by Michael P Coleman
Sacramento is a popular portal to a variety of destinations, from Lake Tahoe to Reno to San Francisco, and just a short flight away from Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Thanks to a little Disney magic, Sactown will be transformed into a gateway to exotic destinations worldwide — and even under the sea! — as Disney On Ice presents PASSPORT TO ADVENTURE November 3-6 at the brand new Golden 1 Arena.
Mickey and Minnie Mouse will whisk families on a sightseeing adventure with stops in the pride lands of The Lion King, London with Peter Pan, Wendy, and Tinkerbell, and under the sea with Ariel from The Little Mermaid. And no journey would be complete without heading to Arendelle for a visit with sisters Ana and Elsa and their friend Olaf from Frozen, as they discover that true love is the most magical power of all.
Disney On Ice presents PASSPORT TO ADVENTURE features upbeat music, high energy choreography, colorful sets, lovable characters, and unforgettable moments that only Disney can deliver. The show also features an international team of award-winning figure skaters, including Elk Grove native Garrett Uyeta-Buckley, who is thrilled to be coming home during his sixth Disney On Ice season.
“I don’t even call it work,” Uyeta-Buckley, 32, said of performing with the Disney On Ice ensemble. “Performing is a really neat, positive thing for me — to see all of the faces in the audience, and especially the kids. They’re looking at us with awe, and it’s positive to see that, especially when they come to the show dressed up and super excited.”
As an ensemble skater in the cast, look for Uyeta-Buckley in a number of locales during PASSPORT TO ADVENTURE. He’s playing a pirate during the Peter Pan sequence, a citizen in Frozen, and a starfish while under the sea.
“You’ll definitely notice the starfish,” Uyeta-Buckley laughed. “It’s a really funny costume. The kids always go crazy for them. Our “Under The Sea” number is one of my favorites, and it’s one of the crowd’s favorites as well. There are bubbles everywhere and it’s really colorful. That’s what’s cool about this show. We have the classics like The Little Mermaid, but we also have Frozen, a new classic.”
There’s some irony to Uyeta-Buckley choosing — and excelling in — ice skating, when his home town of Sacramento, with its blisteringly hot, dry summers and rainy “winters,” , isn’t exactly known for its cold weather sports. You have to go out of your way to find a patch of ice in Sacramento, so how did this guy get from Elk Grove to Disney On Ice?
“I watched the olympics in 1998 and got interested in figure skating,” Uyeta-Buckley remembered. “I think when I chose figure skating, my parents were a little taken aback because I’d played baseball, which is the more normal direction for a kid. But I chose figure skating and I stuck with it.”
“Fast forward to Cal State Fullerton, and my coach encouraged me to try show skating after I graduated,” Uyeta-Buckley continued. “So I sent my audition video in to Disney and here I am six years later. I sometimes ask myself how long I’m going to do this. We have [performers] who come for one or two tours, but we also have veterans who have been with us for twenty years! It really shows me that you can stay for a little bit just to experience it, or you can stay here for a good portion of your life. That just shows that the career is a fun career, and it’s worth staying for.”
If Uyeta-Buckley’s enthusiasm about his “job” is emblematic of the entire casts’, the audiences at Golden 1 Center (which will include his mom, dad, and sister) are in for a treat. While I had the skater’s ear, I asked him for his advice for someone else who might be feeling the call of a career (or life) that was somewhat off the beaten path.
“I would tell someone if they find something like that to just follow your heart,” Uyeta-Buckley shared. “That might sound cliché, but just do it. You have to chose the thing that you want to do and just be your own biggest fan.”
Tens of thousands of Disney On Ice fans will be enthralled by Uyeta-Buckley and the entire cast of Disney On Ice presents PASSPORT TO ADVENTURE November 3-6 at Sacramento’s new Golden 1 Center. Click here for tickets.
This feature was written by freelance writer Michael P Coleman, who accepts every opportunity to go “under the sea” with his eldest daughter.
Connect with him at michaelpcoleman.com or on Twitter: @ColemanMichaelP .
