Mickey Mouse and his friends almost always find a reason to visit the far reaches of the Disney universe at Disney on Ice. The new show “Mickey’s Search Party,” coming to Delta Center this week, is no exception. When Captain Hook and his crew take Tinker Bell captive, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald follow clues to fill up a magic meter that will set Tink free.
Along the journey, they witness the stories of Aladdin, Moana, the Toy Story gang and many others. (Scroll down to see if your kid’s favorite Disney story appears.)
For the kids, it’s a chance to sing, dance and see their favorite Disney stories come to life. And you get to do the same while appreciating the technique of world-class skaters.
Ensemble skater Dillian Devaux, 27, took a break during the show’s stop in Sacramento to tell us what it’s like being a Disney on Ice performer. Known for his head slide across the ice (yes, really), you can see him performing stunts with groups of skaters throughout the show.
Tell me about your background in ice skating.
“So, not a very traditional path that most people have taken. They start skating very young. I, myself, played soccer as a kid and then started ice skating when I was 14, and it was also a hobby for me. I just grabbed a pair of hockey skates and went skating with my friends every weekend. Eventually, we just started doing tricks and people started liking it.”
How did you get involved with Disney on Ice?
“Back in the Netherlands, where I’m originally from, I was in the ice skating scene with a couple of figure skaters who were part of Disney on Ice already. We became good friends, and I’ve been auditioning for Disney on Ice for like two years, and, at one point, they sent me a message and said, ‘Hey, you should really send them another message now because they’re looking for a freestyler… So, I auditioned, and eventually, it became a green light, and I joined Disney on Ice two years ago.”
What has the experience been like so far?
“Honestly, amazing. I’ve been able to see parts of the world I hadn’t seen yet. I have been able to explore Europe more than I have, and Australia and New Zealand. And now, this is already my second United States tour. It’s been an amazing journey so far. I get to meet amazing people; I get to see amazing places. I get to see all these different cultures, and, last but not least, I get to perform in front of thousands of people every day and just see all the smiles on peoples’ faces.”
Do you have a favorite city you’ve performed in so far?
“If I just had to think about one at the moment, I would say Long Beach was a really cool place… Honestly, California, in general, so far has probably been my favorite state to perform in… But I’m very excited to come to Salt Lake City because I’ve heard a lot of good things about it, and I’ve also really wanted to see the Salt Flats in my life somewhere. So I’m really excited about that, and I hope I get the opportunity to see those on my days off.”
See the show Nov. 7–10 at the Delta Center. Tickets.
Stories represented in the show: Coco, Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, Peter Pan, Moana, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Winnie the Pooh, Tangled, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
