YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – “Mickey’s Search Party” will deliver Tinker Bell’s wand and a whole lot of smiles when it visits Covelli Centre this weekend.
The Disney On Ice show – slated for seven performances Jan. 2-4 – tends to get kids of all ages beaming with excitement.
And the best view is from the ice, said Aiden Elswick, who is one of the show’s ensemble skaters.
“I generally am in the ensemble scenes, which are the big group numbers, dancing behind the princesses and princes,” he said in a phone interview from a tour stop in Virginia. “It’s really amazing to be out there performing with my friends and seeing the smiles that we bring to all the kids’ faces.”
“Mickey’s Search Party” includes characters from seven Disney films.
It starts with Captain Hook and his pirates stealing Tinker Bell’s wand. Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy then go after it, using clues from those seven Disney tales for help.
The show’s two live hosts and the audience help Mickey and his pals in their quest.
“Each of those different stories gets their own screen time, and it creates a coherent story throughout the whole thing,” Elswick said. “It’s quite well put together.”
Some dazzling stunts also wow the audience, becoming the icing on the … ice.
“There are nice, flowy portions, and we also have 10 acrobatic elements,” he continued. “We bring these big ramps onto the ice and have skaters jumping from ramp to ramp over 6-foot gaps. We also have people getting hoisted into the air and flying around in aerial silks. You have a little bit of everything there.”
Each of the films comes to life in segments of the show. As a background skater, Elswick has to take on a range of roles as the scenes change.
“For ‘Toy Story,’ we’re dressed up as the little green Army men,” he said. “For ‘The Little Mermaid,’ there’s a bunch of very colorful sea creatures down there, and from ‘Frozen’ you’ll have the ice harvesters, with their Nordic-style clothing.”
Elswick has been part of the “Mickey’s Search Party” cast for three years.
Disney skaters usually hail from regions of the country where ice skating is common, but he’s a native of the sunny San Diego area.
His love of ice started when his big brother started playing hockey. Elswick frequently found himself at the rink, so he also took up the sport.
While most high schoolers in Southern California gravitate toward outdoor sports, Elswick felt at home on the ice.
“Growing up in San Diego, skating was not such a big sport,” he recalled. “My friends would be playing baseball or soccer and wondering where I was, and I was at the rink.”
These days, he’s trying his hand – or legs – at an even more unusual activity: riding a unicycle.
He hopes to implement the skill into a Disney On Ice show one day.
“It’s doable,” he said. “I have seen people do it. I’m still working at it. I’ve been skating for years, and I’m pretty comfortable at it. But when it comes to a unicycle, or doing the other acrobatic elements [on the ice], it takes some time. But we’ll get there.”
In the meantime, Elswick will keep enjoying life as part of a traveling ice show.
Watching youngsters gleam with excitement is one of the perks. But even older folks – who long ago left their Disney obsession behind – get swept up in the attraction.
“I enjoy the craft that Disney has and puts on, and they have some really amazing movies,” Elswick said. “But this show isn’t only for people who are into Disney. There’s some awesome stuff out there, with those ramps and all the high-flying stuff. I’ve had friends and family come out who haven’t watched too much Disney. They have a great time and say that they didn’t need to know the movies to enjoy the show.”
Here is the performance schedule for Disney On Ice presents “Mickey’s Search Party” at Covelli Centre:
- Friday, Jan. 2: 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Jan. 3: 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 and 6:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Jan. 4: 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
For tickets, click HERE.
Pictured at top: An ice harvester from the film “Frozen” does a handstand in a scene from “Mickey’s Search Party.”