Chatting with Flynn Rider!

Okay so not the actual Flynn Rider but the amazing skater that portrays him in Disney On Ice – Dare to Dream!

Between listening to Abby talk nonstop about going to see the princesses, rushing around making sure she has everything she need (Rapunzel outfit, Rapunzel doll, etc) and double checking my camera, I actually had some spare time to chat with one of the cast members from Disney On Ice: Dare To Dream!

Joe, the skater who portrays the role of Flynn Rider, took some time on opening night to chat a little with me about this amazing show. Considering Tangled is Abby’s favorite princess movie, I was extremely excited for the chance to chat with him. Believe it or not, he actually found me. He was online searching for other interviews about the show and my blog came up in the search list. How cool is that?!

Joe has been amazing to chat with; he has answered all kinds of questions, provided me with tons of fun facts about the show and even gave me a few helpful tips to make our experience even more magical (take tons and tons of pictures, encourage Abby to wave and blow kisses, let Abby dress up if she wanted to because they love to see the kids dressed up and really getting into the show).

He found me through my blog and we have chatted off and on since the show’s opening night. He’s so nice and I can tell he loves what he does (even before he told me). It has felt more like chatting with an old friend at times than with someone who is part of something so amazing like Disney On Ice. I have really enjoyed chatting with Joe, it was quite interesting to learn so much about the show and it made the performance even more entertaining.

While chatting with Joe and learning all about the show, I did ask him a few fun questions to share with my awesome readers:

Adventures in Abbyland: What do you love most about being part of Disney On Ice?

Joe: What do I love most? Tough question. Well, I love performing. I love interacting with the audience so much, making people happy is one reason why I like this role so much. I love that by performing, I brighten someone’s day. Knowing that someone having a rotten day could come see the show and suddenly their day is so much better, it’s a great feeling. And seeing the look on children’s faces when they see their favorite character on ice? That’s incredible!

AnA: What has been your favorite role to portray with Disney On Ice?

Joe:  Definitely Flynn. It’s just such a high energy role, and it involves so much physical comedy, which is something that I love to do. I love to perform. Plus Flynn and I are so similar and we have similar mannerisms that it, at times, feels like I’m portraying myself. I feel like I have a real connection to this role, I was the first person to portray Flynn Rider in any Disney On Ice show. I also like the danger aspect that that the role brings; I’ve always been a bit of a daredevil! Funny story actually…. When the movie came out, got a call from my mom and she was like “You better start learning some lines from Tangled”, and that was months before I even found out that this show was a possibility.

AnA: What is your favorite part of the show?

Joe:  Favorite part of this show? I love the interactions that Flynn has with Maximus. They’re pretty fun. But I also think that the most awe-inspiring part of the show would definitely have to be the aerial acts, where we escape from Rapunzel’s tower by her hair. People in the audience don’t expect it, nor do they see it coming, and then when it comes…. Their reaction is priceless

AnA: What advice do you have for someone who dreams of one day possibly skating for Disney On Ice?

Joe:  Stick with it. Try and remain positive at all times and with a lot of hard work, you can definitely do it. Anything is possible.

I’m not much for “interview” type questions so we really just chatted about the show, about Abby and how much she was looking for to the show, and I let him fill me in on fun little tidbits about the show as they came up in conversation.

While chatting, I really got to know Joe and his experience as a skater with Disney On Ice. He actually use to do competitive skating but a car accident got him to thinking if he wanted to continue with the competitive skating or do shows. I learned that this is his second show with Feld Entertainment, he portrayed Captain Shang from Mulan in Let’s Celebrate. I discovered that not only does he portray Flynn Rider but he also has a few smaller parts in The Princess and The Frog. Knowing this made the show even more entertaining; it was fun to find him during the performances and, have to admit, it was pretty neat to kinda know someone out on the ice.

Just from chatting with Joe for a little while I could tell how much he loves performing and being part of Disney On Ice. He’s so passionate about the show, he loved talking to me about all the tiny details and really opened my eyes to so much. He cares so much about the audience, especially the children! What was really fun was chatting with him while at the show! Yep, thanks to my phone I was able to chat with him a few times before the show and during intermission. He asked if Abby was enjoying the show, what she thought and all about her reactions. I even sent him a quick picture of her so he could see how excited she was.

Disney on Ice – Dare to Dream will finish up this weekend at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, AR. Next they head to CenturyLink Center in Bossier City, LA, followed by Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, TN and ending at Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL. For more information about dates, times and to purchase tickets please visit www.ticketmaster.com or visit each individual venues’ website.

Disclosure: Neither Disney On Ice nor Feld Entertainment did not compensate me in any way, I wrote this because I had the joy of chatting with one of the skaters and wanted to share the fun information. Plus I absolutely love Disney On Ice! All thoughts and opinions are my own.