Skating Lessons with Minnie Mouse & Disney On Ice

What's up guys? Leslie Robbins here for young Hollywood on the ice inside crypto dot com Arena, but the L. A Kings are away this weekend, you know, who's in the building now, Disney on ice, Michael, Disney on ice has come to Los Angeles, how does that even happen?

This production is huge, it is Disney on Ice presents, road trip adventures is here. Um and Mickey Minnie Donald and Goofy have come and took all their friends to go on a great big road trip to see all their favorite Disney characters.

Now, when you see the Children's faces in the audience, when they see Mickey Minnie, all the Disney friends on ice, what is that like?

You know, it is a magical experience to really be able to portray these characters and really get the reactions from the kids, these are not, you know, this is not a show to them, this is real life, they are really in the stories and they cheer and interact just like if they were in it. So you know, you do your best when ice skating to emote and act and do the most justice to that character and really try to bring it to life with the choreography that's been greatly added to the show, you know, and and really being able to Uh, do the small nuances to really respect that character.

Now, how did you get here as a performer?

So, um I was able to luckily I was able to grow up with the sports a family sport for me. Um my cousins did it, my mother does it, my grandmother did it, my aunts did it um and so it was natural that I started it, I did many, many years of competing. So um I did about 15, 20 years close to 20 years of competing. Um and then I joined Disney soon after I was starting to go to school and missed the feeling of performing live. So I decided to join Disney.

Now. What's the audition process? Like getting to be part of Disney and I?

I did a video, but most of the contacting, you know, is is done through um watching, you know, previous performances and through that they were able to determine whether they should.

Now this is about a road trip, but Disney and ice is literally a road trip. So break down how a show like this, which is massive, goes from town to town to town. And mind you, we're crypto dot com Arena where normally the Kings play right, they have their own ice, but no, you cover their eyes and bring your own ice. So break down how you move the show from city to city.

Yeah, it's really crazy. The amount of work that is put into traveling this show is immense. Um We do have a crew coming in a day before they break down things like the grid and these screens that we actually travel with us and all the props here, it is a very extensive process. Um It is, it takes an extra day before the show even starts to really build it. Um but you know, we do it every city and and we're just happy to bring it to every city that quickly to one new city every week. It's it's a demanding schedule.

Now, this might be a silly question, but do you guys make the ice fresh in each venue?

So it depends if the venue does have their own ice, which we do, but you're not using our own ice. It is, but they're covered it over. So there's not gonna be any of the logos, it never any of the logos, but sometimes when the venues don't have their own we call it tank ice. And so they build the ice rink from the guy round up bringing the coils and the compressors all in and basically have it run out the back and we create an ice rink anywhere, most notably, I was in the Dominican Republic and they created an ice rink there so they really can bring ice to any performance venue.

So, I'm literally standing in a Disney Paradise, we have the wardrobe, the props magic mobile. Can you show me around?

Yeah, on ice on ice. Why don't we skate on over here?

Okay, first things up is the costumes, these costumes scream Disney,

They do, they really bring the show to life. They really do justice to these characters so well and really are part of that performance factor, even though they're not performing there, just on our bodies.

So breakdown which characters wear which costumes.

So the first one here, this is from our Olive parade segment and this is part of Aladdin. This is when Jasmine or Aladdin makes the appeal to Jasmine to try to impress her so he wouldn't end up with jasmine.

Perfect. Which character is this?

This is gonna be an Ollie parade.

Very nice. Okay. Ali parade scarf girls. I like it. I can I see you as a scarf girl for sure.

And then this is from our marijuana segment. So this is a Villager's costume, which, by the way out there in social media world, this mona segment is huge. People are loving it. It's really about what marijuana is in terms of her origin story. So it really shows the beginning of how she's on her island. Um the villagers come around and say that she's got to stick to her. You know what she knows? You know, we don't leave the island. Um, and then she makes her independence known when she finds the canoe and and takes it onto the, onto the open seas, onto the ice. You mean, get it. Yeah, Okay. Um next we got some stuff from our Lion King segment, We've got a monkey and I got to show the tail that's too good.

Now, how far into the rehearsal process do you put the costumes on? Because obviously skating in pants and a T shirt is way different than a full on Disney costume, totally.

So we usually do about, I would say three weeks on the ice of just rehearsals depending on your schedule because we do work other shows, you know, we are skaters that are part of a company, so we do move sometimes, so depending on when you join the show, um you could have a couple of weeks or so, but the normal is that we have a week of full dress runs plus a soft opening if you will, and the difference between skating and that versus this nine day, right?

Night and day.

For costumes like this, with the tail, there are easier ones, there are harder ones for sure, but yeah, the one with the tail is a little bit more nerve racking than the other ones.

Now, this one is going to be our cheetah costume, it is another great costume that really brings that line segment to life and it's got pants here, super cute. Oh yeah, I can see people rocking that in Hollywood right now.

Yeah, right, yeah, head out on the town with it. Um and then we've got stuff from our Toy Story segment, This is a round up character.

Do the kids just go wild when Toy Story is out there, like they were rehearsing just now and they're adorable.

They are adorable. Those characters literally come to life, I mean it's really fun to watch it because the segment itself is so interactive. It really is kind of like the pinnacle of our interactive show that we have here. We have kids lined up on these pods here throwing horseshoes onto the ice. The audience is also has something called a meteor toss and buzz finds this game and gives us all Meteors to shoot onto the ice. It's really, really.

So the kids get to participate in the show.

Yeah, they are part of the show. This is the most interactive Disney on ice show for that reason, wow!

I mean they must be on such a high when they're leaving.

Yeah, I mean, it's fun to see the faces after, especially after that segment and then after the show. My goodness!

Okay, and then lastly here, well, we've got a dandy. Oh, I'm gonna be a dandy is a great costume.

It's part of the in summer segment in frozen when Olaf wishes he was in summer and doesn't quite understand that he may not work the best in summer.

And then finally this one frozen.

It is frozen. So this is going to be our aerial performers are very high up during that segment. They are doing tricks Wall Elsa is skating around, it's almost as if Elsa's commanding them to do it, wow!

Now you guys use Disney music. These characters don't speak or sing.

No, if there's lines, we are sinking it up with the track that's being played, but it is our responsibility to do it justice and really bring it to life. So it's facial expressions, hand movements, skating, that's my favorite way to call it is physical acting. There's um great, great coaches out there when I was younger and competed that would actually teach physical acting. Um and so it's, it's a different type of acting altogether.

Amazing. Okay, from wardrobe, we go to props, why don't we skate on over?

Okay, this is fun. There you go. That's a t stop right there.

A t stop. I didn? T stop learning new tricks and you didn't even know it.

Tricks to come honestly. Um so the horseshoes, horseshoes exactly. So we've got the horse you were just talking about over here. So this is in our Toy Story segment. The kids get to play with it. We do have them line up on the pods here. It's really, really fun. I mean it's like a carnival and that's what the whole idea is that woody buzz and Jessie and bo peep are at the carnival and toy story for and you're playing carnival games with them.

So cute. I know what that's from, So people have seen it before.

It is the lamp from Aladdin and you have to like rub it and wish right, That's how genie comes out. Yeah, so the lamp itself is part of our Atlanta segment that starts it um Aladdin comes out and he he has the lamp and the story is, is that we are lost and we wish we could find our way. So what does Aladdin do brings out the lamp so we can wish.

And then is there a magic carpet ride? Perhaps?

Now we do have a magic flying segment and she does soar through the air. It's very much and the next what we have is our coconuts from the village segment which is marijuana. The villagers are carrying coconuts and then also there's the guys out there, one of them is a banana man, which I do get to portray, which I'm very, very proud of. Yeah, so these props are to bring that village to bring Montana we to life. Yeah. Um we've got back here, I've got the bongos that we have in the car. This is how we start our Lion King segment. So we've got to start have the audience start the beat for us. And whoever is lucky enough to be in the car, gets to use these bongos to make a beat and then wait like you put a real child.

Oh yeah!

So the car is moving on the ice and we bring family out of the audience to go into the trailer. That is the most interactive show for sure. So special. Yeah, this is gonna be mary Poppins kite! So mary Poppins returns, they make a kite and they have to bring it down and this is our lead into Mary Poppins flying. So the kite gets blown away and mary Poppins is there to grab it secrets right now? Well, maybe a little bit that is so this is gonna be Goofy's toolbox, of course, Goofy and in our story at some point, like on any road trip, the car has some issues, breaks down and Goofy and his wholesome mind needs to fix it. Not always too successful, but he does get it going again and we do have a full full road trip and this is the automobile that you take on the road trip. Yeah, it is, it's called the Magic Mobile. It has all the magic you could possibly want in it and it lights up, has two turbo engines and is the way mickey, Minnie Donald and Goofy get around to all these stories.

May I sit?

Yeah, of course, this is special. Yeah, no, and this is exactly what you'd be sitting into if you were part of the audience and were called down. Um it is a great way to see the show. There is no other ice show out there that I can have an audience member viewing it from being on the ice as a performer.

Do you just feel like a big kid when you're in this show?

Oh, you're not right. Oh yeah, I mean it really does bring the inner child out in you, right, and it just, it's fun to do it in front of all the kids. I think that that's also what brings it out of you. You are making them so happy that there's nothing more that you can possibly want out of a live performance, Right? Is someone to love your life performance?

Well, I am happy to be here at Disney on ice in my skates. I think I'm ready to be part of the show. What do you think?

I think you are? And I think I've got some years here, my goodness, let you wear. So, we also have someone that's going to help us with learning some things on the ice. The great Minnie Mouse.

Well, hello, Mini. And we're gonna learn some things on the ice. Yeah, does that sound good? Okay, this is really happening, Minnie Mouse, young Hollywood. Oh my goodness, why don't we step on over here? There you go. Why don't we do some swizzle, swizzle, swizzle, I know the terms whistles, This is or you can call them circles. There we go. So, oh, look at that first try. And she's already doing it. I think you're ready for the show. There you go. And look, you can get in speed with them too. That's pretty good. All right, now, why don't we work on the stop? Can we do to stop? That's not bad. It's not bad. It's a start. Now we get a little more speed, we'll bend our knees first and then slide it out. There you go. There you go. So we're gonna do a stop here. So we're gonna get a little bit of speed. I want you to bend your knees and then turn slightly and slide that middle part of your blade. There you go. Exactly. Make a little bit of snow. So we'll get a little bit more speed again. Can you do this mini? Why don't you show me a stop? There you go. You do it so politely and delicately and the feminine flair. Okay, okay, so 321, get some speed and stop. Pretty good. Pretty good. Now, last thing I want to teach some backward wiggles, so we're gonna wiggle. So this is to start you again to go backwards. We're gonna bend our knees and we're gonna slalom left, right, left, right. There you go. Get some more speed, bend and rise, bend and rise, bend and right. There you go. Great. I love having this cheerleader. She is great, isn't she? Okay, now we're gonna do the stop ready. Uh There you go. Yeah, let's combine them all together. So let's start with the swiss Als, we'll start and then we'll wiggle backwards. Okay, show me one more time. Let's go swizz Als als stop and then wiggle backwards.

Is this part of a number in the show where these are the basics?

These are the basics, but they lead into the corner of the number for sure. Okay, we'll teach you one more thing, actually. This is going to be part of the numbers here. This is gonna be our ears on dance. So we do this in the finale and we start with our ears put your right, put your left, and then we're gonna open close and then point and then circle circle. And if you want to add the real stuff, you hop, hop. There you go. Here's open. Close. Point, circle, circle. There you go. Yeah, Good job. I'll give you a high five on that.

Can I hug many? Thank you.