Footage shows moment Disney On Ice ‘headbanger’ move goes horribly wrong in terrifying accident
Spectators were left squirming in their seats as they watched a Disney On Ice stunt go drastically wrong.
Footage captured the moment that a pair of performers portraying The Little Mermaid's Ariel and Prince Eric crumpled on the rink in pain after suffering a mishap while executing a 'headbanger'.
It shows how a slip-up that occurred during the dangerous manoeuvre led to the duo flailing on the ice in front of the horrified crowd.
Video of the incident was shared to TikTok earlier this week by a Disney On Ice fan and has since racked up a whopping 8.7million views.
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In the footage, the skaters can be seen elegantly gliding around the rink as the iconic The Little Mermaid track 'Part of Your World' plays in the background.
The woman who took on the role of the red-headed siren then extended one of her legs, before the bloke portraying Prince Eric in the production grabbed onto it.
He then hoisted her in the air and began performing the infamous 'headbanger', which is a move that routinely leaves Dancing On Ice viewers cowering behind their sofa cushions.
It involves a skater being picked up by the ankle and spun around by their partner and it has been nicknamed 'The Iron Lotus' thanks to Will Ferrell's 2007 comedy, Blades of Glory.
In ice skating circles, it's also referred to as a bounce spin, given that the person being spun inches away from the ice is raised and lowered.
Unfortunately for the Disney On Ice cast members, they received a painful reminder of why it's commonly dubbed the 'headbanger' during their performance.
While the woman playing Ariel was being spun, her skating partner appeared to lose his grip on her leg while she was mid-air - and they both smashed down on the ice.
They each winced for a mere few moments, while Ariel clutched her head, before scrambling to their feet.
Prince Eric rushed over to his co-star to check she was okay, before they then quickly skated across the rink to take a bow.
Ever the professionals, the pair waved at the crowd before exiting the ice - and hopefully rushed to the nearest medic to get checked over.
Social media users were left both stunned and concerned by the incident, as one person commented: "That actually looked BAD."
Another wrote: "Oh my gosh, she could’ve died."
A third chimed in saying: "He almost bashed her head on the ice omg," to which another responded: "He did."
It is unclear when or where the footage was taken.
Liberty X singer and former Dancing On Ice contestant Michelle Heaton previously explained that the 'headbanger' takes a lot of planning and preparation to execute safely.
She explained that the viability of the move often depends on a person's height, saying she wouldn't be allowed to try it if she was 'two inches higher'.
"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 told Virgin Radio in 2023.
The headbanger is illegal to perform in competitive skating due to the dangers involved.
Olivia Burke