Ashley Duenas
Ashley began skating at the age of 12 in Redwood City, CA. She is a USFS Gold Medalist and has 7 years of experience as a coach and choreographer. From 2003-2005 Ashley represented the country of Uzbekistan in ice dance and competed at international events such as the Asian Figure Skating Championships and Four Continents Cup. In 2005 she followed her passion for the arts and began working for a Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery in San Francisco. She is now an Arts Program Assistant for the city of Sunnyvale and currently working towards a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies at the San Francisco Art Institute. Ashley is an AIT board member and skater liaison. She has been skating with AIT since 2006.

Cohen Duncan
Cohen began skating at the age of 8 after her brother took up hockey. She is a Novice National Champion, 6-time National Competitor, and an 8-time Regional Champion. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Santa Clara University and she is fluent in French. For the past 10 years Cohen has furthered her love of the sport by coaching competitive figure skaters. Cohen has performed with AIT since 2006.

Rebecca Erb
An international and 5-time US National Competitor in Pairs and Singles Skating, Rebecca is a 21-year veteran of figure skating. She was the youngest US National competitor in 1995, received her USFS Freestyle Gold Medal in 1999, and has been coaching for 9 years since the age of 15. Rebecca has performed professionally with the SF Ice Dance Company and has skated with AIT since 2003. She is a UC Santa Cruz graduate with B.A. in Language Studies.

Liz Handley
This is Liz’s first performance with AIT. A Bay Area native, Liz has skated since the age of five and has earned three U.S. National medals during her career. Liz is known for her smooth and athletic style, and at 6’ tall she’s easy to spot on the ice! Liz has a graduate degree in Nutrition Science and currently can be found assisting in research at Stanford University when not coaching up-and-coming skaters.

Bilal (Billy) Kheir
Skating for 15 years, Billy is a USFS Gold Medalist and was a 2001 US National Competitor. Coaching since 1998 accomplishments include Jr. Nationals Coach and International and National Skating Coach for the Redwood City Ice Theatre. Currently coaching in Redwood City and Belmont, CA, Billy has skated with AIT since 2004.

Elizabeth McGlauflin
Skating since the age of 5, Elizabeth now competes in Adult Masters events around the world. Most recently, she placed 2nd in Masters in the 2008 Pacific Section Championships and won several open events at the 2008 Adult Nationals. Professionally, Elizabeth currently is Vice President of Services at BDNA Corporation, a software company helping IT executives manage the business of IT. She is a graduate of Boston College. This is Elizabeth’s second year with AIT.

Lisa Menestrina
A member of the AIT ensemble since 2004, Lisa is excited to be a part of AIT and see how much it has grown. She is grateful for all of the friends and family who have supported her skating over the years. Lisa has a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from University of the Pacific and currently works for WildPackets, a network analysis software company. Lisa creates the marketing and promotional items for AIT.

Asya Passinsky
Asya is a USFS Gold Medal ice dancer and won the senior ice dance event at the 2004 and 2005 National Intercollegiate Figure Skating Championships. Asya is a recent graduate of UC Berkeley and is also a 2008 Rhodes Scholar. This is Asya’s first appearance with AIT.

Ben Westenberger
Born and raised in San Diego California, Ben began skating at the age of 4. He is a 7-time U.S. National Ice Dance competitor. His competitive highlights include winning the 2001 Junior National Intermediate Ice Dance title, being named to the US Figure Skating Developmental Team, and representing Team USA in international competitions. Currently, Ben coaches in San Jose. He joined AIT in 2007.

AIT Alumni

Allison Best, Gin Lily Chang, Justin Dillon, Kristina Felliciano, David Glynn, Lupe Maldonado, Alicia Piscatelli, Jennifer Pruett, Jessica Renefree, Nicholas Roby, Cherylnn Sebastian, and Aya Shinozuka

Guest Skaters

Amanda Dobbs, Dennis Phan, Beata Handra, and Maurizio Margaglio

Guest Dancers

*Hao Bo, Billy Corado, *Tiffany Glenn, Enrique Jarquin and Lucy Loo, Anthony LoCasio *Patricia Perez, *Jekyns Pelaez, and *Ali Meijer (*Courtesty of Ballet San Jose)