Melanie Athena started ice skating as a young girl
in the Catskill Mountains, then known as The Borscht Belt…..
Think Mrs. Maisel, but in Winter!
There were hundreds of Hotels in the area, and most boasted indoor and outdoor ice rinks alike. The Hotels were World Famous, though most of the guests hailed from NYC.
The skate pros at the rinks would host weekly ice shows featuring local skaters who had excelled in the sport. It was in these Hotels that Melanie Athena learned to skate and performed in shows from the time she was 8 years old until age 16.
It was a magical time in her life…
Melanie returned to the sport as a young adult and first taught ice skating at The world famous Concord Resort and Hotel before becoming the Head Ice Pro at the equally famous Grossinger’s Hotel and Resort. Melanie ran the rink at Grossinger’s until it’s closing; most other hotels closed not long after, marking the end of an era of Resorts in the Mountains.
Melanie relocated to NYC after getting hired to coach at The Rink at Rockefeller Center, where she continued to teach ice skating for more than 20 years until March 26, 2023. Rockefeller Center is now under new management and in October 2023, Rockefeller Center sadly announced they would not offer skating lessons for the first time in their 87 year history.
BREAKING NEWS! Melanie has now joined the coaching team at Wollman Ice Rink in Central Park; You can book private, semi-private and group lessons with her at Wollman. For days and hours, please see “Book a Lesson”. Feel free to reach out with any questions to: MelanieAthena@outlook.com. Melanie can’t wait to see and skate with all of her students again this upcoming skating season!
It is a once again magical time in our lives! The skating season is upon us, and we
look forward to gliding into the New Year, and it’s endless possibilities!
In addition to teaching Ice Skating to our NYC community, and people who
come visit from all over the World alike, Melanie Athena has produced
the following Ice Shows, including students’ yearly recitals
See photos from these shows in performance gallery tab!
(see what you or your child can learn and do!)
Shows created and produced by Melanie Athena:
Skating Stars of The Future
Rock Stars on Ice
The Rock Center Skater’s End of Season Recitals
Team Rock
Melanie has also assisted on productions of countless Ice Shows, Special Events
Ice Shows and Holiday Ice Shows, including casting ice skaters for the Rockefeller
Tree Lighting Ceremony; acting as a Liaison between The Rink, NBC and Disney
for all aspects of show production. Melanie has also worked in Special events
production at The Rink, including planning and overseeing rink events.
To find your inner Rock Star on Ice,
book your lesson with Melanie Athena today!
(Click on “Book a lesson” page in the drop down menu under the Skating
Lessons tab at the top of the page, and click on the link provided.)
Melanie’s other Artistic Interests and Passions:
Melanie wrote the song on the homepage, “Possibilities”, with
her partner, V. Jeffrey Smith.
She also produced the accompanying Music
Video, (along with a lot of help from skaters who provided footage of themselves
and their families skating at The Rink through the years!)
Melanie was born into a family of classical musicians: her Mom was a classical
pianist, and her Dad had a Doctorate in Music. Both of her parents wrote music
extensively, and at one point hosted a radio show in Boston. The story goes that
her Dad, Marcus, would begin composing an operetta in his head, share it wiher
Mom, Sylvia, who would often finish the composition in her sleep!
Melanie fell in love with music at an early age, but never played an instrument until
she was an adult, and her interest in music lay more in the Rock/Pop/R & B
Genres. She has been writing songs for many years, and is currently
(finally) recording her first album.
Read more about Melanie’s musical ventures and hear her music here:
More info about Melanie’s Album project can be found here:
