New magic as Disney On Ice presents 'Frozen & Encanto' at the DCU Center

WORCESTER — When "Disney On Ice presents Frozen & Encanto" is at the DCU Center Oct. 27-30, figure skater Sydney Kosiak will be part of the ensemble, and "you will be able to see me create magic in almost every segment of the show," she said.

The new show features two of Disney's most magical recent creations, "Frozen" and "Encanto." There are skating sequences to almost all of the fan favorites from both movies, such as the songs "Let It Go" and "In Summer" from "Frozen" and "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from "Encanto."

These can have their own magical moments. "It's been so exciting to be out on the ice while certain songs come on," Kosiak said. "The audience sings so loud we (as skaters) can't hear the track. The audience sings their heart out, so to feel that energy is amazing."

Meanwhile, being part of Disney On Ice could be said to be the magical realization of a dream Kosiak first had when she was about 13 or 14.

Not long after graduating from high school, Kosiak, who is from Beverly, was hired in 2019 when Disney On Ice held auditions during a show stop in Springfield.

She performed with the Disney On Ice show "Road Trip Adventures" when it was at the DCU Center later in 2019.

The touring continued into March 2020, when suddenly everything was frozen because of the pandemic.

Kosiak didn't stand still. She and her skating partner from the first incarnation of Disney On Ice, Justin Hergett, practiced to stay in Disney On Ice shape while also studying at the University of Montana.

Rehearsing since August

As Disney shows got back on the road, the two contacted the Disney On Ice casting director about potential job opportunities and were cast in the ensemble for "Disney On Ice presents Frozen & Encanto."

Rehearsals were in August and the tour opened in September in Sunrise, Florida.

Kosiak was talking on the phone recently from a tour stop in Hershey, Pennsylvania. As the audience singing along would indicate, Kosiak said the tour has been going very well.

"Disney On Ice presents Frozen & Encanto" has a cast of about 50 skaters — 25 female and 25 male, Kosiak said.

Mickey and Minnie are the hosts for the show. In "Frozen," the show takes a trip through ice skating to Arendelle, where Anna has set out to find Elsa. Olaf, Kristoff and Sven will be there in the quest to bring back summer, which is gone due to Elsa’s icy powers. Olaf, the snowman who loves summer, is the narrator.

"Encanto" visits the Madrigal family’s Casita in the Colombian mountains as Mirabel and her sisters, Isabela and Luisa, try to save their family home.

"Disney On Ice presents Frozen & Encanto" has been described as having world-class ice skating and aerial acrobatics as well as lighting and props.

As for the costumes, "every ensemble skater has three or four costumes that we have to change within minutes," Kosiak said.

Kosiak said she started figure skating at the age of 10 after her mother saw an ad in a newspaper from a coach offering private skating lessons. Her mother had skated when she was younger, and it was something she thought the two could do together.

"She asked me if it was something I was interested in," Kosiak said.

"I enjoyed figure skating and was performing really quality.  Before you knew it, I was a pretty good figure skater for starting at age 10."

When Disney On Ice touring productions would come to the TD Garden in Boston, "My mom, sister and I would all go and see a show. I think it was the first or second time I realized this was something I wanted to do, even though it would be a lot of work."

There are two tracks a young person can follow in pursuit of a possible professional career as a figure skater, Kosiak noted. One track is geared to figure skating as a sport that can take you to the Olympics or regional sectional competition, while the other is more inclined to showcase the skater's artistry.

Kosiak took the latter track, and was a two-time National Theatre on Ice Medalist. She describes her performance style as "fun," but also pointed out many hours of practice.

She was talking very close to the three-year anniversary of her successful Disney On Ice audition in Springfield.

"I got hired three years ago either yesterday or the day before. That brought back all the emotions of happiness and excitement, nervousness," Kosiak said. "I am still happy and so excited every day now, appreciating the opportunity, the responsibility that is expected of us, and I am so glad to be here."

'Brining magic to families'

At the University of Montana, Kosiak and Hergett coached ice skaters in between practice and studies. "It was super heart warming to create the love for the figure skating I had," she said.

Asked what she enjoys about performing, Kasiak said, "Getting to bring the magic to families." In terms of what she wants the audience to get from her  performance, it's "The story I am telling."

Her advice for kids who want to be a performer is "Get out there! Get your skates on and don’t feel dumb about anything. Be authentic!"

"Disney On Ice presents Frozen & Encanto" will be touring to the end of May, Kosiak said.

"On the days I have off I try to explore the city that I am in," she said. However, she'll also work on performance aspects such as any new  choreography she may have to catch up on.

In Worcester she has a couple of friends who are students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and family and friends will be making the journey from Beverly to the DCU Center.

"My mom and dad are coming to the show. I think it will be exciting to have familiar faces in the audience even if I can't see them." She can feel their energy, she said.

When her mother saw her perform in Disney On Ice for the first time, she told Kosiak afterward that "'I couldn't see the show because I was crying so much.'"

Now that Kosiak is back with Disney On Ice she plans to keep skating as far as the shows will take her.

"I think that as long as I am healthy and stay strong I am planning on staying with Disney On Ice. There aren't a lot of jobs you can travel the world and bring magic to every inch of the globe," Kosiak said.

'Disney On Ice presents Frozen & Encanto'

When: 7 p.m. Oct. 27 and 28; 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m. Oct. 29 and 30

Where: DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester

How much: $19 to $124. Children age 2 and younger do not require a ticket as long as the child sits on the lap of a parent or guardian; ticketmaster.com

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: New magic as Disney On Ice presents Frozen & Encanto at the DCU Center