This performance is doomed to fail. It’s about figure skating, but there’s no ice. There are some skates, over there, but not the surface they’re meant to go on. So where does that leave us?
This performance is an attempt to heal a relationship, to come back from disappointment. It is a journey of liberation from perfectionism. It is a devotional act, in search of transcendence.
This performance is an invitation to become tangled up in an obsession that might not be entirely healthy. It contains just enough mastery to be legible and just enough mess to be real.
A journey towards the iconic, through the lens of competitive figure skating, in the company of inevitable failure.
Iconic Program is inspired by Becka McFadden’s life-long obsession with figure skating and somewhat shorter competitive career. Built out of skating’s own structures — its archetypes, narratives, personalities and formats — this solo performance invites the audience to take part in Becka’s quest to embrace failure as emancipation, celebrate the transcendent powers of this lovely, horrifying sport and create a truly iconic program. On the way, viewers can expect to bend their knees, explore deep grooves, feel big emotions and reflect on the odd things that somehow end up at the centre of our lives.
Yes, there’s no ice. But don’t worry — we’re going to skate anyway. We couldn’t stop if we wanted to.
