(Courtesy of Family Channel)
There’s no better person to learn the CAMP ROCK 2: THE FINAL JAM choreography from than from one of the stars of the movie, Alyson Stoner! On Saturday, December 11, two lucky young girls, Rachel and Lauren, and 40 of their friends had the most epic dance party ever when Alyson Stoner appeared at their party to promote CAMP ROCK 2: THE FINAL JAM FREESTYLE JAM by teaching them choreography from the movie! In fact, Rachel and Lauren’s party happened as a result of winning a contest from Family Channel, which was sponsored by Best Western. Rachel and Lauren said that they had watched the movie and practiced their dance moves before the party. They were so excited to meet their favourite dancer, Alyson Stoner!
In addition to the dance party, which was held at the Best Western Roehampton Hotel & Suites in Toronto, the girls and their Mom won $500 cash and $100 in Best Western Travel Cards—sweet! Their prizes were presented to them at the party by Best Western Roehampton’s spokesperson, Mr. Pat Campbell and the host of the party, Lindsay Hamilton from Family Channel. Mr. Campbell said that Best Western was really excited to be a part of this big event and they hoped that the winners had a great night and Lindsay said that she had been practicing her moves for tonight’s dance party and that she has seen the movie ‘like 10 times’!
THE MAGAZINE caught up with Alyson Stoner before the event to talk to her about her role in CAMP ROCK 2: THE FINAL JAM, cold weather and the importance of friendship in her life:
Can you describe your character Caitlyn in CAMP ROCK 2: THE FINAL JAM?
She is very eccentric and strong willed. She is Mitchie’s loyal friend to the end but this time around she is less selfish about taking the spotlight and more focused on working together as a team to save the camp from being shut down.
How has Caitlyn changed from the first CAMP ROCK?
She is realizing that her passions and her interests are supposed to be used for the greater good and not just for serving herself. She is really growing up as an individual.
Are there any similarities between you and your on-screen character, Caitlyn?
I consider Caitlyn to be the more extreme version of me. When she is happy she is ecstatic and when she’s mad she is furious. I am more of the patient just simple ‘go with the flow’ kind of girl, but we both love music and we both love to use it for the greater good. Plus, we have the same face and we are the same height and everything so that’s cool!
Do you have a favourite dance number in the movie?
‘Can’t Back Down’…it’s that sort of ‘call to action’ song. The choreography was the most intense so it was the most difficult to learn in rehearsals and I love a good challenge. It was different from everything else that we had done.
For you, what was the most memorable part of shooting CAMP ROCK 2: THE FINAL JAM?
We got to be with our friends again and it was really a true reunion. [But], I think the most memorable part was the three weeks of night shoots in 20 degree [Fahrenheit] weather dressed in summer clothing. It was absolute bonkers! We had no heat, no nothing, but we took care of each other and made the most of it and our bonds got that much stronger because of it.
You are multi-talented…a fabulous singer, actress and dancer. If you could only pick one as a future career choice, which talent would you choose and why?
That’s impossible to answer. I want to do whatever is going to make the best and largest impact on society and my generation. So, if the story is communicated best through music, I will sing or dance. [Or], if someone watches a movie and can be inspired and their life changes because of it, then I will act. Right now, I’d say that acting is probably my main focus and dancing and singing sort of go hand in hand with it.
Caitlyn is Mitchie’s best friend in the movie. How important are friendship’s in your life and what kinds of things do you do with your friends?
Friendships are what keep me normal and I think it’s important to remember that who you surround yourself with is usually the kind of person you are going to be. So, I like to think that the people around me are on the right path. They are willing to work hard and earn everything that they have. We are so passionate about what we do as a career that we end up doing it even in our free time. We write music, we play basketball. It’s the time spent, it’s not necessarily what you are doing that matters.
A special dance-along edition of the movie entitled CAMP ROCK 2: THE FINAL JAM FREESTYLE JAM premieres in Canada on New Year’s Eve. Can you tell us about it?
We are going through step-by-step moves from the movie so the audience gets to learn the routine. They will get to see some of the dancers from the movie plus other dancers from the industry freestyling. You just get a sense of the overall feel of the choreography from this movie in comparison to the first. It will be fun and really entertaining and you’ll get to learn the moves.
In the movie, Caitlyn teaches dance. Have you ever thought about opening a dance studio?
Yes, actually right now I teach dance every Friday at a studio in LA for kids 6 to 17. It’s my friend and I and we’ve been at it for 10 years. We’ve discussed it and we thought that we [could] open a centre for after school programs. It could be sort of a Camp Rock ‘esque’ kind of thing. You teach dance, music and there might be a pottery or animation class and I thought of maybe also having a career day every month. The kids could just see what that’s like so they could weigh their opportunities. So, yeah, I have thought about it. We’ll see.
Do you have any upcoming projects you’d like to share with your fans?
I have two animated movies: ‘The Little Engine That Could’ and I play the little engine and ‘Phineas and Ferb’ is having an animated movie, which is really fun. [Also, I have] two animated series: ‘Phineas and Ferb’ and ‘Winks’ which is still early in development. Also, my music, I just finished two more tracks, which should be out and about and circulating soon.
Thank you Alyson Stoner! Don’t miss CAMP ROCK 2: THE FINAL JAM FREESTYLE JAM when it appears on Family Channel on Friday, December 31 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT!