By ZAHRA AHMED Copyright 2011 Houston Chronicle
June 14, 2011, 4:40PM
On some days, Disney star Chelsea Kane measures her 12-hour work schedule in the amount of meetings, auditions and time she spends running around Los Angeles looking for work. But other days, the 22-year-old Arizona native and self-proclaimed “warm-weather girl” is allowed some downtime.
This summer, La Torretta Lake Resort and Spa at Lake Conroe is partnering with Radio Disney to host two weekend poolside parties with Disney stars and allows kids to play games and enjoy music. On Saturday, Kane made her appearance.
“It’s nice to get out there and meet the fans,” she said, “to hear what they have to say and to thank them for their support.”
A finalist for Season 12 of Dancing With the Stars, Kane has much to thank her fans for.
“I was so over the moon with the fact that fans who were getting to know me through the show were keeping me on as our relationship was forming,” Kane said. “I’m young and just getting started in my career, so it was a huge honor.”
Kane said her reaction to the call from Dancing With the Stars was a combination of excitement and fear. With no prior dancing experience, she said her performance could have easily been a disaster.
Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman, however, didn’t think so. Kane and her professional dancing partner, Houston native Mark Ballas, consistently made 26 to 30 points in the last three weeks, coming in third to actress Kirstie Alley and former Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward, who made second and first place respectively.
Before dancing, Kane started her career on the Disney Channel. Growing up in Phoenix, she moved to L.A. when she was 15. At 19, she auditioned for Jonas, featuring the Jonas Brothers, and has been with Disney for four years. After two seasons of “JONAS”, Kane filmed a summer Web series called “The Homes”, a musical road trip across the country, for Lockerz.com and began voicing for Disney’s animated series “Fish Hook”s.
Despite her early success as a young celebrity, Kane, in many ways, is humble.
“I have great friends that aren’t all actors,” she said. “They don’t let you walk around with that sense of entitlement as if everyone owes you something. It’s nice to be normal.”
Besides her friends, the women in Kane’s family are her No. 1 supporters.
“They’re still going to be there when you hang up your tanned shoes at the end of the day,” she said. “It’s nice to have them cheering you on.”
Kane will continue to voice for Fish Hooks, which was picked up for a second season. She’ll also be a guest star on Disney’s new sketch comedy So Random!, a spinoff of Sonny With a Chance.
Though she’s already busy this summer, she said the prospect of new projects is exciting.
“It never feels like work,” she said. “It’s constantly changing. The minute they yell, ‘That’s a wrap,’ you have absolutely no idea what’s next.”
Constantly on the go, she still finds time to travel and meet fans.
“I, in no way, shape or form, want to get away from my Disney fans or Disney roots,” she said. “I just want to continue to work, be happy and make projects that I’m proud of.”
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