In August 2017, I was given the opportunity to dance at Disneyland Paris as part of the Performing Arts OnStage Programme, thanks to Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is a company that organises performances and events all across the world.
My dance school invited me to be part of the audition, which was a year prior. There was around 40 of us, ranging from age 7-16. For the audition, we had to do a 20-minute performance, with certain songs that met the guidelines set out by Disney and Mardi Gras themselves. The way that this was arranged was that there were 6 different songs as part of the set, two in the beginning featuring all the performers, one with the youngest performers, one for the juniors and one for the seniors, and then a finale at the end again featuring all performers. We worked on these performances for a year, before taking them to the Sunderland Empire to film, and also do a performance.
After this, we waited only a couple of months before we got the go ahead for Disney. We were told that they were very picky, and we all need to be part of the “Disney Look”. We are all judged individually, so they picked who they thought looked the part, but out of the performers that were chosen, a 10% allowance was given, allowing us to take all the people who auditioned. After this point, we decided to change the entire set, to give it more of a theme but also ensure we met Disney’s guidelines.
The August quickly rolled around and before we knew it, we were jetting off to DisneyLand Paris. The trip was offered as a package holiday, including hotel and park tickets. We had to arrange flights but quite a few of us booked the same flights. We flew from Newcastle at 6am (trust me, the 3:45am start was hard!), so we arrived in Charles de Gaulle Airport just after 9am. The easiest way to the hotels from the airport is the Magical Shuttle as it’s only €47 return, making it much cheaper than a taxi.
As part of the package, we were staying at Hotel Cheyenne, a hotel I had never stayed in before. The theming was amazing, as is with all the Disney hotels, and Toy Story is one of my favourite films, so I was very happy to be staying in this hotel. Unlike other hotels like Newport Bay and Sequoia Lodge where all the rooms are part of one building, Hotel Cheyenne is split in 24 smaller blocks, with the majority of the performers staying in block 24, Calamity Jane.
Image outside the Calamity Jane section of the Hotel Cheyenne at Disneyland Paris
Baggage drop is a wonderful thing, because as we arrived early, we couldn’t get into the room, but we wanted to make the most of the parks. I’d last gone to DLP when I was 9, so after 8 years, a lot had changed, and there were many rides (especially Ratatouille!) that I wanted to experience. Being a HUGE Disney fan, I obviously ran into the packs, dressed head to toe in Disney gear, obviously not forgetting the ears.
Breakfast was served in the Chuck Wagon Café (I don’t know whether it is still served in here it there were renovations taking place at the time). The group was meeting outside Marne le Valle train station at 8am, so it was an early start to get costumes stored, hair and makeup done and getting the shuttle to the meeting point (walking is just too slow when you have an 8am start!) The backstage Disney people took us and the other group who was performing with us (they were from Spain), to the theatre we were
performing in. This was the Videopolis theatre in Tommorowland, it hides just next to Buzz Lightyear’s Lazer Blast and behind Space Mountain. We were taken to the stage, and given a health and safety tour, and given an idea of how big the stage will be, so staging could be changed if necessary. Then we were left to get into our costumes, until we were called to the stage. It’s a nervous wait, but we were all so excited. Even though our changing room was small, we were able to fit in one last practice before the show itself. For the juniors and seniors, there was a quick change of only a couple of minutes, where we had to change out of tutus, leotards and take out bows, to change these to unitards, tutus and head bands, all in heels may I add! The morning went so quick, and in a blink of an eye, the show was over. I don’t even remember specific details,
because it all happens so quickly, and after two years of work, its done. But I will always be proud of the fact I can say that I have performed at DisneyLand Paris, and it’s a memory I will never forget. I have always been a fan of Disney, but this really consolidated the fact that this is a company I aim to work with for as long as I can. This also prompted visiting Disney every year during the summer, as I visited last year (more details to follow in another post), and I’m also planning to visiting again this year. I am lucky that I am in a fortunate position to be able to visit Disney this much, and I will always give credit to this experience. For that, I am eternally grateful.
DisneyGirlRebecca 