To glide, to fall, to rise: Figure skating in Harlem ignites the dream

To glide, to fall, to rise: Figure skating in Harlem ignites the dream

To hit the ice is to meet reality without negotiation. There is the sharp shock of impact, the sting against bone, the brief mortification of sequins and nylon sliding helplessly across a cold, unforgiving surface, and then that extraordinary pause where a girl must decide who she is going to become. Does she stay down, embarrassed and aching, or does she gather herself, rise on trembling legs, and try again? In figure skating, that moment is no…