Disneyland dancers made her happy as a child. Now, Elisa Cassar is about to become one of them.

She’s had to overcome doubting tutors, a “closed-minded attitude” towards her profession and a gruelling seven-hour audition to get there. But, this month, the 19-year-old dancer starts what she describes as her dream job.

“It’s been a couple of days and I am still over the moon and also very shocked; I can’t believe it,” Cassar told Times of Malta last week.

The younger dancer always loved amusement parks and Disneyland was no exception.

“I remember how I would watch the dancers and they would make me happy. I just want to make the audience as happy as I used to feel when I was a child.”

She’s been dancing since the age of three and she’s a bigger expert of Spanish flamenco than Snow White.

But after taking part in several local and international events over the years, such as performing at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics Malta Invitational Games last year, she was itching for more.

Local dancers and performers struggle to find new opportunities and continue to face a “closed-minded” attitude towards their profession, she said.

“I was fed up feeling like this. I love what I do and I want to spend the rest of my life doing what I love.”

That was when Disneyland came to mind.

“I searched for Disney auditions and they have a whole career auditions website with dates for open auditions, so you just go and show up.”

Elisa performing her favourite form of dance, flamenco. Photo: Justin Mamo

On April 1, Cassar and her mother headed to Dublin, Ireland where the auditions were taking place. She was among 40 dancers from around the world giving their all to become one of Disneyland’s performers.

Six rounds of auditions made for a long day. Cassar not only had to learn a dance routine on the spot but she was also asked to act, something she did not practise much of in her years of dance training.

“I remember the judges telling us: ‘Imagine you are Tigger (a Winnie the Pooh character), how would you interact with the crowd?’”

Every round, a number of dancers were asked to leave.

“I didn’t know what was going on around me, I was focusing on myself. Every round they would call out the dancers’ numbers who would remain and every time they called mine.”

Cassar’s audition number was 113. “13 is my lucky number and I think that helped.”

Her mother cried with happiness when she learned her daughter had been selected.

She will start her role as a character and parade performer later this month under a six-month contract.

As to a character she’d like to perform, she has no favourites.

“I just know I want to perform. Whether that is on the biggest stage there is or on a small platform, I just want to perform.”

At three years of age, her introduction to dancing was jazz and ballet lessons and she progressed to contemporary dance, hip-hop and flamenco as she got older.

She has dedicated countless hours to her training, sacrificing time with friends and juggling with her physiotherapy studies.  But some dance tutors have been critical of her.

“It wasn’t an easy time. I got comments from my dance teachers that I would not make it, that there was no use in trying and that I was not the sort of dancer Disneyland would want,” she said.

“It’s difficult to hear these things, even more when they come from people who are supposedly there to support you.”

She attributes her positive attitude to her family’s support.

“They have supported me all my life, not just by encouraging me but also being very honest with me,” she said.

“If there is a performance I did not do so well in, they would point it out and provide me with helpful criticism. They are a big impact on my life and help me to not give up.”

She’s looking to eventually pursue a career in Spanish flamenco. One thing is for sure, she won’t give up.

After all, it was Cinderella who once said: “No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.”