An Irish dancer’s St. Patrick’s Day countdown

OK, so we're some of the lucky ones. We get to celebrate our Irish heritage every day through our dancing. We've got Irish tunes on the iPod practically on repeat. We indulge in delicious Irish treats at feiseanna every weekend. But in light of it being halfway to March 17, we figured, why not take a moment to think about one of the busiest days for an Irish dancer of the year?

Eh, then again, why jump the gun? Sure, St. Patrick’s Day 2012 is sneaking up on us, but there are a lot of things to look forward to before that…even before 2011 comes to an end. Here are some events we’re looking forward to the most. What can you add to the list?

- "JIG" is being released on DVD on this side of the pond Oct. 4.


- Halloween feiseanna like the Phoenix Halloween Feis Oct. 15 or the Mullane Healy Godley Academy Halloween Feis Oct. 29. What kooky costumes will walk through the doors? Can’t wait to find out!

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- Oireachtas season! Yep, the big regional championships are taking place in November and December. We can smell the sock glue and hairspray already.

- Maybe, just maybe, the return of another amazing Irish dancing flash mob like St. Patrick’s Day 2011? Alright, so that one might be a stretch but let a dancer dream a little.


What Irish dancing date are you looking forward to most before March 17, 2012? Share it in the comments below.

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North American Irish Dancing Championships – A flash mob in Tennessee

Jennie G. from Clarkson with McClanahan’s Colleen M., Darcy G. and Clare S. before the flash mob


Dancers sneak towards the flash mob at Nashville’s Riverfront Park


Dancing up a storm at Riverfront Park!


Ending the flash mob with a big finish


If you’ve witnessed a flash mob firsthand, you know how exciting it can be. Who wouldn’t find a group of people suddenly assembling in a public place, performing an unusual routine before quickly dispersing back to the hustle and bustle of everyday life entertaining?

On July 4, a crowd of North American Irish Dancing Championship participants invaded Riverfront Park in Nashville, Tennessee, shocking eager onlookers with a treble reel. No dazzling costumes or wigs needed for this gig. Just regular red, white and blue attire. Perfectly patriotic!

Thanks to Feis America LLC friend Julie McCurry for sharing her terrific photos!

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North American Irish Dancing Championships – Photos with friends from different schools

Friends from the McClanahan and Broesler schools


Cara G. from King O'Sullivan, Megan O. and Sydney M. from McClanahan watching friends dance


McClanahan, Erickson and King O'Sullivan friends


This dance dad got the friendly crowd moving to ABBA's "Dancing Queen" before awards



One favored plus to attending huge Irish dance competitions? Catching up with your buds from different schools. The 2011 North American Irish Dance Championships, which took place July 2-6 in Nashville, Tennessee was the perfect spot for buds to come together and support one another, making some new friendships along the way.

Thanks to Feis America LLC friend Julie McCurry 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!

North American Irish Dancing Championships 2011

National qualifiers from the Harney Academy of Irish Dance in Massachusetts
checking in after the flight to Nashville from Providence!
photo Feis America LLC

Hello from Nashville, Tennessee and the Gaylord Opryland Hotel where the 2011 North American Irish Dancing Championships (NAIDC) have started today! Hosted by the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America (IDTANA), this year's event honors past presidents of the organization.

Each year, competitive dancers from the seven regions of the IDTANA who have either achieved Open Champion status or qualified through a regional championship ("Oireachtas") vie for coveted North American titles, along with a number of competitors from abroad. Each dancer in every age group (age as of January 1, 2011) will each dance two rounds - a light shoe and a heavy shoe - before five adjudicators from Canada, Great Britain, Ireland and the United States. Girls and boys dance in separate competitions, and some large solo competitions are divided by birthdate.

Dancers are accompanied by live music performed side-stage by renowned feis musicians from around the world. After each round has been danced and scored, results are tabulated and those dancers scoring in the top fifty percent of each group will be recalled. Each of these immediately then dances a third and final round, known as a contemporary set. This is a dance performed in heavy shoes and the steps and timing vary by dancer. The final round scores are then incorporated with the first two rounds' scores, and overall placement is determined for each of the recalled dancers.

At awards each evening, all of the recalled dancers in each group are called on-stage to receive a placement. The small percentage who have qualified to compete at the 2012 Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne (World Irish Dancing Championships) are acknowledged first, but the top placements are withheld until all of the placements for all of the recalled dancers are acknowledged, in reverse order. After all of the day's solo competitions have been awarded, the audience is treated to the traditional Parade of Champions when each new North American Champion performs a step on the stage.

Today's competitions are Ladies under 19, Ladies under 20, Girls under 10, Girls under 15 (a and b), Men under 20 and Senior Men 20 & Over.

This evening's awards will include the presentation of the IDTANA 2011 Scholarship Winners. The July/August issue of Feis America, North America's favorite Irish dancing magazine, features our traditional spread with photos, achievements and college programs for each of the scholars. We look forward to honoring these amazing scholar athletes on future blog posts here on Go Feis! The Irish Dance Blog.

While Feis America has been expressly prohibited from posting live commentary and real-time results, we will celebrate all of the IDTANA dancers, teachers and families throughout the next six days with photo galleries and interviews. We invite our friends to Tweet good wishes and congratulations using #NAIDC2011 and @FeisAmerica on Twitter, which feed posts here to Feis America on Irish Central.

Be sure to find me for a free t-shirt, or wait and visit the Feis America on Irish Central table on Monday, July 4th at NAN for photos, video ops, t-shirt giveaways and a chance to win a trip to Ireland!

Subscribe to Feis America magazine TODAY for full print NAIDC coverage in the September/October issue!

Four things to do at the 2011 North American Irish Dance Championships

BY ERIN BAILEY, Feis America Magazine contributor

Nationals was always a time for my family to take a summer vacation. OK, it was essentially forced on all of them, but they packed up the car and drove to that year’s lucky locale, eager to explore a new city without hesitation.

If you’re heading to Nashville for the 2011 North American Irish Dance Championships this weekend, (good luck!) and maybe take a look around Tennessee's capital with these ideas.

- When you think Nashville, country music pops to mind--no surprise. If you’re a music lover and would like to fully immerse yourself into the country theme, the Country Music Hall of Fame is a must-see.

- Don’t forget, there is also loads of history down in the southern region of our country. The Belle Meade Plantation is home to a Civil War battle. With a low price, it'll keep the younger kids entertained and get their brains churning over summer break.

- Wanna make history? Then join in what will (hopefully) be the longest line of Irish dancers at 12 p.m. in the Tennessee Ballroom of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel Sunday, July 3. CLICK HERE to register. A portion of all fees will go to the IDTANA scholarship fund.

- Whenever we hit up Nashville for the NANs, my dad loves walking through the downtown area. Be sure to hit up Riverfront Park for some 4th of July fireworks a day early on Sunday, July 3.

Tell us, what’s a favorite Nashville hotspot you’ve discovered while at the NANs?

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Countdown to North American Irish Dancing Championships!

2010 Stephen Scariff School (FL) NAN ceili team
2010 Rince na Tiarna (NY) NAN ceili team
2010 Penk O'Donnell (WC) NAN ceili team

2010 O'Rourke School (NY) NAN ceili team

2010 Glor na Daire (GA) NAN ceili team

2010 NAN Under 9 Girls' solo competitors waiting to dance

In just one week, thousands of dancers, their families and teachers will converge in Nashville, Tennessee for the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America Irish Dancing Championships! These photos by Feis America LLC are of some of our friends who competed at last year's 2010 NAIDC in Orlando, Florida.

Good luck to everyone getting ready to travel and best wishes to the organizers from IDTANA who are busy finalizing details. Keep your eye here on Go Feis The Irish Dance Blog for more inspiring photos all week long and visit us at the Feis America on IrishCentral.com table on Monday, July 4th in Nashville!