The entire process of transforming the stadium into something other than a slab of concrete is expected to take 14 hours to complete and a mere four hours to dismantle.
While it's the Disney backstage crew who make Disney on Ice possible, it is, of course, Mickey Mouse and his pals whom the public pay to see. And here, as in backstage preparations Disney on Ice doesn't do anything in halves.
A total of 53 skaters from nine countries including the US, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Australia, Norway, the Netherlands, Japan and Belarus have already put in over 1,200 rehearsal hours and will be donning upwards of 147 costumes in order to bring Disney to life.
"The skaters all take a very professional attitude to their work, which is not surprising as most of them are of ... an Olympic standard," stated Vancey. "The hours these guys put in is incredible. I've seen groups of them rehearsing well into the night on more than one occasion to improve certain routines."
While all of championship level, the motley crew of skaters who make up the Disney on Ice team come from very different ice-skating backgrounds. Figure skaters, speed skaters, dancers and even ex-pro-hockey players don Disney garb and take to the ice to entertain people of all ages.
"It's not just children who are left enthralled by the shows," said Vancey. "One of the most pleasing things about putting on shows like this is when you look at the audience and realize the adults are as rapped by the show as the kids."
Unlike performances in the Philippines and several other Asian nations where certain routines have been adapted in order to incorporate localized non-Disney characters into the show, audiences in Taiwan will treated to an undiluted version of Disney on Ice.
Both Taichung and Taipei shows will feature memorable moments from several of Disney's feature length cartoons including Mulan, Toy Story, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King, as well as moments from the world famous television programs The Mickey Mouse Club and It's a Small World. Two of the performances, on Feb. 8 and Feb. 15 at 7:30pm, will be in English. Check ERA's ticketing Web site for further information.
RSS