When Emma Macpherson hits the stage in Nostalgia, she’s pure dynamite. Her moves sharp, her aerial work fearless, and her stage presence magnetic — the kind that comes from a decade of performing on some of the biggest and boldest stages in the world.
Her “pinch-me” moment came in 2018 when she landed a coveted role with Cirque du Soleil at Sea. The two-day audition was a full-on test of range — lyrical, hip hop, acrobatic freestyle, physical theatre, acting — all inside a giant warehouse with no mirrors. “It was one of the most fun auditions I’ve ever done,” she says. “I almost passed out when I got the email. I couldn’t believe it.” 
Cirque didn’t just hire her — they made her part of something brand new: Bungee Dance. Created in a two-week workshop at Cirque’s Montreal HQ, the act fused aerial artistry with daring movement, and Emma was one of just three performers in the world to debut it in the show Syma onboard MSC Belissima.
From there, the gigs kept levelling up: performing a solo aerial hammock act in Germany’s prestigious Krystallpalast Varieté Theatre during its winter season, dancing in Opera Australia’s Il Trovatore, headlining at Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady, and contracts in Macau, Singapore, and beyond. She’s also performed for huge names like Porsche, Westpac, and CommBank — jobs that often demand last-minute changes. “Corporate gigs can flip the script completely,” she says. “The stage you thought you had might be totally different on the day. You’ve got to be able to adapt and still smash it.”
That ability to pivot, Emma says, is the number one skill every performer needs. “You’ll work with people from all over the world, with totally different styles of teaching, directing, and performing. Injuries happen, people get sick, and you might have to step into a role you’ve never done before. The performers who last are the ones who can adapt on the spot.”
Versatility has been Emma’s calling card since the start. She began training at Lee Academy at just five, fell in love with acrobatics at nine, and before long was blending it into her dance solos. By thirteen, she had fallen in love with aerial arts, constantly chasing new skills to add to her toolkit. “Performing is a universal language,” she says. “The more ways you can express yourself, the more people you connect with.”
In Nostalgia, Emma is pushing into fresh territory — adding the “Lollipop Lyra” to her repertoire, returning to adagio work with long-time performance partner Michael Stone (a partnership that goes all the way back to their early days at Lee Academy), and getting back into hand balancing. “We’ve got such a unique cast,” she says. “With a small team, the bond we share offstage is exactly what the audience feels onstage. That kind of connection is rare — and it’s electric.”
Emma’s career is proof that the real game-changers are the ones who never stop levelling up — who can switch styles, switch continents, and still own the stage. If it scares you and excites you? That’s your cue to go all in.
