Sunday, December 8, 2019

Joel Featured in Colorado Xposer Online Magazine - December 2019

Interview Joel Farris Disney On Ice Skater



Joel Farris has been skating with Disney on Ice and Feld Entertainment since 2014. His first role was as supporting cast in the presentation Frozen but in this current show, ‘Mickey’s Search Party’, Joel says “It has a completely different feel to it, it’s almost like parkour with the way the performance goes, not just traditional skating but we incorporate aerial maneuvers, jumps and stunts like you’ve never seen before!”.
Growing up here in Colorado Springs, Joel was exposed to figure skating at a very young age. A majority of his family are figure skaters and pushed him towards that field, but Joel was much more interested in playing hockey instead. It wasn’t until the age of 10 that he finally decided to give figure skating a try and ended up falling in love with it. Surrounded by the exceptional talent of his family, it didn’t take much for Joel to become the best he could be. Winning the Gold Medal in US Figure Skating and once placing at the US Championships, Joel knew he could achieve anything he set his mind to and eventually that is what led him to his career with Disney on Ice.
What Joel loves most about being a supporting cast member of “Mickey’s Search Party’ is how intense the show is incorporating extreme skating with ramps and jumps involved. This show is action packed and unlike anything you’ve ever seen before in any other Disney on Ice performance. Joel says being involved with this show has allowed him to push himself and his ability to try new things. “Mickey’s Search Party”  I would say is more on the lines of a Cirque performance, we incorporate a lot of aerial acts and many stunts, there will also be many characters interacting with the crowd to bring a more personal touch to the show, also bringing a more immersive fan experience with it”. This happens to be the first show to ever incorporate projection lights into the live performance. The projection lights have the capability of painting a scene instantly, allowing for a more realistic setting for the characters to act out their particular scenes from the movies. Joel’s favorite part of the show is the rendition of the movie ‘CoCo’, stating it is by far the most visually stunning portion along with how beautiful the music is.  Good news for all of Joel’s fans, during ‘CoCo’ you will have the opportunity to see a lot more of him on the ice and much of his performance will be action packed. The performers can actually hear your cheers of joy and the sounds of awe as the scene from the movie is painted live before your eyes. The crowds engagement really ignites these performers on the ice, so when they hear your cheers, it’s hard for them to not get even more excited about performing for you.
Watching all of your favorite Disney characters come to life on ice can be like a dream come true, especially to all the little ones that truly believe they are seeing their favorite characters come to life right before their eyes. The cast loves being able to see how the crowd reacts from the ice, “We can see quite a bit from our position, especially the audience closer to the rink, their energy and happiness always makes me smile, it pushes me harder to make sure I’m giving them my best performance” states Joel.
Joel appreciates being involved with the Disney on Ice team and states that his years with the company have allowed him to grow significantly, working on personal development and even being able to travel the world and experience many different cultures. While traveling, Joel loves to take photos, capturing the scenery and monuments while exploring whatever city/country he might be in at the time. Through these travels he has also gained a greater appreciation of home and how to be grateful for everything that he has.
Disney on Ice will be here this weekend and Joel would like to remind you that if you haven’t had the chance to purchase your tickets to one of the upcoming shows, you can do so by clicking this link DIsney on Ice ‘Mickey Search Party’ Denver Tickets. Showtime’s are as follows and tickets start at only $15 so it’s affordable to bring the whole family!!
Hosted at the Pepsi Center downtown, performance dates and times are:
Dec 05, 2019 at 7:00 pm
Dec 06, 2019 at 11:00AM & 07:00PM
Dec 07, 2019 at 11:00AM, 03:00PM & 07:00PM
Dec 08, 2019 at 11:00AM & 03:00PM
Still plenty of time to grab your tickets so don’t miss out on your chance to catch this experience of a lifetime!
As always stay tuned to Xposer Magazine… where you go to be scene!
Ciao,
Bella


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My niece Phoebe was also interviewed by the same magazine in March of 2019!