All-New Event with Skating Performances to Honor a Giant in the Figure Skating World
The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) announces it will host a unique event, new to the figure skating world — the Dick Button Festival of Artistic Skating – to be held on October 1 and 2. ORDA is bringing artistic skaters and professional companies to Lake Placid, where Dick Button began his unprecedented career spanning more than seven decades.
Success at figure skating competitions requires a combination of athleticism and art, and this event will bring together performers, skaters, choreographers, and skating performance companies in a celebration purely focused on the art of skating. This event is presented in honor of Dick Button, a legend known around the world, one who is not only a Lake Placid icon but also a figure skating hero.
The event is open to the public and includes performances on Saturday afternoon in the 1932 Jack Shea Arena by Ice Theatre of New York, The Next Ice Age, World Figure and Fancy Ensemble, American Ice Theatre, TJ Carey skating “Serpentine Loop,” choreographed by Elin Schran, and “Grace” by Ice Dance International.
Tickets for the full event are $25 Adult (20-65), $20 Senior (65+), $15 Teen (13-19), and $15 Junior (7-12) and include access to the performances, workshops, and clinics. Guests may choose what sections to attend. A Gold Circle VIP ticket is also available for $50, which includes a meet-and-greet session with the performing artists.
The full schedule, tickets, and other event details are available by clicking here.
More About Dick Button
Dick Button trained in Lake Placid under coach and mentor Gustav Lussi in the 1940s and 50s. Button’s many awards and achievements include two-time Olympic champion (1948 and 1952), five-time World Champion (1948 to 1952), the first U.S. World Champion, and the only non-European man ever to be awarded European Champion (1948). He was also the first to land a double axel jump in competition (1948) and successfully perform the first triple jump of any kind (a triple loop in 1952). In collaboration with Lussi at the Olympic Center’s 1932 Jack Shea Arena in Lake Placid, Button also invented the flying camel spin.
After his competitive years, he provided Emmy-Award-winning commentary for televised figure skating competitions beginning with the 1960 Olympics through the 2010 Games. Additionally, he served as a leader of the international figure skating community, advocating for and founding artistic skating companies, including Ice Dance International and Ice Theater New York.