Two suitcases, a new city every week and a backup pair of skates ready to be shipped from home, just in case. Such is life for the cast of Disney on Ice show Rockin' Ever After, who are just days away from debuting their new show. As part of Dubai Summer Surprises, more than a dozen of the show's 40 cast members, clad in black training gear, taught two skating masterclasses recently at Dubai Ice Rink, in The Dubai Mall, for academy skaters from Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi. Afterwards, skaters who will go on to dress up as characters from Disney and Pixar's Brave, Tangled, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast tucked into sugary treats, signed autographs and posed for pictures with some little fans, then spent a few minutes talking about their crazy lives on the road.
Lots of travel
The company has been in Dubai for two weeks preparing for the new show, but that’s a lot longer than normal, explains Whitney Thomas, a 23-year-old from Denver, Colorado.
Usually, they are “travelling every Sunday, being in a different city every week”, she says. “You have so many stories.”
During the season, the cast has lots of free time “to do whatever we want”, says Thomas.
So far, horseback riding in the mountains of Cordoba in Argentina and landing in sandy Dubai are her top-of-the-list experiences.
Daniel Jones, a 29-year-old skater who has been with Disney on Ice for 11 years, has been to more than 20 countries.
“All over North America, then Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Panama, Venezuela, all of western Europe and Japan,” he recounts proudly.
International colleagues
While many of the skaters are from North America, they also come from Russia, Europe and other countries.
“It’s really exciting just to see the experience of different cultures, different types of people and different types of skating abilities, because we all were coached in different styles, so bringing that together on one surface is really cool to see because you really learn a lot,” says Thomas.
The skaters get very close while on the road, says Jones.
“You never get bored of where you are,” he says. “You travel with your friends, you knock next door – that’s your neighbour, that’s your friend.”
Staying fit and eating right
While the cast members hungrily dived into boxes of Tim Hortons’ doughnuts after their second masterclass last week – “We work out, we can eat what we want!” proclaimed one skater proudly – when it comes to diet, everyone is different, says Jones.
“It’s good to watch your diet, but at the same time you have to eat very opportunistically,” he explains. “Like I’ll eat as much as I can, whenever I can, but other people can’t eat too soon before a show.”
Packing experts
The cast each have to make do with just two suitcases, having their small wardrobe of clothes cleaned and pressed at each hotel.
“We pack for all seasons, all types of weather, we have our dress clothes, we have our skating clothes, we have our everyday clothes,” says Thomas. “It’s pretty difficult to pack your whole life into two suitcases ... and then you have your skates, which weigh quite a bit.”
Some skaters bring along a second pair of skates as backup; Thomas has a pair back home ready to be shipped over.
Paid for doing what you love
Thomas, who competed between the ages of 6 and 18 before joining the company in 2009, just signed her sixth contract.
“It’s amazing,” she says. “I love skating, so when I was finished competing, I knew I didn’t want to quit skating.”
And the benefits go far beyond travel and a pay cheque.
“Just seeing so many happy faces out there and you’re making them happy, it makes you happy,” she says.
Still, Thomas’s days are numbered as the real world calls. She’s been studying online for an engineering degree, but has gone as far as she can without getting into a classroom.
“I want to wrap it up pretty soon,” she says.
Giving it your all
No parties for Jones after performances – he’s got nothing left.
“After, I take off the stuff I was wearing, take a large glass of water and lie down,” he says, laughing. “It doesn’t really hit you until later in the night that you just did three shows.”
amcqueen@thenational.ae
