Figure skating, for all its grace and glamour, has a well-deserved reputation for being expensive and grueling. Haven't we all read stories of celebrity figure skaters who had to get up to practice before the crack of dawn and whose parents held down several jobs to afford lessons and those signature sequined leotards?

The same dedication and hard work is required for a relatively new type of skating to hit the area, synchronized ice-skating, said Teresa Cunningham, of Wexford. Her daughter, Elspeth, 8, spends up to 8 hours total each week on the ice.

For the uninitiated, when you hear synchronized skating, think Rockettes on ice. Also think athleticism and art.

For the past two years, Elspeth, who is a student at Marshall Elementary in the North Allegheny School District and who is also a freestyle skater, has participated with the Steel City Blades, an organization created here in 2004 to further competitive synchronized ice-skating.

The Blades, affiliated with Robert Morris University and headquartered at the RMU Island Sports Center on Neville Island, held a workshop Saturday night at the Mt. Lebanon municipal rink, looking for serious skaters in the South Hills who might be interested in joining a synchronized team.

Seven young skaters and one adult skater attended the workshop, where coaches and team members offered introductory instruction and demonstrations. Skaters were taught basic synchronized moves and were able to perform a short routine by the end of the evening.

Skaters have a chance to learn more at two additional upcoming workshops: 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the RMU Island Sports Center and at 3 p.m. on April 19 at the Iceoplex at Southpointe, in Cecil.

The 35 members of the Blades, aged eight to adult, are from all over the Pittsburgh area, including Wexford, Fox Chapel, Beaver, and Mt. Lebanon. The organization is looking for more skaters -- with talent and a work ethic -- who want to try out.

The Blades actually field three levels of competitive teams; the first is a competitive one for teenage skaters who skate at an intermediate level and the second is the junior competitive team, and is for 8- to 13-year olds, who skate at a preliminary level. A third team, the Free Spirits, is an adult competitive team.

Teams consist of 8 to 20 figure skaters, and are formed based on age and ability. Programs are set to music and include footwork, spins, lifts and various precision maneuvers.

Teams select music from a variety of genres, including songs from Broadway musicals, Western songs and Classical pieces.

Synchronized skating teams are judged on technical skills and artistic interpretation and costumes. Larger teams are harder to coordinate because there are more skaters, Ms. Cunningham said.

The Blades' teams compete at about a half dozen competitions each year in different states, Ms. Cunningham said. Last year Elspeth's team traveled to Michigan, Ohio and New Jersey. The season lasts from September to March.

Many people, Ms. Cunningham admitted, are unfamiliar with synchronized skating as a sport. "Even my own husband, Lee, was skeptical at first,'' she said.

For those who have never seen the activity, Ms. Cunningham makes the comparison to "synchronized swimming, extrapolate from there."

The Blades practice on Sundays and occasionally on Saturdays at the Robert Morris facility. In addition to group practices, team members are expected to continue to progress at an individual level, Ms. Cunningham said.

In addition to team practices, most members spend a minimum of four hours each week on the rink, she said, and work with private coaches on freestyle and ice dancing skills. Elspeth, for example, spends about six hours each week with private coaches, in addition to two to three hours with the team.

"It's a big-time commitment," said Ms. Cunningham, a homemaker with three children. But, she said, Elspeth loves the activity and the friends she has made from all over the area.

"This is the reason she gets up at five in the morning. It's not even a question in her mind whether or not she will continue,'' Ms. Cunningham said.

She said that after two years of skating with the Blades, Elspeth is as strong a skater as the boys on her 11-year-old brother's ice hockey team.

"It's definitely a sport that requires both strength and coordination,'' Ms. Cunningham said.

Mr. Cunningham, who works for Federated Investors, built an ice rink in the family's backyard last year to allow the children to practice their skills at home. The youngest child, Lily, 4, is just learning to skate.

Beth Sutton, of Squirrel Hill, the skating director at Robert Morris and a Blades board member, said that she hopes that skaters and sports fans start looking at skating in a new way.

"Through synchronized, skaters can capitalize on what they're doing as an individual and be a part of a team,'' Ms. Sutton said. Synchronized skating, she said, is becoming an increasingly popular sport at the college level.

There is also a team called the Little Blades, sponsored by the RMU Island Sports Center, for age 6 to 12-year olds. This team works in cooperation with, but is separate from the Blades.

In addition to the workshops, interested youth skaters should attend two additional pre-tryouts, May 3 and May 10. Youth tryouts are scheduled for May 17. Interested adult skaters should attend a pre-tryout on June 7. Adult tryouts are scheduled for June 14. All pre-tryouts and tryouts will be held at the RMU Island Sports Center.

Costs to join the Blades vary depending on the team. Ms. Cunningham estimates that she spent about $2,000 last year for Elspeth to participate on the junior competitive team. Costumes, which are purchased every two years, cost between $100 and $200, she said. Coaches, she said, range from about $20 to $36 for half an hour. Other expenses like ice time, driving, travel and eating out make skating an expensive activity.

For more, call Beth Sutton at 412-397-4469.