A Rockwood dancer has qualified to compete at the International Dance Organization (IDO) World Street Dance Championships in Slovenia this summer with her hip hop Competitive Dance Team (CDT).
Hutchinson’s Competitive Dance Team (CDT) hip hop group performs “Your AI Assistant” at the Move Dance Competition. The dancers placed second overall in the intermediate division and qualified to compete at the International Dance Organization World Street Dance Championships in Slovenia this summer
When she’s not attending classes at Teulon Collegiate Institute, playing volleyball, volunteering, cooking, baking or spending time with family and friends, Ainsleigh Hutchinson, 15, is on the dance floor up to four days a week preparing for performances.
She started dancing at Green Acres Art Centre when she was three years old, but in late 2022 decided she wanted to compete and enrolled in classes at two Winnipeg-based studios — LA Dance Academy for hip hop and Shelley Shearer School of Dance for lyrical, jazz and ballet — a move she says transformed her as a dancer.
“To me, dance is an outlet,” she said. “It brings lots of opportunities, it is a fun way to meet other people and it helps release your emotions. Overall, it makes me very happy.”
Her mother, Beth Hutchinson, said Ainsleigh started dancing the moment she could stand, noting that whenever an opportunity presented itself, she was never shy about jumping to her feet and putting on a show.
Today, Hutchinson focuses exclusively on hip hop with LA Dance Academy, which she describes as her favourite style because of the variety within the genre and the freedom it gives her to express herself.
This season, she competed in four routines: CDT with 36 dancers, a large group with 11 dancers, a small group with seven dancers and a solo performance. While she said it is difficult to choose a favourite, her large group routine stands out because of the energy the dancers bring to the stage.
“It makes me proud of my team knowing we can perform and entertain an audience,” she said. “It proves to me that I can do it and makes me proud that I can be confident on stage alongside my friends.”
She added that her teammates help calm the nerves she feels before performances, allowing her to channel that energy into excitement once the music starts.
Among the highlights of the competition season, Hutchinson said, were making finals with her CDT group at several competitions — a distinction reserved for the highest-scoring routines — and earning multiple top-three finishes.
However, the biggest moment came when she learned her CDT group had qualified to represent Team Canada at the IDO World Street Dance Championships in Slovenia this August, a prestigious opportunity offered to only a limited number of dance schools worldwide.
“It’s just crazy to be offered the chance to dance for Team Canada,” she said. “When we got the email, we just couldn’t believe it.”
Her mother said she was also surprised by the invitation but is very proud of Ainsleigh and her team. She added that watching her daughter grow over the years has been rewarding.
“What started as a little girl twirling around the living room turned into training in Irish dance, jazz and lyrical and has grown into watching a confident young woman perform high-energy hip hop routines on stage,” she said. “Seeing her commit so much time, often sacrificing time with friends and missing out on school sports, to learn and grow as a dancer and a person is truly incredible. Beyond her own dancing, we are so proud of how she gives back to her local dance community.”
While the team is still waiting to confirm whether it will attend the championships, Hutchinson said simply being invited is already a huge honour.
Looking ahead, she hopes to continue growing as a dancer by stepping outside her comfort zone and pursuing new opportunities. One of those goals includes auditioning for LA Dance Academy’s Explosion Invitational, an elite team known for its elaborate choreography.
She also encourages other dancers to challenge themselves.
“Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. I hesitated myself for a few years to get out of my shell,” she said. “Push yourself and it will lead to amazing places.”
