The coolest show is almost here. For the first time in the Middle East, Disney on Ice will feature the characters Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf the Snowman, from one of the decade’s most popular animated movies.
"Its almost as though Frozen was written for Disney on Ice," says Lebanese-Iraqi Ali Haidary, 40, whose company, Sports & Entertainment Solutions, is bringing Disney on Ice to Dubai World Trade Centre for the second time this year.
This year's theme is "Princesses and Heroes", but tends to weigh in more heavily on the princess side. Disney divas Ariel, Belle, Rapunzel, Tiana, Jasmine, Aurora, Snow White and Cinderella will also be swapping their slippers for skates. No doubt there'll be a few princesses in the audience, too. Morgan Bell, 23, who plays Anna, says the audience is usually full of little girls in dresses just like hers: "They all turn up in their Frozen costumes."
Bell has been skating since she was 5, and joined Disney on Ice in September last year. She has been playing everyone’s favourite little sister, Anna, since October.
"I love the fact Frozen emphasises the importance of family rather than a girl needing a guy to save her," says Bell, who is a three-time American figure-skating championship competitor. "This is the first Disney movie that focuses on the love between two sisters, that's pretty special."
The sisterhood theme also resonates with Alexe Gilles, 23, who plays Anna’s big sister, Elsa. Gilles happens to be one of five siblings, all of whom are accomplished skaters (her twin sister Piper is an ice dancer who competes for Canada). But it’s her relationship with her youngest sister that brings out the “Elsa” in her. “The whole big sister-little sister relationship strikes a chord with me. Little sisters always look up to their older sisters with such enthusiasm and love, it’s a very special bond.”
Bell says Disney on Ice becomes like an en-masse karaoke session when the songs start up. "From the moment we open with our first song, For the First Time in Forever, the singing starts and escalates throughout the Frozen segment. The kids know all the words, and the parents, too."
Disney on Ice performers are all ice skaters who have participated in world championships in the past. “There are a lot of excellent skaters in our show, so expect to see some double and triple axel jumps,” says Bell.
Haidary, who says he enjoyed watching Disney on Ice shows as a little boy growing up in London, has plans to bring a fresh production to Dubai every year.
“Disney on Ice left a lasting impression on me. The first time I saw it I was 7, at Wembley Arena, and I went back every year after that. In Europe and the US, Disney on Ice returns at least once a year to the same venue and that’s what I’m looking to achieve here in the UAE.”
• Disney On Ice is at Dubai World Trade Centre from Wednesday until Saturday. Tickets cost from Dh150 at Virgin Megastore branches and tickets.virginmegastore.me
artslife@thenational.ae