Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Orange. Enjoy the ride as we share our favorite live entertainment on Disney property
Sergio the juggler recruits pint sized assistants in Epcot’s Italy
There’s something special about seeing something live. No matter how media saturated our lives become or how good technology is, there’s still something unspeakably different about experiencing something directly. That’s why sporting events and concerts still sell tickets in an age of streaming and broadcasts. That’s why we travel to Disney instead of just watching ride-throughs on YouTube. And that’s why Disney offers more than just rides and automated attractions. No matter how good an animatronic or a digital image, it’s just not the same as “seeing it for real.”
For all of its amazing attractions and its rising use of technology to create individual customer experiences, Disney is well aware of the importance of live entertainment and interaction. From the performers at Epcot showcasing the talents and traditions of the countries of World Showcase to the magical discoveries of new performance on Main Street USA, Disney offers its visitors an amazing array of live entertainment.
Far too often, visitors to Disney miss much of that magic because they are focused on catching an attraction or trying to stay on track with a planned schedule. What some fail to realize is that those live performances often offer special magic – a performance that will never be the same twice, loaded with passion and skill.
For me, savoring Disney’s live entertainment is one of my favorite parts of being on property. As much as I love Pirates of the Caribbean, Spaceship Earth, or the Tower of Terror, those attractions remain essentially the same, and once you’ve ridden them enough times…you know what comes next. But live entertainment? You never know what surprises you may find.
Among the wonderful offerings, however, one stands out to me: The Voices of Liberty in the entry rotunda of the American Adventure. Describing the performance to someone who hasn’t encountered them, the Voices of Liberty may sound less than exciting; they are an acappella group in period costumes performing traditional American folk songs.
That simple description, however, fails to even begin to do justice to the group. The Voices of Liberty are not only superb vocalists, they bring a passion and life to American history through their music. Songs touch emotion in a way that facts often fail to do, and the voices of the performers soar into the rotunda of the pavilion, bringing with them a legacy of American hopes and dreams that even the elaborate multimedia show in the American Adventure fails to convey. The Voices of Liberty earn their name – they give voice to the dreams of love, of liberty, and of simple joy that shaped the country they represent.
One of the casts of the Voices of Liberty perform
Whenever I visit Epcot, I try to make it a priority to hear the group perform at least one set. The songs they present change on a regular basis, and since they perform multiple times each day, their set list is a little different each time. They begin performing around 12:30, and appear about 15 minutes before each of the show times posted outside the pavilion (there are earlier show times, but the Voices of Liberty do not begin appearing until later in the day). If you stop in to hear them, don’t be shy. Move in under the dome and settle yourself on the floor, or at the very least, step into the lighter colored circle under the dome. The rotunda is designed to reflect and enhance sound, and moving underneath it will let you hear the full beauty of the performance.
Disney World offers so many talented performers, but none of them speaks to my heart quite the same way that the Voices of Liberty do. There is a pride and a passion that comes across in their voices. When their voices swell in the Star Spangled Banner or America the Beautiful, I find tears in my eyes. Their performances and their music represent something special – the good things about our country that are so often lost in all the bad. They bring something precious to my time at Disney, something no recording or ride can offer. The Voices of Liberty offer hope and beauty…and for me, that makes them the best live entertainment at Disney World.
Have you heard the Voices of Liberty? Do you seek them out when you visit?
Thank you for joining me today! Your next stop on our Magical Blogorail Loop is The Disney Point
Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Loop should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:
- 1st Stop ~ Your Highway in the Sky (You are here!)
- 2nd Stop ~ The Disney Point
- 3rd Stop ~ Disney on Wheels
- Final Stop ~ A Glass Slipper Vacation
