About Us

A Baltimore-based non-profit organization, The Next Ice Age was founded in 1988 by Nathan Birch and Tim Murphy, former members of the John Curry Skating Company. John Curry used his status as Olympic Champion to elevate figure skating to a legitimate performance art. The Next Ice Age is proud to pass on his lineage of artistic figure skating to the next generation of skaters and to enthusiastic audiences.

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Since its inception, The Next Ice Age has engaged regional and national audiences through a wide array of vibrant programming. Now in its nineteenth year, The Next Ice Age Summer Residency at the Carousel Hotel in Ocean City, reaches over 30,000 patrons and employs professional skaters, choreographers, and designers. During the year, The Next Ice Age works with amateur and professional skaters to offer performances and presentations throughout the region. Major performance highlights include appearances at The Kennedy Center in 1997 and 2001, The American Dance Festival in 1998, the Columbia Festival of the Arts in 2000, seasonal performances at the Pandora Ice Rink in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and the Opening Ceremonies of 2016 World Championships in Boston.

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The Next Ice Age now encompasses four programs and two performance companies. In addition to The Next Ice Age, the programs include:

• The Next Ice Edge, an educational program that trains amateur and professional skaters in the company’s specific skating techniques and curriculum,

• The Next Ice Age Academy, founded by principal skaters Ian Lorello and Laura Seal, an artistic skating school that trains young skaters in The Next Ice Edge and other techniques, and,

• MEN SKATING, a professional troupe dedicated to providing professional opportunities for male figure skaters.

• The Next Ice Age works with both a company of paid professional skaters and an amateur apprentice company.