Meet Liam Costello, Australia’s Irish dance boy wonder. Costello, 19, is the youngest and only Australian to win the Irish Dance World Championships three times consecutively. Read more:
riple world champions are few and far between. Teenaged ones rarer still. You can find one of them working in his parents’ plumbing supplies shop in suburbanLiam Costello, 19, the slender and immaculately groomed young man who cleans the shop and fills orders for customers is the reigning, three-time Irishworld champion. He also has multiple All Ireland, North American and Australian championships under his belt. He won his third Irish Dance world championship in April in Belfast.
Costello is meticulous in nature and describes himself as a perfectionist . His blue eyes shine as he answers each question carefully, he sometimes touches a silver ring on his index finger or a silver necklace, so fine you can hardly see it. His hair is perfectly slicked like a young Elvis Presley and his sneakers are pristine white.He shows Guardian Australia his world-beating trophy.
The intricate footwork and ensemble precision that is a trademark of such productions can only come from years of those competitions, says Costello. “You have to break down every step and make them as perfect as possible because you’re judged on footwork, turnout, posture, everything. The training is about building up the stamina to make it through a full round with everything perfect, without anything out of line.
Aged six at the time, Costello taught himself the rudiments of the Irish dance by watching videos over the summer holidays. “Then as soon as I could get into a class, I jumped at it.” It’s pretty hard on the body, too. “I’ve had shin splints – it’s very common because of your feet are banging so hard on the floor. I’ve had knee and ankle problems. I used to have a difficult hip injury from the high kicking.” He speaks matter-of-factly, like the injuries are no big deal.
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