20 years ago, Kitty walked through the front gates of Hong Kong Disneyland on opening day, bright-eyed and ready to start a new adventure as a performer. What she didn’t foresee was the exciting career that lay before her — full of connection, joy and purpose. She is one of the few to hold the title of opening team cast member. Today, she is a proud cast member celebrating her 20th year at the resort, now serving as a Cast Services Manager on the Security, Safety, Fire and Health Services team.
It all started in the early 2000s. Kitty was studying dance professionally, hoping for her “big break.” As she put it, “I decided to audition, just give it a go and see what happens. When I got the call from Hong Kong Disneyland, I was so happy!” She recounted the nerves she felt on her very first day of training, saying, “I felt very nervous, because no matter if you were a dancer, an engineer, or custodial, we all went through orientation together, learning the common Disney language. ” Though nerve-wracking, she couldn’t help but be excited for what the future held.
From there, a magical career pursuit started. “My journey began on the opening team as a dancer in Festival of the Lion King. I had the chance to be part of many special events during that time — like the grand opening, movie premieres, Christmas events and countdowns.” She’ll never forget her first show, as she reminisced, “I remember we gave 100% energy, but the audience gave us 150% back. The connection with the audience was so close. That bonding with the audience was unforgettable.”