Saturday night fever Nuit Blanche event brings disco-inspired roller rink to the Exchange By: AV Kitching Posted: 6:00 AM CDT Wednesday, Sep. 21, 2022

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This article was published 20/09/2022 (783 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A trio of skaters who connected during the pandemic are inviting fellow eight-wheelers to roll into the night with them this Saturday.

Golda Ferrer, Signy Thorsteinson and Jill Munro, collectively known as the Skate Sisters, are the brains behind IllumiSkate the Night, an outdoor, disco-inspired roller rink making its debut at this year’s Nuit Blanche, the annual free night of art exploration held as part of Culture Days.

For one night only, a car park in the East Exchange will be transformed into a ‘70s-esque roller rink, complete with disco lights and retro music.

“This is a dream we are making come true,” Ferrer says. “Winnipeg doesn’t have an outdoor roller rink and for one night we are doing just that.”

Kicking off at 6 p.m., IllumiSkate promises a night full of thrills — and maybe some spills — as everyone is invited to join in, as long as they bring their skates.

For Ferrer and her skate sisters, the hobby is more than just a way to keep fit; it’s an art form. She also credits the activity for “keeping her sane” during the height of COVID-19.

“In isolation we were keeping apart from our families, but when we were out skating, we would accidentally run into other skaters, and we could all do this thing together. We would socially distance, wearing masks, and just skate with each other. There was just something about it — the freedom we felt in those isolated times, and we still got together to share our common love of skating. And this was the culture that emerged out of it.”

We would socially distance, wearing masks, and just skate with each other. There was just something about it — the freedom we felt in those isolated times.”–Golda Ferrer

Getting the event ready hasn’t been easy — a small budget, together with a tight turnaround time, has seen everyone pitching in to do their bit.

Ferrer credits the skating community she’s part of, Peg City Rollers, for coming together to ensure everything rolls smoothly.

“It’s been all hands on deck putting the event together,” Ferrer explains. “We (the Skate Sisters) had the underlying assumption that our community would come in and make this happen.

“I think the most notable thing is that, because of a location issue, we’ve only had nine weeks to plan the event. We also received a $2,000 grant from Nuit Blanche. A lot of our installation relies on our skate-community friends and family support. We were able to borrow and repurpose most things. There is so much artistic talent in the group. We had to get really creative.”

“We are here to give the Skate Sisters any help they need,” says Genie Nizigiyimana, founder of the Peg City Rollers.

“There are a lot of members in our group who are more than willing and currently helping them. It’s all about community enthusiasm. We want the event to be successful.”

Nizigiyimana, who started skating in October 2020, established Peg City Rollers in January of the following year to meet more like-minded people. The group now hosts more than 100 members, although not everyone turns up to all the skate meets.

“I started a social media account, and the goal was to find other skaters in Winnipeg to skate with. In May 2021 we had our official skate meet with 10 people, and we have 141 members right now.

“People come and go. We have open skate meets and sometimes there are 30 people, sometimes there are five people.”

“People come and go. We have open skate meets and sometimes there are 30 people, sometimes there are five people.”–Genie Nizigiyimana

The skaters meet at Sargent Skate Park on Sundays in the warmer months and move to a community centre in winter. Summer events are free but winter events are charged a fee to cover the rent of the indoor location.

“Last year it was $50 per person and we had just enough to cover the rent. When there was extra we saved that and this year in March we had a live DJ come in and perform when we skated,” Nizigiyimana explains.

Roller skating has a long history in Winnipeg, with its roots in the city going back 140 years. The city’s first roller rink, as reported in the Free Press, opened in 1883 at 12 Graham St., now known as Graham Avenue.

The history of skating in the city is something that interests Ferrer, and she has made sure it is a part of the IllumiSkate experience.

“We convinced my favourite local building archivist, Christian Cassidy, to write a five-part blog about Winnipeg’s roller-skate history. It’s a key part of our installation,” Ferrer says.

Ferrer is expecting between 80 to 100 skaters to turn up at the ‘70s-inspired roller rink throughout the course of the evening.

“Expect to time-travel back to the disco era with disco balls, sparkly drapes and warm lights for this installation,” Ferrer says.

“Expect to time-travel back to the disco era with disco balls, sparkly drapes and warm lights for this installation.”–Golda Ferrer

For non-skaters, there will also be a Zumba section where spectators can dance the night away.

The installation will have a ”disco” photo booth with a red-carpet walk and a lit-up floor, along with three picture walls — two of which attendees will have to spot somewhere in the East Exchange.

av.kitching@winnipegfreepress.com