If Disney World is the most magical place on Earth, then Disney on Ice is the traveling snow globe spreading that sparkle across the world. Like anything Disney, the moving parts require many more people—and rhinestones—than the average viewer would think. It takes 14 hours to set up productions, as well as a dozen trucks and five buses to transport the equipment and crew. Show director and veteran performer Adam Loosley recently shared a behind-the-scenes look of the efforts, acrobatics, and fairy dust required to bring Disney on Ice’s Let’s Dance! to St. Louis, September 19–21.
What is involved in transforming the Chaifetz Arena floor—which does not have an ice rink—into a professional skating surface? I love that question because a lot of people don’t think about that. So in my performance career—I’ve performed for 11 years—I’ve had the opportunity to tour in more than 30 countries, many of which do not have ice rinks… We actually bring our own frozen stage. We have a whole department in this company that lays down panels, fills in with water, freezes the water to make an ice surface, and levels it all off, so it’s a skate-able ice surface that would be the same quality of as a hockey arena… Then we load in all of our lighting rigs up in the air, all of our set pieces on the ground, and then we continue to layer until the space is completely transformed into a frozen, magic space.
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The show travels with more than 200 costumes and 250,000 hand-placed rhinestones. What kind of teamwork goes into making everything performance-ready for a show? My favorite part about being a director with Disney on Ice is that we need every single person to succeed. When we put together the concept for a show, it starts with the story, the properties that we want to put into it, the writer, the producers. Then we bring everybody else in, and we keep layering and layering and layering. The creative team for this production, in particular, was unbelievable because every single time I brought an idea to the table, I would bring in the experts—whether it was costume design or lighting design or the music director—and they elevated [the ideas]. My favorite part is the collaboration of bringing a team together and keeping them on a direct path to a certain concept or a vision.
How do you balance choreography, character performance, and skating technique to create a story that feels so magical on ice? It really is a balance. Not only are the skaters balancing on their blades—which are a quarter-inch, by the way—but we are also balancing a lot of different production elements to tell the story. One thing that Disney on Ice does so well is that we fuse together the athleticism of skating with drama and theater, and we have some amazing stories to tell. So we wanted to find the best moments in each of these stories…and bring those stories to life. So we do a highlight reel of these films because we want families to feel like they’re seeing their favorite moments from the film come to life. But then we want to take it one step further. Whenever you infuse skating into anything, you infuse this flow and speed and excitement. It makes the costumes move differently. It elevates things because you’re moving so quickly. We have to choreograph the traffic on the ice and backstage, so that when we’re moving, we’re doing it in a way that we’re not colliding. You have to figure out what elements to bring to life that bring the audience back to the film, that get them singing and dancing along to their favorite moments and singing their favorite characters, and then how to take it one step further beyond skating. We actually bring it to new heights [through] exciting aerial acts.
Is it true that the aerial acts sore nearly 40 feet high? Isn’t that wild? They really do. We bring in the performers months early to learn and to build strength to be able to do these kind of aerial acts. Skaters traditionally come with a lot of lower-body strength, but they need to build upper-body strength for safety and to learn these circus act elements, and it really does take the production to a new level. This production absolutely does that, and it’s really fun to watch.
What are a few special moments to watch for in the Let’s Dance! show? In this particular production, we have the story of Wish. That movie flies and zips around like no other. So we have a great moment in the show where we see Asha fly with Star in the air. Another moment, from Frozen II, is when Elsa actually soars over the North Sea. In Act 2, we get to do The Little Mermaid’s “Under the Sea,” which is such a classic. With Wish and Frozen II being very new properties to Disney on Ice, The Little Mermaid, in contrast, is a classic. Nice. So how do we see that new in different way? That is something I’m super proud of: We [have a moment] with all of the daughters of Triton in the air at once with Ariel. It was a huge undertaking to design [that] apparatus. [Overall,] I think in this production we lean into that contrast of classic versus new, and I think that’s really fun for families that have memories with nostalgic properties but also new properties as well, ones the kids really loved.
What do you think guests will be most surprised to learn about? I think they’re going to be really surprised with our music mixes. We have DJ Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy, that connect us to all of these stories. One thing that continually brings people together all over the world is the music. So we decided to kick it up a notch and bring in EDM mixes. We are at basically an EDM dance party with Mickey Mouse as our headlining DJ, and some of the mixes that we have leading up to the show and in our transitions that take us from story to story are really going to make you feel like you are at a dance party and that you are listening to music that you just cannot help but get up and dance to. I think it’s going to surprise people, because we do take risks that evoke reactions. So I think that connective tissue that we’re using in this production is really cool. It also allows for amazing visuals. They have LED screens in the back, and these light bars that really extend out in the set design. It feels like you are at a music festival.
Are there any opportunities for kids to meet the performers? Absolutely. [We have a ticket option in which] you can meet ice skaters and characters prior to the show; you get to do an activity with them. It’s a lot of fun. They are called VIP Character Experiences, and it’s definitely something that would be a great opportunity for anyone who wants to get up close to some of the Disney character or meet some of our performers.
Kids are going to be watching their favorite characters come to life. What memories do you hope they carry with them from this show? In a world that, at times, can get heavy and serious, we need things like Disney on Ice that are just an oasis of positivity and fun, where we can laugh, we can get up and dance, we can celebrate who we’re with that day. Maybe it takes you back to a nostalgic moment, maybe it brings your favorite film to life, but it is a getaway from some of the things in our world today. We want everyone to know that Disney on Ice is a place where you can come for a really beautiful, positive experience with your friends and family. We want everyone to come and just smile for two hours. That we get to do that for a living is an honor. We really love our job, and we’re excited to share it with you.
If a child in the audience is dreaming of being on Disney on Ice one day, what advice would you give them about starting out? When you are young and inspired by someone, do not hold back—tell them that you’re inspired by them. Ask them what you can do to get yourself there. If you want something, do not shy away from it, but instead dive into it hardcore. Disney on Ice is a place where there is so much talent that comes together. We need everyone. Disney on Ice is a place where you can shine both in the spotlight and behind the scenes. We have a lot of really talented technicians behind the scenes that have a hand in making the magic happen. If you want to be a Disney on Ice skater, start taking those dance lessons, do theater, dive into different kinds of circus arts. Try everything, because it’s all going to help shape who you are as a performer. As a performer, if you go all in, people will go with you. If you go half in, it’s awkward. And that’s a life lesson: Whatever you do, go with your full heart, dive into it fully, and you will bring people along with you for the fun.
