PENOLA dancer Jayden Prelc will take a leap of faith later this year when he travels across the globe to follow his dreams to become a professional dancer.
At 18, Jayden will take on a full-time role on the Rhapsody of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
With two older sisters, Jayden was inspired as a six-year-old to pursue dance and has dedicated the past 12 years of his life to forging a career in the industry.
“From a young age I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do,” he said.
“The feeling of getting up on stage and performing for people is something I cannot even explain, I was hooked from day one.”
Living in Penola meant Jayden and his family travelled to Mount Gambier almost every weekday for dance lessons, in addition to regular training and competitions in Adelaide.
Mid-way through high school Jayden knew he would have to make a big move to spark his career pathway, relocating to boarding school at Immanuel College.
Supported by friends and family back home, Jayden worked tirelessly for four years to complete his schooling while honing his dance skills in his spare time.
“I am so lucky to have such an amazing and supportive family,” he said.
“My mum and dad and two sisters have been invaluable to me, they do absolutely everything they can to further my career and support my decisions and I am so grateful for that.
“It was incredibly daunting for me to move away from my family at such a young age in search of my dream but it was all possible because of the support they gave me and I cannot thank them enough.”
After boarding for three years, Jayden moved out on his own while completing his Year 12 studies to focus all his energy on dance.
Graduating in 2018, he then went on to complete a Certificate IV in dance through the Adelaide College of the Arts, which saw him dancing up to 46 hours a week.
After tireless hours and many years pursuing dance, Jayden’s dream came to fruition this year when he was offered a full-time position on a cruise ship.
The position will see him travel to Miami for two months to undertake training and rehearsals before he boards the cruise ship in Barcelona.
The ship will then set sail around the Mediterranean and Caribbean until May 2020.
Although already an accomplished dancer, being chosen to work on the cruise ship at a young age is something not often heard of, according to Jayden.
“It is so humbling to have been given a position aboard the ship,” he said.
“Not many people get this kind of opportunity, especially so young so I am so proud of my achievements but also so grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way.
“I would not be where I am without the help of people like Maxine Lockwood at Maryke Dance Academy, Kate English and Tamara Kovaleff at Envy Dance Studio as well as vocal training from Pamela Walker.
“Ms Walker has been so instrumental to my career and development over the years and I cannot express my gratitude towards her mentorship enough.
“Training has been furthered in Adelaide by Kim Grant-Taylor, Pep Rigano, Lia Cocks and Gemma Freeman from the Australian Company of Performing Arts as well as my vocal coach David Gauci – I owe it all to them.”
While he has lived away from home for more than four years, Jayden said living and working overseas would be a huge adjustment.
“This will be the first time that I’ll miss those important holidays like Christmas and Easter,” he said.
“My sister also has a young baby so I will miss her first birthday which I am sad about, but I have to take these opportunities while I am young.
“With technology these days I am sure I will be able to speak to my family often, but it will definitely be tough to get used to it.
“I am just so excited to get over there and meet all the cast members and get my career going – it is just so surreal I cannot believe this will be my life.”
