Won't let it go
Skater relishes ‘Frozen’ role in Disney on Ice show.
The cold never bothered Shanda DeWitt anyway. h The Michigan native has been skating since she was 6 years old, performed in ice shows on Royal Caribbean Cruise ships for four years and joined Feld Entertainment’s Disney on Ice in 2016.
“Being an ice skater, we’ve sort of spent our whole lives feeding and training and learning these skills. My passion is skating, and therefore, I have this quote-unquote job, but it doesn’t really feel like a job to me. I do something every day that I love to do,” DeWitt said.
When it comes to her current Disney on Ice role, she isn’t looking to let it go anytime soon: DeWitt plays Queen Elsa of “Frozen” fame in “Disney on Ice Presents Dream Big,” the latest frosty Mouse House adventure to skate into the Oklahoma State Fair.
“I feel so honored that I was cast into this role. This is my sixth year doing it ... and I’m always really excited to be portraying Elsa,” DeWitt said in a phone interview. “Of course, there’s a lot of little girls dressed up as Elsa, and they tend to sing along with ‘Let It Go.’ And that gives me the chills. ... You’re out there doing something that’s so positive — and people are just loving it. How can you beat that?”
COVID-19 comeback
After canceling in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oklahoma State Fair is making a comeback Sept. 16-26 with the theme “Back 2 Fun in ‘21.” Although some changes have been made due to the lingering pandemic, Disney on Ice, one of the fair’s longtime premier attractions, is helping to launch the Oklahoma State Fair as usual, with nine shows planned Sept. 16-20.
Although her career as a show skater has taken her to 62 different countries and all over the United States, DeWitt said this year will be her first to perform at the Oklahoma State Fair.
“Some of our cast members have been here when the state fair has been open at the same time, and I think it’s really fun for us,” she said. “I’m willing to take a walk through and see what’s there, for sure.”
From pig races and Ferris wheels to live music and midway games, the Oklahoma State Fair annually offers an array of attractions, but the event’s ties to Disney on Ice are particularly long and strong: The ice show has been part of the fair for more than three decades, and it’s become customary for one of Disney on Ice’s domestic tours to open its autumn season at the Oklahoma State Fair.
“It’s something that’s become a tradition, I think, not only for families that attend the Oklahoma State Fair, but also for Feld Entertainment and Disney on Ice,” said Jenifer Maninger, a spokeswoman for Feld Entertainment, which produces the ice shows.
“Disney on Ice just celebrated its 40th anniversary on July 14 ... and those relationships are invaluable. I think that allowed us to be one of the first entertainment companies to come back after the pandemic.”
Beloved characters
Last October, “Dream Big” was the first Disney on Ice show to return after Feld Entertainment shut down all its domestic and international touring productions in March 2020.
“Now we’re back again for another season ... and it is really exciting to be able to go back to doing the jobs that we love,” DeWitt said. “The response has been really great. People are excited to come back out and see the show.”
Along with her Queen Elsa and other
“Frozen” favorites, “Dream Big” is bringing characters and scenes from beloved Disney animated films “Moana,” “Coco,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Cinderella,” “Tangled,” “Aladdin” and “The Princess and the Frog” to Jim Norick State Fair Arena. Venerable favorites Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy also appear in the show. “We have a huge variety of characters in this show. I’m portraying a character that might be different from my own personality ... and to bring out a different side of yourself as you’re playing a role, I think it’s really exciting,” DeWitt said.
Although some people might consider “that solo” overdone — in the 2019 blockbuster “Frozen II,” the animated Elsa even cringes when she flashes back to her big musical moment from the original 2013 film — DeWitt isn’t one of them. “It doesn’t get old. I’m still skating every day to ‘Let It Go,’ but every audience is different, every performance is different. Of course, we love it when the audience is really into it (and) cheering really loud. That tends to make us give even more in the performance,” she said. “I just love everything that comes with it. There’s snow and everything’s sparkly and glittery. ... I have nothing to complain about. There’s no downside to it.”