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“It’ll always be alive and it’ll always be exciting – never boring at all,” she says.
NPGHS Student Achievements - Past & Present
Dancing Towards the Stars
Fifteen years devotion to dance has led to a dream come true for New Plymouth’s Amy Finnigan.
The multi-talented teen was recently awarded a major $20,000 scholarship to attend the prestigious New York Film Academy’s Film Conservatory Program.
It was only after Amy received a $10,000 two-year scholarship to the New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts that she felt confident to audition for the New York Academy’s program - where 180 students are accepted worldwide each year.
The rewards came after a knockout performance at the 2010 World Performing Arts Championships in Los Angeles – where Amy’s undeniable talent earned her the overall award, industry award and nine medals.
“It was a really cool event because you’re surrounded by so many people doing the same thing – dancing, acting, singing and modelling,” says the down-toearth teen.
The gifted 18 year old struggles to remember a time her life wasn’t filled with dancing.
Discovering what would be her life passion at the tender age of 3; Amy began taking ballet classes through the Patten Academy of Dance and learnt jazz and tap the following year.
She says her teacher of 15 years, Claire Patten, has been a continuous encouragement, ever since she was a toddler just starting out.
“Claire’s really helped me become more confident with my dancing.
I just love performing and being on stage – it’s so much fun – you’re really playing a part,” says the young hopeful, who has taught tap dancing herself for the past two years.
But while it may sound all honey and roses, Amy says her greatest love is also one of the toughest professions, where you must develop a thick skin.
“The hardest thing is putting up with all the rejection you get – all the people telling you you can’t do it.
It’s about having the determination I guess – keeping at it and working hard.”
Amy says what keeps her strong is having a belief in herself and the unconditional support of her family, who’ve always been there.
“They told me they’d do whatever it takes so I could follow my dream,” she says.
In preparation for her move to The Big Apple, Amy and her family created the 2011 Revue – a giant fundraiser to be held on June 11, at St Peters School in Cambridge.
The event includes a series of the North Island’s top 13-18 year old performers and a special guest appearance from former New Zealand Idol judge, Suzanne Lynch.
Amy hopes the event will be the first of many in New Zealand, which would give more young performers the chance to reach for their dreams.
While she says her journey to the academy across the globe is both “scary and exciting”; Amy’s thankful she’s travelling with a friend – a fellow dancer she met in Auckland through previous competitions.
“It’ll always be alive and it’ll always be exciting – never boring at all,” she says.
Despite her successes to date, the gifted teen – who’s aiming for a career on Broadway or in the movies - remains humble about her achievements but accepts there’s tight competition ahead.
“A lot of it is luck – it’s hard to say what will come out of it. It’s about being at the right place at the right time,” she says.
Amy heads overseas in the first week of July, and is working at her parents’ business, Aqua Filter, to help pay for the trip, but in addition to that, her goal is to raise $100,000 in sponsorship and donations.
