In the language of the Shona (i.e. the native people of
Zimbabwe and southern Zambia), the name "Zendaya" means "to give thanks."
This name is entirely appropriate in Zendaya Coleman's case.
Given that you'd be hard-pressed to find a more thankful young lady than this
talented 14-year-old, who currently co-stars in that Disney Channel hit series,
"Shake It Up."
"This has all happened so fast. Just two years ago, I
remember watching 'Hannah Montana' and thinking about how great it would be if
someday I got the chance to do something that. To sing and dance on television,"
Zendaya recalled late last week when we spoke on the phone.
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Mind you, it wasn't like she just sat around waiting for
someone at Disney to discover her. Zendaya started learning her craft early,
appearing in stage productions like "Twelfth Night" & "As You Like It" with
the California Shakespeare Theater. And while she attended Oakland's School for
the Arts, Zendaya also performed in musicals like "Once on This Island" and "Caroline, Or Change."
"I still use a lot of what I learned back then while working
on 'Shake It up,' Ms. Coleman continued. "Like how to get a laugh by using my
body. Doing all of those stage shows is what taught me how to do physical
comedy. That's also where I learned the importance of doing the best that you possibly
can at each & every audition."
Of course, when it came time to audition for a new pilot
that the Disney Channel was considering, it took more than talent for Zendaya
to finally land the role of Rocky Blue. Given that more than 200 girls were
considered for the lead roles in what was then known as "Dance, Dance Chicago,"
it took a lot of patience & perseverance for her to get through that lengthy
audition process.
Zendaya Coleman (L) and Bella Thorne from Disney
Channel's "Shake It Up." Photo by Craig Sjodin.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights
reserved
"You see, I originally went in to read for the role of CeCe.
Then they called me back in to read for Rocky. Then they paired me with lots of
other girls. But once I read with Bella (Thorne, the actress who plays CeCe
Jones on 'Shake It Up') …," Zendaya remembered. "Well, that was the first time
that they had me dance with another girl. And as soon as they saw Bella and I
move together, they must have liked what they saw. Because we then got the
parts."
So what's it like to actually shoot an episode of "Shake It
Up," the first dance-driven Disney Channel series. What Zendaya described is a
work schedule that sounds more like Carol Burnett's old variety show
than your
standard sitcom.
"Our work week starts with a table read of that week's
script. Once that's done, after we finish all of our school work, it's then
time to begin dance rehearsal," Ms. Coleman explained. "Then the rest of the
week, if we're not memorizing our lines, we're trying to trying to learn our
dance steps. We're talking about one to three hours of dance rehearsal every
day. Which get kind of tough sometimes."
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
But clearly all of this hard work has paid off, given how
popular "Shake It Up" has proven to be with Disney Channel viewers since this
show initially debuted back in November of 2010. And Disney being Disney, the
Company moved quickly to capitalize on "SIU" 's success by first renewing this
sitcom for a second season in March of 2011. Not to mention producing a "Shake It Up" soundtrack album, which hit store shelves last month. As well as that
D-signed clothing collection which Target just began selling that draws its
inspiration from all of the outfits that Rocky & CeCe wear on "Shake It
Up."
So what's it like to have all this going on, plus have your
very own music video – "Watch Me" – in heavy rotation on the Disney Channel?
Not to mention the "Shake It Up" TV movie that's supposedly already in
development? And "Make Your Mark: Ultimate Dance Off – 'Shake It Up' edition,"
the Disney Channel's first-ever talent competition aimed exclusively at kids & tweens,? To be honest, Zendaya is kind
of having some trouble taking this all in.
"You have to understand that we're right now in the middle
of shooting the second season of 'Shake It Up.' So that's really what I'm
concentrating on now. Making sure that those show are just as good as they
could possibly be," Ms. Coleman said. "But then sometimes I'll catch the 'Watch
Me' video on the Disney Channel. Or realize that the season finale of 'Shake It
up' airs at the end of this month and that Season 2 starts in later September. And
it's just hard to absorb that all of this has happened so fast. That I now get
to be part of stuff like this."
(L to R) Adam Irigoyen as Duece, Roshon Fegan as Ty Blue, Bella Thorne as CeCe
Jones,
Davis Cleveland as Flynn Jones, Zendaya Coleman as Rocky Blue,
Kenton Duty as
Gunther and Caroline Sunshine as Tinka. Photo by Craig Sjodin. Copyright
Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Which bring me to what Zendaya will be doing this coming
Sunday between 2:30 – 4 p.m. Which is when she and the rest of the cast of
"Shake It Up" will be onstage at the Anaheim Arena performing for thousands of
Disney Channel fans at this year's D23 EXPO. Given what happened back in 2009
when the cast of Disney's "Wizards of Waverly Place" appeared in the Anaheim
Arena (Disney Channel fans got so excited when they got to see Selena Gomez &
her sitcom family up-close at this D23 event, the screaming frenzy reached almost Beatles-like
decibel levels), I asked Ms. Coleman if she's ready to appear in front of a crazed
crowd of that size.
"I'm not worried about the size of the crowd or how crazy
they may be. I'm just grateful that these 'Shake It Up' fans are willing to
come out to the D23 EXPO and see us. Which is why I and the rest of the cast
are going to work as hard as we can to make sure that we deliver the best
possible performance for these people," Zendaya stated.
Ms. Coleman and the cast of "Shake It Up" will also be doing
a photo op in the foyer area of the Anaheim Arena just prior to their on-stage
performance on Sunday. Not to mention a
cast signing from 4 to 6 p.m. that same day. Which sounded like a pretty tough
schedule, at least to me. But Zendaya disagreed.
Zendaya poses with Disney Channel fans last month at the Americana at Brand in Glendale
at the kick-off of a five-city talent search for
"Make Your Mark: Ultimate Dance Off – 'Shake
It Up' edition." Photo by Todd Wawrychuk. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved
"We really owe to our fans to make ourselves available at
events, to sign the autographs, to pose for pictures. If it weren't for them,
'Shake It Up' wouldn't be as successful as it is. Which is why I'm happy to
take part in this year's D23 EXPO," she concluded.
You see what I'm saying? "Zendaya" is a very fitting name
for this talented young lady.
For further information where and when Zendaya & the
rest of the cast of "Shake It Up" will be appearing this coming Sunday, be sure
and check out the D23 EXPO's master schedule at the Official Disney Fan Club's
website.