On Saturday, March 18 Corinne de Langavant of Martha’s Vineyard Ice Theater is hosting a workshop on the relationship between ice skating and ballet dancing at the Oak Bluffs library from 1 to 3 p.m. Funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the workshop will also show how people can learn to skate through ballet.

Ms. de Langavant began skating when she was 12 back in Montreal, Canada, but she didn’t start ballet until age 21. She quickly realized how closely knit the two arts were

“It was all the same for the most part...just a lot harder,” she said “Ballet made skating seem easy.”

Ms. de Langavant went on to perform both ballet and skating for many winter carnivals in Montreal and the surrounding area. She has produced several of her own shows such as Les Quatres Saisons, Emotion en Motion, Theatre Sur Glace, The History of Hockey and Art on Ice; Very Vineyard, which she is currently adapting. The new version will include a piece that shows how the Italians and the French were able to convert skating into dance.

This Saturday at her workshop, Ms. de Langavant will be showing “different techniques that were the basis of classical ballet as we know it, and to then adapt to moving on ice.” Through the workshop she will show how skating and dance train the same muscles, something she learned after 40 years of doing the work. “I have always used theatre, music, creative themes and storytelling to motivate my students to participate. By getting them outside of themselves and their habitual patterns, they can get in touch with other unknown parts of themselves.”

The workshop will involve music, photos and stories, as well as hands on practice. The event is perfect for participants of all ages. She recommends that participants wear clothes they are able to move in.

After the workshop, the Martha’s Vineyard Ice Arena will be hosting an end of the year skating party from 4 to 6 p.m. where students can test their newly learned ballet skills on ice.

For more information, call 508-423-9566.