A skating rink is cold and slippery, but for Romklao Sopa, the only Thai in this year's Disney On Ice performance, it is paradise.
Romklao Sopa.
"Of course I'm afraid of getting hurt, I'm afraid to fall," said the 27-year-old skater. "But I always want to keep skating and now I'm used to the fear.
"Some might say ice skating is a sweet sport, but for me it's challenging."
As a child, Romklao looked forward to seeing Disney On Ice when it came to town, dreaming of one day being a part of the show.
"I've always been moved by the performance," said Romklao, a supporting character in the Dare To Dream show that is coming to Bangkok next week. "When I perform, I always try my best to make sure audiences will have the same feelings that I had."
To be a part of Disney On Ice, Romklao did not just dare to dream — he dared to pursue it.
Last year, BEC-Tero, the Thai organiser of Disney On Ice, was searching for an emcee who could skate and introduce the show. Romklao auditioned for the position without realising that he would be offered a larger role. When he met Judy Thomas, the show's talent director and production coordinator, he seized the opportunity, asking if he could audition to join the cast.
"I was asked to show my skating skills at the rink, without any preparation," he said, adding that to apply for the team an applicant must normally submit a video. "A couple days after that, I was offered a position."
Romklao, a native of Lop Buri, discovered his talents as a skater while attending high school in Bangkok. He joined the national ice skating team at age 17. Three years later, he became a coach.
Romklao said that being a national skater and a performer in Disney On Ice requires similar skills — skating and acting. Because Disney On Ice is a team effort, responsibility must be a performer's first priority, as they want to to decrease the chance of making a mistake during a show.
"I get to work with professional skaters who completely understand their place and know what to do to improve the show. Therefore I work very hard, as I don't want to be a burden," he said.
Skating while wearing fancy, sometimes bulky, costumes is also a challenge he has had to get used to, he added.
After getting the part, Romklao had two weeks before he joined the Japanese leg of the show's tour in August 2014.
He practised alone every day at 6am, then rehearsed with the cast until 8pm.
"It's not just our own roles that we need to learn. The show is live, so we have to expect unexpected problems that we will need to solve right away," he said.
Everyone in the cast needs to learn to perform other parts in case of an emergency, he said.
Now that he's a part of Disney On Ice, he is constantly busy — practising, skating and travelling city to city.
"If we find the thing we love, boredom is out of the question. What I'm doing may seem tiring, but I really enjoy where I am right now," Romklao said.
"Work is full of fun. Hopefully I will have a chance to play a larger role in the next show."
