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Magic on ice: Quesnel’s Selena Van Aert to perform in Vancouver

Local skater will perform in her third year with Disney on Ice
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The spirit of Disney is all about dreams coming true… and they definitely have for Quesnel skater Selena Van Aert.

The figure skater joined Disney On Ice three years ago, and this year will perform in Vancouver Nov. 22-26 at the Pacific Coliseum in ‘Disney On Ice presents Follow Your Heart’.

The show incorporates Disney Pixar’s Inside Out and Finding Dory, which are new in the show this year, as well as favourite characters including those from Frozen, Toy Story, Beauty and the Beast, and all the Disney princesses.

Van Aert is taking on the role of Riley from Inside Out, a hockey player who gains motivation from her five emotions and from the Disney princesses to lead her in her journey to the championship hockey game.

Van Aert says her role is a transition character who is present throughout the first act, and she had to have some fairly unique training to get in character.

“I had to learn how to skate in hockey skates, which I had never done before,” she explains.

“For the role of Riley, she’s a hockey player, so they said, ‘Let’s make it as authentic as possible.’

“I trained in hockey skates and it was really scary. I had to practise a lot.”

It wasn’t just the technical aspect of having to learn to skate without a toe pick.

“It’s a completely different type of skating. Figure skaters have a certain posture, but hockey players are a bit more loose and more bent at the waist.”

Van Aert had never played hockey in her youth – she was too busy training with Quesnel’s Figure Skating Club, which she started with almost from the time she could walk.

She says her Quesnel coaches have been a big influence.

“Sharon Chow was there throughout all my years. She put thousands of hours into skating. What’s special about her is that she really cares; she really wants her students to succeed and she puts in extra time on and off the ice to make sure that happens.

“I’m really grateful to have her and I think she’s a huge part of where I am today.”

Where she is today? Only performing in front of thousands in one of the biggest figure skating shows in North America. It must be quite a rush.

“My favourite part of performing is the interaction with the audience. Seeing the kids out there so excited to see their favorite Disney characters… These are memories I will have forever.”

With the opportunity to perform in Vancouver, Van Aert says there’s the added excitement at the chance to perform in her old stomping grounds in front of family and friends (Van Aert attended Simon Fraser University after high school).

“I’m really exciting to be performing in Vancouver. Not many skaters get to play their home,” she says.

But does performing for loved ones make her more nervous?

“It’s an excited nervous; it’s so cool for them to see the show. It changes your perspective if you have even one person in the audience watching. You know you will hear from them afterwards, so you want to do even better,” Van Aert explains.

The young athlete will travel with the tour from the west side of Canada – where Disney On Ice is playing Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver – into Washington, Oregon and California, and on to Texas and Arizona.

“Every week we get one or two days off to explore the city we are in, and recover from shows.

“At each new venue, we take some time to practice with the new ice size and new set up,” Van Aert comments.

The figure skater says she hopes to do a few more years with Disney On Ice, and then go back to school to study to become an elementary school teacher.

”I’m looking forward to the new chapter, but for now this is really enjoyable.”

She says its a dream that can come true for any dedicated skater, and offers words of encouragement to Quesnel’s up-and-coming skaters.

“It is definitely possible to make it to Disney On Ice, or any skating dream.

“It takes working hard and believing in yourself. If you put those two things together, I know they can make it here too.”