“I Felt Like the Queen of England!” I Spent a Day in the Life of a Disney Drawn to Life Performer

While you’ll find LOTS of great entertainment at the Disney World parks, you don’t need a park ticket to see one of the best shows at Disney World.

Drawn to Life is presented by Cirque du Soleil and Disney at Disney Springs. Its Disney animation comes to life through the acrobats of incredible artists. You can see the show at various times throughout the week at the theater in the shopping and dining district of Disney World. We were recently invited to shadow one of the amazing performers, and I was lucky enough to spend the day with Saulo Sarmiento! Take a peek at what a day in the life of a Drawn to Life performer is like with me.

December 20th, I spent the day with Saulo Sarmiento, the performer behind the Aerial Pencil in Cirque du Soleil’s Drawn to Life. Saulo’s life is regimented. Every moment is planned, not just to make his performances impressive but also to ensure they’re safe and sustainable. His discipline is unbelievable.

Saulo performs 8-10 shows a week with two shows every performance day. (He has a back-up who performs the role as needed.) On top of that, he has daily workouts, warm-ups, physical therapy, rehearsals, and a nutrition plan that leaves nothing to chance. His partner, David Rimmer, is a huge part of this.

David bakes all their bread for the week and helps prepare every meal, with the two of them dedicating an entire day off each week to food prep. They pack everything into a cooler bag, which they bring with them to the theater. The meals look so carefully crafted that they’re practically art. Watching him eat made me reflect on how much discipline and preparation goes into every part of his life.

The Aerial Pencil act Saulo performs is his own invention. The stylized “stick flying” technique has become a recognized acrobatic art form, and he’s even licensed specific choreography to other performers around the world. Watching Drawn to Life gives you the rare chance to see the person who created this art form actually perform it. When I asked if he patented the pole itself, he explained that it wasn’t worth it—someone could just tweak the design slightly and call it something else. He’s content seeing the art form spread and even happier knowing some performers license his exact choreography, helping preserve his legacy.

The theater itself was a revelation. It felt like a cross between a Broadway theater and an arena—more space, more elaborate tech, and everything scaled up in a way that made it feel unique. But what struck me the most was the surreal experience of being on the other side of a single wall separating two entirely different worlds.

On one side, it’s just Disney Springs: people coming in through security at the west side entrance and the noise of everyday visitors. On the other side, it’s an oasis—a space where world-class artists warm up, eat, and prepare for their performances. Sitting in that outdoor seating area, hearing the commotion of security lines while talking with someone like Saulo, reminded me how special and unusual this production is.

Cirque du Soleil’s approach to shows also stands out. Unlike Broadway, where a show is “frozen” on opening night (even if adjustments happen later), Cirque considers a show to be at its best after a year of performances. They treat productions like wine—they get better with age. That mentality is so different from the way Broadway shows often feel stale or worn after running for decades. Cirque shows keep evolving.

Each performer in Drawn to Life has a custom makeup design. Emily Carragher, who plays the villain Miss Hésitation—a literal ball of discarded animation paper—spends over an hour applying her makeup in layers. Her performance, especially when she opens a book on how to be a villain and mimics the laughs of Disney villains, was a standout. Her character is completely unique, unlike anything I’ve seen in any other Cirque production.

The highlight of my day was being invited on stage during Saulo’s rehearsal for that evening’s performance. Standing in the center of his “cyclone,” I watched as his flying pole traced circles around the stage, allowing me to photograph and film from within his performance. The energy he generated through sheer physical power was palpable. His routine relies solely on his strength, without mechanical assistance.

There is, however, a technological aspect to his act: an infrared beacon signals the projection mapping system, enabling him to “draw” on the floor with his pencil-shaped flying pole. This creates the illusion of live drawing on stage. An almost imperceptible Easter egg on the pencil reads “Ollie J,” a tribute to Ollie Johnston, one of Disney’s legendary Nine Old Men and a pioneer in character animation. Johnston’s work has significantly influenced the art of animation, making this homage particularly meaningful.

Seriously, the projection mapping technology absolutely blew my mind. I captured photos and videos backstage of set pieces with visible infrared beacons, as well as screens in the booth showing all the infrared beacons glowing across the stage. Seeing this live and documenting it was incredible because it revealed how the projections move perfectly in sync with the actors. For example, when an actor wears a costume designed to look like a piece of paper, the projections follow their movements seamlessly thanks to the infrared beacons on the costume, which communicate with the system.

One of the most stunning examples of this technology was Saulo’s ability to “draw” on the floor with his pencil. It was beautiful and so moving, especially knowing it represents the pencil test—the first time an animator’s work is brought to life in motion to ensure everything works visually. Watching this play out on stage in real-time was an emotional reminder of how creativity begins.

Another unforgettable moment was the Mary Blair section. The ink and paint department rises up from a trap door, and at first, the only light comes from the glowing paint jars on their desks. The artists are silhouetted against this light in a scene that feels like a mid-century modern fantasy straight out of the 1960s atomic age. As the platform rotates, you see Mary Blair in her studio, working at an overhead desk with a big wheel of paint colors, mixing and creating her incredible combinations. The visuals in this section were absolutely stunning, but what really hit me was how Mary was portrayed.

From what I understand, Mary didn’t always have the easiest time in life. Seeing her in this fantasy world as a happy, thriving, and bubbly artist was incredibly emotional. I cried pretty hard during this part because it was such a beautiful tribute to her talent and legacy. Everything about this section was stunning and deeply moving.

And then there were the Blue Fairies, which I found surprisingly moving. If you’d told me beforehand that I’d be emotionally affected by an army of Blue Fairies on unicycles, I wouldn’t have believed you—but here we are. They are incredibly talented, first of all, with their unicycling skills alone being impressive. But it’s more than that—they keep appearing throughout the show, building this magical presence that stays with you.

By the finale, when they fly on swings above you, it’s just wonderful. To me, the Blue Fairy has always symbolized comfort and protection, and seeing a whole team of them being so exciting, fabulous, daring, and loving felt like such a gift. It was like they embodied this perfect balance of grace and bravery, and their presence added so much warmth and magic to the show.

David Rimmer, Saulo’s partner and trainer, is also one of the comedic stars of the show. For most of the performance, he plays the role of a clown, delivering physical comedy and hilarious antics. But towards the end, he pulls off one of the most impressive acrobatic feats in the entire show—and acts like it was completely accidental! It’s such a brilliant bit because you’ve spent the whole time thinking of him as this funny clown and then he absolutely stuns you with his skill. It’s the kind of twist that makes the show so special.

Saulo shared that he and David drive separate cars to and from the theater. On the way home, they’ll call each other and talk about the show, going over what went well and what might need tweaking. But once they get home, they have a strict rule: no more work talk. They said this boundary is the secret to being able to live and work together in so many capacities. It’s clear they’ve found a great balance between their professional and personal lives, and it’s inspiring to see how much thought they put into making it work.

It was an absolute pleasure to be able to shadow Saulo and see the incredible work that goes into Drawn to Life. It was my absolute pleasure to have this opportunity; the day flew by and they gave me my own special seating! I felt like the Queen of England! If you have the opportunity to see it, I highly recommend it, so you too can experience the beauty of Disney animation and acrobats.

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Have you seen Drawn to Life at Disney Springs? Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: We were invited by Cirque du Soleil and Disney to shadow a performer in Drawn to Life. This did not affect our reporting of the event — our opinions are our own.

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