Briar Koski: Choreography and community

Briar Koski, a production designer at our Toronto office, has been skating since she was two years old. From ice dancing competitions to coaching a university team and running an indie music blog, her life both on and off the ice has been full of passion for performance and community. With an infectious energy and a bold outfit, she brings people together wherever she goes.

As far as she can remember, Briar has been skating since the second she could walk. Starting with a homemade ice rink in the backyard, she was encouraged early on by both her parents and her aunt and uncle, who were professional skaters and performers in the Ice Capades and Disney on Ice.

Briar’s aunt was the one who first introduced her to the Scarboro Figure Skating Club, and once Briar stepped on the ice at age 4, she never wanted to leave. Her childhood is full of memories of the Scarborough Centennial Recreation Centre ice rink, where she skated before school, after school and on weekends. She was invited to join the competitive ice dance program in middle school, then became a solo skater during high school, leading her to many competitions throughout the country. Sadly, Briar’s aunt passed away six years ago from breast cancer. Now both the rink and skating carry even more meaning to her. Between costumes sewn by her mother, family road trips to competitions and her many coaches and teams over the years, figure skating has been a major source of support and growth.

Her favourite part of figure skating is how a whole program comes together – from the choreography and music to the costumes. Competitions encouraged her to be creative and focus on performing at a young age. Whether it’s an indie rock song or a striking outfit, Briar is always looking to push the envelope in her performances. She debuted her first self-choreographed routine at eight years old, which ended with her sliding across the ice dressed as a penguin to the “Boogie Wonderland” mix from the movie Happy Feet. Other favourite programs of hers include an award-winning rose-themed number set to Édith Piaf’s “La Vie En Rose” in high school, a routine to Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary,” which earned her university team second place at provincials, and a performance to “Fireworks” by folk duo First Aid Kit, a favourite song of her grandpa’s which she surprised him with.

Her love of program design took on new meaning with the opportunity to coach. She volunteered as a skating coach with Skate Canada’s CanSkate program while in high school, which led to formal coaching gigs at several clubs. Today, she’s an assistant coach for the varsity figure skating team at Toronto Metropolitan University, her alma mater. Now Coach Koski is designing programs for other skaters and cheering them on as they compete in the provincial university competition.

And when Briar isn’t skating? Her passion for music led her to become a regular fixture in Toronto’s local indie scene. It’s no surprise she loves concerts and pays just as much attention to performance as she does to the set list and stage design. In 2016, she even launched her own music blog called “Tambo” (a nickname she picked up from an Elwins concert) that often took her backstage. That’s why she’s so emotionally invested in local bands: it’s more than just music to her. Briar really sees these musicians as people, knows their history and has formed real relationships with many of the bands she still supports today. She loves the Toronto music scene, and while the blog is no longer running, she’s still a regular at many of its signature venues from History to The Drake Underground.

Whether it’s attending four out of the five retirement shows for Tokyo Police Club or a 7 a.m. practice session at the TMU Mattamy Athletic Centre, Briar associates memories with music. She’ll keep singing and dancing along wherever she goes next.