A Campbeltown dancer is having a magical time after landing her dream job at Disneyland Paris.
Linzi Cameron, whose first steps towards her successful dance career began with lessons in Campbeltown 20 years ago, now works as a cast member at the French entertainment park.
The 23-year-old was just three when she began taking ballet lessons, before transitioning to Highland dance when she joined the James McCorkindale School of Dance at the age of seven.
Linzi, who attended Castlehill Primary School and Campbeltown Grammar School, believes her years of Highland dance training provided the perfect foundation for a career that has taken her all over the world.
“Highland dance is a strict hobby,” she said, “where you must practise daily in order to see positive outcomes. Practising such a strict regime since a young age has helped me in adult life.”
She particularly enjoyed competing at Oban’s Highlands and Islands Music and Dance Festival throughout the years, especially in the choreography section.
“This competition is very different from what Highland dancers do most weekends, as it is a team competition,” she said. “It taught us to work together and could be challenging, at times, as Highland dancers usually perform solo.”
Having set her sights on a career in dance at the age of 13, Linzi moved to Edinburgh when she was 18 to study at award-winning dance school Dance For All, graduating with an HND in Professional Stage Dance after three years.
Deciding to continue her studies, she moved to the city’s MGA Academy of Performing Arts, where she studied for one year and graduated with a BA degree in Dance for Commercial Performance.
During her studies, Linzi learned about the potential paths a dance career can take, including performing on cruise ships, in the West End or on television, in addition to teaching and choreography.
“This led me to my first dance contract in Egypt with Egyptian Arts entertainment company,” said Linzi. “I danced two shows in five star hotels across the Marsa Alam area. Each show was half an hour and consisted of many varieties of dances, including Spanish, Latin, ballet, tap, jazz, can-can and lyrical hip hop.
“I then received an offer in October 2023 to begin as a cast member at Disneyland Paris in January 2024.”
Linzi has now been working with Disney for more than two months and is having the time of her life.
“So far it has been magical,” she said. “I do a wide variety of entertainment and still have a lot to do and learn.
“I spend most of my days in the newly refurbished Disneyland Hotel; other days can vary around the parks.”
Living in the Serris area of France, Linzi enjoys regular trips into Paris on her days off.
“I love to explore and learn about new cultures,” she said.
Aware that performing careers can be short-lived, Linzi is living for the moment and keen to gain as much experience as possible for her future career.
“Most performers’ contracts last for six to nine months but I am very lucky to have an open-ended one,” she said. “Even though a performing career can have a short window, there are always other opportunities you can take in the industry.
“Whatever I learn in my performing career, I will always take with me to my next venture in life.
“In the future, I would like to pass my knowledge of dance and performing on to the next generation of artists.”
She added: “I would like to thank my family, friends and dance teachers for always supporting me in everything I do, and pushing me to be the best I can be.”
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