NEW YORK, March 9 -- One by one, a line of young African American and biracial women dressed in ball gowns took to the ice in New York's Central Park to the soundtracks of "Barbie" and "Wonder Woman."

"Figure Skating in Harlem" (FSH) was staging its annual winter show before a delighted audience under a bright moon, its light reflecting off the glistening rink.

Most of the 300 students who participate in FSH's programmes every year live in Harlem or the Bronx.

They are among the poorest corners of New York, a city of 8.5 million riven by inequality despite being an economic engine of the United States.

Adorned in mustard yellow, six of the amateur ice skating enthusiasts effortlessly twirled on the ice, moving together in a synchronis...