Last night my husband and I loaded a bit of a grumpy four year old and his monkey (his lovey, not a real one) into the car and headed downtown to the Richmond Coliseum for Disney on Ice Let’s Celebrate. My son’s only exposure to Disney has been small segments of Disney Junior shows and he’s never seen an ice skating rink, so he had no idea of the magic in store. My husband and I are Disney World honeymoon alums, so we knew that it would be amazing.
We arrived a bit early and my son was immediately warmed over with one of those spinning light things. Which are awesome.
My husband and my son.
Once we were settled with drinks (but no food because popcorn was $12 and we decided maybe we didn’t need popcorn that badly) the show started off in spectacular Disney fashion with lights, music, colorful costumes, and balloons!
My son was mesmerized right away and the opening act is a hit with over 50 of your favorite Disney characters all sharing the spotlight with an upbeat song sure to put a smile on your face.
Disney On Ice Let’s Celebrate invites you to share a host of celebrations with your favorite Disney characters, starting off with a birthday party,
and continuing to the quickly approaching Halloween with all of your favorite Disney villains.
One of my favorite parts was the Valentine’s Day celebration, where you are treated to the love stories and songs of all of the Disney Princesses and Princes as the couples dance together. The talent of these performers was incredible!
The audience is treated to exciting celebrations and customs throughout the world and is awed with vibrant costumes, sets, lights, and even fire!
And have you ever seen Minnie Mouse at Mardi Gras?
The show concludes with an extravagant Christmas celebration complete with Santa, snow, and toys (from Toy Story of course!)
Disney On Ice Let’s Celebrate makes the magic of Disney come to life and is an inspiring way to kick off this upcoming holiday season. With over 50 Disney characters there’s sure to be a scene to please everyone in the family!
As an added bonus, we were lucky enough to attend on opening night when Richmond Ballet dancer Valerie Tellmann introduced the show and many dancers from the Richmond Ballet were in attendance. The school of Richmond Ballet hosted two Disney on Ice performers on Tuesday, September 17th where 20 students were treated to a special stretch class and Q & A session. I had the opportunity to interview four of the dancers during intermission.
Richmond Ballet Dancers at Disney on Ice. Pictured from left to right, Benjamin Malone, Abigail Goldstein, Maggie Small, and Thomas Garrett.
Maggie said the best part about being a ballerina is “getting thrown up into the air like a six year old and you get to wear a tiara!” Thomas found his way from baseball to ballet and Abi is drawn to the “sparkles and fairy tales” that you so often find in ballet and ice skating. Benjamin said that watching Disney on Ice as a dancer gave him even more of an understanding of how difficult the Disney on Ice performers were working. The lifts from Jasmine and Aladdin were impressive! I had such a great time talking with these dancers, and they left me with some very important advice for the little ones: “try a lot of things, see what you love, and work hard at it.” Maybe you have a future ballet dancer or ice skater in your home!
If you are looking for a fantastic way to kick off your holiday season, you can’t miss Disney on Ice Let’s Celebrate! You can purchase tickets here.
Dates and Times
- Fri, Sep 20 2013 7:00PM
- Sat, Sep 21 2013 11:00AM
- Sat, Sep 21 2013 3:00PM
- Sat, Sep 21 2013 7:00PM
- Sun, Sep 22 2013 1:00PM
- Sun, Sep 22 2013 5:00PM
For an even more spectacular Christmas performance you must see the Richmond Ballet production of The Nutcracker, returning to the Carpenter Theatre December 14th-23rd. For more information about The Nutcracker, Richmond Ballet and it’s 30th Anniversary Season, and to learn more about the Richmond Ballet’s upcoming performances visit www.richmondballet.com.
Oh, and this? Is the face of a very happy little boy who may have a new love for Disney.
My son and I at Disney on Ice
*I was provided tickets for myself and my family for this event. All opinions of how amazing our night was are my own.*
