A magical Disney moment turned into a heart-stopping spectacle when a stunt went spectacularly wrong on the ice.
Fans watching a Disney on Ice performance were left horrified after professional skaters portraying The Little Mermaid’s Ariel and Prince Eric attempted a risky move and suffered a frightening fall.
The attempted stunt is so dangerous that it’s banned in official competitive figure skating.
A Disney on Ice performance took a frightening turn at the SAP Center in San Jose, California
The incident was captured on video at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, on Sunday, October 25, and has since racked up almost nine million views online.
The footage shows the pair attempting a “headbanger,” often referred to as a bounce spin or “The Iron Lotus, ”which is what the move was called in the 2007 comedy Blades of Glory.
The stunt requires one skater to lift their partner by the ankle and swing them in repeated circles.
The female skater’s head goes dangerously close to the ice, and one small slip-up can be catastrophic.
It is especially dangerous for the performer being spun because the maneuver is entirely dependent on their partner’s grip and balance.
The skaters were attempting a notoriously dangerous move called the “headbanger”
During the Disney on Ice show in question, the characters of Ariel and Prince Eric were seen attempting the perilous move.
Things quickly went awry when the male performer seemed to have lost his footing, thus losing his grip on his partner’s leg.
Both skaters came crashing down onto the ice, with the woman clutching her head as she got up.
Thankfully, the pair weren’t down for long and managed to get back on their feet.
They swiftly made an exit and even gave the audience a gracious wave on their way out.
The frightening footage has since prompted an outpouring of concern on TikTok, with people saying, “That actually looked BAD.”
A second said, “Oh my gosh she could’ve d*ed.”
“He almost bashed her head on the ice omg,” one commented on the video
Viewers questioned why such a dangerous stunt was part of the performance in the first place.
“Why does that move need to be part of the choreography?” a social media user exclaimed.
“And why would they even need to do all that?” asked another.
Another claimed that the “headbanger” is a stunt often attempted by Disney on Ice artists.
“For those who aren’t skaters, the head banger is something that lots of skaters in Disney on Ice do week in week out,” they 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!”
While the “headbanger” is illegal in competitive skating, there are no prohibitions against performing it in shows and exhibitions.
Hence, it is still a common fixture in productions like Disney On Ice, Dancing On Ice, and other shows.
Former Dancing On Ice contestant Michelle Heaton has spoken about the move in the past.
She said she would never have considered it herself if she were even a tad bit taller.
“If I was two inches higher, I wouldn’t be thought of. So it’s literally a height thing,” Michelle told the Daily Star in 2023.
“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 added. “So hopefully in the coming weeks I will attempt it.”
The producers of the show confirmed that both performers escaped injury
Feld Entertainment, which produces the Disney On Ice show, addressed the incident where characters Ariel and Prince Eric crashed and left the audience gasping.
“We appreciate your concern for the Disney On Ice skaters who fell during an October 25 performance in San Jose, CA,” the company said in a statement to Tyla.
“Thankfully, both skaters were uninjured and continued performing as scheduled.”
“Ooooof I know she ugly cried after that,” one commented online
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