ST PAUL, Minn. — Families can catch homegrown talent on ice at Xcel Energy Center through this Sunday in the national tour of "Disney on Ice presents Let's Celebrate."
The family-friendly show features more than 50 recognizable Disney characters, from classic Disney princess films to characters from "Toy Story 4" and "Finding Dory."
Snow Queen Elsa, of "Frozen 2," is played by Shakopee-native Olivia Oltmanns. The 24-year-old started skating when she was just two years old, having grown up with a mother who is a figure skating coach.
Oltmanns said she enjoys highlighting different aspects of Elsa's personality, adding Elsa goes on a personal "journey" throughout the show.
"[At the beginning] she's a little bit timid, nervous, and scared...holding back her powers from everyone," said Oltmanns, of her character. "Towards the end, she kind of starts to come out of her shell, and she's so happy to be exploring her powers on her own. You can see her go from that timid, scared girl, to the queen that she is."
Oltmanns says in some ways, she connects with her character.
"I feel as though I have a little bit of her in me. I hope that I'm like her," she said.
Oltmanns skated competitively until she was age 18, including skating for Team USA in pair skating. Now, as a solo performer in Disney on Ice, she says she feels a different type excitement.
"It's two different worlds...there is that pressure to get first place in competitive skating, and doing these professional shows, it does make you appreciate skating and enjoy what you started doing when you were a little kid."
A Minnesotan who embodies several characters in the show is Sydney Berrier, of White Bear Lake. As a chorus member, the 21-year old wears a number of costumes, from a marching band uniform, to a wedding gown as Mulan's mother, to a baby turtle costume for a "Finding Dory" number. In fact, costumes are what got her into the sport in the first place.
"When I was little, I told my mom I wanted to have a skating dress," she said. "And she told me I could only have a skating dress if I skated."
Berrier, who also grew up performing aerial stunts in a circus, says she spent a lot of years training to get to this moment.
"Working your way up to being hired by Disney is rigorous, because you spend your life competing," she said.
She says executing multiple costume changes throughout the show has been the biggest performance challenge, but it comes with a big payoff, especially when she gets to connect with the children in the audience.
"I love seeing the kids up close--definitely the kids in the front are dancing and jumping and trying to wave at us all the time, and it's super cute," said Berrier.
Berrier encourages anyone who attends the show to come in costume.
"We love seeing people that match what we're wearing," she said.
Performance times are as follows:
- Thursday, December 9 at 7 p.m.
- Friday, December 10 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
- Saturday, December 11 at 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m.
- Sunday, December 12 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
To grab tickets, head to this website.