EVERETT — He’s Aladdin on the ice.
And though he’s a professional now, Brendyn Hatfield fondly remembers his early training in Snohomish County.
Hatfield is back this week to perform in the Disney on Ice show “Follow Your Heart” through Sunday at Xfinity Arena. His wife, Jessica Hatfield, also is his partner on the ice. She portrays Jasmine in the Aladdin segment of “Follow Your Heart.”
Hatfield, 32, grew up in Renton, but learned to skate at OlympicView Arena in Mountlake Terrace and the Lynnwood Ice Center.
“At the time there were few ice rinks around,” Hatfield said. “My grandparents were living in Marysville then. They’re the ones who got me into skating.”
The late Ed Johnson and Marylou Davis-Johnson, now of Auburn, put Brendyn in a learn-to-skate program at the early age of 6. He skated locally and then in regional competitions.
“At age 12, I got serious,” Hatfield said. “I did homeschooling and then Running Start in order to have the time to compete.”
At the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Hatfield studied media management and he began skating in pairs competitions. After college, he participated in several European tours and then got a job touring with Disney on Ice. That’s where he met his wife.
Each Disney tour has a new story line, but this is the second time Jessica and Brendyn have skated the roles of Jasmine and Aladdin.
“We enjoy performing with Disney,” Hatfield said. “The kids idolize the Disney characters. You look out into the audience and you see these kids who are just glowing. To them we are those characters. It’s fun to act as well as do all the technical skating tricks.”
The show is a good one for parents and grandparents as well, Hatfield said.
“Lots of the characters are the beloved ones from Disney’s beginnings. So you have Mickey Mouse and then some of the Disney-Pixar characters,” he said. “And then, of course, there’s ‘Frozen,’ which is the perfect meld of character, theme and ice.”
With back-to-back performances, the cast sometimes gets fatigued.
“We talk about this off stage. We can be exhausted from the schedule, but even if just one kid recognizes you, it’s much easier to perform. It may sound cliche, but so true.”
The Hatfields said they would like to be included on a Disney on Ice tour that makes the rounds internationally.
“No matter what, we’ll be doing this as long as we can,” Hatfield said. “We are very happy.”
Disney on Ice: Follow Your Heart
Xfinity Arena, Hewitt and Broadway, Everett.
7 p.m. Nov. 9 and 10; 11:30 a.m., 3:30 and 7 p.m. Nov. 11; 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Nov. 12.
For tickets, which range in price, call 866-332-8499 or go to xfinityarenaeverett.com.
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