The lights in Italy were brighter than anything Keira Schumack had known.
Not because she hadn’t danced under pressure before – but because this time, the stage stretched across continents.
For three whirlwind days during the week of Nov. 17, the 16-year-old from Unity stepped into a world far bigger than any competition she had faced before, representing Team Canada at the IDO World Acro Dance Championships, surrounded by roughly 3,000 dancers from 31 countries.
“You never really notice how big it’s gonna be till you see everyone,” Schumack said. “You see like Romania there and like these big places that you’re like, ‘I would have never thought I would see people from those places before.’”
By the time she flew home, Schumack wasn’t just carrying memories. She was bringing back world-class results.
Competing in acrobatic dance, Schumack was part of a large group that earned a second-place finish, while her small group placed fourth and another Team Canada small group claimed silver.
In her solo, she advanced through multiple rounds before finishing 17th in the world, a result that placed her among the sport’s elite.
At most competitions back home, she said, she’s used to facing just a handful of dancers.
“At a normal comp that I’ve gone to… you’ll only be against eight people in your solo,” she said. “But like this one it was like 30 to 40 people you would be against.”
Keira Schumack of Unity performs her acrobatic solo while representing Team Canada at the IDO World Acro Dance Championships in Italy in November. (Ashley Schumack/submitted)The competition schedule moved fast. There was little time to settle in before performances began.
“We didn’t have a day to kind of look at everything,” Schumack said. “It was more just go there, quick look, get ready for your dance.”
Her first day included both small- and large-group routines. The solo came the next day – and with it, nerves.
“It’s solo going out on stage by yourself,” she said. “It was a lot more nerve-wracking.”
But when she learned she had advanced to the second round, something shifted.
“That kind of gave me a lot more confidence,” she said. “The second time going out, I was a lot less nervous.”
Keira Schumack (centre) competes alongside her teammates in a group acrobatic dance at the IDO World Acro Dance Championships in Italy, where Team Canada earned podium finishes. (Ashley Schumack/Facebook)
(Ashley Schumack/Facebook)Schumack’s solo blended tumbling with flexibility, a reflection of how her style has evolved over time.
“I started out as a really flexible person… and then I kind of got more into the tumbling aspect,” she said. “Mine was, it had a little bit of tumbling and some flexibility in it.”
For her mother, Ashley Schumack, watching her daughter compete on the world stage was transformative.
“It was amazing,” she said. “It’s honestly kind of life-altering.”
Ashley said the journey to Italy was built on months of travel and sacrifice, including 10 separate trips to the Vancouver area for rehearsals before the team ever boarded a plane overseas.
By the end, the total cost reached around $30,000, covering training trips and international travel. The family raised about $15,000, thanks to community fundraisers, sponsors and donations.
“The community really showed up for Keira,” Ashley said. “They really, really believe in her and believe that she deserved this opportunity.”
Unity dancer Keira Schumack competed with a Team Canada large group that earned a second-place finish in acrobatic dance, while her small group placed fourth, and she finished 17th in the world in the junior solo acro category at the IDO World Acro Dance Championships. (Ashley schumack/Facebook)
Members of Team Canada pose with their medals after competition at the IDO World Acro Dance Championships in Italy in November. (Ashley Schumack/Facebook)She said the experience changed her daughter — not just as a dancer, but as a person.
“She supported her teammates and they supported her back in a way that makes you so proud as a mom,” Ashley said. “She’s really grown as a dancer, but also as a person through this whole journey.”
Now back home, Schumack says she misses the intensity of the experience — the busyness, the camaraderie, the shared purpose.
“It’s nice to be home,” she said, “but sometimes you just wish that you had that busyness still going.”
Keira Schumack (centre) competes alongside her teammates in a group acrobatic dance at the IDO World Acro Dance Championships in Italy, where Team Canada earned podium finishes. (Ashley Schumack/Facebook)Schumack also credited the support of her coaches along the way, including Team Canada head coach Lexy Cox and Courtney Smith, the studio director at STAND OUT Dance Collective, where she trains and teaches.
Looking ahead, her dreams stretch far beyond Unity. After high school, she hopes to dance professionally on cruise ships, traveling the world while continuing to do what she loves.
She also hopes her story reaches other young dancers in small towns who wonder if big stages are out of reach.
“Even though you did grow up in a small town… if you have a dream, you need to work towards it and you need to go for it,” she said.
“If you give up, you’re never going to make it to what you want to make it in.”
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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com
