Disney on Ice Skater Dishes About Patriot Center Show

On September 19, Broadside interviewed Elyse Knudsen, a performer on the Disney on Ice: Worlds of Fantasy tour. It will be held at the Patriot Center from Wednesday, Sept. 24 to Sunday, Sept. 28.

Broadside: The pre-show is a new feature this year. Can you tell me a little bit about it?

Knudsen: Oh, that’s something really exciting. There aren’t a lot of princesses in our show, so at the beginning, the audience can come in early, and we’ll have a couple of skaters up there talking to the kids and we’ll have all the different princesses’ dresses, from Jasmine and her magic carpet to Cinderella and her glass slipper.

Broadside: What Disney stories will be featured in the “Worlds of Fantasy?”

Knudsen: The show opens with Mickey and Minnie getting ready to visit the different Worlds of Fantasy. However, their car breaks down and they try to find someone to fix it. And in doing so, all the cars from the movie “Cars” come out. And then we have a transition into a “Little Mermaid” scene and go through Ariel’s story. All the Under the Sea characters come on, and it’s a big dance party with bubbles and a lot of audience participation. Then, we tell the “Lion King” story with Pumba, Timon, Simba, and young Nala. Our close is with a big Circle of Light number, which is pretty amazing.

Broadside: How much time do you as a performer spend preparing for the shows?

Knudsen: We started in Lakeland, Florida for about four and a half weeks rehearsing and choreographing the new show. We spend maybe a day and a half before opening day and every morning during the shows, making sure everything looks clean and beautiful for the audience to watch.

Broadside: How do you think the current tour is going so far?

Knudsen: We’re having some new changes, which keep us up-to-date and busy. And the cities we’ve gone to have been gorgeous. This is my first time touring the east coast, so I’m really excited about it. And I think the show is great.