After years of auditions and eventually moving to Florida on the faith that the job will come, Dante finally was offered the position of Crush in Finding Nemo: The Musical at Animal Kingdom. The show’s professional cast and team eased Dante into a new world of entertainment. Between puppeteering and easily the most vocally challenging song he’s ever done, Crush proved to be a formidable but also fulfilling track, thus deepening and broadening his love for stage performance.

A seemingly simple kids show would proved to be one the hardest shows of Dante’s career. The show was in Hollywood Studios at the Disney Jr. stage. This show required an immense amount of energy and stamina. The payoff was amazing looking and seeing all of the little glowing faces made each show worth it, no matter how difficult it was to get through each once.

This particular role was fun and interesting because it was the first outdoor show, and also Dante’s first parade. Singing in front of the castle in Magic Kingdom was a culmination of one of his oldest dreams. Dante found this show also very fun because there was no character, just being himself. He was a swing for this show and Nemo whilst being full time in Disney Jr. This was a fun challenge, because it would inevitable change his schedule on a daily basis, which introduced spontaneity into his time at WDW.

Dante regards this show as easily the “coolest” that he’s been cast in. This show featured a full live band, pyro technics, an amazing fan base, and the most talented performers he’s ever worked with. This show was a massive fan favorite. With Epcot being the more adult park, Awesome Mix Live was a older music as tho from the playlist of Starlord himself. The audience would be singing and tapping along from start to finish. Dante considered this show the ultimate privilege and honor to be in at the Disney parks.