Motivation to practice Irish dance during the school year

by CAITLIN BUCK, Feis America Magazine contributor

Exhausted or concerned about being buried in homework once the school year kicks in? Sometimes it’s hard to find the motivation to practice--especially in HS or college when homework is merrily delivered in a dump truck. Below are a few ways that have given me a little inspirational push in the practicing department.

Goal for the week: Grab a post-it and write down ONE step or element of technique that needs improvement. Stick that goal on your bathroom mirror so you’ll see it often and feel accountable. Focus on improving that ONE thing during ONE week. Achieve it and you’ll feel good.

Surround yourself with words of motivation. Quotes, lyrics from songs, pictures of what you aspire your dancing to look like...motivation is about feeling DRIVEN. You want to light a fire inside your chest, so that when you feel tired after 8 hours of school or work, you can dig up energy to dance for about forty minutes.

Know how you feel is often affected by your thoughts. If you are thinking: I’m too tired, I can’t dance. So much for improving during the summer... Stop! Insert positive words instead like: I can do all things, through which God strengthens me. Drop what you’re doing, give yourself 10 minutes to see if you really DO have the energy. Go out to where you practice, put on a wildly energetic song and just warm up. See how you feel after that.

Get organized. A trick to motivate yourself and quell negative, I don’t have time for this thoughts, is to show yourself otherwise! Sit down with a school planner every Sunday before the week springs into being and purposely pencil in a practice time for dance for every day of the week. Organize your time and you might find that you have more than you thought!

What has helped you with balancing practice and school? Let us know in the comments below!

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Keeping friendships in Irish dance through competition

by ERIN CONCANNON, Feis America Magazine contributor

Being a girl these days, we all feel pressure to look a certain way. Whether it is the way we dress or act, we are always under the spotlight. That rule especially goes for Irish dancers. We must look 100 percent glamorous all the time at competitions…even when we are beyond nervous.

The only true people who know how you feel about constantly being judged are your dance friends. Here are a few tips on learning to cope with the “friendly” competition.

1) Smile ’til your cheekbones hurt. A smile is worth a thousand words, minus all the talking. If you just smile to your friend(s) when they win, that lets them know how much you love and support them as dancers--and as true friends. You don’t have to always be No. 1, remember that!

2) Congrats! Saying congratulations to your friends who have won is always the best way to go. It’s a friendly, easy word. Put yourself in their shoes! If you won, you would want to be congratulated, too, right?

3) Focus on you. If you only ever focus on your dancing, you will survive in the dancer’s world. Don’t worry about what your friends are doing and focus on you. Being a busy body is a bad quality, and will only hurt you and your friendships in the end.

4) Don’t make a face. Giving your parents that look of disgust when you find out your bud has beaten you in competition won’t get you far in the friend department. Just nod and say good job, even if you are ticked with the results.

At the end of the day, remember that competitions come and go. But friendships last a lifetime…especially in the dancing world!

What’s one friendly tip you’d give to other dancing buds out there? Let us know.

For North America's favorite Irish dancing magazine delivered directly to your mailbox, subscribe now!

Atlantic City Feis Irish Dancing Championship Results

Home of Lynn Academy's Atlantic City Feis

photo courtesy Atlantic City Tourism

The folks at the Lynn Academy of Irish Dance with locations in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York know what it takes to run a terrific feis! Each spring, Irish dancers mainly from the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions flock to Stamford, Connecticut for Lynn's Annual Spring Feis. Come summer, however, Lynn's Atlantic City Feis attracts Irish dancers from the Southern region too. This year's Atlantic City Feis was held August 20-21st at the Sheraton Atlantic City and featured a Costume Irish Dancing Exhibition Party on Saturday night, to the delight of feis-goers.

Results were tabulated by expert Alan Schrader of FeisWeb, and championship results are posted here. Congratulations to all the competitors, especially those who placed. Feis America gives out a special chair to those dancers - Bridget Albrades, Gina Carriero, Aine Claire Sheehan, Owen Luebbers, Lachlan Nidds, Nicholas Paulson, Peter Ryan and Colin Vecchiariello -whose perfect performances delighted the adjudicators and won each the Championship in his or her event! Of special note is the three-way first place tie for Open Championship Girls under 10 which was awarded to Sierra Donovan, Farran Dougherty and Kasey Methven. Outstanding!

Preliminary Boys and Girls Under 8
1 Tara Sheehan (McDade-Cara)
2 Darin Douglas Carlin (O'Rourke)
3 Daniel Callanan (Lynn)
4 Meghan Rose Farrell (Hunt)
5 Jacquelynn Hanna (McDade-Cara)
6 Sheila Hulseman (Peter Smith)

Preliminary Boys and Girls under 9

1 Ronan Burke (Shea-Jennings)
2 Mairin Mcdonnell (Cummins)
3 Anna Donovan (O'Rourke)
4 Peyton Davis (McGrath)
5 Sophia Rachel Papados (Culkin)
6 Olivia Boyce (McDade-Cara)
7 Lia Kroll (Mulvihill-Lynch)
8 Abigail Kerensky (Mulvihill-Lynch)
.
Preliminary Boys and Girls Under 10
1 Emma Walsh (Marie Moore)
2 Katherine Kivimaki (Boyle)
3 Emily Steege (Ryan-Kilcoyne)
4 Aislinn O'Brien (McDade-Cara)
5 Lenna O'Handley (Ni Fhearraigh-O Ceallaigh)
6 Mary Kate Rider (Shea-Jennings)
7 Kada McGovern (Ryan-Kilcoyne)
8 Kyra Caffrey (Broesler)
9 Mary Kelly (Cummins)
10 Erin Carbaugh (McDade-Cara)
11 T Rachel Delate (McDade-Cara) and Deirdre Kelly (O'Grady-Quinlan)
.
Preliminary Boys and Girls Under 11
1 Olivia Crossey (Ryan-Kilcoyne)
2 Erin Rose Miller (O'Grady-Quinlan)
3 Laura McGroary (McDade-Cara)
4 Erin Flynn (McDade-Cara)
5 Meaghan Lynn (Gilleoghan)
6 Alyssa Rothman (Peter Smith)
7 Claire Boyle (McDade-Cara)
8 Julia Eltzholtz (Ardmore)
9 Erin Fitzgerald (Broesler)
.
Preliminary Boys and Girls Under 12
1 Mary-kate Bane (Mulvihill-Lynch)
2 Mackenzie Murray (Peter Smith)
3 Kayla McMennamin (Coyle)
4 Megan Dano (O'Grady-Quinlan)
5 Rachel Hughes (McDade-Cara)
6 Nina Hart (O'Grady-Quinlan)
7 Alayna Langan (Lynn)
8 Abigail Kress (Sabo School)
9 Tatijanna Klinkenbergh (Culkin)
10 Shaina Boyce (McDade-Cara)
11 Katelyn Toombs (Broesler)
12 Katie Clauson (Lynn)
.
Preliminary Boys and Girls Under 13
1 Nora Burke (O'Grady-Quinlan)
2 Clare Hernon (Shea-Jennings)
3 Erin Doran (Peter Smith)
4 Melissa Sweeney (Lynn)
5 Kathryn Facelle (O'Rourke)
6 Douglas Lyon (O'Rourke)
7 Emily Parry (Peter Smith)
8 Matthew Larson (Culkin)
9 Kathryn Foster (Peter Smith)
10 John Dinelli (Inishfree)
11 Katie Feenan (O'Grady-Quinlan)
12 Haley Finley (DeNogla)
13 Nick Klinkenbergh (Culkin)
14 Sabre Pusey (Boyle)
15 Aleah Jensen (Culkin)
16 Madeline Maloney (Culkin)
.
Preliminary Boys and Girls Under 14
1 Faith Ishler (Hooley)
2 Maggie Hall (Broesler)
3 Kara Grzeszczak (Shea-Jennings)
4 Sarah Durso (McAleer)
5 Emma Davis (Boyle)
6 Emma Lisa Senecal (DeNogla)
7 T Fiona Garguilo (Hagen) and Leanne McGroary (McDade-Cara)
8 Sandra Wilson (Verlin)
9 Shannon Svitek (Petri School)
10 Laoise Tyndall (Marie Moore)
11 Megan Shugrue (Donny Golden)
12 Allison Flood (Patricia Murphy)

13 Jessica Sheridan (O'Rourke)

14 Rachel DiMauro (Lynn)
.
Preliminary Boys and Girls Under 15
1 Erin Hillegas (Ryan-Kilcoyne)
2 Sheppard Somers (Hagen)
3 Olivia DeScala (Peter Smith)
4 Claire Johnston (Ryan-Kilcoyne)
5 Jacquelynn Fritz (Broesler)
6 Isabel Wasserzug (Culkin)
7 Gaby Toombs (Broesler)
8 Molly Volk (Hunt)
9 Jaclyn Timoney (Ryan-Kilcoyne)
10 Autumn Ramirez (Sabo School)
.
Preliminary Boys and Girls Under 16
1 T Millie Beichner (McAleer) and Emily Murphy (Culkin)
2 Caitlin Romanczyk (Peter Smith)
3 Emma Kennedy (Hurley)
4 Brennen Peters (Boyle)
5 Laurissa Senecal (DeNogla)
6 Kelsey Gallagher (Coyle)
.
Preliminary Men and Ladies 16 & Over
1 Megan Davitt-Loysen (Teelin)
2 Caitlin Dougherty (Rhythm of Ireland)
3 Jacque Clark (Lynn)
4 Michelle Rueb (Tir Na Gael)
5 Jennifer Castellano (Petri School)
6 Victoria Franklin (Ryan-Kilcoyne)
7 Megan Boszko (Peter Smith)
8 Taylor Hollister (Ryan-Kilcoyne)
9 Victoria DeJesus (O'Grady-Quinlan)
10 Elizabeth Crouse (Marie Moore)
11 Brittany Jackson (Kerry)
12 Laura McKeon (Teelin)
13 T Morgan LaPointe (O'Grady-Quinlan) and Grace Hulseman (Peter Smith)
.
Open Championship Girls Under 9
1 Bridget Abraldes (Mulvihill-Lynch)
2 Maggie Webber (Mulvihill-Lynch)
3 T Lily Anne Bruer (McElligott) and Simone Loysen (Culkin)
.
Open Championship Girls Under 10
1 T Sierra Donovan (O'Rourke) and Farran Dougherty (Broesler) and Kasey Methven (Broesler)
2 Paige Diecidue (Mulvihill-Lynch)
3 Grace Mahon (Shea-Jennings)
.
Open Championship Girls Under 12
1 Riley Maeve Dolan (Broesler)
2 Seana Isaac (O'Grady-Quinlan)
3 Kerri Betz (Ryan-Kilcoyne)
4 Gianna Cheeseman (Broesler)
5 Haylee Kirk (McDade-Cara)
6 Chloe Williams (Ardmore)
7 Kasey Van Doran (Flynn)
8 Emily Lizins (McDade-Cara)
9 Maeve Abraldes (Mulvihill-Lynch)
.
Open Championship Girls Under 14
1 Aine Claire Sheehan (McDade-Cara)
2 Ciara Murphy (Petri School)
3 Anna May Fitch (Shea-Jennings)
4 Abby Coyman (Lynn)
5 Lily Schwoerer (Lynn)
6 Emme Toombs (Broesler)
7 Ciara Burke (Coyle)
8 Breanne Toolan (O'Grady-Quinlan)
9 Katie Hosey (McAleer)
.
Open Championship Girls Under 16
1 Blair Croce (Early-McLoughlin)
2 T Hannah Coyman (Lynn) and MaryKate DiChiara (Inishfree)
3 Taylor Collins (Petri School)
4 Abbey Croce (Early-McLoughlin)
5 Mary Thayer (An Rince Mor)
6 Isabella DeJesus (O'Grady-Quinlan)
7 Audrey Hutton (Burke-Conroy)
8 Laura O'Hanlon (Lynn)
9 Michaela Hollister (Ryan-Kilcoyne)
10 Nicole DeSouza (Petri School)
.
Open Championship Girls Under 18
1 Gina Carriero (Lynn)
2 Theresa Oei (Griffith)
3 Shannon O'Gorman (Ryan-Kilcoyne)
4 Brianna Sheehan (O'Shea-Chaplin)
5 Moira Ragen (Culkin)
6 Colleen Strazdas (Peter Smith)
7 Elisabeth DiMauro (Lynn)
.
Open Championship Ladies 18 & Over
1 Samantha Merritt (DeNogla)
2 Meagan Moffett (O'Shea-Chaplin)
3 Emma Roithmayr (O'Rourke)
4 Keira Murphy (Mulvihill-Lynch)
5 Shannon Corrigan (Early-McLoughlin)
.
Open Championship Boys Under 12
1 Colin Vecchiariello (Gilleoghan)
.
Open Championship Boys Under 14
1 Owen Luebbers (Broesler)
2 Aaron Wolf (Bell)
3 Alex Lucas Papados (Culkin)
.
Open Championship Boys Under 16
1 Lachlan Nidds (Broesler)
.
Open Championship Boys Under 18
1 Nicholas Paulson (Broesler)
.
Open Championship Men 18 & Over
1 Peter Ryan (Smith-Houlihan)

Colorado Wedding Features Irish Dancing Bride and Friends

Weddings are always happy occasions but when you invite your Irish dancing friends, all your guests enjoy a special treat! Lisa Anderson started Irish dancing with the Bennett School of Irish Dance in Denver, Colorado at 15 years old and fell in love instantly. She quickly rose through the competitive ranks to Preliminary Champion, but an injury forced her to stop.

Lisa Irish-danced a little in college, but it just wasn’t the same, she says, so she stayed involved with the Bennett School as much as possible between semesters. She enjoys teaching the 5-6 year olds and as a graphic designer, has created many fun t-shirts for Bennett School Irish dancers for competitions and events.

Lisa met her husband Isaac Hess at a church activity about 18 months ago while home between semesters. When she finished college, the two began seriously dating, fell in love and planned to marry quickly. Lisa tells us, "One of our dates was actually taking him to my dance studio and dragging him into learning some ceili dancing!".

At their wedding a few weeks ago, Bennett School Irish dancers including teachers Bill and TCRG Molly Bennett, and a host of friends, danced for guests.

Lisa says, "Isaac told me he isn't much of a dancer but he picked it up really fast which is why we ended up dancing together in a group dance at my wedding! Nothing brings two people together like dancing does, especially when neither of you remember the steps and end up laughing the entire time."

With the wedding behind them, the newlyweds have a little more free time. Lisa looks forward to getting back into shape and competing at the Open Championship level again. Feis America and Irish Central congratulate the happy couple and thank them for sharing their photos and story with us and Irish dancing fans here on the blog.

Have you been to a wedding where Irish dancing was a special part of the ceremony or celebration? Share your stories here at Go Feis! The Irish Dance Blog.

Subscribe to North America's favorite Irish dancing magazine, Feis America and get stories like these and photos from Irish dancing events across the U.S., Canada and Mexico delivered to your mailbox every other month! A subscription makes a terrific gift for your favorite Irish dancer or teacher!

Photos courtesy of Bennett School of Irish Dance's Debbie Newton and Kristin White

Five tips to improving an Irish dancing step

by BRIAN PARRY, Feis America Magazine contributor

Easy ways to get those steps down…besides doing what your teacher tells you.

When I was 11, and just getting into the Novice/Prizewinner level, I was convinced I would never get the slow hornpipe down. Between the syncopated timing and the complex footwork, it seemed like nothing was going right in that step. Now, the hornpipe is both my favorite dance and the one I am strongest in. Why? Mainly because I worked hard at getting it all down. Here are some methods that might help you, too, when struggling with a step.

1) Find someone else who has the steps you are trying to acquire and copy them. While they are practicing those steps, hang back a bit and dance the steps with them, making sure that you don’t get in the way or unduly distract them. The trick with this technique is to make sure that whoever you are copying is doing the steps correctly, or run the risk of learning bad habits.

2) Be stubborn about it. And by stubborn, I mean focus on nothing but the footwork and the music. Every time you foul up, stop, go back to the beginning and do it over again correctly. Practice is only good when you do the steps right.

3) Ask another dancer for help. Remember, there are other resources out there when your TCRG is tied up. Find another dancer who has had the steps you are trying to learn and ask them to help you out. Tell them about any changes the teacher made to the choreography in your case. And just be polite. Kindness can go a long way.

4) Get your pride involved. This works best if you are dancing with a sibling who is learning the same steps. “How dare they get those steps before I do” is the sort of attitude you want. But at the same time, be careful that you keep it internalized. Prove you are just as great of a dancer as any of your siblings through your hard work, not verbal jabs.

5) Tape it. If you can get a videotape of another dancer correctly doing the steps you are trying to learn, then videotape yourself doing the same steps and try to contrast the two. Seeing it visually might help put the pieces together in your head.

What are some tricks you use to get a step down? Let us know.

For North America's favorite Irish dancing magazine delivered directly to your mailbox, subscribe now!

Irish dancing photos from the 2011 Arizona State Championships

The U17 Open Championship placers


Two of the Bracken champions with one of their fans!


Three Bracken Preliminary Champs hoist their trophies aloft


Bracken fans and supporters


The 2011 Arizona State Championships were held this past weekend and, as you can see from these photos, it was a blast. Only a few more feiseanna left for the rest of summer!

Thanks to Feis America Magazine contributor Helene Ossipov for sharing her terrific photos!

For more Feis Followups delivered to your mailbox every other month, subscribe NOW to North America's favorite Irish dancing magazine, Feis America!

McMenamin Academy Feis Irish Dance Open Champion Results and Photos

The 2nd Annual McMenamin Academy Feis on August 14, 2011 was held at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Irish dance families who also registered for the Milwaukee Feis on August 13th were in for a weekend of back-to-back feising fun! After opening ceremonies and anthems, competitions got started right away with figures and first feis competitions.

Here are the Open Champion results as tabulated by our friends at FeisWorx! Visit FeisWorx for complete results.

Open Champion Boys under 13:
1st McKimmon Engelhardt (McNulty School of Irish Dance)

2 Michael Wall (Cashel-Dennehy)

3 Henry Schnabel (Richens-Timm, Indiana)

4 Raphael Hallerman (Rince Nia Academy)

Open Champion Boys under 15:

1st Donovan Lyon (Rince Nia Academy)

2nd Mitchell Hollman (Glencastle Irish Dancers)

Open Champion Girls under 12:

1st Sophie Steigerwald (Cashel-Dennehy)

2 Mairead King (Dillon-Gavin)

Open Champion Girls under 14:

1st Kristen Anklewicz (Sheila Tully Academy)

2 Gabby Hughes (Sheila Tully Academy)

3 Sarah Elizabeth Hubbard (Trinity Academy)

4 Suzanne O'Meara (Cashel-Dennehy)

Open Champion Girls under 16:

1st Rachel Knapp (Dillon-Gavin

2Tie Finola Hughes (Cashel-Dennehy) and Emma Reynolds (Mulhern)

4 Ashley VanHandel (Yeates Academy of Irish Dance, OR)

Open Champion Girls under 18:

1st Mina Margaret (Rince Nia Academy)

2 Allison Wall (Cashel-Dennehy)

3 Katie Wilhelms (Trinity Academy)

Open Champion Ladies 18 & Over:

1st Kathleen Jorgensen (Cashel-Dennehy)

2 Ellen Harris (Cashel-Dennehy)

3 Caitlin Livingston (O'Hare School of Irish Dance)

Share your photos and captions from the Milwaukee and McMenamin feiseanna with us on Feis America's FaceBook fanpage and we'll add them here on Go Feis! The Irish Dance Blog!

For more Feis Follow-Ups and terrific articles on Irish dancing, subscribe to Feis America, North America's favorite Irish dancing magazine today!

"Jig" the movie now showing on ConstellationTV interactive platform

Discounted tickets - interact with the stars of 'Jig' on Constellation

Interact with stars and get to see the hottest film out there about the world of Irish dancing! 

ConstellationTV, a global online film distribution and theater platform, is the first of its kind and we wanted to be the first to share this exciting experience for Feis America on Irish Central viewers!

At ConstellationTV, audiences buy tickets to attend specific showtimes for movie screenings in online theaters. However, unlike traditional brick-and-mortar theaters, Constellation audiences can interact directly with each other and with VIP hosts (such as the filmmakers and/or cast) via a web cam and chat. It's fun and social!

Read on to the end of this post for details on how to get Feis America-discounted tickets as easy as 1-2-3!

Here is the schedule of online showtimes for JIG. Spread the word!
--------------
READ MORE: 
PHOTOS - Inishfree New York Feis - Irish dance photo gallery

Feis at the Falls attracts champion dancers and first-time feisers  

Utah State Feis Irish dancing adult results - PHOTOS
--------------

Wednesday 8/17, 6pm EST: Supermodel Coco Rocha will be LIVE via webcam during and after the screening. Attendees will be able to chat live with her about her experience with Irish dancing. Coco Rocha was featured in an article in the May/June issue of Feis America!

Thursday 8/18, 6pm EST: Irish dance phenom Joe Bitter hosts live!

Friday 8/19, 6pm EST: JIG director Sue Bourne hosts live!

Saturday 8/20, 6pm EST: Joe Bitter hosts live!

Sunday 8/21, 6pm EST: Sue Bourne hosts live!

Feis America-discounted tickets are now on sale to select show times of the film and here's how to make sure you get your discount and an EXTRA $1.00 off:

Go to: http://constellation.tv/jig

Select a screening of your choice, log in, and then purchase a ticket. If you enter the code "feisjig" in the discount code field, you can redeem the 15% discount. You can also get a further $1.00 off their ticket by sharing the film on your Facebook wall by clicking that option on the bottom of the payment form.

Stay tuned for more discounts, giveaways and Irish dancing fun EVERY DAY here at Go Feis! The Irish Dance Blog by Feis America on IrishCentral!

For all the Irish dancing news you can handle, subscribe to the Feis America print edition of North America's favorite magazine here.

Back-to-school crafts: Make an Irish dancing notebook

by CAITLIN BUCK, Feis America Magazine contributor

Old or new and any size, all notebooks and folders can be fabul-ized!

Right...so crummy jiggle aside, a great way to add jazz, bling and general attitude to a dull composition book, or standard yawn-worthy folder, is to Irish-zise it.

Whether you have a stockpile of Irish craft materials (cleverly collected from 75-percent off “After St. Patty’s Day Sales!”) or you lack so much as a glue stick, (better get on that, since it will be on the back-to-school list), pre-school season slumber parties and start-of-term booster club meetings are a great place to pool crafts and snazz your school supplies.

After all, Irish dancing is not simply a sport, it is a way of life. Here are a few ideas to craft your own personalized school notebook or folder…
--------------
READ MORE: 
PHOTOS - Inishfree New York Feis - Irish dance photo gallery

Feis at the Falls attracts champion dancers and first-time feisers  


Utah State Feis Irish dancing adult results - PHOTOS
-------------- Around the cover:
- Redress the cover with: felt/material/scrapbooking or construction paper. Fold over the edges of the covering material to the inside of the notebook and staple or glue it. Use either rubber cement, craft glue or a hot glue gun.

On the cover:
- Ribbon or scrapbooking paper can be used to frame a boarder around the edges. Bonus? It’s a great way to cover staples.

- Go to Wordle, click “create” and enter in every Irish dance term, or every inspirational word you can think of. Wordle will then generate your words back to you in different colors and layouts. Print and glue on your notebook.

- Write your name or something like, “You think your sport is hard get REEL” or “Reel Treble” in glitter glue, alphabet stickers, or a permanent marker.

- If you’re a doodler, cut some of those little drawings out and paste them like polka dots on the cover of your notebook or folder.

- Using old feis programs, cut out the Irish clip art and Irish dance terms to use as a decorative smaller boarder on your notebook or binder.

- With colored markers, write every feis or city you’ve traveled to for competition on a piece of construction paper. Then glue to the back of your notebook.

- For an extra burst of encouragement, find inspirational quotes online (or on old good luck cards), cut out and past on the inside cover.


Photo Credit: Caitlin Buck


What are some crafty ways you’ve decorated your school supplies? Let us know.

For North America's favorite Irish dancing magazine delivered directly to your mailbox, subscribe now!

Utah State Feis Irish Dancing Adult Results and Photos by Curtis Judd

Top Five Preliminary Champions under 18:

1st Alissa Rosado from Acadamh Rince, 2nd Annie Jensen from Shelley, 3rd, 3rd Cierra Skelton from Claddagh Western U.S., 4th Natalie Matson, Shelley and 5th Allyson Anderson

Firecracker Special!

Girls Ceili at the Utah State Feis

www.curtisjuddphotography.com

With a fabulous photographer on hand, every single performance comes off stellar! At the request of Feis America writer Christy Dorrity, Curtis Judd treated Feis America to a selection of his photos from the Utah State Feis for an upcoming issue but we just couldn't wait to share them with our fans here on Irish Central. This annual Irish dancing competition in Salt Lake City is enjoyed by feisgoers from all over the Western Region of the United States.

Photos from the Utah State Feis are available for purchase here. Adult results as follows, full results available on FeisWorx.

Adult Special

Champion Christy Dorrity from Acadamh Rince

2 Sarah Lindsey from Crawford

3Emma Goodman from Crawford

Adult Beginner

1 (reel, slip jig, single jig), 2 (light jig) Camille Whitechurch from Crawford

2 (reel, slip jig), 1 (light jig and traditional set) Annie Sinead O'Flynn from Power Academy

Adult Novice

1 (light jig) Christy Dorrity from Acadamh Rince

1 (traditional set) Andi Prince from Ardán Academy

1 (reel, slip jig, double jig, hornpipe), 2 (light jig, slip jig, single jig) Shannon Talbot, Shannon from Crawford

1 (slip jig, single jig), 2 (reel, slip jig, double jig) Danielle Montague-Judd from Acadamh Rince

Adult Prizewinner

1 (reel, single jig), 2 (light jig), 3 (double jig) Alyson McKean-Bown from Crawford

1 (light jig), 2 (slip jig) Andi Prince from Ardán Academy

1Tie (slip jig and hornpipe),2 (double jig), 3 (single jig) Emma Goodman from Crawford

1 (single jig), 2 (traditional set) Alyson McKean-Bown from Crawford

1 (double jig), 2 (reel,Tie single jig, double jig) Christy Dorrity from Acadamh Rince

1 Tie (slip jig and hornpipe), 2 Tie (single jig), 3 (reel and traditional set) Sarah Lindsey from Crawford

1 (traditional set), 3 (light jig) Danielle Montague-Judd from Acadamh Rince

Special thanks to Feis America writer Christy Dorrity for her help with this post!

For more Irish dancing news from Feis America, North America's favorite Irish dancing magazine, delivered to your mailbox, subscribe today!

Historic Savannah Feis: Irish Dancers Rock the South Again!

The Irish Dancers of Savannah hosted the 6th Historic Savannah Feis on August 6, 2012, at the Savannah Civic Center. With eight stages and the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians on hand to assist feis-goers, the hostess city of the South, Savannah, could not have offered a better or more-organized Irish dancing competition for Southern Region Irish dancers and their families!

Preliminary and Open Champion Results as tabulated and posted on-line by eFeis are limited to Irish dance school names and competitor numbers. Top Ten Schools in each competition are listed here, but we invite you to comment with the names of the dancers who placed.

Special congratulations to the dancers in Prelim under 14 and under 17 and Open Men under 18 who earned a perfect 300 score from the adjudicators!

Prelim under 8:

Mulligan, GA 1

Rince na h'Eireann NC 2

Hunt MD 3

Prelim under 10:

Drake School 1 and 5 and 7

Breffni Academy FL 2

Leneghan Academy OH 3

Tir na Greine, FL 4

Rince na h'Eireann NC 6

Danny Tighe NC 8

Prelim under 12: Special thanks to Feis America's FaceBook friend Karen Renee Smit-Daley!

Glor na Daire 1

Maple VA 2

Inis Cairde 3

Mulligan 4
Drake 5

Stephen Scariff FL 6

Rince na h'Eireann NC 7

Prelim under 14:
Drake School 1 with a perfect score of 300!

Rince na h'Eireann NC 2, 3 and 4

Leneghan Academy OH 5

Drake School 6

Stephen Scariff FL 7

Inis Cairde NC 8

Walsh Kelley, NC 9

Broesler, Maryland 10

Prelim under 16a:

Breffni Academy FL 1

Glor na Daire GA 2 and 5

Rince na h'Eireann NC 3

Mulligan, GA 4

Inis Cairde NC 6 and 10

Drake School 7

Katie Cox TN 8

King O'Sullivan GA 9

Prelim under 16b:

King O'Sullivan, GA 1

Breffni Academy FL 2

Walsh Kelley, NC 3 and 8

Drake School 4 and 6 and 7

Watters School, FL 5

Glor na Daire GA 9

Rince na h'Eireann NC 10

Prelim under 17:

Rince na h'Eireann NC 1 with a perfect score of 300!

Tir na Greine FL 2 and 4

Glor na Daire GA 3

Mulligan, GA 5

Prelim 17 & Over:

Drake School 1

Glor na Daire GA 2 and 8

Rince na h'Eireann NC 3

Tir na Greine, FL 4 and 6 and 7

Stephen Scariff FL 5

Open under 10:

Rince na h'Eireann NC 1

Breffni Academy FL 2

Open under 12:

Stephen Scariff FL 1

Mulligan, GA 2

Maple VA 3

Open under 14:

Mulligan, GA 1

Rince na h'Eireann NC 2

Watters School FL 3 and 4 and 5

Niall O'Leary NY 6

Stephen Scariff FL 7

Drake School 8 and 9 and 10

Open under 16:

Drake School 1

Rince na h'Eireann NC 2

King O'Sullivan, GA 3

Glor na Daire GA 4 and 5 and 6 and 8 and 9

Watters School FL 7 and 10

Open under 18 Ladies:

Drake School 1

McGinley FL 2

Glor na Daire GA 3T

Watters School FL 3T and 4

Yeates Academy FL 5

Breffni Academy FL 6

Open under 18 Men:

Glor na Daire GA 1 with a perfect score of 300!
Rince na h'Eireann NC 2 and 3

Open 18 & Over:

Rince na h'Eireann NC 1 and 2

Drake School 3 and 5 and 6

Watters School FL 4

Henry and Andrew Snead from Rince na h'Eireann (NC/SC)

Top Three Girls under 8 Preliminary Championship

Molly and Sarah Barton, Kierstin Finch and Maddie Loper

Scott Johnson, Savannah Wells and Erin Kaukereit

Glor na Daire (GA) friends and fans for life!

All photos by Madison Daley exclusively for Feis America LLC

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Six ways to beat boredom at a feis

by BRIAN PARRY, Feis America Magazine contributor

It is an unfortunate fact: When one is not dancing or stressing out, a feis can become mind-crushingly boring. This is especially true if you are not one for watching other dancers. As both a dancer and, at times, a spectator, these are some successful things I’ve used to help keep boredom at bay.

Practice. If you find yourself chafing at inactivity, then excuse yourself into the hallway, put on your iPod or MP3 player and run through your steps a few more times. Just remember to have someone watching the clock in the room to alert you when your competition is coming up. And remember not to over practice or risk running out of energy during those important moments on stage.

Read a book. This works particularly well when stretching. Get into the stretch, pull out a book and dive in.

Whip out some cards. Bring along a deck and try engaging other spectators in card games such as poker, gin rummy, or 21. If nothing else, you can play solitaire with yourself. Just ensure you are not distracting dancers, judges, or musicians.

Come equipped with your laptop. And don’t forget the earbuds and power cables at home. Check with the venue staff for WiFi information. There isn’t any? Whip out a DVD or calming CD to keep you relaxed.

Engage in a mini magnetic board game. Forgo the regular, bulky ones as it takes up too much space and you risk losing pieces, and bring out this mini box of fun. You can even continue a game on that dreaded long car ride home from a feis, too.

Tote a notebook. Write a story. Take notes on what other dancers are doing. This could into a roving dance journal of sorts that will be fun to read years after your competitive career.

What are some things you do to beat boredom at a feis? Let us know.


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Experiencing the North American Irish Dance Championships for the first time

The Sunday competitor from the Bracken School with Alexis Hodel, TCRG


by HELENE OSSIPOV, Feis America Magazine contributor

Time for awards at the 2010 Western US Oireachtas. My daughter is onstage, lined up with all the other dancers, listening and hoping her name isn’t called too soon. Then the announcement: The remaining dancers qualified for Nationals!

And so begins the preparations: Nationals prep classes, ordering a new dress, making hotel reservations, making plane reservations, requesting vacation time at work. Does she need a new wig? Shoes? Should we hope for a recall?

We check into the Gaylord Opryland hotel in Nashville and receive our wristbands. All around us, we see kids carrying large, wedge-shaped bags, just like at the Oireachtas. There’s even a Sikh wedding going on in the hotel, just like at the Oireachtas! After we drop our own wedge-shaped bag in our room, we go down to the ballrooms to see what was going on.

There’s a registration line, a place to buy programs, a T-shirt vendor, lots of other vendors. Girls in springy wigs and boys in snazzy vests are dancing in the hallways, practicing anywhere they can find room. Just like at the Oireachtas, only the space is bigger and there are more people.

The next morning, after an early breakfast, we go to the ballroom for my daughter’s competition. The ballrooms are large and people have set up camp, claiming several chairs each for dress bags, shoe bags, make-up, and all the other paraphernalia. We chat with the families sitting in front and in back of us, while my daughter and her TCRG warm up and put finishing touches on make-up. Just like at the Oireachtas. The stage managers call for the dancers to check-in and pick up their numbers. Just like at the Oireachtas.

Then the dancing begins. And it’s not at all like the Oireachtas. Here are the best dancers in North America and even some from overseas. The technique and choreography and skill level are orders of magnitude beyond what we see at the Oireachtas. It was amazing and wonderful to watch.

No, my daughter didn’t recall, but she wasn’t too disappointed. It was a great experience, just to be there, seeing some terrific dancers, being part of the excitement. Now she knows what to expect for next year!

Did you experience the North American Irish Dance Championships for the first time this past July as well? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Photo Credit: Helene Ossipov

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Nation's Capital Feis and All-America Championships 2011 Irish Dancing Results

The Dancing Exhibition on the Capitol Lawn is a traditional event at the Nation's Capital Feis every year!

photo courtesy O'Neill-James School of Irish Dancing

The 24th Annual Nation's Capital Feis and All-American Irish Dancing Championships was held July 24, 2011, at the Sheraton National Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. An Exhibition on the Capitol Lawn took place on July 23rd. This much-loved summer Irish dancing competition was hosted by Laureen O'Neill-James, TCRG, ADCRG and member of the Irish Cultural Hall of Fame. O'Neill-James runs the O'Neill-James School of Irish Dancing which draws Irish dance students from the Capitol area with its main studio located in Virginia. This year's Nation's Capital Feis paid tribute to Irish American presidents of the United States.

Renowned adjudicators arrived from as far as Ireland and as close as metropolitan New York: Kevin Broesler, Sean Flynn, Donny Golden, Kerry Kelly Oster, Patricia Early McLoughlin, Carmel O'Rourke Tighe, Aine and Seamus O'Shea, Eilis Rochez-McKenna and Noreen Smith. Favorite feis musicians kept the busy stages moving, starting with the youngest dancers. This year, all of the competitions that have traditionally taken place over two days were compacted into just one day.

Little dancers experiencing their very first feis brought smiles to start everyone's day, with 1st place in the reel for those under 6 years-old going to Jane Ferry from O'Neill-James, 2nd to Morgan Holden from Broesler, 3rd to Anne Taylor from Sheeaun (CT) and 4th to Thomas Green from McGrath. First place in the light jig for those under 6 years-old went to Kyra Sexton from Hunt, with 2nd to Morgan Holden, 3rd to Jane Ferry and 4th to Isabelle Fontana from O'Neill-James.

One of the more interesting competitions at Nation's Capital Feis is the combined music/dance event, with each competitor judged on both their dancing ability and the music they have played and recorded. First place went to Kayley Kiesel from Teelin, 2nd to Claire O'Halloran from Scoil Rince Ni Dubhthaigh, 3rd to Cecilia Garvey from Boyle and 4th to Lauren Kate Hurlocker from Muggivan.

Preliminary Championships were won by Peter Mildrew (u9), Katherine Kivimaki (u10), James O'Reilly (u12), Emma Davis (u14) - all from Boyle, Erin Miller from O'Grady-Quinlan (u11), Matthew Larson from Culkin (u13), Kylie Kalnan from Breffni (u15), Kaley Smith from Broesler (u16), Grady McDavit from O'Neill-James (u17) and Kaitlyn Cawley from Murphy Irish Arts (17&over).

Open Championships were won by Kasey Methven (u11), Owen Luebbers (u13), Katie Roszyk (u14) and Tory Zehnder (u18) - all from Broesler, Haylee Kirk from McDade-Cara (u12), Katherine O'Connor from Burke-Conroy (u15), Sean McCann from O'Neill-James (u16), Brigid C. Rosendale from O'Grady-Quinlan (u17) and Laura Payne from An Cor Rud (18&over).

Adult Open competitions were won by Babs Husson from O'Neill-James (Reel), Lynne Joyce Haslbeck from Culkin (Light Jig, Slip Jig, Hornpipe), Cheryl Day from McGrath (Single Jig), Molly Coe from Niall O'Leary (Treble Jig and Traditional Set) and Wei Leong from Niall O'Leary (Treble Reel).

Further results may be viewed at FeisWorx.

Subscribe to Feis America, North America's favorite Irish dancing magazine, today to get Irish dancing news delivered to your mailbox every other month! The September/October issue features 12 pages of North American National Irish Dancing Championship photos and stories!

Maitiu O'Maoileidigh Summer Feis 2011 Irish Dancing Results

Each year, the Celtic Gold Irish Dance Academy of Garden Grove, California honors founder Doireann's father, Maitiu O'Maoileidigh, with a fantastic summer feis. O'Maoileidigh started one of the top Irish dancing schools in Ireland, Inis Ealga, more than fifty years ago. O'Maoileidigh and Marie Duffy (renowned choreographer for Lord of the Dance) traveled to the U.S., Canada and Australia in the style of the old Dance Masters, where Irish dance instruction has grown by leaps and bounds and reels and jigs to its placed today as one of the most athletic and elegant dance forms of all time.

Here are some of the results from the 2011 Maitiu O'Maoileidigh Summer Feis:

First Feis - Prince Special - 1st place Matthew Walker from Kelly School and 2nd place Nicholas Neoman from Celtic Gold

First Feis - Princess Special - 1st place Janie Retzlaff from Celtic Gold, 2nd placeTIE between Livi Marks from McCartan and Ava Seifert from Celtic Gold.

Beginners Results under 6:

1st Reel and Tie 1st Slip Jig, 3rd Light Jig - Janie Retzlaff from Celtic Gold

2nd Light Jig, 2nd Reel - Madeline Steinbach from Lyons

1st Light Jig, Tie 1st Slip Jig, 3rd Reel - Livi Marks from McCartan

4th Reel - Erin Weir from Celtic Gold

4th Light Jig - Clara Horeczcko from Celtic Gold

Preliminary Championships:

u9: Isabel Taulli (Kelly School)

u10: MacKenzie Moore-Kosslow (Bracken School)

u11: Megan Saenz (Butler-Fearon-O'Connor)

u12: Julianna Kolk (Butler-Fearon-O'Connor)

u13: Shaelyn Ellershaw (Tir Conaill Academy of Irish Dance)

u14: Amy Green (O'Shea Irish Dance)

u15: Lauren Waldman (O'Connor School of Irish Dance)

u16: Dominique Bear (Rose-Ritchie Academy of Irish Dance

u17: Kaitlyn Amodeo (Claddagh Western U.S.)

17&O: Katelyn Gonzalez (Celtic Gold Academy)

Open Championships:

u11: Chloe McGovern (Butler-Fearon-O'Connor)

u13: Allyson Talpash (Donna Means School)

u14: Carley Reger (Butler-Fearon-O'Connor)

u15: Sophie Beirne (Butler-Fearon-O'Connor)

u16: Becky Sanders (Painter-Larson Academy of Irish Dance)

u17: Hana Bellman (O'Farrell School)

u19: Tori Lopez (Comerford California)

19&O: Karissa Kelly (Celtic Gold Academy)

Next year's Maitiu O'Maoileidigh Summer Feis will be held on July 28-29, 2012. For more details, visit Celtic Gold Academy.

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Camp Rince Ceol Irish dance camp showcase- PHOTOS

Any Camp Rince Ceol camper will tell you that one of the best parts of the whole Irish dancing camp week is the Thursday night Showcase! Campers and counselors are given a set amount of time between Irish dancing sessions each day to come up with a theme, music and choreography for a show that must come together in just a few days.

From makeshift costumes to surprising tricks, the littlest to the oldest campers work together and perform for all the other campers, counselors and instructors on the Thursday night before Irish dance camp ends Friday. The show is repeated at parent pick-up on Friday morning, but there are little extras that happen only at the Thursday night performance... and Feis America was there for the show!

This year, New York's Week 3 campers were dressed as baseball teams, circa-1980's aerobic students, and Muppets. The counselors and oldest campers did a parody about the instructors that paralleled Beauty and The Beast, poking the most fun at Damien O'Kane, TCRG and a former lead of Lord of the Dance. A special treat on Thursday was the performance of 'Show Steps' taught to some of the campers by Craig Ashhurst, TCRG, a former Riverdance lead and current lead in Lord of the Dance. Last but not least, all of the instructors performed for the campers to great accolades, ending the show but starting the dance party off right!

Check out the beginning of the dance party video in the next blog post here on Go Feis! The Irish Dance Blog!

Subscribe or renew today to be sure to get the September/October issue of Feis America, North America's FAVORITE Irish dancing magazine, featuring more than a dozen pages of photos from the North American Irish Dancing Championships!

More Showcase Fun Week 3 New York Camp

Groups 5 and 6 perform a baseball game theme

during Showcase week 3 New York Camp

Grand finale for Circa 1980's Showcase

Week 3 New York Camp

One of the baseball team players and a cheerleader

Week 3 New York camp Showcase

All photos copyright 2011 Feis America LLC