The Dance World Cup is the biggest all-genre dance competition in the world, often referred to as the Olympics of dance. Muskoka Dance Academy has had students in the competition before, but this is the biggest group the school has sent overseas to compete. World Performers Canada manages the Canadian dance team, selecting competitors and running rehearsals to prepare them for the World Cup. Longtime dance instructor Sue Kirwin-Campbell from Muskoka Dance Academy is thrilled that five of her dancers get to show off their skills in Europe.

“Day after day after day, you’re always striving for perfection, even though perfection never really is attainable, so it’s great for them to be recognized outside of the studio,” Kirwin-Campbell said. “Everybody thinks the world of their coach, but it’s nice for them to have validation in what they’re doing and what they’re learning on a world scale.”

Seeing dancers and their talent grow

Kirwin-Campbell said as their instructor, she sees a range of successes and failures, so watching them mark this milestone is a testament to how hard they train. Mackenzie Wilson, one of the five dancers, competed in the World Cup last year as well. After being asked to perform again this year, she encouraged other dancers from the academy to audition.  

Another dancer, 19-year-old Gabrielle Pennacchioli, has already graduated high school and started attending university. She didn’t dance at the studio this past year due to her studies, but she comes back all the time to help out with the younger students and spend time with her fellow dancers.

Watching her students graduate is when the emotions start to really hit Kirwin-Campbell, she said. When they do their last Christmas show or final competition, she thinks back to the days when they were distractible little girls just starting their journey with dance.

“As I’m teaching through the years when they have little successes, I think, ‘Remember when?’” she said. “Remember when she used to pick fluff up off the floor? Look at her now.”

Kirwin-Campbell has had the pleasure of seeing many of her students go on to do great things. When she was just 16, one of her first students was choreographer and producer Amy Wright, best known for her involvement in the teen drama series The Next Step.

She didn’t nurture Wright’s skills in the same way as her current students, but she thinks fondly about the time spent teaching her tap. Wright still has family in the area, and she’s been actively involved with the studio as a choreographer. 

Other students of Kirwin-Campbell have gone on to tour with artists like The Weeknd, choreograph Disney movies, launch their own dance companies and more. She also gets the opportunity to see families grow and change.

“The studio has been around for 40 years here in Huntsville, so I’m teaching second-generation, which is fun,” she said. “In fact, my graduating student, Keira McGregor, I taught her mother and both her aunts. One of her aunts was a competitive dancer just like her.”

Another one of the five dancers, Cambria Wahl, is the niece of Meredith Thompson, a professional dancer who worked with dancer and choreographer Danny Grossman for many years. Though it may seem small and private from the public’s point of view, the community within the dance is vast and robust, Kirwin-Campbell said.

She will be cheering on her students from afar during the World Cup, but she’s immensely proud of the five girls going this year and happy to say that two dancers from Muskoka Dance Academy have been chosen for 2025.

Returning to the Dance World Cup

Wilson, 17, competed in the Dance World Cup in Portugal last year on the junior ballet team and the junior acro team. This year, her commitment has grown considerably since she’s now part of eight different teams. She’s competing with the jazz, acro and contemporary teams for both junior and senior divisions as well as ballet and show dance for the junior division.

All of the dancers have faced a major undertaking with the rehearsals for the World Cup. They started rehearsals in Toronto last summer, meeting every long weekend throughout the school year as well. 

“It’s three-hour rehearsals just to get the choreography done and then for the following rehearsals after that, they have new teachers come in for every rehearsal to get a new point of view on the choreography and routine and then they clean it from there,” Wilson said. “Then we have a stage rehearsal a few days before we leave for Prague to get our spacing and last-minute things dealt with before we head to compete.”

Wilson said the process is difficult but completely worth it. One of her best memories from the trip is huddling up with the rest of Team Canada to get pumped up for the competition. Though it’s nerve-wracking, it’s equally exciting.

Another highlight was the opening ceremony at the Dance World Cup. Dancers from all over the world come together to kick off the event. This year’s competition will have over 95,000 dancers from 54 countries.

“When we were in Braga, Portugal, they pretty much opened the town up to us and we walked through the town and everybody cheered and congratulated us,” she said. “We also, amongst the dancers, passed around pins and little souvenirs, and at the end, they play everyone’s anthems and we all pretty much just get to cheer for each other and celebrate dance.”

The workload has been a lot to balance in addition to their dance exams, schoolwork and other responsibilities, but the girls regularly get together to rehearse and work through the stress, she said. She’s been with Muskoka Dance Academy since 2016, and it’s become important to her in a few key ways.

“I love the people, but it’s also an outlet,” Wilson said. “If you have a hard day at school, you can come to dance and you can dance through it, and we work hard.” 

Being part of something big

Fellow dancers Keira McGregor, 18, and Sadie Perera, 16, have been with Muskoka Dance Academy since they were just toddlers, so they know exactly what Wilson means. McGregor said dancing at the studio is a chance to “walk through the door like a whole new person” and unplug from the rest of life’s problems.

McGregor is performing on the ballet team for the World Cup. She’s looking forward to making more friendships through dance while also being part of something that she loves.

“It’s been a long journey, but it’s been really nice to grow up with all the same people and just to make all the friendships that I have over the years,” McGregor said. “It’s basically my second family, second home, everything.”

Perera will be performing jazz, ballet, acro and show dance at the competition. While it’s been a challenging process to get there, she can’t wait to go to Europe and be part of such a grand competition.

“It’s been fun, I like rehearsing in Toronto,” Perera said. “It’s separate from what we normally do. You feel like you’re part of something bigger.”

Cambria Wahl, 16, has also been with Muskoka Dance Academy since the age of two. She’ll be performing in the large group senior and junior jazz teams, the junior acro division and the junior show dance division. 

After hearing stories from Wilson, she can’t wait to experience the Dance World Cup for herself. It’s exciting to meet so many people from different countries who share a passion for dance, so she can’t wait to see what others have to show on stage.

One of the things she’s most looking forward to is the chance to learn from the judges in a variety of masterclasses. Fans of reality television may recognize one of the judges from the hit show Dance Moms.

“Abby Lee Miller is one of our judges this year, so there’s a lot of big masterclasses we get to take from her as well, which will be really exciting,” Wahl said. “It’s a really good opportunity that we get to learn from the judges as well as hear their input.”

Another perk of the trip is travelling with a great group, she said. Since she’s been at Muskoka Dance Academy for nearly her whole life, she’s had the chance to grow up and learn alongside her fellow performers. 

Many of them go to school together as well, so dance has become a way for them to share something meaningful outside of their studies. She can’t wait to continue growing that bond at the Dance World Cup and beyond.

“The reason I have such dedication is because it’s been such a great group,” Wahl said. “It’s such a good studio with great teachers and students to grow up with and we all share such a passionate love for dance that it’s been really great and easy to dedicate my time to something I love so much.”

Visit the website for the Dance World Cup to learn more.

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Ollie MacDonald, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, has been dancing for 13 years. They’ve worked with Wendy Laidlaw, owner and artistic director at Just 4 Kicks Academy of Dance, for their entire dance career. They are one of about 80 competitive dancers at the studio, but the only one competing in the elite division. The judges selected Ollie to represent Canada at the world level for open/contemporary dance at a recent competition in Barrie.

“The Canadian team is put together by the best of the best choreographers, mostly out of Toronto,” Laidlaw said. “The judges will choose these kids from all over Ontario to skip the audition for the Canadian team.”

Ollie is a dancer whose performance quality, musicality and control draw in audiences, she said, so she was flooded with emotions when she heard the news. On top of working with Ollie since they were just three, she also taught their four siblings and has gotten to know the family well over the years. 

Seeing her students grow and succeed is rewarding and emotional. Laidlaw is putting on her 26th recital this year, and it’s always gratifying to see her students’ efforts pay off.

“Just to see somebody put so much hard work into something and it be rewarded, for me, it was a sense of pride,” she said, “and for them as well, just to acknowledge the blood, sweat and tears that goes into what they sacrifice as teenagers.”

And the sacrifices aren’t over for Ollie. In preparation for the competition, they will travel back and forth to Toronto for extra rehearsals on top of their regular dance practice. It’s a big commitment for their last year of high school, but it means getting to work with top choreographers and other dancers from World Performers Canada.

“Every opportunity that Ollie gets to work with a professional choreographer is setting that pace for the professional world,” Laidlaw said.

As the competition approaches, the studio will be doing some fundraising to help ensure Ollie and their loved ones can get to Europe next year. Some locals have already stepped up to sponsor the trip and others will have the chance to support by making a donation at the studio’s upcoming recital from June 7 to 9.

The location for 2025 hasn’t been announced yet, but this year’s Dance World Cup is happening in Prague. Laidlaw hopes to tag along for the trip, but first and foremost is making sure Ollie has no problem getting overseas next year.

“All of the teachers are very proud of Ollie,” Laidlaw said. “We just want to make sure this happens [and] get them to Europe.”

Ollie’s mom Becky has adored watching her five children dance over the years. Some of them have ventured into other interests, but dancing gave them all a sense of self-confidence, the ability to work well with others and a way to express their creativity.

It’s precious to her to see them do things they’re passionate about, and sometimes she gets to witness them doing those things alongside each other. About six years ago, all of her children were dancing at the studio, so Laidlaw put together a number that featured the five of them dancing together.

“It was pretty magical to watch them all on stage, and to have the gift of the video of that and just be able to go back and look at that throughout our lives is pretty neat,” Becky said. “It actually embodies the relationship they have because my kids are all close with each other.”

Becky and two of Ollie’s sisters came out to the competition where they heard the news, and the rest of the family was just a phone call away. Becky said the siblings are always excited for each other in their successes, so it was another chance to celebrate.

With a family of seven, they’re not sure how many of them will be able to accompany Ollie next year, especially since two of their siblings are in post-secondary. Regardless, the family pride for their achievements is strong.

Becky can’t help but cry and beam with pride when Ollie shows their talents on stage. She’s going to be sad when they complete their time as a student dancer, but she can’t wait to see where they go in their career. While she knows the work will be substantial for Ollie, she also knows they’re up to the task.

“They are hoping to pursue dance after secondary school, so it’s another step towards that goal,” she said. “It’s good on their resume and so it’s a great opportunity that they’ve happened to get to help them hopefully be able to attend the school they want for dance.”

Ollie said having their family behind them the whole way has been amazing. Their siblings know dance and understand the opportunities they’re getting, so their support means that much more.

“I’m so happy to have as much support as I do, and I really do care about every single person in my life who has supported me since I’ve been a little kid, especially Wendy, my dance teacher,” they said. “She’s been supporting me the whole trip.”

As Ollie approaches their 17th birthday in July and their last year of high school in the fall, they’re nervous but excited to start rehearsals. The bonds they’ve built at the studio feel like family, so they’re looking forward to being part of another team.

The initial shock of hearing the news has grown into excitement for Ollie. The best part of the competition is that it gives them a chance to represent their small studio, perform in front of thousands of people and show how much they love dance.

“I’m really, really excited,” Ollie said. “I’ve never been more appreciative of the opportunities that I have, even in a small town like Gravenhurst.”

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“I’m so excited by the positive response we’ve been getting for this event. Advance ticket sales have been amazing so far and we’re preparing to hand over a substantial donation to The Sharing Place” says Derick Lehmann, event organizer from The Big Event. “Prepare for a really fun night, with some really great surprises”. “ODAS Park is also a charitable organization so it feels great to support them as well. They’ve been fantastic to work with to ensure a really successful and fun event”.

All the nostalgia of the 90’s is coming back in a BIG way on 3 giant 15 foot screens at ODAS Park for this 19+ licensed event. With a huge concert sound system, amazing light show and the best mix of videos from the decade we all loved, this video dance is going to be all that and a bag of chips. Money raised from ticket sales at this event will be donated to The Orillia Sharing Place Food Centre to help give a hand up to those in need.

Tickets are on sale now for $20 at www.TheBigEvent.ca, at Alleycats Music & Art (cash only) or for $25 at the door on the evening of the dance (cash, credit or debit).

The songs were timeless, the dance moves flawless, and the fashion was positively iconic. Artists such as N’Sync, Spice Girls and Mariah Carey ruled the radio and were played around the clock on Much Music. Music videos entered into a whole new level of amazing. Who remembers seeing ‘Weezer’s Buddy Holly’, ‘Beastie Boys’ Sabotage’ or ‘Fatboy Slim’s Praise You’ for the first time? The 1990’s was a decade with some of our favourite music videos. From teen pop, 90’s hip hop and R’N’B, dance pop, to grunge classics – the 90’s have all of your favourite music.

So grab your friends, throw on your hottest 90’s themed fashion, and get a ticket to the Back To The 90s Video Dance Party taking place Saturday July 29th from 8pm – 1am. See you there, dudes!

90’s costumes encouraged, but not required. This is a video dance, not a roller skating event. Only those 19+ with valid ID will be admitted. Cash bar on site – no outside food or drinks permitted. Plan ahead – don’t drink and drive.

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Darling will represent Canada this week as part of the national team at the World Dance Championship in Slovenia.

Darling said she was shocked when she learned she was selected for the national team, having entered the tryouts just for fun and experience.

“I decided to try out for the team because I thought that it was an exciting opportunity to explore dance at the international level and be able to perform in a whole new setting,” Darling said. “When I heard I was on the team, I had the realization that my dance journey was being expanded in a way that I hadn’t thought possible, and I was very excited about the experience to come.”

Darling is not new to high-level competition. As a member of the competitive team at BTS Corp. in North Bay, she competes regionally multiple times a year and has had the opportunity to compete nationally three times.

“Initially, I was put into dance when I was three years old by my parents, but it was my love of movement, music and performing that truly started me on this dance journey,” Darling said. “I love performing and always having a goal to work towards, whether it be a technique in a class or an accomplishment at a competition. There is nothing better than the feeling of dancing on stage and then coming off, knowing that you have given it your all.”

In preparation for the World Dance Championship, Darling has been working hard at choreography and weekly rehearsals through the summer and fall. In addition to regular dance classes at her home studio, Darling travels to Waterdown and Newmarket every weekend to rehearse with the team.

Darling will be competing in three styles of dance; jazz, contemporary, and ballet with solos in jazz and pointe which are her favourite styles. There will be 21 countries represented at the World Dance Championship. Darling will compete against 28 other dancers in the jazz solo category.

“At this competition, each dance will compete in a large category against dancers from across the world. If you perform well in the first round you will advance to the semi-finals and then the finals where medals will be awarded to the top three,” Darling said. “When we first arrive, we have a day to rehearse and then competition will begin. I will be dancing for the majority of the days of the competition.”

Darling says there is more to dancing than just the movements. It can provide so many benefits, from discipline to confidence, and perseverance. She recommends young dancers just “put themselves out there and follow what they love.

“Performing and competing can make people nervous but it is the sense of achievement and satisfaction that it brings that makes it worth it. If you love it, it is worth the time and hard work,” Darling said.

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