ice skating extravaganza returns over Mother’s Day weekend for its 55th edition, a special show featuring multiple generations of ice skaters.
This year’s show, “A Broadway Spectacular!” running May 9-11, will take spectators on a theatrical journey on ice featuring talented skaters ages 3-57. The audience will recognize music from beloved family-friendly productions, timeless stage classics and iconic movies-turned-musicals.
As is tradition for milestone anniversaries, the cast will include returning alumni of the show.
“A Broadway Spectacular!” will feature 344 skaters: 245 who participate in the Northbrook Park District’s skating school; 63 upper-level freestyle skaters (Icettes, Jr. Icettes and Dancettes); and 35 returning Icettes, 11 of whom have children also in the show.
One family has three generations involved: skater Layla Kunitz, 13; her mother Lauren, a returning Icette; and her grandmother Carol Wald, who helps make the costumes. The annual Northbrook-On-Ice has been such a significant part of their lives that even major events — such as her and her daughter’s bat mitzvahs — have been scheduled around it over the years, the family said. The Kunitzes live in Deerfield, Wald in Northbrook.
Ice skating has given her confidence in herself, said Layla, who was born with no hearing and now has a cochlear implant and wears a hearing aid.
“It’s a good chance to try something out and see that it’s OK to make mistakes, because you can learn from them,” she said.
The Northbrook Park District’s skating program offers a supportive environment with stellar teaching, Lauren Kunitz said.
“The program teaches you how to win, how to lose, how to be a good friend, how to cheer for others,” she said. “It’s really cool that something I loved and brought me such joy is now bringing Layla so much happiness and joy.”
Northbrook-On-Ice has been called the best amateur ice show in the country, and has enchanted spectators since 1969 (one edition was skipped due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Over the years, national ice-skating entertainment shows such as the Ice Capades and Ice Follies sent scouts to Northbrook-On-Ice to find talent.
The Northbrook Park District’s ice-skating program teaches skills like teamwork and discipline, and has a long-lasting positive impact, the skaters said.
“When you are performing, there are a lot of things that you gain that translate to real life, like stepping out of your comfort zone and overcoming fears,” returning Icette Stacy Karel of Chicago said. “It’s a part of my childhood that really stuck with me.”
The memories made at Northbrook-On-Ice over the years are indelible, said Karel, who can even recall choreography from her favorite numbers, such as skating to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” wearing a zombie costume.
“Being an Icette is like belonging to a sisterhood,” Karel said. “The most interesting thing about the reunion is that you have women in the dressing room that are grandmas, and you have women that are breastfeeding. There is such a span of age, and that makes it really fun.”
Besides reuniting with friends, simply being back on the ice before an audience is a fantastic feeling, said returning Icette Dana Polonsky. She and Karel will be part of a showgirl-style group number with plenty of sequins and sparkles.
“I just love showtime,” said Polonksy, a Buffalo Grove resident. “The chance to be in the spotlight again and to perform for anybody that will watch is a privilege. And I consider it a privilege to be part of the Icette program and to have been associated with Northbrook-On-Ice. It’s something very unique to our area. The fact that we have kept this program alive for so many years and it continues to attract the talent that it does is really a testament to its foundation, and the alumni and coaches that continue to keep it going.”
Among Icette mother-daughter pairs are alumna Laurie Martinelli and her child Emma, 17, a member of the Teams Elite that last month earned the United States’ first gold medal at the ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships.
As amazing as that victory felt, taking the ice one last time as an Icette will be just as meaningful, said Emma, a Northbrook resident and senior at Glenbrook North High School.
“It’s an accumulation of all the work I put in over the years to stay involved,” said Emma, who has a two-night solo to music from “The Phantom of the Opera.” “Some of the people who used to be more into synchronized skating gave it up for Icettes, and vice versa. I am proud that I was able to do both — it’s always been my goal to graduate as an Icette.”
Laurie Martinelli has participated in three reunion shows over the years, where she relished reconnecting with friends and forging new friendships with younger generations of alumni. This year, however, she will sit out so the spotlight can be all on her daughter, she said.
“I will be watching front row and center, probably bawling,” Laurie Martinelli said. “As an Icette, when you have your last show, when they do the finale and you take your final bow and the lights go off, it’s super emotional.”
Northbrook-On-Ice performances are at 7 p.m. Friday, May 9; 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday, May 10; and 1 p.m. Sunday, May 11, at the Northbrook Sports Center, 1730 Pfingsten Road, Northbrook. Tickets are $14 for general admission, $16 for preferred admission. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit nbparks.org/programs/ice-skating/northbrook-on-ice.
Established in 1927, the mission of the Northbrook Park District is to enhance the community by providing outstanding services, parks and facilities through environmental, social and financial stewardship.