This Bradford youth has three more reasons to jump for joy.
At just nine years old, Addison Tamburello was invited to compete as part of Team Canada Dance at the International Dance Organization world championships held in Kielce, Poland in late November, where she won three medals — gold, silver and bronze — as part of the team.
The big gold-medal win came in the ballet large formation category, the very first dance of the championships for Addison on her first day there.
“It felt really good,” she said. “When we won first, we were just so shocked.”
Later that week came silver and bronze wins in the acro group and acro formation categories, respectively, as well as ranking 12th out of 48 for her solo acro performance.
Addison competed in the children’s age group in multiple categories, including ballet and acro — a combination of classical dance and gymnastics — with those parts of the competition running from Nov. 26 to 30.
Cheering for her from the audience was her mother Erin, father Stefano and both her older and younger sister.
Having the whole family there to support her and all being “very proud” of her for making it to the competition was “a really great experience,” Stefano explained, but seeing Addison achieve her dreams as she and the team won gold was “bananas.”
“When they announced the gold for them I was very happy. I was screaming and yelling,” he said. “It was an awesome experience.”
For Addison, it was “really crazy” to even be invited to an international competition in Europe, especially since she’s only been taking dance lessons for three years and only dancing competitively for two.
Fortunately, she said the team had already practised so thoroughly that by the time they participated in the championships, it was just a matter of repeating those routines on a larger stage.
“I have no stage fright and I’m happy about that,” she said.
Still, she wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but said the atmosphere at the competition was positive.
“So many people were so nice,” she said. “There was a lot of fierce competition, but everybody was nice.”
Members from many countries' teams even traded national pins and Addison was able to collect about 10 different pins, which now decorate her Team Canada jacket.
The championships further encouraged good sportsmanship by inviting the sixth- to first-place teams on stage after each competition to shake hands and congratulate each other.
That positive energy continued outside of the championships, too, as Addison recalled her team regularly gathered in the common area on their floor of the hotel each evening to chat, laugh, try some gymnastics challenges with each other and just hang out.
Of course, they were all particularly excited the first night following their gold medal win, and Addison recalled everyone cheering and shouting congratulations together in the lobby.
It wasn’t until the next day that the family had the chance to celebrate together while enjoying some tourism attractions, one of which included a nature reserve with a bat sanctuary, monuments, hiking trails and even a mountain.
Addison was happy to say that after enough trekking they actually made it to the top of the mountain, from which Stefano said they could look out over Kielce.
That same day the family also had the chance to explore the city a little, making their way through the various streets and shops and even visiting a toy museum.
“That was really cool,” Addison said. “It was just a whole museum filled with old antique toys.”
While it was difficult to choose just one, she thought an antique hockey stick was probably one of the most interesting items there.
Another piece of Polish culture Addison enjoyed was the unique candies she found in the local convenience stores, Żabka, which she said were in plenty of locations in the city.
She described the gummy candy as being a bit like sour strip bites, but filled with popping pieces, like Pop Rocks, and she even manged to save some to bring home with her.
Unfortunately, the family only had the one day together to explore the city, and while she didn’t need to compete on Thursday, she did have a busy schedule of performing in practices to prepare for Friday and Saturday.
After her portion of the championships were complete, Addison celebrated turning 10 while the family took the opportunity to travel to the Netherlands where they visited relatives.
Because of all the time and energy required to participate, Addison is planning to take a year off from trying to participate in the international championships to focus on more local events, but hopes to be able to qualify again in 2026.
Stefano is confident she’ll be able to do it, and said Addison always tries to be the best at whatever she does.
“Her future looks bright,” he said.
That’s helped by the support of her parents, who took turns driving her to weekly practices in Mississauga and Hamilton on top her local classes.
“It was a lot but we got through it, and we’re happy that she was able to accomplish one of her dreams and perform on a world stage,” Stefano said.
That was also helped by the local community, who participated in various fundraisers as the family took orders for Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Addison sold bracelets and performed at the Bradford Farmers’ Market, and the Bradford School of Dance also encouraged support among patrons.
“The community really supported us and it was great to see,” Stefano said.
When asked if she has any advice for anyone else her age trying to compete on the world stage, Addison kept it simple.
“Just try your hardest,” she said. “Trying your hardest is the best thing you can ever do.”
Stefano also praised Addison for her diligence in “endless practising,” noting that practice only helps if done correctly.
“Practice doesn’t make perfect — practice makes progress. But perfect practice makes perfect,” he said.
Not being dance inclined, Stefano said he hasn’t learned to perform any of the moves himself, but Addison said she has been able to teach a few ballet moves to her mom.
