I started skating in 1969 at the iconic outdoor ice rink in beautiful Sun Valley, Idaho. I had trained as a competitive skater for approximately 5 years when I decide to take a trip to Sun Valley for the summer, get a job working as the skate rental girl and begin skating in the Saturday night ice shows. The directors of the ice show saw the passion I had for performance. I became a regular Saturday night soloist in the show as well as skating in all the ensemble numbers. It was then that I understood that I wanted to be in show business. I skated competitively for one more year. After that I kept my skating up in order to skate in the show during the summer.

At 19 I started to teach skating in Utah and Sun Valley. Being able to share my craft with students of all ages was fantastic. I loved being a teacher from the start. At age 20 I auditioned for Ice Follies. I got that job and began touring and pursuing show business for the next 25 years. I traveled all over the world, skated in some of the best shows, was on the choreography team for the 2002 Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies, worked for the Volkswagen Company in Germany for 5 seasons choreographing German fairy Tales, and was instrumental in the coaching and mentoring of our current Olympic Figure Skating Champion, Nathan Chen.

In between every show contract I would find myself either in Utah or Sun Valley for the summer. Each time I would teach and choreograph for the various instructors who wanted my help.

Each and every show I skated in had a different choreographer. I learned valuable techniques from each of them.

All of that literally led me into a life time career of coaching and choreography. I have been involved in skating for 53 years!!!

Hello!! My name is Stephanee Grosscup. I am a lifetime figure skater. I became involved in the sport at the age of 9 and never looked back.
My Mom and Step Dad took a trip to play tennis at the iconic Sun Valley Idaho resort. One of their tennis friends was also an ice skating instructor. She took my sister and I skating at the beautiful outdoor rink and I knew instantly that skating is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Skating took a natural progression for me. It went from the discipline of competitive skating in which I trained 6 days a week for approximately 5-7 hours a day, to discovering my love of shows and performance at age 16, to beginning to teach at 19, to joining a professional ice show at age 20.

Along with skating, I took many different dance classes and learned from many different choreographers. I always had a big curiosity for learning new technique and traveling, so show business led me on a 25 year journey around the world.

Show business allowed me to understand many aspects of production and performance. It also gave me the strength to weather the various ups and downs of being a gig worker. In-between contracts I always had faith that I had something to give to my students. I knew I could create beautiful programs for competitors and inspire others to love their craft as I did. Show business led me into creating many beautiful ensemble pieces and solo pieces for others. It gave me the presence to help others to achieve their own dreams. I also learned to find the best solutions for my clients as they progressed through the sport of figure skating. Traveling gave me a greater understanding of culture. Figure skating is a culturally diverse and inclusive sport. I believe that I am able to inspire anyone who has the desire to skate, for any reason they want to skate in order to achieve their dreams. I think that traveling opens up one’s heart and mind to see how many people of the world have dreams to find their creative outlet. I love to inspire people.

I believe that my sunny optimism sets me apart in my industry. My curiosity of “what’s next?” keeps me constantly wanting to create. My relationship with the community of skaters is a home base that keeps my soul nourished. My natural creative intuition allows me to continue to bring beauty, story and grace to every program or ensemble piece that I create. I love my job!!

There are a few things that I am very proud of.
1- Still loving my sport after 53 years!! Still wanting to help children, adults, professional skaters, ensemble skaters, casting agents and the smallest of toddlers to find and achieve their dream in skating.

2-Still loving to skate for myself! Yes…I still go skating just for me!

3-Being on the choreography team for the 2002 Opening and Closing Olympic Ceremonies. That was one of the greatest gifts, learning experiences, organizing experiences and thrill of my life as we, the team of choreographers also got to skate in the Emmy Award winning live production. That was totally awesome!!!!!!

4-Choreographing 5 seasons of beautiful and wondrous German fairytales at the Autostadt in Wolfsburg, Germany. The Autostadt is the automobile them park for Volkswagen. It is a marvelous place. I had the honor of choreographing 20 productions for them over 5 Christmas seasons. It was one of the most magical, creative, amazing and difficult experiences of my life. The costumes, set designers, pyrotechnics, props, skaters, actors, musical director and light designers were the best of the best. My director was an extraordinary and creative human being. The casting agent found the best skaters from all over the world. Being able to co-create those shows for 5 seasons was certainly one of the greatest dreams of my life. I am forever grateful. After Germany I gained the confidence of knowing I could create anything!

5- My ongoing 53 year journey with Sun Valley, Idaho. My skating career began there at 9 years old. My curiosity about show business began there at 16 years old. I skated in the summer Saturday night shows for 22 years. I have been the current resident, ensemble choreographer for those shows for the past 7 seasons.I have been an instructor at the Summer ice skating Camp for 31 years!! Being able to create, instruct and inspire at the unique and iconic Sun Valley ice rink is one of the greatest joys and accomplishments of my life. I will be forever grateful to Sun Valley Company for the life that I have been given there.

6-My life long love of teaching others to skate. I realized in my older years that I have a clear and concise way of helping skaters understand what they need to do to get their bodies and minds to perform the task at hand. When a student achieves a goal, big or small, I am so happy for them. It makes me genuinely thrilled.

7-The 10 year and beyond journey I had with the current Olympic Champion Nathan Chen. At 3 1/2 Nathan started with me in a Learn to Skate Class in Salt Lake City. He soon thereafter began private lessons. I was his main coach until the age of 5 1/2. Until the age of 12, I coached or choreographed for him on and off. I knew from the very beginning that he was the most special child I had ever taught. I knew that I had to be the best coach, mentor, friend and inspiration that I had ever been in my life. That little kid made me a better person. In 2018 when he first made it to the Olympic Team I was at the stadium in San Jose. I always told him that one day he would make it and I would be there to cheer him on!! Then the past year at the 2022 Olympics he finally actualized his dream of becoming an Olympic Champion, I sat here in my Salt Lake City home watching live, jumping up and down, tears rolling down my cheeks, with so much joy in my heart and soul for this amazing young man that 20 years later fulfilled his destiny. Yes…I am so proud that I have been a part of his journey. But mostly…I am so proud of him!

I think that any potential clients coming my way can expect that I will do my best to help you help yourself in navigating your path to your dream. I am part life coach, part skating instructor, part choreographer, part team collaborator, part director, part manager. I have finally allowed myself to claim that I am an artist and a visionary. I know that I have the ability to lift up others, to inspire children, to help adults process all the information they need to be a great skater and mostly I know that I am always curious as to what is next!! Definitely I have the Carpe Diem mentality. I am a very grateful person!!

Right now I want to expand my career and grow as a choreographer. I want to continue to inspire and create beautiful programs and ensemble pieces. I want to pass my knowledge along as a specialist in overall performance skills, life coaching, grace, timing and working with a team of coaches where they need my expertise. I would also like to be a motivational speaker and a writer.

My goal and mission that drives my creative journey is this… Your best Job guarantee is showing up and doing your job as well or better then anyone else. Show up with an attitude of gratitude, ready to work hard and tackle what you can. Even if that is only a few counts of 8! Be on time!! Come prepared with ideas and solutions. Put your ego aside and work as a team. Listen to others and have great respect for the craft you are in. It’s definitely about the day to day journey and how you show up to be a part of the big picture. Sense of humor also goes a long way. As a creative artist you have to be able to laugh at yourself and the various situations that arise!

Taking the risk to support oneself as an artist, instructor, choreographer and performer has plenty of ups and downs. At times I never knew when my next contract would come. Or if my teaching schedule would fill up. Or if my body would hold up.

However I am driven to create. I am driven to give others an experience that takes them out of the nine to five and gives them a moment where there is beauty and magic in the world!!

I want to be creative and creating something for the rest of my life!

Here is a recent story of resilience and fortitude. On May 1, 2022 I was in the process of creating the ensemble pieces for the Sun Valley Summer Ice Show. I had been struggling with this particular piece of music and had, up until that day had a choreographic block. However on that morning I saw the piece in my mind, how the formations would go and how the steps would evolve, I went to the rink with great creative excitement.

Rehearsal were to begin in 5 weeks. So crunch time was starting to occur. EarPods set, music blasting, creativity flowing, I built up some speed on backward crossovers. I stepped forward on my left foot, leaned to far forward, tripped on my toe pick which launched me into the air. I came crashing down full body weight on my knee cap. In 53 years of skating no fall ever jolted me like that. I laid there and fought off passing out. But as any skater would, I got up and attempted to skate it out. This led me to almost passing out again. I could not bear any weight on it. Long story short, I made it home, iced and elevated for 2 days. I attempted to stretch and teach from the side…but to no avail. I gave myself a week and finally went in for an x-ray. Lo and behold I had fractured my right patella. The doc was amazed that the bone did not move and put me in a weight bearing, locked out brace.

Okay…I admit…depression set in quickly. My busiest teaching season was around the corner. I had 15 skaters to choreograph. I had to move my life to Sun Valley for the summer. I think I cried and was lost for about 48 hours. But then…my fortitude set in. I said to myself, “Okay girl, how are you going to do this?” I called one of my colleagues Erin, an ex-student and magnificent show skater. I told her what had happened and would she be available to assist me. She said yes. I called my boss in Sun Valley, told him the circumstances and asked if Sun Valley could hire my colleague as an assistant. He said yes.
So everyday as I sat in my chair, leg elevated with the recirculating ice machine whirring, I meticulously charted the show on paper. Erin made the time to come to my tiny dance studio in my home and we created the steps on the floor. I wrote them down count by count. I met her at the rink and filmed all the steps from the side. I bought a white board to direct formations. I convinced another ex-student and colleague, Bella to help me drive my stuff to Sun Valley and help me create another number.

Some how some way, with the support of Erin, Bella and my director Scott and all the skaters in the cast, I was able to pull off one of the most organized, easiest, successful and productive rehearsal periods of my life!

It taught me so much about resilience and not giving up. It taught me to reinvent my normal mode of operation. It taught me to ask for help…which is always a difficult thing for me to do. It taught me to be gentle with myself. It taught me to trust the process. It taught me how much I appreciate my knee cap!!!! But mostly it taught me that if there is a will there is a way!!

The show was successful. I was able to get back on my skates a full month before I was suppose to. I was able to teach all my lessons, albeit skating about on two feet with thick knee pads for protection and I am back to gaining full range of motion and skating for myself again!

I have a saying….”when life gives you lemons…put ’em in your bra!” Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!