Brisbane model to lead Australian global cheer leading team
Madeline Stuart – dubbed by the press as the world’s first supermodel with Down syndrome and autism – will lead Australia to the ICU World Championships for the first time this April.
For the first time ever, an Australian team will compete at the Olympic-sanctioned event this year, represented by the Madeline Stuart Dance Company (MSDC) in partnership with the Australian Cheer Union.
The International Cheer Union World Cheerleading Championships in Orlando will run from April 22 to 24 this year, welcoming more than 70 nations to compete.
Danelle Cooney, Team Australia Director, ACU, said the Australian Cheer Union was proud to represent Australia at the Championships this year with the active support and leadership of the MSDC.
“It is important to give the fierce competitors from our disabled cheer and dance community the opportunity to compete at the highest level, and we cannot wait to see them shine on the world stage,” Cooney said.
Madeline Stuart – who has Down’s Syndrome and autism – founded and built the inclusive dance and performance company in Queensland over a decade ago, which has become one of Australia’s most significant inclusive arts organisations creating genuine pathways for performers of all abilities across the country.
As an internationally recognised model, performer and disability advocate, Stuart will lead Australia to compete in the Special Olympic Independent Hip Hop and Special Abilities Hip Hop categories as the ICU World Championships.
“I am so proud that my dance school has the privilege to take two studio teams to the USA this April as part of Team Australia, dancing with my friends and representing Australia is everything,” Stuart said.
Stuart’s career has grown beyond modelling and into advocacy, performance and community leadership, with a focus on reshaping how disability is represented across media and the arts.
Over the last decade, Stuart has used her platform to challenge stereotypes and expand visibility for people with disabilities, advocating for inclusion, representation and opportunity in Australia and internationally.
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Stuart said :”Everyone deserves to live their dream, if society will champion it,” ahead of her involvement in the ICU World Championships.
This news comes after Stuart underwent open-heart surgery earlier in the year, alongside MSDC celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2026.
As one of Australia’s pioneering fully inclusive dance, drama and drumming companies, MSDC supports performers of all abilities on stage and beyond, setting a national standard for inclusive arts practice.
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