Disney's Magic Ice kingdom.

• Author: Barrett, Wayne M.
• Position: Sarah Kawahara

For my wife and I, it was Edna Mode's clever monologue introducing "The Incredibles" segment. ("[I am] fashion designer to the ... Super Heroes. Yes! Enough with the super models--feh!--Spoiled little stick figures with poofy lips....") For our seven-year-old son, it was "The Incredibles" themselves. For his older brother--and me, too, actually; is it okay to have two favorite parts?--it was the myriad green soldiers from "Toy Story" marching in unison. And for our 10-year-old daughter, it was, of course, the princesses: Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, et al. That there are so many high points in "Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic" came as no surprise to us. We've attended these Feld Entertainment shows at New York's Nassau Coliseum before; this is a production company whose recruits are the very best and brightest at what they do.

"It is more than just skating," points out "100 Years of Magic" choreographer Sarah Kawahara, who orchestrated the skating segment in the 2002 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies as well as Michelle Kwan's long program. Choreography for figure skating, says Kawahara, is "the fusion of music with interpretive movement and the technical elements of skating.... You define what you want to say and how you want to say it."

Kawahara also is observant--and nurturing--to the needs of her impressive roster of international skaters, a bevy of former National Champions who hail from Russia, Ireland, Australia, Japan, and the U.S. "I really work off the talent of the individual skater to tap into the inner sense of who they are and their own body rhythms," she explains. "I blend what I have with their strengths and arrive at a new and different place for both of us."

Kawahara is well-known for incorporating set pieces into her choreography. "I like to have skaters go in or through the props rather than just...