Tag: Duluth

The first time professional skater and performer Riona Harris put on a pair of skates, she fell. She was eight years old, and even though the Duluth native had been training in dance since she was two years old, being coordinated on ice wasn’t easy for her.  

“I wasn’t good at it, I was falling a lot, but I loved it,” Harris explained. “I was hanging and holding onto the boards because I kept falling.” 

Harris said that despite the rough start, there was a certain feeling that she couldn’t shake. The feeling that only ice skating, and maybe surfing and roller skating can duplicate.

“Once I got comfortable, the feeling of gliding felt so incredible,” Harris said.

These days, Harris is very comfortable on ice as a member of the ensemble for Disney on Ice presents Jump In! The show’s East Coast tour is making a stop at Gas South Arena in Duluth. The show is running from September 25-28, and as soon as Harris learned the tour was going to make a stop in metro Atlanta, she knew she was going home. Asked if she could recall the other stops on the tour, Harris needed a moment to remember. She was so excited to return to her hometown that she couldn’t get past those dates.

“I’m very excited to perform in front of my home audience,” she said.

Harris took her first ballet lessons at the age of two and enjoys the art of dance. Disney on Ice always includes plenty of dancing, and Harris expects to do a lot of dancing during the show, which includes 50 Disney characters.

“I was a huge Disney fan growing up,” said Harris, who revealed she would dress up like her favorite characters as a child. “I would play dress up all the time.” 

Harris said she is expecting her family, friends, and former coaches to attend some of the shows. In the case of her parents, Yumiko and Lawrence Harris, she joked that they will most likely be at Gas South Arena for all four shows. Her younger brother Kai is in college in the Midwest and might not be able to make a show, but there will be plenty of videos and photos to go around.

“I can’t wait to have my coaches, family, and friends see what I’ve been up to,” she said. “They are a big part of why I’m here, and I hope to make my coaches and teachers proud.” 

Some of Harris’s favorite professional skaters have been on stages around the world, including the Winter Olympics. Two of her favorites, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, performed together at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. 

“I loved it so much I got a skating dress made inspired by Meryl’s dress from that program that year,” she said.

Asked what she believes Disney fans and skating fans will get when they see the show, Harris said she hopes they come away satisfied with the shows she and her fellow castmates put on.

“You will be able to see your favorite Disney stories and Disney princesses during the show,” Harris said. “I think it’s definitely going to be different live.”

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