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Disney On Ice Presents Let’s Celebrate!
, a new ice extravaganza presented by Feld Entertainment, features more than 50 classic and contemporary Disney characters in a captivating compilation of favorite holidays and celebrations from around the world. Disney On Ice Presents Let’s Celebrate! skates into the Tampa Bay Times Forum from May 15 to May 18.

Audiences will experience the ultimate celebration of celebrations as they join Mickey Mouse and friends on a delightful tour of festivities jam-packed with fun surprises, spectacular disney_2skating and vibrant costumes. The production’s original storyline transports audiences to exciting events with their favorite Disney characters, including a Valentine’s Day Royal Ball with Princess Tiana; a Very Merry UnBirthday Party with Alice and the Mad Hatter; Jack Skellington’s frightfully festive Halloween party with the Disney Villains; and a Hawaiian luau with Lilo and Stitch.

Drawing upon their own holiday experiences for research, the production’s creative team was able to envision a show with an abundance of colors, warmth and spirit to evoke the pleasant memories of the holidays for the audience. “At the beginning of the show we invite everyone to ‘Be Our Guest,’ and we want the audience to feel like they are participating in the show, not that they are merely watching it,” says Director Patty Vincent. “The audience gets to be a part of what we experience on the ice—they’ll feel like they went trick or treating with Mickey and spent Valentine’s Day with the Disney Princesses.”

Let’s Celebrate! is all about experiencing the holidays through the eyes of the Disney characters. We have a variety of celebrations from all over the world,” adds Vincent. “With Mickey’s Digital Global Destinator, we are able to travel to far-off places like China for the Chinese New Year and to Brazil for Carnival.”

From twisting and fire-twirling Hawaiian luau dancers to the zombie-like movements of the ghoulish groupies in the Halloween segment, choreographer Cindy Stuart adds high energy and a unique style to each performance number. “We really stepped out of the box with the choreography for this show,” says Stuart. “The production numbers revolve around the celebrations which are not necessarily part of the Disney stories we have worked with in the past. Every number is new and different from the others.”

Audiences get a taste of New Orleans, where Tiana’s story takes place, in a Mardi Gras performance that is packed with upbeat jazz-infuenced choreography and music. In the Valentine’s Day segment, seven extraordinary pairs of Disney Princesses and Princes skate to contemporary remixes of classic songs from each princess story and then come together for a large number to “That’s How You Know” from Walt Disney Pictures’ Enchanted. At a Very Merry UnBirthday Party, a fast-paced skating frenzy ensues as the characters toss around the Mad Hatter’s hat. Then a uniquely choreographed precision skating number follows with Sorcerer Mickey bringing 15 skaters in broom costumes to life and sweeping across the ice in a synchronized formation.

With a contemporary flair and eclectic mixture of creative elements, Disney On Ice Presents Let’s Celebrate! is an incredible party that will inspire families to celebrate year-round.

Performance dates and times are as follows: Thursday, May 15 at 7 p.m.; Friday, May 16 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, May 17 at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, May 18 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets cost $75 for rinkside dining, premium tickets are $45, and general admission costs as low as $15. Tickets are available at DisneyOnIce.com or ticketmaster.com, at any Ticketmaster outlet, by calling (800) 745-3000, or at the Tampa Bay Times Forum ticket office (phone for information only: (813) 301-6500). For group ticket sales and information, call (866) 248-8740.

To discover more about Disney On Ice, go to www.disneyonice.com.

Performer Spotlight: Joshua Flores

disney_performerJoshua Flores, a Chicago native, plays the role of Mowgli from The Jungle Book in Disney On Ice Presents Let’s Celebrate! He talked to Hotspots in the run-up to the touring company’s arrival in Tampa.

Are you excited to be back in Florida?

Absolutely! I love going to Florida. I have lots of family and friends down here, and the crowds are wonderful, too. The whole state’s a great place to play.

When you come down here, what’s the first thing you must visit?

It depends on the part of Florida! I’m a big theme park kind of person, so I love visiting Walt Disney World in Orlando and Busch Gardens in Tampa.

What do you like most about being in the cast of Disney On Ice

I’ve been involved in this show for five years now. Whenever you get involved in a show, your cast becomes your family, because you’re around them 24/7. The atmosphere I’m surrounded by is absolutely great. I also love being able to travel the world with my boyfriend of six years. He plays Peter Pan.

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