Alyson Stoner will never forget how to put her thing down, flip it and reverse it.
Way back when in 2002, the then-pigtailed Disney Channel actress starred in Missy Elliott‘s “Work It” video. (And later was featured in “Gossip Folks” and “I’m Really Hot.”.) Now, 17 years later, she’s still serving as the icon’s no. 1 hype girl.
Take the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, for example. On Monday night, Alyson once again joined the rapper to perform her signature dance during Missy’s set. Of course, the epic moves onstage at New Jersey’s Prudential Center looked effortless. And, as it turns out, they actually were.
When was asked by a fan on Twitter if she rehearsed beforehand, Alyson explained just how everything went down. ”Let’s talk quick facts..” the 26-year-old wrote on Tuesday morning. ”[Choreographer] HiHat hit me up a day before to jump in, said ‘do your thing’ and then it was showtime. But those grooves don’t leave your system.”
A fact we all witnessed last night when the two legends joined together. Indeed, Alyson was actually on hand to help honor Missy with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, a coveted trophy previously bestowed upon Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Justin Timerblake and Beyoncéamong others.
“I promised I wouldn’t cry because I cry every award [show], but the Video Vanguard Award means so much to me,” the Grammy winner said while accepting the statue. “I have worked diligently for over two decades and I never thought that I would be standing up here.”
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