After seven world titles, Brampton Irish dancer Michaela Hinds going out on top
After stepping her way to seven world titles, Brampton's Michaela Hinds is retiring as the most decorated North American competitor in Irish dancing history.
The 22-year-old captured her final crown at the World Irish Dancing Championship in Dublin in April. The competition is the so-called Olympics of the genre.
"Although sad, it was exciting to show off everything I've worked 18 years towards," Hinds said on Metro Morning.
And yes, her math checks out. Hinds started Irish dancing at just three years old and entered her first competition two years later.
Over the years, she's committed herself to "at least" five practices per week, the sessions lasting anywhere from three to 10 hours each time. She would also wake up at 5 a.m. to train at the gym — well before her afternoon dance practices.
"It's kind of defined who I am," Hinds said.
Though Irish dancing has brought Hinds fame and recognition, it's also taken a toll on her body. In 2016, Hinds took the stage at the world championships on a broken foot — she still won, obviously — and a year later, she's still suffering from multiple breaks and fractures in her feet.
"It's time to let them heal," she said of her nagging injuries.
Recognition
Hinds credits her success to her dedication, work ethic and ability to meld athleticism and artistry on stage.
"Although it's very hard to do, I've been told that I make it look so simple," she explained.
Judges have tended to agree. Including the world championship titles, Hinds has accumulated 40 victories at various competitions during her career, garnering praise even outside the tightly-knit Irish dance community.
"Through her success, Michaela has made her community and country proud," Mississauga-Streetsville MP Gagan Sikand told the House of Commons after Hinds won her final championship.
Next steps
While she's hanging up her dancing shoes and wig, Hinds says she isn't leaving Irish dancing altogether.
She's preparing to write her Irish dancing teacher's exam and has plans to instruct future world-class dancers, to whom she'll be able to pass on more than just choreography.
After all, the sport is perhaps known as much for its elaborate wigs and makeup as much its gesticulating leg movements.
By the end of her career, Hinds developed a technique to attach her wig in around seven minutes. Earlier on, the process would take her up to 45 minutes.
