Dual Identities Deliver for Disney Diva

Who is this dazzling diva -- and what has she done with your pig-tailed tomboy daughter? You marvel at the transformation. Her favorite denim cutoffs have been replaced by a flowery sundress. Instead of her well-worn baseball glove, she carries a dainty pink purse. Stumbling out the door in strappy sandals, she announces that she’s off to play with her new friend, Victoria.

Later, when she’s back home and changed into her usual attire, her friend drops by unannounced. Your daughter is mortified; Victoria, however, is very curious about your daughter’s sports trophies, which line the bookshelves. A few minutes later the two girls are heading outside with bats and balls in hand.

Your daughter has learned an important lesson -- that living a double life usually only works for fictional characters, like the mega-star of Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds 3-D Concert, available this month on DVD. Watch it at home, complete with the 3-D glasses included with the DVD, and then talk about it using our conversation starters in Talk Together. Afterward, help your child explore his or her hidden personalities with our ”Many Me’s” activity.

Almost every preteen in America is familiar with the Disney Channel hit TV show Hannah Montana. In it, an average teenaged girl is a mild-mannered high school student by day and a pop star sensation by night. Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds 3-D Concert combines Miley’s stage performances -- both as herself and as Hannah Montana -- with backstage footage and additional documentary-style scenes of her family life

Miley performs on stage first as Hannah and later, after a wardrobe change, as herself. She makes a number of costume changes and performs with backup singers and dancers amid flashing lights and complex stage sets. The backstage footage shows her climbing into a cramped elevator that transports her up to the stage to the delight of her screaming fans. There’s even a memorable moment when Miley appears to be on stage at the same time her alter ego, Hannah, is exiting.

The Jonas Brothers join Miley on stage for several songs. The crowd goes wild for Kevin, Joe and Nick, whose popularity appears to rival Miley’s among the concert-goers. At one point, Miley leaves the stage while the energetic Jonas Brothers perform a few of their own hits.

In the documentary footage, Miley rehearses complicated dance moves and voices her fear of being dropped by the dancers. When the dancers actually do drop her during a performance, she quickly recovers and goes on with the show. She practices a song with her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, and turns to her mother to help her with the lightning-fast costume changes. The bond between the teen and her parents is very clear.

Talk Together

Miley looks like she’s having a lot of fun on stage, but it took a lot of work to get ready for the concert. What did she do to prepare? Do you think it was always fun to rehearse the singing and the dance moves? Why or why not?

What are some of the differences between Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus? How are they alike? How could someone really live two separate lives without anyone finding out? Why would she want to hide her identity as Hannah Montana?

If you could be someone else, who would it be? How would your life be different? What would be the best part of your new life? What would you miss about your ”real” life?

Play Together: Many Me’s

Help your child identify the many emotions that make life interesting!

You will need

ï 12-inch-by-12-inch square of poster board

ï Nine 3-1/2-inch circles cut from poster board (a different color)

ï Nine 1/2-inch pieces of self-adhesive Velcro

ï 4-inch-square frame cut from poster board

ï Markers

ï Glue

Draw faces on the poster board circles to represent your child’s various emotions: happy, sad, bored, excited, nervous, shy, surprised, scared, angry, for instance. Draw lines separating the poster board into nine squares. Glue the frame onto the center square. At the top of the frame, print TODAY I AM ... Attach Velcro to the backs of the circle faces and the corresponding fastener to the centers of the squares. Hang up the poster board and encourage your child to express his or her mood of the moment by moving around the faces. Soon she’ll find that being herself -- no matter what her mood -- is really the best of all possible worlds!

Copyright © 2008, Cinematters.