Meagan Urbanek and her teacher Geraldine French at the 50th CLRG Irish Dance World Championships. PHOTO PROVIDED

 A North Fort Myers resident recently finished No. 27 in the 50th CLRG Irish Dance World Championships in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

“It was amazing, just to qualify for the worlds,” Meagan Urbanek said. “The top 10 percent from every region globally qualify to get to go. It was an incredible experience.”

She has traveled to Ireland and England for championships in the past, but never had been to the worlds before.

Urbanek made it past two heats with more than 100 dancers in the world’s competition.

“To place top 30 in the world was so overwhelming and fulfilling,” Urbanek said. “It’s a lot of dedication and never giving up. It’s not always easy… (it’s about) not letting that deter you and letting my love for Irish dance push me to want to be better and perfect everything.”

The routine for the world’s competition was a minute and a half long, which Urbanek explained to be very athletic.

“We don’t get all the credit that we deserve. We are hard-working athletes, really athletic. You sprint . . . pushing 110 percent to try to get to that last mark,” she said of such things as crossing your legs over, high jumps, high toes and speed. “I’m very exhausted after.”

Urbanek dances for Aisling S.R. in Estero. Her teacher Geraldine French traveled to worlds with Urbanek and her mother.

“There is a performance side to it and competitive side to it. I was in the studio almost every day practicing and training in an upwards of three to four hours a day. I did home practice, too. I go to the gym and do weight training and cardio. I do everything to make myself stronger and fitter,” Urbanek said.

The awards ceremony was among her favorite part of the worlds because it “was so cool to sit in the audience with my mom on one side and my teacher on the other side.” When her name was called the emotions and fulfillment were powerful.

“Being able to walk on stage. They called my name in the huge auditorium in Belfast,” Urbanek said.

Urbanek began dancing when she was 5 years old, about 15 years ago. She began by doing a little ballet and point when she was 9 and 10 years old. She then turned turning to Irish dancing and never looked back.

“I have just this love for it. Passion for it. My family is Irish. I grew up going to the Cape Coral Irish American Festival. I’m so enticed by it and have such a passion for it,” she said.

Urbanek is a sophomore at Florida Gulf Coast University where she is studying health sciences with a minor in entrepreneurship. She wants to pursue either dermatology or pediatric orthopedics.

With being an athlete for so long and overcoming injuries herself, as well as helping teach a beginner class at her studio, orthopedics grabs her attention because she can help the kids get over any broken bones they might have and let them know it will be OK, they will get through their injuries.

“The dream, along with being a physicians assistant…  I would love to open my own dance studio,” Urbanek said, as she is also working towards earning her Irish dance teacher certification. “I have always loved Irish dancing. I would love to be able to share that with other young people and help them enjoy it.”