Brussels' Albers to represent Canada at Dance World Cup in Czech Republic
BY SCOTT STEPHENSON
Eighteen-year-old Alyssa Albers is currently packing her bags for a trip to Prague, where she will be joined by 10,000 other dancers from over 50 countries to take part in the Dance World Cup (DWC). Albers is going to be one of the elite amateur athletes representing Canada at the world’s largest international youth dance event, which is not bad, considering that she only started dancing as a way to harness the excess of ebullient energy she displayed as a child growing up on her family farm just outside of Brussels. “I always liked to walk on my hands around the house,” Albers explained. “And I was always dancing around the house. So we tried it out, and I ended up just falling in love with it. And I haven’t stopped since!”
Representing a country as large as Canada on the world stage may be a little daunting, but Albers is taking it in stride. When she got the news that she’d be part of the team, she started jumping all over her family’s basement. “I’m very excited! And I’m nervous, but I think that comes with everything. It’ll be a cool experience to get to see all kinds of dancers from all over the world - that’s not something that I get to see. It’ll be interesting, and good to learn from.”
It’s likely that a lot of the dancers she’s looking forward to learning from will also pick up a thing or two when they watch Albers perform. After she had already qualified for the group dance at the Extreme Dance Champions competition in Alliston, she went to an audition in Milton and earned herself a solo spot in the big show. Albers was also invited to join Canada’s contemporary team, but their practice schedule conflicted with the 2023 Huron County Plowing Match, which was held at the Albers farm last summer. While Albers is fine with skipping the contemporary component of the DWC to help out with the herculean effort of hosting a plowing match, she’s excited that she gets to show off her skills in her favourite dance style - “acro”. The physically demanding blend of traditional dance and acrobatic gymnastics is a perfect fit for her high energy artistry. “Acro is like, my thing,” she confided. “My favourite is acro and lyrical - you can combine the two, and do a lyrical acro dance kind of thing. And that’s what my solo is - a lyrical acro dance.”
Ten-year-old Gabby Yu from Wingham has also been selected to go to Prague, and they’ve got more in common than Huron County and a love of acro - they both study dance at Danceology MWO in Lucknow. They’ve both been at the studio for years, but, as they’re in different age groups, the two only recently paired up for their first performance together. “Gabby is a wonderful dancer, and she’s a sweet girl. We got to dance together, and it’s kind of cool that we’re going to the Dance World Cup together.”
Their teachers, Jenna Andrew and Courtney Dunlop, have sent more than a few students to the DWC over the years, and Albers never ceases to be inspired by the work they do. “They’ve taught me a lot… everyone is so close, because we are such a small studio.” She considers the people she’s met at Danceology to be like family. “We build strong connections, and they teach great dance. They’re very into putting their all into making you the best you can be.” Albers, at 18, has just graduated from the Danceology program, so she’s looking at the DWC as a chance to extend her education a little bit longer. “It’s pretty sad. It’s all I’ve ever really known my whole life. My best friends are the three other girls that I dance with.” After this trip to Europe, Albers will be pursuing a career as an aesthetician.
Besides the dancing side of things, Albers is into the overall cultural exchange that comes from visiting a different country. She’s been to Holland to visit family before, but she was only one year old, so she doesn’t remember it at all. “I’m looking forward to just touring around, just because I haven’t really travelled that way at all. I think I’m looking forward to actually getting to experience what tourism is.”