The settling of the early American colonies in the late 1500s set the stage for the United States' future as the world's great melting pot.
So it seems fitting that "Walt Disney's World on Ice: The Spirit of Pocahontas," set during this historic time frame, stars a beautiful young skater of Asian ancestry in the title role of the American Indian princess, plus a brilliant Russian skater as the heroic settler and adventurer, John Smith.Nearly half of the skating ensemble comes from Russia.
Adapted from Walt Disney Pictures' popular animated film, "The Spirit of Pocahontas" is a colorful blend of fact and folklore, adventure and romance, music and drama, all tied together by beautifully choreographed skating.
The show is scheduled to play eight performances Nov. 5-9 in the Delta Center.
One of the production's most articulate performers hails from one of the country's most sprawling melting pots - Los Angeles. Doug Barnhart portrays Wiggins, the pratfalling, buffoonish servant of greedy New World Gov. John Ratcliffe.
Barnhart sort of fell into skating with the same kind of ease that he falls on the ice.
"It was at my cousin's birthday party at the local ice rink," Barnhart said during a telephone interview from his Los Angeles home. "I went to the party and skated for the first time. Then, the next day, went back with a friend and I noticed a slight improvement. I just kept going. That was 20 years ago - and I'm still waiting to get good."
Obviously he's been good enough to spend the last 10 years skating with Kenneth Feld's "Walt Disney's World on Ice" productions, beginning with Mickey Mouse's 60th anniversary "Diamond Jubilee" show. "But it's kind of odd how, after years of practicing to stand up on the ice, now they tell me to fall down."
He added, "This show seems to captivate the kids. This was considered kind of an experiment. I've seen a lot of the shows we've done with Kenneth Feld, and mostly they've been `happy-happy.' This is a lot more serious. There are overtones of racism and being good to the environment. It's the first ice show where someone actually dies."
(Well, the Wicked Witch died in "The Wizard of Oz," too, but her demise was more like a fantasy - not at gunpoint.)
"This was a big experiment in drama. It's not just a joke-filled, good-time show," he said.
Apparently it's working. The youngsters packing the San Diego Sports Arena on opening night a couple of weeks ago were noisy and fidgety until the house lights dimmed and the spotlights lit up the performers on the ice. They were mesmerized for the next hour and 45 minutes.
It's a foregone conclusion that most of the children (and their parents) have seen the animated movie. They probably have the video memorized. And they weren't the least bit disappointed as the captivating Pocahontas (Joanna Ng - pronounced "ing") paddled her canoe through the rapids of a forest river, and lanky, heroic John Smith (Sergei Petrovski) survived a wet, gale-force storm at sea to begin a new series of historic adventures in the uncharted American colonies.
The Atlantic storm itself features some of the best special effects ever designed for an ice show. Huge fans blow chilly air across the audience (a comfortable bonus in exceptionally warm San Diego), and spectacular sprays of water help replicate a ship being tossed to and fro on the violent sea. Visually, it's not quite as stunning as Dorothy's house being lifted into the air during the tornado in "The Wizard of Oz," another recent "Disney's World on Ice" production, but it looks and feels like a wild oceanic storm.
The facts themselves may also be glossed over (and many details have been lost down through the years as the story itself has become more and more romanticized), but Ng and Petrovski, as Pocahontas and Smith, personify the story's spirit of daring and adventure.
- JOANNA NG was born in Taiwan and came to the United States when she was just a few months old. She began skating at the age of 5, following in her older brother's laced-up footsteps (blade tracks?). But while he later shifted into football, Joanna stuck with skating - and it's paid off.
She competed successfully on the national and international circuit for two years. One competition brought her to Bountiful. "I just love Salt Lake City. The people there are so nice," she added, noting that she's looking forward to returning here.
Besides excelling in the Three Rs (graduating with honors from Rim of the World High School in Lake Arrowhead, Calif.), Ng also credits the Three Ds for her success - discipline, determination and dedication.
The production's choreographer, Sarah Kawahara (who recently won an Emmy), is the one who invited Ng to audition for the show. "Joanna skates with all the dynamic attributes of her character," Kawahara says in one of the show's news releases.
In addition to her talent, Ng's friends told her a couple of years ago that she bears a striking resemblance to the American Indian princess depicted in Disney's animated hit.
On tour since the show was first mounted nearly a year ago, Ng said during a telephone interview from San Jose, "I love every aspect of the show, especially the kids. When I go out there in the canoe, the audience is really great."
- RUSSIAN SKATER Sergei Pe-trovski is, like Ng, in his second year with the show.
"Actually, I'm a pairs skater. I've been skating for 23 years," the tall, handsome, Moscow-born athlete said. "I sent a video to my agent, and he sent it on to the producers."
Those in charge of casting scored another look-alike coup. Petrovski looks as ruggedly American as Davy Crockett and as energetic as Johnny Appleseed.
"Sometimes living out of a suitcase can be annoying," he admits, "but my old show traveled all over Europe. This will be my first visit to Utah.
"The audiences are friendly, and it's fun when the kids line up for autographs."
- ONE OF THE NEWEST members of the cast isn't even in the show's elaborate program yet. Anne Ramos, of Anchorage, Alaska, joined the show just this year. She skates the role of Nakoma, the one tribal friend Pocahontas trusts enough to confide in.
Like Petrovski, Ramos - whose mother is a former Norwegian champion skater (and former "Ice Capades" star) and father is of Chinese-Filipino ancestry - sent an audition video into the show's casting directors.
"Then I waited . . . and finally got a phone call."
Ramos didn't get interested in skating until seeing an ice show when she was 7. Even then, her mother never forced skating on her. "But I insisted that I wanted to skate, so she said `OK.' Mother taught me skating in my earlier years, and she still coaches me today."
Ramos moved away from home for a few years, living in both California and Colorado, but she now considers Anchorage to be her home base.
"This is such an amazing experience," she said of the touring show. "Our group is so diverse, but we're like one big happy family. I enjoy performing for the kids. It's exciting to look out and see their faces light up like the Fourth of July."
Ramos also has fond memories of competing a few years ago on the rink in Bountiful.
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Additional Information
Performances, tickets
"The Spirit of Pocahontas" will play Nov. 5-9 at the Delta Center, with performances at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.
All seats are reserved. Tickets are $9.50, $12.50 and $16.50, with $3 discounts for children under 12 for specified performances. All seats for the opening night performance "KSL Family Night") are $5 off the regular prices.
Tickets may be purchased at the Delta Center box office (there is no additional handling fee for those purchased directly from the arena's ticket office) or from all Smith's Tix outlets. To order tickets by telephone, call the Delta Center at 328-7328 or Smith's Tix at 467-8499 or 1-800-888-8499.