What does it take to be a Disney Princess? Beauty? Grace? The ability to look good in a sparkly gown? Some of the Disney on Ice crew were in town last month to give media a skating masterclass and to drum up excitement about Disney On Ice’s latest show, Mickey’s Super Celebration, which glides into Singapore in March. There’s plenty to look forward to, such as Moana’s first appearance in a Disney on Ice show here, as well as feats not just on the ice, but also in the air, as the company breaks out the aerial silks and aerial webs. We took the chance to shoot the breeze with American skaters Anna Bradshaw, 30, who plays Rapunzel on the show and Adriene Ott, 26, who plays Jasmine (with Aladdin played by her real-life hubby William Ott — awwww!). And here’s what they told us about being Disney princesses.

But of course they do, especially when these princesses have to spend hours in dry and chilly environs (ie. the skating rink) and wear thick make-up for shows. Anna (above), who plays Rapunzel, tells us, “It’s important to have a good skincare regimen. We moisturise and take good care of our skin. I also suggest drinking lots of water. I also use moisturiser with SPF, because even when we’re indoors, the sunlight can still come through the windows.” Her royal compatriot, Adriene, who plays Aladdin’s Princess Jasmine, has another neat beauty trick: “Smiling is [a great way to look more beautiful!]. You can spend so much time on your make-up and skincare, but sometimes, people underestimate the power of smiling. Also, what you feel on the inside will radiate on the outside.”

Okay, so this beauty tip may not be super relevant if you’re not a Disney princess (or playing one), but nothing’s stopping you from wearing blue eyeshadow with your azure dress. The two performers do their own make-up for shows, and Adriene (above) tells us: “Yes, our make-up for shows does have to be [more intense] than usual. We always wear red lipstick and lots of colours that can be seen from far away.” Anna says, “We use colours specific to that character. Rapunzel’s dress is purple and pink, so I have to match the make-up to that. Lots of purples, lots of pinks. (Laughs) I definitely don’t wear these kinds of colours, such as the very pigmented purple eyeshadows, in real life!”

These two ladies’ preferred way of keeping fit? Figure–skating, of course. “It has cardio, strength-training, co-ordination, balance, agility, core, and works every muscle in your body,” raves Anna. “And it’s just fun, you don’t even realise you’re working out and keeping fit”, adds Adriene. Darn, now we wish we had more ice-skating rinks in Singapore.

So Adriene, who plays Jasmine, is kind of blonde and blue-eyed, while Jasmine is kind of, you know, not. So what? “We work with a great hair and wardrobe team,” Adriene tells us. “I don’t want to ruin the magic by saying [whether I wear a wig or not], but no, it’s not difficult to transition into looking like Jasmine. I’d say it’s fun. Her princess pal Anna offers, “It really shows you can be whoever and whatever you wanna be — there’re no limits.”

“There’s a part of the show where they introduce the princesses and as each princess comes out, they will say what their virtues are,” says Adriene. “Mine is determination. It’s a great virtue, especially with my husband [William Ott, above on right, carrying Adriene, who plays Aladdin to her Princess Jasmine]. He wasn’t a figure skater when we first started, he was a hockey player. It took a lot of determination to work on our routine and our lifts together.” Rapunzel’s virtue is adventure,” Anna says. “I guess it’s an adventure when I do my aerial routine, with the aerial silk. I love my virtue! Skating really perfectly aligns with the Disney Princess virtues — it takes determination, hard work and perseverance, but that’s true for anything in life.” [P/S: The male skater carrying Anna is Grant Marron, who plays Mulan's General Shang in the show].

It seems that being humble is a Disney princess virtue as well. And also to be politically-correct. When we ask the skaters whether there was more pressure on them since they were playing the vaunted princesses in the Disney On Ice show, Adriene demures, “They teach us that every role is important, so being a princess doesn’t give us more pressure since we were taught that everyone and everything is important. We’re all just as important whether we’re playing a citizen of Arendelle or a villager in the Moana segment.”

“You can wear the make-up and dress up as your favourite princess, but treating everyone with kindness and embodying the characteristics are the most important parts. I know that when I am skating with Anna and all the princesses, it’s so empowering,” Adriene tells us. Anna agrees, “We definitely carry each other too, and we feel connected as a unit, as girls helping out other girls.”

No Disney shindig is complete without the world's most famous mice, and cheers erupted when Mickey and Minnie skated onto The Rink in JCube.

Disney On Ice presents Mickey’s Super Celebration is on March 20-24 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tickets on sale at www.sportshubtix.com.sg. For more information, go to www.DisneyOnIce.com.


Photos: Ealbert Ho