The Friday Flyer, November 10, 2006 - Article: Dancer cast in Disney's 'High School Musical' production at Disney California Adventure

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No, "EHS" doesn't stand for Elsinore High School. Rather, Canyon Laker Amy Owen wears the uniform of Eastside High School, which is depicted in Disney's television movie, "High School Musical," and adapted into a traveling show at Disney's California Adventure. The production is one of two shows in the amusement park in which Amy is a dancer. The other is the daily parade of Pixar Film Pals known as "Block Party."

Dancer cast in Disney's 'High School Musical' production at Disney California Adventure

By Sharon Rice
The Friday Flyer Assistant Editor

     As college jobs go, it doesn’t get much better than that of Canyon Lake coed Amy Owen, 21, daughter of Dave and Laurie Owen. The former Temescal Canyon High School cheerleader and Canyon Lake Youth Action Council president is currently majoring in Communications with an Entertainment Studies Emphasis at California State University, Fullerton.
     Amy recently decided to add a double major in Dance, which should be a breeze considering the fact she’s been taking dance lessons since the age of three – and considering she has one of the most enviable dance jobs in Southern California.
     The former Miss Teen Canyon Lake is currently a cast member in two entertainment productions at Disney’s California Adventure: The “High School Musical Pep Rally,” based on the Disney Channel movie of the same name; and the “Block Party Bash,” featuring favorite characters from Disney-Pixar films like “The Incredibles,” “Toy Story 2,” “Monsters, Inc.,” and “A Bug’s Life.”
     In “High School Musical Pep Rally,” Amy plays the role of a cheerleader in the 17-member cast that accompanies a moving stage and basketball court. The stage and dancers wind through Disney’s California Adventure Park, making 15-minute stops to sing, dance and shoot hoops.
     She loves the way children dance and sing along with the program, since they already know songs and dance moves from the movie – hit songs like “Get’cha Head in the Game,” “What I’ve Been Looking For,” “We’re All in This Together” and more.
     The show is performed Friday through Sunday, and Amy usually only works one of those days, performing six shows between 10 a.m. and 3:15 p.m.
     After finishing up her performance in “High School Musical,” she heads to the dressing room to get ready for the best role of her life thus far: dancing in the California Adventure’s Block Party parade, which features dancing, high-flying aerial acrobatics and the Pixar Film Pals.
     Spectators throughout the park are invited to “join the party at this high-energy, high-flying street spectacular that features amazing aerial acrobatics . . . and favorite party music.” The parade makes stops at three “party zones” throughout the park.
     Calling it the most fun thing she’s ever done in her life, Amy says she wears a costume but is not dressed as a character. Her moves in both productions are carefully choreographed, but getting the park spectators, especially children, to dance along is the most fun of all.
     They lead the crowd in such popular dances as the Macarena, the Twist, YMCA and other popular party dances. “What could be better than bringing smiles and laughter to an audience,” she says. “Everyone loves it.” Amy dances in the parade five evenings a week.
     Out of the 380 girls auditioning for the job, she was one of 18 chosen. What, one might ask, prepared her for such a high-profile job in the professional world of dance?
     Amy started taking dance lessons as a young child and never stopped – tap, ballet, jazz, hip-hop. When other girls gave up after a certain age, she kept going out of sheer love of dancing. From 5th to 8th grade, she took classes at Cathy’s Dance in Temecula; and then her mom started taking her to a professional studio called “The Edge” in Los Angeles.
     That was about the time her family moved to Canyon Lake (2000) and she got involved locally in the Youth Action Council and joined the Royal Court as Miss Teen Canyon Lake. She also became a cheerleader at TCHS and was a member of the award-winning Touché Dance All Stars based in Temecula. In 2003, she earned the title of Canyon Lake Chamber of Commerce Youth of the Year.
     Working at Disneyland while she’s in college is only a stepping-stone to greater things. She hopes to one day become a professional choreographer for major productions; but in the meantime, she is taking full advantage of every opportunity that comes her way.
     In September, one of her friends introduced her to the choreographer for the teenage cheerleading movie, “Bring It On,” who subsequently invited her to be a cheerleader in a Fox Studios’ big-screen production of “The Comebacks,” due to be released in March 2007.
     According to the website, the sports comedy “is about a struggling college football coach in Texas who gets one last shot at redemption when he attempts to whip a ragtag team of college athletes into shape.” Directed by Tom Brady (“The Animal”), the film stars David Koechner (“Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”) as the losing coach. So far, Amy has been involved in filming two scenes and anticipates many more.
     Laurie Owen, who serves as Corporate Administration Manager for the Canyon Lake Property Owners Association, couldn’t be happier for her daughter, or prouder of her accomplishments. She and Dave have always encouraged their kids to go for their dreams and have been rewarded by a daughter and son who are high achievers. Amy’s brother, Nolan, is a senior at TCHS, where he played varsity football until a recent injury sidelined him for the season. Nevertheless, he is being recruited by a number of colleges to be a long snapper for their programs.