Study hard. Get good grades. Walk a straight line. Fall in love.
Magical. Positive. That in part describes the list of messages designed for kids within Disney’s “High School Musical: The Ice Tour.”
Scheduled to stage from May 8-11 at Freedom Hall in Johnson City, the performances appeal to and are loved by millions of kids.
World champion skater Silvia Fontana, who portrays co-lead Gabriella Montez, said she thinks she knows why pre-teen and teen girls are so drawn to “High School Musical.’
“I think it’s how it speaks the language that kids can relate to, and it brings positive messages,” Fontana said last week by phone from Lexington, Ky. “Being from Europe, I sometimes see that America sometimes does not have the best role models for children. This does.”
The Disney Channel film “High School Musical” attracted about seven million viewers in 2006 and spawned a sequel and several best-selling album releases. Merchandising soared. Search mega-online retailer amazon.com and multiple pages of items related to “High School Musical” emerge.
“I knew it was a huge phenomenon,” Fontana said of her prior knowledge of “High School Musical.” “I teach skating and all of my little students wore the shirts and sometimes dressed in character.”
There are indeed clothes and purses and shoes, curtains and sheets and rugs, notebooks and backpacks and iPod covers. And now of course, “High School Musical” takes to the ice.
“This is just my third week,” said Fontana, a two-time Olympian skater. “It’s been a great experience. The show gets the crowd so involved. We feed off the energy of the crowd.”
Major adjustments for Fontana ensued as a result. Crowds sit in silence when a competition skater maneuvers on the ice. Not so at all during performance of “High School Musical.” Just imagine trying to concentrate while thousands of screaming kids holler to the heavens.
Then add a few more challenges, particularly for Fontana. She was born in the States but reared in Italy. She speaks Italian much better than English. Also, this is her first experience as an actor.
“The biggest challenge is to stay within character when doing high-level skating,” she said. “You have to sing while skating in character and to give the right emotion. That’s the biggest challenge. All the lines are in English. Well, I wasn’t a teenager in America so I had to learn the lingo.”
Fontana, 31, plays 18-year-old Gabriella. She stands as perhaps the most popular character in “High School Musical” as she encounters challenges faced by those bridging the chasm from childhood to adulthood.
“Gabriella is very passionate about her schoolwork,” Fontana said. “She falls in love for the first time, and she’s very careful to hold on to her values. She’s also very passionate about her friends.”
Translated, Gabriella and the major characters and storyline of “High School Musical” offer positive role models and morals for young girls. Look around. Listen. Those sorts of things are not always so easily found.
“The MTV generation sometimes pushes the limits of standards and values, and I don’t think many kids can relate to that,” Fontana said. “The main value of falling in love with a good guy and doing well in school and following your dreams is what kids think about every day, but maybe they don’t think it’s cool. But it is cool.”
With such powerful and prevalent influences as “High School Musical,” perhaps young girls actually do think following high standards and values is a cool thing nowadays.
Fontana and her fellow cast and certainly the show’s promoters hope to sell lots of tickets. They want to do well financially. But more than money seems at stake.
“If we can inspire, then it’s the greatest thing I can do,” Fontana said.


TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at features@bristolnews.com .

IF YOU GO
What: Disney’s “High School Musical: The Ice Tour”
When: May 8-9, 7 p.m.; May 10, 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.; May 11, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Where: Freedom Hall, 1320 Pactolas Road, Johnson City
Tickets: $14.50-$33.50
Info: (423) 461-4884
Web: www.highschoolmusicaltheicetour.com