By Lucy Caulkett-
A remarkable 18 year old teenage dancer who was adopted at birth is encouraging young people to develop and ambition and not bestrayed by the lure of drugs and alcohol.
18 year old Louise Phelan was adopted at one years of age because her parents were alcoholics who were not fit enough to cater for her well being. Phelan grew up with adopted parents and eventually followed her passion to be a dancer and performer, shunning alcohol and drugs in her development years. From the age of 4, she has trained in ballet, modern Tap, Jaz, and musical theatre-both commercial and contemporary. She has been nurturing her passion and skills since then.
Now, the teenager from Cheshire, who has now moved to London is shocked at the level of crime she hears occurs in London. She has been spending some of her time talking to youths. She told the eye of media.com ” I did not have my natural parents in my life when I was growing up, but I decided to carve a proserous and content life for myself. I refused to give in to peer pressure from an early age, and was never tempted by alcohol or drugs. I look at young people these days, and hear of all the news about killings and just think it’s a crying shame. Young people should find something legal and rewarding to do rather than waste their youth on a lifestyle that can lead to pain and tragedy.
”Every youth has something they enjoy, that they are good at, and I would like to see them invest their time in those talents, not waste it away in a life of crime, jail, or in a graveyard. Teenagers need to tap into theirt several skills and produce something constructive with it”.
”Ever since performing in my first show, I knew Musical Theatre was what I wanted to do. I’ve always had a burning desire to be on the stage and loved performing. My ambition for Musical Theatre stemmed from a young age when I always had a strong determination to succeed. I always strive to be the best I can physically be because when I achieve this, and when I perform, I get an enormous amount of joy from it, and I get my fun from succeeding in something that was difficult, and knowing I had to work hard”.
”I have always taken part in as many performances and shows as I can, because I believe that it’s always good to gain experience, and I also find I can learn so much from watching others perform. I have played Tallulah in Bugsy Malone , Catniss in the Hunger Games, Frenchie in Cabaret and Cha Cha in Grease , Consuleo in West Side Story .Playing these very different parts has made me a diverse and strong performer. I have also learnt huge amounts about the industry from taking part in these. I also regularly take part in dance festivals, local pantomimes, associate programs and key members of choirs and dance companies. I also have completed my Trinity College Bronze Art Award. My love for musical theatre began to grow even more when I started my Musical Theatre Extended Diploma BTEC at Pendleton College”.
Phelan is now doing a dancing course at Pendleton college. She told the eye of media.com ”My course at Pendleton College has allowed me to explore Musical Theatre and gain a deeper understanding and knowledge of the industry. It also has made me develop many skills and made me disciplined. This course has made me driven and independent and made me hungry to succeed and realize you have to work hard to do so.
This course it has made me a very self-motivated student and I have ability to take the initiative and work independently focusing on a task I’ve been given, and always succeeding and striving to be the best. I also have the ability to work well under pressure and perform under pressure by performing in regular shows and assessments in college and mostly always gaining distinctions”.
”Receiving earlier and current training from my dance school I think my technical and performance ability can only excel at the performing arts colleges itself as my love for dance stems back to my dance teacher and dance school. Phelan attends a dance school based in Macclesfield, Bella Danza Studios, where she has acquired enormous discipline, and gained a technical foundation which she says is ”invaluable to any dancer”.
I am at a vocational level in all my dance training, and have attained Advanced 1 ISTD Classical ballet, Intermediate ISTD Modern, Intermediate ISTD Tap and Advanced Jazz. I started singing training later on when I discovered I wanted to do more than just dance on stage. I started training and developing my voice and have been training for 3 years. I am currently on TRINITY Grade 6.
To gain a deeper idea if these colleges would suit me and if Musical Theatre was for me I have attended Bird, Urdang and Laine pre audition courses/summer schools.
Havong attended prestigious competitions such as British Troupes Championships and Mardi Gras, performed at Sadlers Wells and The Royal Albert Hall, she was chosen to represent England in the Dance World Cup. ”I feel taking this next step of further level training will allow me to reach my ambition to become a professional performer, ultimately working towards being on a West End Stage or on Cruise Ships”, she says.
Phelan has now currently moved down to Epsom to train at the prestigious college Laine Theatre Arts. Laine Theatre Arts provides specialist vocational training at further and higher education level in dance and musical theatre.
The college prepares students for a professional career in the performing arts and has a history of feeding artists into West End theatre, dance companies, television, film, pop music and other high-profile areas of the entertainments industry all over the world. ”I will be training here for 3 years on the Level 6 Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre validated by Trinity College London. I can’t wait to start training at my dream college and looking forward to an exciting future”.
Single Phelan wants young boys and girls to discover their passion, follow it through, and not be distracted by the mundane things that so often sidetrack young people. Having a boyfriend or girlfriend should be as highly priced as it is by many young people. Partners can be a good and exciting experience, but it can also sometimes damage someone’s confidence in cases of bad experiences where bullying , cheating or dominearing characteristics can interfere with a person’s joy and state of mind”.