Artistry on ice.

ICE DANCERS RENEE ROCA AND GORSHA SUR, NOW ON TOUR WITH STARS ON ICE, ARE CARVING OUT A PARALLEL CAREER AS CHOREOGRAPHERS.

Even among the outstanding ice dancers of their generation, the pair of American Renee Roca and Russian-born Gorsha Sur always stands out. They are as noted for their poetic lyricism, glowing romanticism, and memorable musical selections as they are for their beautiful line and the heightened emotional charge of their skating. Their performances are consistently fresh and original in the most tasteful and pleasing way.

Petite and feminine, Roca looks more like a ballet dancer than a skater. Her fine line and long extensions lack the robust athleticism of most skaters. "The most European of all American skaters," her partner characterizes her. She was born in Rochester, New York, in 1963, and still resides there. Sur, expressive and boyishly charming, was born in Moscow in 1967 and now lives in Colorado Springs. The couple first skated together in 1990, shortly after Sur had defected to the U.S. while on tour with a Soviet troupe. Each had been a member of a champion pair and was in a period of transition: Roca's partner had retired, while Sur, who had lost his when he chose to remain in the West, was trying to adjust to life in America. Each had earned the other's respect during international competitions and other events. When they got the opportunity to join one of the professional skating tours, they paired up and have stayed together ever since.

Soon they began making a name for themselves at amateur ice-dancing competitions, which professionals were allowed to enter in 1992. Roca reluctantly agreed to the switch. "Today, the only sure way to become known and recognized as a skater is to have a title," she says. Sur, who had always enjoyed the excitement of competition but was never happy competing alone, had no regrets: "We had to make a name for ourselves." They did just that by winning the National Championships in 1993 and 1995. These triumphs entitled them to represent the U.S. at World Championships in Prague and Birmingham, England. Once the titles were won, they were free to pursue goals they found more enjoyable--performing and creating with no restrictions.

Roca and Sur have resolved to be artists in what many consider a sport. If skating is indeed a "sport," why are there marks for artistic merit? If there ever is a tie in technical decide the winner. The demanding, ever-changing rules prescribed by the International Skating Union for ice dancers may be explained by the difficulty of defining this "sport."

Like all artists, the pair dislikes being bound by rigid rules that they themselves did not invent. They believe that their art form has limitless possibilities both technically and artistically--it can express the inexpressible, as dance historian Selma Jeanne Cohen once put it. Roca and Sur choose to entertain, move, and elevate their audiences over merely competing and winning. And they achieve this goal so successfully that at they are welcome additions to every major skating tour in this country and abroad. (Presently, they are on tour with Scott Hamilton and Kristi Yamaguchi's Stars on Ice.)

Besides choreographing and performing their own numbers, they choreograph shows and individual routines for the finest skaters, amateur and professional alike. Recently they have choreographed for the leading U.S. pairs couple, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand [see Dance Magazine, March 1996, page 66], an Olympic routine for the upcoming Winter Games in Japan.

Another professional association is with White Canvas Productions, the production company organized by Olympic gold-medalist Brian Boitano, one of America's has own Boitano since the very beginning of her skating career, says, "White Canvas is a perfect name for what the company is trying to do. White canvas stands for unlimited possibilities; it is a source for inspiration and creativity. Brian trusts us completely--our taste an our style."

Last summer, they choreographed and directed Skating Romance III: Love Is in the Air, an evening-length show dedicated to love and romance, for White Canvas. Staged and videotaped at the Convention Center in Atlantic City, it was the first production entirely conceived and directed by the couple. (USA Network aired it last December.)

Boitano doesn't hesitate to entrust such productions to Roca and Sur. "I asked Gorsha and Renee to choreograph and direct Skating Romance III: Love Is in the Air because I wanted a fresh and innovative look for the show, and I knew they could make that happen. They broke new ground for all skating shows with their origin I concepts for expressing stories and drama on ice. They conceived new and different lighting effects, incorporated off-ice choreography, and brought a dancer's sensibility to the choreography for pairs and solo skaters.

"It all worked. And they had a dedication, passion, and commitment that inspired all the rest of us on both sides of the curtain."

The couple dreams of taking their productions and skating to a new level of quality and taste. They dream of a lavish theater on ice, a feast for the senses. Sur's youthful enthusiasm constantly creates elaborate routines; Roca's stabilizing sense of realism winnows out the impractical.

Together they comprise a useful combination of traits necessary to succeed in their difficult undertaking. And they are happy to be exactly where they are in professional skating--free to create, unhindered by rules and restrictions.

Russian-born Regina Zarhina moved to the U.S. in 1987; she writes about and teaches dance in the Denver area.