Go Feis - The Irish Dance Blog

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Friends across North America celebrate National Irish Dancing Championships

Megan O'Keefe, Emily Twyman, Clare O'Shea

with ADCRG Heather McClanahan from McClanahan (KY)

De Danaan dancers Megan Barling, Valentina Dugandzic and Fred Nguyen
from Western Canada

Caitlin Faimon, Evie Kennedy and Jackson Hastings
from Nashville Irish Step Dancers (TN)
with friend Haley Tanner from Watters (FL) - 3rd from left

Between rounds, dancers vie for practice space on a free stage!

Jillian Collins, Nora and Breanna Ahern, Liam TeeKing,
Alyssa Enright and Julia Murphy from
Gilleoghan (CT) gather with parents to support friends at awards.

Feis America on Irish Central has been expressly prohibited from posting live commentary and real-time results by the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America. Follow live at www.nanationals.net and stay tuned here for fun and photos all week long!

Subscribe to Feis America, North America’s favorite Irish dancing magazine, and get 100% North American Irish dancing news delivered to your mailbox!

Fourth of July in Nashville at Irish Dance Championships

Mulhern (IL) sparklers dressed in new cheerwear that shouted America and delighted everyone who saw them as they practiced their ceili dances.

Nashville, Tennessee has one of the greatest fireworks displays every Independence Day and this year, the continent's very best Irish dancers kicked up some sparks of their own here! The team titles for the North American Irish Dancing Championship teams and most of the boy's solo titles were up for grabs on Monday, July 4th at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel.

Madison Dalton, Erin and Kaitlyn Tognettifrom Broesler (MD/NJ)

Melissa McCarthy, 2011 North American Champion Girls under 15 withTayler Nunes, 2nd place Boys under 16 from Harney Academy (MA)

Caleigh and Katie from Walsh-Kelley

New England friends gather at National Irish Dancing Championships

Amy Bessey, Lizzie MacLellan, Kristen Towey and Victoria Goddard

from Proto-Casano (MA) enjoy the colorful fountain show

at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel.

Gilleoghan (CT) dancers Clare Ahern, Caitlin TeeKing, Sophie Jones and Maura Whaley.

Fun in the fountain at the Moms to Reel Boys Meet 'n Greet!

Declan Meagher - Marie Moore (PA) with Braedan Mahoney, Lucas Hu

Patrick Mello, Griffin Wilkins and twins Aidan and Alex Boni from Harney (MA)

Kassie Seavy and Nicole Greco from Gilleoghan (CT) at awards Sunday

Hannah Lewis and Angela-Marie Conklinfrom Murray (NH)

Drew Lovejoy and Patrick Mello clinch second North American titles in Nashville

Feis America hosted a Meet ‘n Greet for the Moms to Reel Boys FaceBook group at the North American Irish Dancing Championships in Nashville, Tennessee. Kristen Wilkins, mom to ‘reel boy’ Griffin Wilkins coordinated the gathering of Harney Academy (MA), joining with Kristin Tousignant from Ontario, Declan Meagher from Marie Moore in New Jersey and Ethan Long from McTeggart.

Feis America surprised the boys with a visit from Drew Lovejoy, the 2010 North American, World and All Ireland Champion Boy under 15 from McGing in Ohio. Drew holds the 2010 and 2011 All Irelands titles and took 2nd place at Worlds this year. He is a three-time Mid America Oireachtas champion and the 2010 North American champion. Drew has a 4.0 grade point average at the Ohio Connections Academy, an online, public high school and is a student ambassador. He is a fabulous role model for young dancers, and Feis America is delighted to count him among our most loyal supporters!

Patrick Mello from Harney (MA) and Declan Meagher from Marie Moore (NJ) are both multi-time champions in New England and the Mid-Atlantic regions of North America. Patrick also claimed the North American title in 2010. Harney boys Braedan Maloney, Patrick Mello and Griffin Wilkins all placed at the Worlds in 2010, with Wilkins and Mello placing at the All Irelands as well. Declan Meagher placed 12th at Worlds.

Andee, Drew’s mom and biggest fan, was an inspiration for the other parents. Drew smiled and laughed with the younger boys who had just been splashing in the fountain. He answered questions about conditioning and performing and his strong friendships with other dancers. Andee inspired parents with her remarks about their family’s commitment to Irish dance which includes a 2 hour drive each way to the McGing studio in Ohio where Drew practices.

We’re delighted to share that last night, both Drew Lovejoy and Patrick Mello clinched the North American 2011 titles in their competitions for the second year in a row!

Feis America on Irish Central has been expressly prohibited from posting live commentary and real-time results by the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America. Follow live at www.nanationals.net and stay tuned here for fun and photos all week long!

Subscribe to Feis America, North America’s favorite Irish dancing magazine, and get 100% North American Irish dancing news delivered to your mailbox!

Photos by Feis America LLC

Irish Dance as a Family Passion with National Champions

"Grandma Jane" with Megan Ferrara

from Harney (MA)

Sisters and dancers Abbey, Berkley and Tinsley Griffin from Glor na Daire (GA)

Grandmother Jean Mullane with Godley siblings Orla, Sinead and Grace
from Mullane-Healy-Godley (IL)

Future Champion Dancer with her doting Feis Daddy

Drew Lovejoy with mom Andee

from McGing (OH)

Anyone remotely familiar with a champion Irish dancer knows that it’s a family passion! This makes sense given the strong cultural ties the Diaspora has to Ireland, and the nature of the Irish family. Many Irish dance schools have multiple siblings in class, and every feis offers a ‘family cap’ for registration and competition fees. Whether it’s one of the famous families we’ve featured on a Feis America cover, or one flying under the radar until we see them on stage together, it means a commitment by everyone in the family when a dancer or two is a champion.

Enjoy these photos of some of the siblings and parents at the North American Irish Dance Championships in Nashville!

Subscribe to Feis America, North America’s favorite Irish dancing magazine, and get 100% North American Irish dancing news delivered to your mailbox!

Richens Timm Academy claims two top five senior men titles North American Irish Dance Championships

Blaine Donovan of Celtic Steps (CO)

2nd place Senior Men (20 and over) at NAIDC

photo by Show the Story Photography 2010

Nearly forty Irish dancers aged 20 and over were entered in the Senior Men’s competition at the North American National Irish Dancing Championships in Nashville, Tennessee. Congratulations to all who qualified for Nationals and cheers to those who placed.

Top Five
1-Michael Holland from Richens/Timm in Ohio
2-Blaine Donovan from Celtic Steps in Colorado
3-Colin Fleck from Richens/Timm in Ohio
4-Chris Murphy from Simpson (Australia)
5-Eoin Halpin from Denogla (New Jersey)

Richens/Timm Academy of Irish Dance in central Ohio and Indiana is one of the most respected and accomplished schools in North America. Champion Michael Holland from Richens/Timm in Ohio placed fifth at the World Irish Dancing Championships in Dublin, Ireland and 4th at the All Ireland Irish Dancing Championships in Killarney earlier this year.

Feis America on Irish Central has been expressly prohibited from posting live commentary and real-time results by the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America. Follow live at www.nanationals.net and stay tuned here for fun and photos all week long!

Subscribe to Feis America, North America’s favorite Irish dancing magazine, and get 100% North American Irish dancing news delivered to your mailbox every other month!

Record number of senior ladies compete for North American Irish dance title

Megan Palmer and Jacqueline Gregory from Liz Gregory in Australia

Erika Cocco, Stefanie Warren and Candice Corrigan from Penk O'Donnell (W. Canada)

Caitlin Gash and Katie Lawler from Sheila Tully (IL)

The Senior Ladies (over 20) competition at the 2011 North American Irish Dancing Championships had more entries than ever before, requiring a split competition.

This is testimony to the feature article written by Patricia McNamara in the July/August issue of Feis America magazine, Sorority of Seniority. Read about some of the influential teachers/adjudicators – Kevin Broesler, Sally Houston, Patsy McLoughlin, Deirdre Penk-O’Donnell – and their success at keeping young ladies interested and motivated to keep dancing through the teen years when so many other challenges and opportunities present themselves. As evidenced by the top five in each group, this is not just a North American trend: three of the ten are from outside North America.

Top Five Senior Ladies A
Champion Meghan Lucey from Pender Keady (CT)
2-Lisa Murphy from O’Malley (Mid-America)
3-Caitlin Ehrich from Lynagh (Australia)
4-Stefanie Warren from Penk O’Donnell (Western Canada)
5 – Erin Green from O’Grady-Quinlan (Mid-Atlantic USA)

Top Five Senior Ladies B
Champion Frances Dunne from Doherty (England/Wales)
2-Kerri Smith from Denogla (Mid-Atlantic USA)
3-Alanna Morsby from McGing (Mid-America)
4-Simona Mauriello from Maguire-O’Shea (England)
5-Erin Skaalerud from Mulvihill-Lynch (New York)

Congratulations to all who qualified for Nationals and cheers to those who placed!

Feis America on Irish Central has been expressly prohibited from posting live commentary and real-time results by the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America. Follow live at www.nanationals.net and stay tuned here for fun and photos all week long!

Subscribe to Feis America, North America’s favorite Irish dancing magazine, and get the ONLY magazine that is 100% North American Irish dancing news delivered to your mailbox!