When Disney on Ice glides into St. Paul this week, audiences can spot two local skaters on the ice.

Grace Miller, of North St. Paul, and Rebekah Johnson, of St. Paul, are ensemble members in the internationally touring show, which includes renditions of family-favorite movies “Frozen” and “Encanto.”

“Disney on Ice Presents Frozen & Encanto” will present eight performances at Grand Casino Arena, formerly the Xcel Energy Center, from Dec. 4 to 7. Tickets, required for all attendees aged 2 and up, range from $31.50 to about $150. A “Me + 3 4-Pack” offer is also available, with four tickets for the price of three, and a “Character Experience” meet-and-greet and family fun hour can be added on for $60-$70 per person depending on showtime.

Rebekah Johnson, of St. Paul, is a skating performer in the internationally touring show “Disney on Ice Presents Frozen & Encanto.” Johnson trained at SportQuest Skating Academy at Parade Ice Garden in Minneapolis and graduated from the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists. (Courtesy of Feld Entertainment)

As ensemble members, Miller and Johnson perform in the show’s sparkly opening number and then portray Arendelle townsfolk in the “Frozen” segment of the show and various villager and animal characters in the “Encanto” segment. Johnson is also cast as understudy for “Encanto” protagonist Mirabel Madrigal.

Johnson has been skating since about age 2, she said. She trained at SportQuest Skating Academy at Parade Ice Garden in Minneapolis and has performed with organizations including Brownbody and American Ice Theatre. As a competitive skater, she has earned awards from U.S. Figure Skating, and auditioned for Disney on Ice last year as a senior at the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists.

“It was always a goal to be able to do something like this,” Johnson said. “I just love skating, and this seemed like the best way to continue what I really love doing. Any chance I could get to do it for a living, I would take it.”

Grace Miller, of North St. Paul, is a skating performer in the internationally touring show “Disney on Ice Presents Frozen & Encanto.” Miller has trained since she was a child at the Roseville Figure Skating Club and is in her third year in “Disney on Ice.” (Courtesy of Feld Entertainment)

This is Miller’s third year touring with Disney on Ice. She has also been skating since she was a child and trained at the Roseville Figure Skating Club. Growing up, she remembers attending Disney on Ice shows, which she said makes it even more meaningful for her to now be in the company.

“When I first joined, it was kind of surreal because I had grown up watching Disney on Ice shows and getting to see this magic put in front of me, and now I get to help do that,” Miller said. “Sometimes I’ll look out into the audience and there’ll be kids laughing or singing and dancing, and at one point that was me, so it’s fun to have that full-circle moment.”

The company keeps a fast-paced schedule, Miller said. Generally, they’ll arrive in a new city every Monday, have days off Tuesday and Wednesday, then report to the ice Thursday morning to warm up and participate in rehearsal ‘class.’ Performances, usually eight to 12 showtimes in each city, start Thursday evening and run through Sunday — and the cycle repeats.

“Each week is a little different because you’re in a different place, different venue, different audiences,” she said. “It’s such a fun experience to wake up each week in a new city and have new things to explore on your days off, and then also get to share that love of performing on the weekends.”

“Disney on Ice Presents Frozen & Encanto,” presented by Feld Entertainment, was most recently in the Twin Cities in 2023. Other Disney on Ice shows have also stopped here in recent years.

If You Go

What: A Disney on Ice show including “Frozen” and “Encanto,” featuring two St. Paul skaters

When: Showtimes 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4; 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5; 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6; 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7

Where: Grand Casino Arena

Tickets: Starting at $31.50 per person; available at disneyonice.com/en-us/tickets/ and via Ticketmaster

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