If you don't already recognize her, remember the name Emma Pedersen - she may be going to the top.
Many locals have seen the 17-year-old in Broadway or Bust productions or as the lead in "All Shook Up," which recently packed Eagle Eye Theatre - now she's set to wow an audience of thousands at the PNE's Red Robinson Talent Showdown.
Pedersen is a performing triple threat, with talent indancing, singing and acting. She grew up in Squamish and attributes her success to the inspirational local actors who commit hours of their time to coaching young talent.
"The instruction and coaching I received is priceless," she said.
Still Dancing and at the Howe Sound Dance Academy taught her to move; high schools musicals with Janice Carroll and the Broadway or Bust musical theatre summer camp taught her to act and sing.
"I have everyone here in Squamish to thank for teaching me everything I know - they really help all the youth get professional teaching and they've taught me so much over the years," she said.
Now she has the opportunity to put all her learning to the test while competing with singers, songwriters, dancers, bands and even magicians from across the province at Red Robinson's Talent Showdown Sunday (Aug. 22).
She'll be singing "Show Off" from the Canadian musical The Drowsy Chaperone with a short dance break incorporating the production's 1940s era "flapper moves" and tap dancing, she said.
Pedersen is up against 10 other semi-finalists in the amateur youth division, and if she makes the top three, she will compete in the finals on Wednesday (Aug. 25) for a $5,000 prize.
She reached the semi-finals last year, and this year has stepped up her dance instruction in the hopes of making it to the finals.
"There's definitely some stiff competition, but I feel more confident this year so we'll see what I can make happen," she said.
Pedersen has sung and danced most of her life, combining the two for the first time at age 12 when she took part in The Sound of Music. That's when she realized musical theatre was her passion.
And recently, she's decided to make it her life's ambition.
"I've always been involved in song and dance, and it's always been something that I liked, but I never realized before that I wanted to do it, fully, as a career until now."
Pedersen graduated from Howe Sound Secondary in May, and in September, she'll be heading across the country to take performance arts at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario.
"It should be a really great program because you do ballet, jazz and all the different styles of dance, you have different kinds of singing and you have to do different kinds of acting like stage and film."
Pedersen said she's excited to have the opportunity to dedicate her life to musical theatre, and isn't nervous to move so far away - in fact, she's counting the days.
"I've been to New York and London with family before but I've never been to Toronto. I love going away and visiting and exploring so I think it will be an awesome experience."
