Missoula woman skates for Disney on Ice
By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian
Elyse Knudsen likes to joke she’s skating through life.
But the truth is, the standout Missoula figure skater is doing just that: She’s landed a job with Disney on Ice.
“I never really expected this job, and it’s pretty amazing,” Knudsen gushed in a phone interview on Thursday during one of the rare moments when she’s not performing with the show “Princess Wishes,” rehearsing the show’s choreography, working out to stay fit or taking a well-deserved nap.
Knudsen, 20, got the call from the Magic Kingdom in May and jumped aboard the tour, which has taken her to Mexico City, around the Southwest and to the West Coast.
The show is currently under way at the Spokane Arena in Spokane, and is the closest stop to home.
As described by Knudsen, “Princess Wishes” is a magical journey of some of the most famous Disney princesses and their adventures. Among the stars of the show: Cinderella, Jasmine, and Ariel – and their princes.
“It’s called “Princess Wishes,” but it’s also about the princes who find their princesses, so I like to call it “Princes Wishes,” Knudsen said.
The Missoula skater has several character parts she plays in the show, such as one of the ugly stepsisters in the Cinderella story, and sometimes gets the role of a princess.
Filled with high energy choreography and colorful theatrical sets, the show is a whirlwind of fun, Knudsen said.
“I watch every show – it never gets old,” she said. “The colors and the music and the skaters are all top-notch. I’ve been so impressed.”
A competitive figure skater through her teenage years, Knudsen said she wasn’t yet ready to shelve her desire to perform, and applied for a job with Disney on Ice last year while she was student at Pacific Lutheran University.
The company called, but the timing wasn’t right: She still had several weeks to finish her spring semester.
But when the call came again last May, Knudsen went for it. She decided to take a year off from college to skate and when her contract is up next May, she plans to transfer to Montana Tech and pursue a degree in civil engineering.
However, she’s having so much fun being a traveling gypsy with a band of 35 other skaters and the coolest mouse around that her plans may change.
“Next year they are going to Japan, Australia and East Asia – and what an opportunity that would be,” she said.
Aside from the performing and skating, Knudsen said it has been exhilarating to work with the other skaters, many of whom come Italy, Finland, Australia, Sweden and Russia.
“This has been such an amazing experience,” Knudsen said. “The skaters have all been so welcoming and we are very much like a giant family.
“It’s so much fun. And the show is so much fun,” she said. “I always come off the ice laughing.
“I can’t believe I get to go to work and do what I love most every single day.”
Elyse on ice
Missoula skater Elyse Knudsen is touring with Disney on Ice Princess Wishes. The show makes its closest stop to Missoula this weekend with performances in Spokane, Wash., at the Spokane Arena – Nov. 30, Dec. 1 and Dec. 2.
For ticket information log on to www.spokanearena.com, or call (509) 279-7000.
