A TEENAGER who scooped a scholarship at a theatre and dance academy is spending winter dancing in the Canary Islands.

Emma Collinson, a former pupil at St. Wilfrid's High School, Blackburn, graduated and was commended from The London Studio Centre and is in a review in San Agustine, Gran Canaria.

Using her stage name Emma O'Day, the 19-year-old is now performing solos and is an understudy to some of the best performers on the island in shows at the Jose Montes, a large casino and palace hotel.

Her proud mum, Christine Bailey, from Andrew Close, Livesey, who recently returned home after seeing the opening night of the show, said: "It was brilliant. It's her first professional contract since graduating and is for seven months. She went out at the beginning of October and will be there until Easter."

Christine said that Emma, a former student at Pat Eaket's School of Dance, in Feilden Street, got into performing at quite a late age.

She said: "She started getting into dance about the age of nine and started at Pat Eaket's in 1996. She used to do the pantomimes at Preston and starred in Cinderella."

Emma showed great dedication going up to Leeds every weekend for a year to receive tuition at the Northern Ballet Theatre.

The all rounder is well versed in ballet, tap, jazz and contemporary dance and also drama and singing and her next ambition is to break into the West End musicals and theatre productions.