Disney on Ice skater suffers horror accident after move goes wrong during show
A woman performing as a character from The Little Mermaid on the Disney on Ice tour took a major tumble after a move with her partner went tragically wrong.
Footage shared earlier this week on TikTok by user PlanoPlaysGames showed a woman dressed as Ariel and a man dressed as Prince Eric from the classic animated movie performing as part of a Disney On Ice tour.
The pair were skating to ‘Part of Your World’, the 1989 track by Jodi Benson featured in The Little Mermaid.
For their finale, both professionals manoeuvred into a trick known as the bounce spin or the death-defying handbag.
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The ice danging lift involves a skater being picked up by the ankle and spun around continuously by their partner.
The extremely high-risk move is actually banned by the International Skating Union (ISU), which governs competitive skating disciplines, but was often a staple on the ITV reality show Dancing On Ice.
Some may also know it as ‘The Iron Lotus’ thanks to Will Ferrell's 2007 comedy, Blades of Glory.
At Disney On Ice, the crowd could be heard cheering as ‘Eric’ and ‘Ariel’ headed into the move.
They managed five rotations before the male ice dancer seemingly lost his footing, sending both him and his partner crashing to the ground.
In the viral clip, which has amassed more than 7,700 comments from concerned viewers, both performers gingerly got to their feet after falling.
They skated arm-in-arm towards the left side of the rink before waving farewell to the children and parents.
“When a Disney On Ice Stunt Goes Wrong… But Watch How They Recover!,” the TikTok user wrote in the clip’s caption.
Many have questioned why the hand-banger needed to be part of the family-friendly performance, given how dangerous it can be.
“Why does that move need to be part of the choreography,” one user asked.
A second remarked: “No because that actually looked BAD.”
“For those who aren’t skaters the head banger is something that lots of skaters in Disney on Ice do week in week out,” another said. “As performers, unfortunately, sometimes things go wrong. I would expect she has a severe concussion after hitting her head with that force - please be respectful.”
A fourth praised the couple for how they carried themselves after the fall, adding: “The way they just waved, and that’s showbiz.”
After Tyla contacted Feld Entertainment, which produces Disney On Ice shows, for comment, a spokesperson told us: "We appreciate your concern for the Disney On Ice skaters who fell during an October 25 performance in San Jose, CA.
"Thankfully, both skaters were uninjured and continued performing as scheduled."
How hard is it to perform the headbanger?
Liberty X singer and former Dancing On Ice contestant Michelle Heaton previously explained that the 'headbanger' takes a lot of planning and preparation to execute safely.
She explained that being able to perfectly execute the move depends on a person's height.
She claimed she wouldn't have been allowed to try it if she was 'two inches’ taller.
"So when people don't do it, it's not that they don't want to, it's a height thing and it's safety," she told Virgin Radio in 2023.
Topics: Disney, Sport, Social Media
Ella Scott