The Princess on ice

You put on your first pair of ice skates around age 2. When did you know this was what you wanted to do for the rest of your life?

Although I do not remember the exact feeling I had when I first stepped onto the ice, I realised how much fun it was when I went to the rink every day with my siblings and friends. I think that was when I was hooked. We always had our birthday parties at the rink, loved competing and learning new skills and that’s how I knew it was my sport and thing I was going to do for a life time.

You won the US junior title in 2008 and also won a bronze medal at the 2008 ISU Junior Grand Prix. Did you ever think of performing on ice then? What made you give up competitive skating?

Those competitions and titles were some of the best highlights of my amateur career. I still remember those performances and how I felt during the programmes. Each programme is different and when I perform with Disney the feeling is similar and gives me chills when there is a great response at the end of the programme! Competitive skating is very, very difficult especially at the elite level. I had some minor injuries that kept recurring that led to my decision to retire.

Did you make that decision with your heart or with your mind? Do you regret it?

I made this decision with my heart, body and mind. It was such a difficult decision because my whole life I had been skating, competing and going to school, so losing part of my daily routine was hard! I do not regret anything though. I am happy to still be performing as a professional now with Disney on Ice and I can continue to skate travel, and do things I love. I’m very happy with where I am at in my life.

How different is competitive skating from performance skating? Did you have to adapt a lot?

One major difference between competitive skating and professional skating. is there are no judges. The professional track is more free, and you are not getting critiqued the whole time and just performing for the joy of skating and for very enthusiastic audiences.

Your twin sister is a professional skater too. Did you compete with her? How did it affect your relationship with her?

My twin sister, Piper, is still competing ice dance with her partner Paul! We are a very competitive family, but because we were in different disciplines it didn’t affect our relationship, which is still very close. We support and compete in other things, but are sisters first and all for good fun!

Now you have to perform some pretty difficult routines while wearing heavy cumbersome costumes and jewellery. How difficult is that?

It takes a little time to get used to some costumes, but overall it is not too difficult. It is just another thing to learn how to do. You also get used to it and then you can have fun with all the amazing costumes!

You have to perform multiple shows in a day, and move from one city to another. How do you remain in peak body condition and retain the magic in your performance?

To stay in peak condition after the amount of shows and travel that we do, we get extra sleep, have healthy diets and stretch. On days off we do get extra sleep that we tend to lose sometimes on the long show days and we all have healthy diets to recharge for the next week of shows. It becomes a routine so that also makes it easier.

Describe your feelings just before a show.

Just before a show I get nervous and excited at the same time! I always want to put on a great performance because it is someone’s first time seeing the show and want to bring all the Disney magic that I can possibly give to the show! The more times we do the show the more confident we become with our roles and characters so it is all very fun and just an overall amazing experience!

Is it a dream come true to play a princess?

I would say it is a dream come true to play a princess, let alone Queen Elsa! My sisters and I would dress up and dance around our living room with our princess outfits to Disney songs! So to dress up on the ice and mix it with Disney songs is absolutely a dream come true!

How do you adapt to playing in different countries with different cultures?

The thing with Disney character is they are directed towards all audiences and are pure in whatever country and culture! So doing ‘Frozen’ and Disney On Ice shows we are a little more conservative wherever we have to be, but the audiences still get that magic and happy emotions from the shows!

What would be your perfect day?

My perfect day where there is no skating would consist of sleeping in, having a nice relaxing breakfast with friends, going to a movie, to the lake with friends and family and then a nice dinner and bonfire to end it all. That would be a great day!

Is there anything that approaches being called your worst day?

I don’t ever like to pinpoint anything for a bad day! Possibly getting up really early and not being able to nap. Then having to run errands and not get anything accomplished. That would be a very frustrating day for me. A very difficult question to answer!

After performing princesses, what’s left for you to do?

I would love to get into coaching skating and finishing my college degree. I love teaching new skating skills and tricks to people and their reactions when they land or get something new for the first time is priceless!

What do you expect from the Middle Eastern audience?

I hope to see that the Middle Eastern audiences are excited to see our show! We put a lot of time and effort into each show to be amazing, so to hear a crowd clap really loud and get excited brings give us more energy and enthusiasm for all of the shows. Hopefully, they can get that fulfilment of going to Disney World and experiencing the magic behind Disney in the form of an ice show! Every Disney character is unique and so when they see Mickey and Minnie, the princes and princesses, and all of the amazing costumes and Disney magic it makes a lasting impression they will remember for the rest of their lives!