This winter, as Disney’s cast of characters skate out to celebrate 100 Years of Wonder at arenas across the UK, a Scottish star will be centre stage.
For 25-year-old Rachel Hamilton the show will not only fulfil an ambition of becoming a professional skater that she has clung to since she was eight years old, it pays out on her remarkable persistence and determination to turn a beloved pastime into a paying career.
While studying for a degree in Biomedical Science at the University of the West of Scotland and coping with the disruptions caused by Covid, Rachel quietly auditioned for any skating role she saw advertised.
Even when rinks across the country closed for two years due to Covid-19, she clung to that hope and was one of the first people back on ice when restrictions eased, just as she graduated.
“I felt like I had someone else’s skates on,” said Rachel as she looked back on that first step back onto the ice, but she was determined to shake off any rust.
“I saw that auditions were opening up for Disney on Ice, and I thought I may as well email,” she said. “I emailed for about two years before I was lucky enough to get an in-person audition in Leeds.
“It was the best experience,” she reflected, “and I thought, ‘if I don’t get anything out of it, at least I’ve tried.’”
She did not, for a second, expect the news that followed and the invite to join the Disney on Ice crew.
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The current touring show, Disney on Ice presents 100 years of Wonder, is currently touring the UK, with tour organisers Feld Entertainment, putting on shows across the globe – with forthcoming tour dates in North and Central America and across Europe and Asia.
This is the moment she (and her family) had dreamed of as she made her near-daily journeys back and forth to skate at the ice rink in East Kilbride Shopping Centre.
She was there before and after school and on weekends, working hard and nurturing an ambition to turn her hobby into a career.
However, during that time she refused to narrow her options and persevered with her other passion.
Alongside sport, science was Rachel’s other career route and she went on to study for a degree in Biomedical Science. During her studies she skated a fine line, balancing practise with university work and limiting her time on the ice.
It was only on the lifting of Covid restrictions and upon graduating that she was able to refocus on skating.
“I always loved science in high school,” she said. “Biomedical science always really interested me, but it was hard and the workload for university was more than I expected it to be.
“I did continue skating, it was a good way to clear my mind, and I am glad I still stuck with it through university, but I wasn’t competing anymore. I was able to go and skate, but I didn’t put that pressure on myself to train for competitions.”
Rachel continues: “To now be able to tour the world and be part of Disney on Ice, which I have wanted since I was little, is unbelievable.
“The casting crew are from all over the world, so meeting people from different cultures is great and the friends I’ve met on tour are incredible.”
She also has a new understanding of the lengths the entire Disney on Ice crew go to, to produce their touring extravaganza, training “for more than 550 hours to perfect each performance and encapsulate the characters.
“We have a team of choreographers and set and costume designers create approximately 181 props and 250 different costumes.
“These take thousands of yards of fabric to make, and alongside the magical set for Disney on Ice presents 100 Years of Wonder, everything is all transported in 19 trucks from city to city, taking approximately 10 hours to set up.”
Then end result is always worth the effort and she takes particular delight in looking out to crowd and seeing hundreds of children, all dressed up as their favourite Disney characters. “I love to do what I do,” she says with a broad smile.
The skater has her eyes and ambitions firmly fixed on Disney on Ice for now but, looking to the long-term, she may look to stay on the ice in a coaching role. Or she may return one day to biomedical science.
“I would have to do a refresher course in university before I go back into a lab,” she said, “I still have a love for science.”
Reflecting on advice for any young Scottish skaters looking to follow in her footsteps she adds: “Keep on going. There will be hard parts and times that make you not want to continue, but you need to keep on pushing yourself
“I never thought I would make it into Disney. Just keep going and you will make it too.”
Tickets for 100 Years of Wonder can be found on the Disney on Ice website, with upcoming dates in Liverpool, Cardiff, and Leeds.
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