By Susan Lin
One day in 1997, while attending a local high school in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, Crotenko sent her videotape and resume to Disney on Ice. I sent it to see what would happen, said Crotenko. She was hired soon after.
Crotenko, who is now 23, will be one of the 46 performers in Disney on Ice's Disney Classics, showing Jan. 15 - 20 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale. Crotenko plays the villain Cruella De Vil of 101 Dalmatians.
The two-hour Disney Classics show brings together the full, though abbreviated, stories of Snow White, 101 Dalmatians and Little Mermaid.
It's a 3-in-1, said Judy Thomas, 47, who is talent director and production coordinator for the eight different shows Disney on Ice puts out on tour each year.
Compared to the other productions by Disney on Ice, such as Toy Story or Beauty and the Beast, this one required a greater variety of talent because there were more roles to fill.
Thomas spent more time talent scouting for Disney Classics than the other shows. It was similar to casting three different shows but all for the one show, said Thomas, who lives in Sarasota, Fla.
Thomas had been working with Disney on Ice, owned by Feld Entertainment, since 1973. In her first year, as a performer in Ice Follies, Thomas met her future husband Dave Thomas, who she married seven years later.
After 16 years touring the world as a performer for Disney on Ice shows, Thomas hung up her skates in 1988 to assume the job of artistic talent coordinator. Three years later, Thomas was promoted to her current position.
I would love to go back to performing but I also enjoy the challenges of my position now. I feel I'm still connected to the performances but I just don't get to do it myself, said Thomas.
One of Thomas's hires is Crotenko. Cruella De Vil required not just beautiful technical skating, but she's comedic. She's sexy but also sarcastic, and displays a whole range of emotions so she's very dimensional. Sabrina was able to convey that, said Thomas.
Crotenko's venture into professional ice-skating is with Disney on Ice. In the role of Cruella De Vil, her challenges as a skater are different than when she was younger. For one thing, Crotenko had to learn to ice skate while wearing a bright red fur coat over a long, delicate black dress.
But what was really challenging, Crotenko said, is doing justice to the character she must play. Cruella flip-flops so much. She switches from being in love with herself, being conceited, to being crazed about chasing after the dogs. And then being all sensual. She's rather schizo, said Crotenko.
In hindsight, Crotenko said she believes Disney on Ice has improved her skating ability. It's helped me come out of my shell because when you compete, you're so focused on the jumps and technical aspects that you don't enjoy it as much. Once you start getting into a role, a character, it brings more out of your skating, Crotenko said.
At a Glance
Disney on Ice presents
Disney Classics
Tuesday, Jan. 15 - Sunday, Jan. 20
Nassau Coliseum
1255 Hempstead Tpke., Uniondale
Box office: (516) 794-9300
$45 (VIP), $25, $15
