Disney On Ice making dreams come true for 'Princesses & Heroes' -- and a Minnesota skater - Oct. 24-25

photo Snow White (Lauren Anderson) wishes for the day her prince will come in Disney on Ice: "Princesses & Heroes."

IF YOU GO* What: Disney on Ice: "Princesses & Heroes."* When: 7 p.m. today and Friday, Oct. 24-25; 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 26-27.* Where: UTC McKenzie Arena, Fourth and Mabel streets.* Admission: $15, $25, $35 VIP, $45 rinkside.* Phone: 423-425-4706

Through the decades, Disney has made wishes come true for people of all ages, and it's about to happen again in Chattanooga.

Starting this evening, Oct. 24, Disney fans will be gathering at McKenzie Arena to see Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Tiana, Jasmine, Aurora and Snow White perform as Disney on Ice presents "Princesses & Heroes."

Skater Lauren Anderson, from Minnesota, is performing the role of Snow White, one of the eight Disney princesses who "embark on the adventure of a lifetime" -- with the help of Tinker Bell.

Among the featured storylines:

* Jasmine discovers a whole new world with Aladdin after meeting her unlikely hero in the marketplace.

* Prince Philip defeats the evil fire-breathing dragon Maleficent in a race to save his true love Aurora.

* Prince Eric breaks Ursula's spell so that Ariel can remain part of his world.

All the princesses find happiness in the ice show, much like Anderson has.

"Disney on Ice was the first Disney ice show I ever saw," says Anderson, 25, who started ice-skating at 7. "I always hoped I would skate professionally but, growing up, I was mostly focused on competing. I knew skating professionally was a possibility when Disney on Ice came to town. I pretended I was in it. And when it happened, I was ecstatic."

This is Anderson's seventh tour with Disney on Ice. She says the crowd's reaction is one of her favorite things about performing.

"Making stories come true in such a grand way makes it so special to me," she says. "I even love when I can hear the audience talking. It's something I never got to experience in figure skating. Performing on ice brings new life into skating. It's not just a competition when you do tricks, but it's also portraying a story through your skating. It makes me want to be an actress."

Contact Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396.

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