‘Frozen’s’ Queen Elsa glides into Wichita

Alexe Gilles encounters the same problem every time she skates the part of “Frozen’s” Queen Elsa of Arendelle in “Disney on Ice: Princesses and Heroes.”

When she glides onto the ice for the climax of the show – her routine choreographed to the hit song –“Let it Go,” she can’t hear the music track.

Every preschool-aged princess in the building is always singing along so loudly, they drown it out.

“It is a whirlwind of emotions when I am skating to ‘Let it Go’ and I can only hear the audience members singing along,” said Gilles, 23, in an e-mail interview. “It makes me even more excited to skate and perform when they are all smiling and just in awe of Elsa and have pure joy because of the song.”

Gilles and the rest of the cast of “Princesses and Heroes” arrived in Wichita on Thursday and will offer six more performances of the show, which features nearly every popular Disney princess and her suitor strapped into ice skates and gliding to their song. A big attraction of the production is the inclusion of several numbers featuring “Frozen” characters Elsa, her sister Anna and their snowman Olaf.

Though all the princesses are loved, the “Frozen” cast members – performing slightly altered selections from the “Frozen” touring show – get the royal treatment from the young fans, Gilles said.

Here are five things you’ll need to know to enjoy the ice show properly this weekend:

1. All the princesses will be there: Your daughter is more into Jasmine than Elsa? Not to worry. The show contains eight other popular princesses besides the “Frozen” sisters: Ariel from “The Little Mermaid”; Aurora from “Sleeping Beauty”; Jasmine from “Aladdin”; Belle from “Beauty and the Beast”; Tiana from “The Princess and the Frog”; plus Rapunzel, Snow White and Cinderella.

Each of the Princesses wears costumes and hair recognizable from the movies and books they anchor, and several of their sidekicks will glide around with them, from Belle’s Candlestick pal Lumiere to the seven dwarfs to the “Little Mermaid’s” lobster friend Sebastian.

2. But the show is not just for girls: Little brother can be equally entertained thanks to the “Hero” quotient in the show. The princesses are often on the ice with their dashing counterparts, including “Sleeping Beauty’s” Prince Phillip and “The Little Mermaid’s” Prince Eric. Little boys also might appreciate the towering Aladdin and a fire-breathing dragon that appears in one of the scenes.

3. Attendees can dress up: The audience, Gilles said, is full of little fans dressed up as their favorite princess, a practice which is encouraged. Gilles said she loves looking into the stands and counting Elsa after Elsa after tiny Elsa. “She is such a strong and amazing character that it is a privilege to perform as her,” Gilles said. “She really does have a magical impact on the world.”

4. The show includes real skating: Many of the performers are former competitive skaters, including Gilles. She started skating when she was 2 years old and continued on the competitive circuit through high school and college. (Her twin sister and her older brother are competitive ice dancers.) But a year ago, tendonitis in Gilles’ knee made competitive skating too difficult and she auditioned for “Disney on Ice.” That doesn’t mean the skaters glide sleepily across the ice, though, she said. They perform many of the stunt jumps the ice skating fans expect, from double axles to triple toe loops to fast spins.

5. The skaters really do like their jobs: Though it might seem like it would be a repetitive drag to skate the same show seven times in four days then do it all again a few days later, Gilles said that the cast members always remind themselves that the viewers are seeing the show for the first time and deserve a strong performance. And being in the cast is fun, Gilles said. It includes several young skaters her own age who get to explore the country together. “The cast and crew become like your family away from home and we learn different cultures and languages,” she said.

This story was originally published March 12, 2015 at 10:56 AM with the headline "‘Frozen’s’ Queen Elsa glides into Wichita."