Disney Ice Show performer trained in Canton
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| Madison DeLuca |
DeLuca, now 27, trained at the ice rink for several years during her competitive skating career before joining the performers in Disney On Ice presents Find Your Hero which opens at 7 p.m. tonight, Sept. 21 at Little Caesars Arena.
DeLuca began her skating career at the age of 3, following her older sister. She eventually skated in both regional and sectional competitions and has completed both Senior Free Skate and Senior Moves-in the Field ratings.
Since joining the Disney performers in 2014, she has traveled to 39 countries. The best thing about living on the road, she said, is traveling to so many different cultures. “The worst thing about living on the road is definitely my packing skills, I want to bring everything,” she said.
While she said she loves the traveling performances and hearing the applause and seeing “kids dressed up, singing, dancing and waving,” it is difficult not being home for the holidays.
“It can be tough not being with family but knowing when you perform over the holidays that a ticket is some kid's present, and seeing their face light up, it's so rewarding,” she said.
DeLuca hopes to one day become a performance director with Disney while she is currently a line captain “and I love it.”
One of her fondest memories, she said, is “when my family came to see me the first time I portrayed my first role,” she said.
Her phone, DeLuca said, is her lifeline to her family in Livonia, with whom she Facetimes every day.
Before joining the ice show, DeLuca was a competitive skater, she said. Her advice to any young people looking for a skating career is to put in the work.
“I would say to work hard to achieve that goal. I believe in them, so they should believe in themselves too.”
Disney On Ice presents Find Your Hero skates into Detroit from Sept. 21-24 at Little Caesars Arena. For ticket prices and to purchase tickets visit www.DisneyOnIce.com.
