Rapunzel and Flynn add some aerial tricks to their performance in the Tangled section of the show.
Feld Entertainment photo
Show includes silk aerial act as well as skating
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In the Moana segment, the title character will set sail on a life-changing quest to save her island with help from the demigod Maui.
Feld Entertainment photo
Belle, Cogsworth and Lumiere are among the Disney characters who will appear in the Beauty and the Beast segment of Disney on Ice ‘Into the Magic.’
Feld Entertainment photo
Cinderella’s ballroom scene will include elegant gowns and waltzing on skates.
Feld Entertainment photo
Rhys Anderson portrays Prince Hans in the Frozen segment of the show.
Feld Entertainment photo
Skater Rhys Anderson has a habit — he admits it’s become sort of a superstition — of always putting on his left skate first.
He grew up on a farm in British Columbia with pigs, horses, ducks and chickens that, thanks to a 4-H project, he tried to train “to walk from one end of a table to another, present themselves and turn around.
” Most of my memories were of the chicken flying away.”
And here’s one more interesting tidbit from his biography: He remembers he cried through his first skating lessons at age 4.
But there should be no cause for tears Jan. 6 to 9, when Disney on Ice presents “Into the Magic” at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
The skating extravaganza, produced by Feld Entertainment, Inc., will present characters from Disney’s Moana, Coco, Tangled, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen and more, with Anderson appearing in the Frozen segment as the villain, Prince Hans.
“He’s kind of an interesting character,” Anderson said of Prince Hans. “You don’t know he’s the bad guy until the end.”
“When they first told me I was playing Hans and that he was the villain, I hadn’t seen the movie. So when I watched it I thought, ‘I don’t think this is the character. I don’t think he can be the right guy.’ “
That was because Hans acts so sweet and charming in the beginning of the story, as he tries to win the affections of Anna, the younger princess. Toward the end of the movie, he shows his true colors and tries to kill Anna’s older sister, Elsa.
“He uses his charm to sneak his way in,” Anderson said. “He seduces Anna, tricks her with his charms. But he wants the throne and when things are falling apart for the two sisters, they’re a little divided, not together, he tries to turn them against each other (even more).”
In addition to the Frozen segment, Anderson said, Disney fans of all ages can enjoy a Beauty and the Beast segment with Belle, Gaston, Cogsworth and Lumiere and a Coco segment featuring Miguel and the Day of the Dead.
“Then when we go into Tangled it’s not just figure skating,” he said. “We have a silk aerial act with Rapunzel and Flynn flying up in the sky, really high up from the ice, doing a bunch of tricks together, not even using skates at all.”
“After that we have Cinderella and some really elegant ball dresses. She waltz-dances with Prince Charming. And in Frozen you’ll see other fun characters like Olaf and Kristoph. And in Moana, we take you to the island.”
“This show’s got all the classics in it,” he said. “It’s a very inclusive family event with a little something for everyone. A little girl gets to see the princesses. A young boy sees Miguel. Adults see their favorites, too. Disney’s one of those things, it doesn’t matter how old you are. You can enjoy it. I know I do.”
“The more energy you give, the more you’ll enjoy it,” the skater added. “If you want to wave to your favorite character, call them out. Come dressed in a princess costume; come dressed in any costume you like. We want you to be part of the show.”
Dates and times of performances are: 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6; 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7; 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8; and 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9.
To purchase tickets see disneyonice.com, Ticketmaster.com or visit the NBT Bank Box Office at Mohegan Sun Arena.