Tune in to the Disney Channel tomorrow (July 31) for your chance to see one of Rocky View County’s bright young stars make an appearance in a made-for-TV movie.
Audessa Parafina will be appearing as one of the dancers in the upcoming Disney Channel movie Descendants.
“(Working on the set of a movie) was probably one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had,” Parafina said. “It was kind of surreal. It didn’t really feel like I was in a movie.”
The 18-year-old Airdrie resident is a recent graduate of the Edge School for Athletes near Springbank, where she was a part of the dance program for the past four years.
Parafina said her time shooting the film in Victoria, B.C. was a great experience, and hopes that it helps her progress as a dancer.
When she was training, practising and performing her role for Descendants, Parafina was still a teenager and one of the youngest cast members on the set.
“It was nice to get to meet some of the older people because I was one of the youngest people there,” Parafina said. “They all do so many jobs and work for so many cool people.
“It’s cool to know that they moved on and still do a lot of work and that I can have that opportunity in the future.”
Parafina, who began dancing at a young age in Airdrie, intends on moving to Vancouver to join a company in order to pursue her dancing career.
“Hopefully (I can) get some jobs while I’m out (in Vancouver),” Parafina said. “I would love to do more work like (Descendants).”
Parafina explained she was able to establish a contact for the movie through Facebook when a former teacher of hers, who was working with Descendants’ director, producer and choreographer Kenny Ortega, posted a notice looking for dancers. Parafina saw the post, sent in a video and was invited to callbacks in Vancouver about a year ago.
The movie tells the story of four teenagers whose parents were some of the most notorious villains in Disney history. But when the new king allows them to live and be a part of the kingdom with the good children, they have to make a decision: live like their dastardly parents, or carve out new destinies for themselves. Descendants premieres on the Disney Channel at 8 p.m. July 31.
