Disney on Ice - Fit to Dance

Disney on Ice and EBC Education have created a new programme called "Fit to Dance" encouraging children and families to create their own stories and turn them into dances using inspiration from Disney on Ice shows.

As a family we have loved watching the Disney on Ice performers take to the stage, particularly Anna and Elsa, and bring the Disney tales to life. It's exciting to now be able to follow the same creative process at home to choreograph our own routines. My two little ones do love to put on a show!! 

We were invited to meet two of the Disney on Ice performers recently at the UK Theatre School. My son wasn't overly keen, but I reminded him that Star Wars is now part of Disney and he was more interested. I didn't need to worry because when we arrived he was his usual confident self chatting away to all the grown-ups. We had brought with us two of our friends that are similar ages to my little ones and they were all a little hyper to start with.

We gathered round into a circle to decide upon our story... a tale of some our favourite toys who got left outside in the garden one evening and had to find a way back to their owners bedroom. The kids had great fun deciding on the characters and the plot.

We then worked with the Disney on Ice skaters to bring our story to life. The kids were very active and there was lots of excitement as we pretended to creep through the grass, climb up a rope and cheer when we got to the end, working with the skaters to convey all the different emotions. We then had our faces painted and we put on the show to all the grown-ups!

The online resources for the Fit to Dance programme are excellent, particularly the videos of the performers - they really help bring the ideas and concepts to life. I think it's great that both male and female members of the cast are involved too, this will encourage some little boys who may be less inclined to participate. My son was adamant that he didn't want to join in, but then when our session started he was loving it! For older children the footage of the cast could also prove inspirational and perhaps give them ideas for future careers. 

How amazing is this floor at the UK Theatre School!!

Disney on Ice is returning with World of Enchantment from 25th September to January 2016 visiting Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield and London.

Review - Disney on Ice, Magical Ice Festival

On Thursday night this week the kids and I headed to the Hydro, Glasgow to see Disney on Ice, Magical Ice Festival. We took with us our lovely neighbour Sandra who had kindly agreed last minute to accompany us to the event. I doubt I'd have managed on my own and Rick was feeling poorly (man-flu!).

We were very lucky to be invited to a special VIP Meet & Greet ahead of the show which was super exciting. 

The littlest of course wanted to dress up in her Elsa outfit as we knew that the sisters from Frozen would be making an appearance at the show.

Here we are with Mickey... my son didn't want to miss out on the dressing up so he put on his soldier costume. I think the littlest was disappointed that we weren't meeting Elsa! They were also given a Rapunzel doll each to keep which was unexpected and they're delighted with their toys. 

We felt very special.

We had amazing seats in the front row of the first level.

Sandra very kindly bought the kids a light up toy... these were super expensive in my opinion at around £19 each! But I guess that's what expected at a show like this.

The obligatory selfie once we found our seats... including Rapunzel!

Then the lights dimmed, and the show began.

It was about this time last year we went to Disney on Ice, and at the time both kids were engrossed by the performers. This time round my son at age 5.5 years didn't seem to be as bothered which disappointed me - he's obviously growing up! He felt that this show was too girly because each of the movies selected had a princess (The Little Mermaid, Tangled, Beauty & the Beast and Frozen), whereas last year Cars and Toy Story 3 featured.

It was the littlest that clearly enjoyed the show the most...

She was just couldn't contain her excitement. She was jumping around in her seat, and the family behind us thought she was super cute, as did I of course!

For me, my favourite songs were 'Under The Sea', 'Be Our Guest' and of course 'Let It Go'. The whole arena was singing along to Frozen! It truly was a magical experience - for the grown-ups as well as the children. 

The show was captivating... pyrotechnic explosions, floating lanterns, fire... One of the princesses put on an ariel show (which didn't look very safe in my opinion!) but it was very impressive as she twirled around suspended in mid-air. The performers were amazing... not a single fall this time which surprises me given some of the huge outfits they were wearing... teapots, fish, candlesticks!!

I was however pretty conscious of the time, as the show didn't start until 7pm. We ended up leaving just before the end to avoid the crowds and hopped in a taxi home (my son fell outside the Hydro on the way to the taxi and scraped his knee pretty badly... wasn't a good end to the night).

I loved all the lanterns in the sky for Tangled

What's On - Disney on Ice

This year Mickey and Minnie are touring the UK with a Magical Ice Festival.

Last year we went to see Disney on Ice at the Hydro, and we are absolutely delighted to be going back this year. Both my kids were captivated by the performers and they truly believed that Tinkerbell was waving just at them as she flew through the sky. This may be a bit OTT, but it genuinely was magical and I loved seeing their reactions to the characters. It brought a wee tear to my eye.

And guess which Disney stars are going to be appearing this spring....

Anna and Elsa from Frozen! 

The littlest is going to be so excited!!!

"Produced by Feld Entertainment, Magical Ice Festival is an enchanting mix of royalty, highlighting the stories of Disney's most beloved heroines with energetic choreography that will have audiences singing, dancing and cheering their favourite Disney characters as they each embark on their own epic journeys. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse guide fans through an enchanting wonderland where they encounter Sebastian and the Daughters of Triton from Disney's The Little Mermaid, the rowdy pub thugs from Disney's Tangled and the loyal enchanted servants from Disney's Beauty and the Beast."

The show is in Glasgow from 26th to 29th March, and you can buy tickets online here.

{Disney on Ice - a review}

We were thrilled to be asked to review Disney on Ice in Glasgow, and in no time it was the weekend of the show! *squeals* (I'm worse than the kids!!)

We took a taxi to The Hydro as I wasn't totally sure where I'd get parked and how far a walk it would be, and I'm glad we did. (Hampden Taxi app was brilliant as I was able to book our return taxi from the comfort of our seat in the arena!)

We ended up being slightly rushed as our tickets weren't at the desk, but thankfully it got sorted out just in time and we made it to our seats just as the lights were dimming. This meant we didn't get a chance to grab any snacks prior to the show starting, but being the organised mummy that I am (ahem!) I had a couple of packets of crisps and Innocent smoothies in my bag for the little ones if they got hungry tummies!

Anyway, the show started and the littlest's face was just so adorable. Her reaction to the characters was just amazing. She was over the moon to see them all.

In awe!

Combine her wee gorgeous face with The Little Mermaid music and I had a tear in my eye!

The Little Mermaid was definitely my favourite part of the show. I think a lot of this is down to the music - proper Disney old school classics. Whereas the music from Tinkerbell, Cars and Toy Story 3 didn't have the same impact for me. The kids loved Mickey & Minnie, as you'll see from their YouTube video below!

It was the innocence of my son that was just so lovely... he said to me excitedly during the show "Tinkerbell waved at me!" and it was adorable that he was so absorbed in the show that he thought the characters were waving just to him. Very cute!!

I had requested tickets for the 2.45pm performance, but I hadn't anticipated how long the show would last. Toy Story 3 came on after the interval and I think it didn't capture the littlest's imagination as much as the other acts, it probably was more suited to slightly older kiddies (although she loved seeing Barbie!). She also got a bit tired towards the end and was keen to go home :-( Thankfully the taxi was outside at 5pm to collect us and we got home soon enough.

After dinner I got the kids seated on their wee kitchen stool to capture their thoughts on the show...



And here are the out takes!! The eldest seemed to find it highly amusing to leap on me every time I started filming!



We'd definitely go back to see another Disney show and I'd love to take the kids to Disneyland. It's on my 35 at 35 list!

We received complimentary tickets for Disney on Ice in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts, as always, are our own.

{Disney on Ice is coming to Glasgow}

I am yet to take my little ones to the cinema, theatre or the like and so when the opportunity came up to review the newest Disney on Ice show, Worlds of Fantasy, at Glasgow's Hydro I of course said yes!

The show is coming to Glasgow's Hydro on 27th - 30th March 2014 and looks set to be a great performance.

Produced by Feld Entertainment, Disney on Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy... a captivating adventure taking Disney lovers (like me and the kids!) across the auto-racing terrain of Cars, Andy's bedroom for some Toy Story 3 fun, under the sea with Ariel from The Little Mermaid and into Tinker Bell's mystical Pixie Hollow.

The excitement begins when Mickey Mouse embarks on his adventure with Minnie (who else!?) to uncover each world of fantasy, but their plan goes awry when their car breaks down. Donald Duck and Goofy try to fix it, but it takes the assistance of the coolest Cars on ice to get it working again!

Worlds of Fantasy offers the perfect combination of elements for fans of Disney On Ice. “From the contemporary feel of Cars and Toy Story 3 to the timeless quality of The Little Mermaid and Tinker Bell, audiences will see four completely different Disney worlds brought to life,” says producer Kenneth Feld. “All of this provides a value that is truly unparalleled in the world of live family entertainment. More than ever before, there’s something for everyone.”

I can't wait!

The facts about the show are really interesting too...

• Each life size car took 2,000 man-hours to build
• It takes over 12 hours to set up the show at each new site
• 13 production trucks are used to take this show from city to city
• There are 79 different paint colours in the show

Under the sea!

(The hilarious thing is that I still have that exact shirt for my Ken doll!!!!!)

Tinker Bell and the other fairies