After three years on the road with Disney on Ice, Winnipeg-area skater Andrea Wolgemuth has been on her own journey, maybe not a magical one, but one that's taking her around the world.
Tonight and Saturday, Wolgemuth will skate with Disney on Ice presents "Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey" at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks. The current tour is taking her to the East Coast and Midwest. By summer, she'll be in Europe with the show.
Still, "Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey" in Grand Forks -- at 7 tonight and at 11 a.m. and 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday -- will be special, too, for Wolgemuth, 23.
"My whole family is coming to watch me skate," she said.
Wolgemuth started skating at age 5 in Steinbach, Man., -- not a particularly young age to start skating in this part of the world where winter is long and cold.
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Her parents enrolled her in CanSkate, and competitive skating took her to many contests iN U.S. cities, including Minot and Minneapolis. She was Manitoba Artistic Skater of the Year in 2005 and 2008, took gold in free, skills, dance and interpretive skating and was first at the Manitoba Winter Games and Manitoba Starskate.
In one of her interpretive programs, she skated as Batman-nemesis Catwoman.
"I had this leather outfit," she said. "It was really sassy, and I did all these sassy moves that Catwoman did."
How did she begin working for Disney?
"Everyone wants to perform, and as a teenager, I knew a lot of people who were on the show," she said. "The skating world is smaller than you think it is. So, I got connected with a friend who helped me make an audition video." She also auditioned live.
As a line captain for the show, she keeps charge of the women skaters and plays a number of different characters.
"There are so many different costumes," she said. "We have hundreds and hundreds of different parts of costumes and (have to do) very quick changes. Sometimes, you have 30 seconds to get in and out of costumes."
In "Magical Journey," Mickey and Minnie embark on a journey through the worlds of Disney's "The Little Mermaid," "The Lion King," Peter Pan," and "Lilo & Stitch." Audiences get to visit Ariel and Sebastian's enchanting undersea kingdom, see the Pride Lands with Simba and Nala, meet Captain Hook and his pirates and soar through the skies with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell.
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"One of my favorite numbers is the 'Under the Sea' one," Wolgemuth said. "There are so many bright costumes and different creatures, bubbles and music."
"Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey" is in its 17th year and has literally traveled the globe. Tonight in Grand Forks, all tickets (except rinkside) will be $10. Saturday ticket prices are $14 through $40, subject to handling, facility and convenience charges.
Tickets are available at the Ralph Engelstad Arena Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets, including www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone (800) 745-3000.
If you go
- What: Disney on Ice presents "Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey"
- When and where: 7 tonight; 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m., Saturday; Ralph Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks
- Tickets: $14, $20, $30, $40 (Rinkside), tickets subject to handling, facility and convenience charges. Opening night ticket price: All seats $10, excluding Rinkside. Tickets available at the Ralph Engelstad Arena Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, including www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at (800) 745-3000.
- Parking: $5 (U.S.)
