by Vittoria Zorfini
With Disney On Ice back on tour in Canada, Panoram Italia spoke with feature skater Tricia DeFelice, who gave us a behind-the-scenes look at an athlete’s life traveling the world with Disney.
Panoram Italia: You are from Ocean City, New Jersey, but you are also Italian-American. Can you tell us more about your family origins?
Tricia DeFelice: My dad is 100% Italian. He is notorious for having black coffee after dinner every night and he’s a very good cook.
PI: You are playing a Disney character in one of its most important touring shows. Have you been cultivating your talent from a very young age?
TDF: I grew up skating. My mom got me into the sport as she used to skate as well. I grew up learning through her and competing, which continued throughout college, up until this point of my career.
PI: What should we expect from this show?
TDF: Disney On Ice: Mickey’s Search Party showcases a wide variety of Disney movies. It’s super exciting for all ages. The little kids sing along and see all the characters. We have some of the classics like Aladdin and Jasmine—a little bit everything that the audience loves.
PI: The show brings together several old and new characters: Mickey Mouse, Captain Hook, Elsa, Miguel from Coco and many more. What is your favourite song or moment of the show?
TDF: I love the Toy Story segment because it’s very interactive with the fans.
PI: The show is touring the United States, Canada and even makes its way to Europe. Have you ever been there?
TDF: I actually had a chance to tour Europe pre-pandemic and it was amazing. It’s so nice to be able to tour the world with the company.
PI: It’s not always easy traveling from city to city and being away from home for a long time. How has this experience been for you?
TDF: I really enjoy traveling because you get to visit different cities and countries. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to see all these cool places by the age of 27. It definitely gets tiring sometimes, visiting a new city every week, but as long we stay organized, it’s great. My favourite thing to do is check out coffee shops—I love coffee.
PI: After seeing the show, many children may be inspired to start skating. Do you have any advice for those who want to be a figure skater?
TDF: Follow your dreams; that’s what we all did growing up. Even though we didn’t turn into big athletes like the ones skating in the Beijing Olympics, we found a really cool lifestyle with Disney On Ice. Figure skating takes a lot of work but is super fulfilling in the end, so they should definitely go for it.
Disney On Ice: Mickey’s Search Party runs March 3 to March 6 at Montreal’s Bell Centre
