A smart Scot is part of “Jump In!”, the latest Disney on Ice Show which is currently playing in frozen Chicago.
“It’s a bit surreal,” said Rachel Hamilton of living her dream, touring the world skating since 2023 with Disney shows.
Glasgow-born Hamilton started skating when she was eight years old and was inspired by figure skating shows and televised competitions she’d seen.
“My brother took me to a local rink to try skating, and after I said, ‘I want to do that,’” she said.
She wound up training at the East Kilbride Ice Figure Skating Club, which led to competing in national and international events.
Hamilton, 25, put skating on pause for a bit to study and earn a first-class honors degree in Applied Biomedical Science from the University of the West of Scotland. After that, she thought she would give professional skating a shot.
The COVID-19 pandemic slowed a process that took about two years or so, Hamilton said. It involved sending emails and videos to Feld Entertainment, which produces the Disney on Ice shows.
Her persistence led to an in-person interview/tryout in 2023 in Leeds, and not too far from her family’s home. You can learn more about it in an interview (available on YouTube) Hamilton did with a radio station in Scotland.
Hamilton said she went into the audition- which coincided with a Disney on Ice tour stop – with a positive attitude.
“It was a great experience and showed me how the process worked,” she said.
Two months later, she signed a contract and hit the road. So far, she’s skated with Disney shows in the UK, other parts of Europe, South America and the Middle East. Last summer, she and other skaters trained and rehearsed at Feld Entertainment studios in Florida for the new and current production, “Jump In!”
The tour has been hitting rinks at stadiums across the United States since August.
As part of the ensemble, Hamilton said she’s playing various roles during the show. Those include a donkey, a bat and Snow White.
The donkey is among the skating toys taking part in “Hoedown Throwdown” from “Toy Story.” The bat is part of a colony in a glow-in-the-dark piece involving the vampire Matangi from “Moana 2.”
Snow White is one of the Disney princesses in a number that sees Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” and Rapunzel flying above the ice to perform gymnastics routines.
According to a press release, “Ariel soars above the ice to “Kiss the Girl,” and Rapunzel’s golden hair is brought to life by flowing aerial silks as she and Flynn Rider dazzle with a mesmerizing aerial routine.”
“This is my favorite part of the show. It’s high energy and fun,” Hamilton said.
All told, “Jump In!” features more than 50 characters, as Mickey Mouse and friends welcome the audience to explore Disney stories through a Magical MousePad.
Characters include Anxiety alongside Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger, and Fear from “Inside Out 2″ and billion dollar superstar Stitch. Tunes include “Let It Go” from Frozen, “Try Everything” from “Zootopia,” “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from “Encanto” – which Hamliton said is her favorite Disney movie – “Get Lost” from “Moana 2” and others familiar to anyone with little kids, Disney+ and DVD players.
“Jump In” plays Jan. 22 through Jan. 25, then Feb. 5 through Feb. 8 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, then Feb. 12 through Feb. 15 at the United Center in Chicago.
For tickets and more information, go to www.disneyonice.com/jump-in/rosemont-il-allstate-arena
and www.disneyonice.com/jump-in/chicago-il-united-center.
As a trivial side note, Scotland is home to Lewis Gibson, who ice dances with Lilah Fear for Great Britain. They will be taking part in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy. Scottish ice dancers Sinead and John Kerr took part in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics.
Scotland and Wales are also home to the quarries where they get granite to make curling stones.
As for Hamilton, this will be her first visit to the Chicago area. She’s looking forward to visiting the city’s sites and eating its fabled foods. I warned her about Malort and away from deep dish in favor of tavern style, explained Italian beef and Chicago style hot dogs to her and told her about Maria’s, a nice Mexican place in Rosemont.
She probably needs the calories for all the skating she’s doing – and to keep warm during the arctic blast.
