Emma off to London to chase musical theatre dream
Bridges Project client Emma Cameron is one step closer to her dream of having the West End as her workplace after being accepted to a Professional Dance and Musical Theatre degree at Bird College in London.
The 17-year-old, who is in her last year at Dunbar Grammar School, is very excited about the prospect.
“It’s great to move away to such a big place and have so much time to do what I love,” said Emma.
Through the course, Emma will be trained in a wide variety of dance styles – including tap dance, jazz and contemporary dance – as well as in singing and acting. This combination suits her career goals perfectly.
“I want to work in musical theatre and perform at the West End,” said the Dunbar teenager without any hesitation.
This goal has not come out of the blue. Emma has already been dancing competitively for six years and has left her mark in competitions both at home and internationally. Representing Dunbar School of Dance, she has danced in groups that have won regional titles and come top 10 in a national final in the competition Dance Inspirations, which sees dancers from across the UK compete against each other. Last summer, the Dunbar Grammar School student represented Scotland in the Junior 15-17 category at the Dance World Cup in Prague, Czechia.
Emma competed for Scotland in the 2024 World Dance Cup in Prague, Czechia.
Emma has had to overcome several challenges to reach this level. In addition to balancing school and dancing, the 17-year-old has the added responsibility of caring for her blind mum. Two years ago, she realised she needed some additional support.
“I was in the first year of my exams and the stress of it was becoming a lot. I found it hard to juggle everything,” recalled Emma.
That’s where Bridges Project came in. Emma was referred by East Lothian Council’s Young Carers Service to the charity’s Young Carers Programme, at the time funded by the Triangle Trust. She soon started working with Young Carers Support Worker Niamh Mitchell.
In addition to juggling her caring role with other commitments, one of Emma’s main challenges was being able to fund her dancing, with her annual training fees alone costing £2,000. A lot of the support she received from Niamh has therefore focused on applying for grants and other financial support. The Young Carers Support Worker has additionally helped Emma with applying to college.
“Niamh has also given me a lot of general support week-to-week. It’s been good to have someone else to talk things through with,” said Emma.
One of the defining moments of her support journey was when Niamh helped Emma secure a Time for Me Grant, which enables young carers to get a break from their caring role. The talented dancer spent the grant on going to a dance summer school in London during the summer of 2023. The location? Bird College!
The dance summer school was an important factor in Emma’s choice of applying to study at the same college two years later.
“I had such a great time there and met so many amazing people. They just had such a chilled and supportive environment,” said Emma.
She can now look forward to experiencing this environment on a daily basis.
‘Over the moon for Emma’
Niamh is also excited that Emma will be able to call Bird College and London her home for the next few years.
“I’m over the moon for Emma. She has had a dream of studying down south, and has now made it happen,” said the Young Carers Support Worker.
She highlighted how this achievement is particularly impressive given Emma’s caring role.
“It’s harder for young carers to reach these milestones, as they have to care for someone in addition to doing everything else that is expected of them. That’s why I’m absolutely buzzing for Emma,” she added.
Niamh is confident she will be able to see her client on the big stage in the future.
“She has a big career in front of her,” said the Young Carers Support Worker.
Bridges Project’s Young Carers Programme is currently funded by East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership.