A dance student from Finchley’s London Studio Centre, the performing arts college located at artsdepot, is making his debut on the Lyceum Theatre Stage. Andrew Parfitt went back to college to share his inspirational story with Leïla Davaud

A male dancer doing the splits length ways in the air — Andrew Parfitt – (credit – Simon Derviller)

Just a few steps away from our meeting spot, Andrew Parfitt smiles apologetically. The dancer walks into Finchley’s Artsdepot for the first time in two months. At just 19 years old, the London Studio Centre student is making his debut in the West End.

“It hasn’t sunk in…I’m dancing in the biggest musical in the world. I’m part of the Lion King ensemble, isn’t it crazy?” he says shyly. Andrew is in his third and final year in the jazz and commercial dance programme. Unlike his classmates, he won’t be assessed based on his performance as part of the centre’s student shows but on the Lyceum Theatre stage. “I’ve been in 16 shows in two weeks, surely that should get me through…” he jokes.

If the exhaustion is there, Andrew is far from letting it control him. Each gesture is calm, measured, graceful: “Honey, I haven’t worked so hard for all these years to take a break now”, he states. Saying that he’s had a busy decade is an understatement. His career started in the middle of his living room with Strictly Come Dancing in the background. “I was obsessed to the point where my parents signed me up for ballroom and latin dance classes when I was 7”, he recounts.

A few years later, Andrew became the world champion of disco freestyle. He notes: “I know, it’s not the same vibe. It’s what I love about dancing: it comes in such different forms you can never get bored of it.” And he spends every waking hour sculpting his art.

At the age of twelve, he joined the Italia Conti School of Performing Arts. “I remember feeling like Conti was sometimes more like a home than my actual home. Training there never felt like work. I truly embraced who I was and fitted in like never before. I wasn’t mocked for being a boy who liked dancing, I was praised for it. It built my confidence and turned my very shy self into a performer.”

It is this side of him that convinced London Studio Centre alumni and choreographer Dane Bates to mentor him. “We built a really close relationship while doing Britain’s Got Talent, the London Fashion Week and concept videos. Having someone who was quite influential in the industry to guide me and also give me some validation was key. He introduced me to LSC and it changed my life.”

Along with dancing, Andrew has also trained in singing and acting. Without realising, he was getting ready for something he didn’t even allow himself to dream about. “While I was in class, I got a message from a choreographer. She was complimenting me. It was all very sweet but I didn’t think anything of it at the time”, he explains. The next day, he was staring wide-eyed at his phone. “I was offered a role in the upcoming Wicked film. I didn’t even audition, it just landed in my inbox. I thought it was a joke!”

The next thing he knew, he was smiling at himself in the mirror with a ginger wig on and ready to walk on set as a Munchkinlander. “I was 17 years old among people with decades of experience and knowledge.” But instead of letting it affect his confidence, he did what he knew best: “I had the time of my life. I genuinely thought nothing would top this adventure.” Until now.

For the first time, he is part of a very diverse cast. “We don’t have the same origins, but we do have common experiences. Another dancer said this musical was a breath of fresh air and I couldn’t agree more. I look around and see people looking like me, it’s very special in a white-dominant industry.”

While he may have thought he would have to wait longer for his big break, he wouldn’t put it down to luck. “Everything happens for a reason, I truly believe this. And it didn’t just fall on me, I worked most of my life to get to this point. It might look easy when I dance, but it’s because I’ve rehearsed so much and poured my heart into it. I deserve to be on this stage even if it’s still surreal to me.” So, eight times a week, his tall, graceful figure shapeshifts into a gazelle, a zebra or even a hyena. “It’s quite far from my usual collection of jeans, it’s incredibly special to wear these costumes “.

Andrew Parfitt is exactly where he is meant to be, dancing not only with skill, but with purpose. The young talent confides: “Today, I feel exactly as the kid twirling in my living room. I’m free, I’m having fun and I have the confidence to truly be myself…” Isn’t it the true meaning of The Circle of Life?

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