Torrington Connecticut Irish dancing competition results

Ally Giannini from Lenihan School of Irish Dance

6th place, Open Championships Ladies 17 & Over

Torrington Feis 2011

photo courtesy Lenihan School of Irish Dance

The New England Region of the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America was treated to a two-day Irish dancing competition (feis) in Torrington, Connecticut over the weekend. Dancers from New England and the mid-Atlantic region made for tough competition as Irish dancers from the grades and champion levels vied for coveted placements. With the regional Irish dancing championships just five weeks away for New England Region dancers, champions looked to adjudicators for constructive criticism to shape their final weeks of training. North American Irish Dancing Champions and World qualifiers from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey put their best feet forward on two stages Sunday, while beginners through prizewinners danced on stages set up in the gymnasium at the Lewis S. Mills High School in Torrington, Connecticut.

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READ MORE:

Baltimore Feis Broesler School Results and Photos

Clearwater Beach Florida Feis Results and Photos

Northern New Jersey Championships McLoughlin School Feis Results and Photos

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Congratulations to all those who placed, especially Bremer School dancers Julianna Bremer for Girls under 11 and Siobhann O'Neil for Girls under 15; Gilleoghan's Hali Thorne for Girls under 17 and Matt Mulvey for Men 16 & Over, and Griffith Academy's Colin Dyson for Boys under 12, all who achieved perfect scores of 300!

Tabulation was by the experts at FeisWeb. Here are Top Five results for a few competitions, please visit FeisWeb here for full results for Preliminary and Open Championships.

Open Championship Girls Under 10
Judged by Elicia Greenway Folmer, MA, Vivienne Bergin, NY & Joan McNiff Cass, NY
1 Ciara Blomberg (Goulding - MA)
2 Sadie Bucknam (Murray)
3 Ciara Foley (Forbes)
4 Jessica Connolly (Pender-Keady)
5 Nora Rose Ahern (Gilleoghan)

Preliminary Championship Girls under 13

Judged by Eddie Irwin, MA, Cathy Spencer Revis, NY & Maureen Greene O'Leary, MA
1 Alexus Reid (Spirited Soles)
2 Maeve Sargeant (Francis Academy)
3 Jillian Riccio (Kelly-Oster)
4 Erin Gorham (Shamrock - CT)
5 Maura Connorton (Young School - NY)

Open Championship Girls Under 14
Judged by Helaine Sander, NY, John Cunniffe, MA & Maureen Hamilton Nelson, NJ
24 Registered, 18 Entered, 0 Withdrew . . . Awards To Top 9 Finishers ( 50% )
Place . . . . Dancer ( School )
1 < 300 > … #724 Anna Sulger (Pender-Keady)
2 < 200 > … #173 Hannah Campbell (Goulding - MA)
3 < 172.5 > … #324 Elizabeth Gallary (Brady)
4 < 171.5 > … #388 Emma Henricks (Murray)
5 < 170 > … #501 Jennifer Mancini (Murray)
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Open Championship Girls Under 15
Judged by Elicia Greenway Folmer, MA, Vivienne Bergin, NY & Joan McNiff Cass, NY
1 Siobhan ONeill (Bremer) with a perfect score of 300!
2 Breanna Ahern (Gilleoghan)
3 Emma Stone (Dunleavy Shaffer)
4 Bailey B. Carter (Boland)
5 Kellyn Berrigan (Pender-Keady)

Preliminary Championship Girls under 15

Judged by Eddie Irwin, MA, Cathy Spencer Revis, NY & Maureen Greene O'Leary, MA
1 Mary Panzetta (Rince Na Sonas)
2 Gabrielle Connell (McDermott)
3 Alyson Insero (Boland)
4 Sheppard Somers (Hagen)
5 Brigid Meagher (Marie Moore)

Gilleoghan (Connecticut) Novice-level dance friends

Rory Bach, Bella Wild, Erin-Marie Smith and Sarah Scofield

photo by Catherine Bach for Feis America LLC

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Songs for the Oct. 8-9 Irish dancing competitions - VIDEOS

by PATRICIA MCNAMARA, Feis America Magazine contributor

Heading to Calgary this weekend for the Feis an Fhomhair or the Tampa Bay Feis in Florida? What about the Gem City Feis in Ohio or Chicago’s Pat Roche Feis? Or maybe the Torrington Feis in Connecticut?

No matter your competitive destination this weekend, we want to share four tunes you should add to your own playlist before lacing up and taking the stage—inspired by songs some popular pro baseball players have used as walk up tunes when entering to bat. Best of luck to all competitors and be sure to come back and share your results with us!

“I’m Shipping Up to Boston” – Dropkick Murphys
How could this jam from one of our favorite Irish American punk bands not get you pumped?


“Lights and Sounds” – Yellowcard
Pop this on and forget about everyone else in the room. Just focus on “smiling big” and letting the lights of the stage take you in.


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READ MORE:
Songs for the Oct. 1-2 Irish dancing competitions – VIDEOS

Songs for the Sept. 24-25 Irish dancing competitions- VIDEOS

Songs for the Sept. 17-18 Irish dancing competitions - VIDEOS
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“Get’cha Head in the Game” – High School Musical
This will get your head in the game!


“Seven Nation Army” – The White Stripes
The beat will get your feet tapping, making you feel like nothing can hold you back.


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North Jersey Irish dancing competition hosted by McLoughlin School - PHOTOS

2011 North Jersey Championships
Matt Mulvey, Men 18 & Over and
Hali Thorne, Girls under 17
both from Gilleoghan Irish Dance - Connecticut

Competitive Irish dancers from several regions flocked to Suffern, New York for the McLoughlin School/North Jersey Irish Dancing Championships on October 2, 2011. Nine stages with live musicians and a panel of distinguished adjudicators, as well as a generous vendor area and food concessions made for a large and busy venue. From the littlest dancers to grandparents and strollers, this Irish dancing competition is an important pre-Oireachtas event for North American championship-level Irish dancers.

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READ MORE:

Clearwater Beach Feis, Florida Photos and Awards

New England Autumn Irish Dancing Competition Photos

How To Qualify to Compete at Regional Irish Championships

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Results for the McLoughlin Feis/North Jersey Championships were tabulated by the experts at FeisWeb and we share some of the Top Three awards here. Special congratulations to those dancers who won their championship with perfect scores by all three adjudicators: Shannon Corrigan (Early-McLoughlin), Mairead Early (Early-McLoughlin), John Ferns (Denogla), Erin Green (O'Grady-Quinlan), Lachlan Nidds (Broesler), Jacob Parkman (Harney), Brooke Romeo (Hagen), Kerri Tfechornton (Mulvihill-Lynch), Paige Turilli (Inishfree), and Colin Vecchiariello (Gilleoghan).

For full results for this and many other North American Irish dancing competitions, visit FeisWeb.

Preliminary Championship under 8 Boys and Girls
1st Hannah Cunniffe (Marie Moore),
2nd Sara Sam-Zee-Moi (O'Rourke)
3rd Darin Douglas Carlin (O'Rourke)

Preliminary Championship under 9 Boys and Girls
1st Ronan Burke (Shea-Jennings)
2nd Jillian Collins (Gilleoghan)
3rd Emma Johnson (Hagen)

Preliminary Championship under 10 Boys and Girls
1 Alison Guidarelli (Hagen)
2 Caitlin Lynch (Mulvihill-Lynch)
3 Jillian Scanlon (Verlin)

O'Rourke Irish Dancers waiting for awards.

Open Championship Boys under 14
1 Matthew Dougherty (Inishfree)
2 Alex Lucas Papados (Culkin)
3 Conor Frehill (Broesler)

Open Championship Girls under 11

1st with a perfect 300! Kerri Tfechornton (Mulvihill-Lynch)
2 Seana Isaac (O'Grady-Quinlan)
3 Shannon Karlok (Peter Smith)

Open Championship Girls under 12

1st with a perfect 300! Brooke Romeo (Hagen)
2nd Kaitlyn Curtis (Johnston)
3rd Clare Murray MacRitchie (Murray)

Open Championship Ladies under 19

1st with a perfect 300! Shannon Corrigan (Early-McLoughlin)

2 Madeline Muench (Murray)
3 Austen Keim (O'Grady-Quinlan)

Top Four Ladies 18 & Over:
2nd Erin Collins, Champion Erin Green, 2nd Lisa Murphy and 4th Erin Kiley

Top Five Open Champions Girls under 14:
5th Emma Henricks, 3rd Clare Ahern, Champion Caitlin TeeKing, 2nd Gabrielle Haddad, 4th Shannon Umhafer

For more Feis Follow-Ups and more photos from the McLoughlin Feis/North Jersey Championships, subscribe to Feis America, North America's favorite Irish dancing magazine here! Digital back issues available here!

All photos copyright Feis America LLC 2011

Songs for the Oct. 1-2 Irish dancing competitions – VIDEOS

by PATRICIA MCNAMARA, Feis America Magazine contributor

Heading to Pennsylvania this weekend for the Ryan-Kilcoyne School of Irish Dancing Feis or the Pittsburgh Feis? What about Feis San Antonio in Texas? Or maybe Ontario, Canada for the Newmarket Feis or Oregon for the Portland Feis? Or the McLoughlin School Feis in Suffern, New York?

No matter your competitive destination this weekend, we want to share four tunes you should add to your own playlist before lacing up and taking the stage. Best of luck to all competitors and be sure to come back and share your results with us!

“Tambourine” - Eve
The fast-paced beat will wake ya up. Perfect for that early car ride.


“D.A.N.C.E” – Justice
The title explains itself. Get up and get moving.


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READ MORE:
Songs for the Sept. 24-25 Irish dancing competitions- VIDEOS

Songs for the Sept. 17-18 Irish dancing competitions - VIDEOS

Songs for the Sept. 10-11 Irish dancing competitions - VIDEOS
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“Fire Burning” – Sean Kingston
It will give you the motivation to push through your steps—even if your legs start burning mid set piece.


“Our Time Now” – Plain White T’s
A great pep song to play before that 2-Hand or 4-Hand because, face it, this is your team’s time.


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Clearwater Beach Florida Irish Dancing Competition Photos and Results

Irish Dancers from the Stephen Scariff School of Irish Dance
Photo: Madison Daley for Feis America LLC

The McGinley Academy of Irish Dance and the McGinley Parent Booster Club hosted one of the United States' Southern Region's favorite Irish dancing competitions on September 3, 2011. The Second Annual Clearwater Beach Feis means Labor Day Weekend is spent on the beautiful and white sandy beaches of Florida's West coast. The event's tagline, "It's not just another day at a Feis, but a weekend at the beach for the entire family" draws dancers from several states.

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See More Feis Follow-Ups from Feis America on Irish Central:

New England Autumn Feis
Irish American Association of Northwest New Jersey Feis
Top Irish Dancing Competitions for Adult Irish Dancers in October 2011

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Clearwater Beach Feis results were tabulated by the experts at at FeisWorx. For full results from beginner through special Irish dancing competitions at the Clearwater Beach Feis, visit FeisWorx.

Open Championship under 10

1st Emily Marino from Rince na Tiarna (New York)

2nd Aubrey Swikehardt from Breffni (Florida)

3rd Nora Murray from Stephen Scariff (Florida)

Open Championship under 12

1st Julia Marino from Rince na Tiarna (New York)

2nd Keady Schwyn from Stephen Scariff (Florida)

3rd Claire Irigoyen from Breffni (Florida)

Open Championship under 14

1st May Magliaro from Watters (Florida)

2nd Kaitlyn Sardin from Watters (Florida)

3rd Daniella Spina from McGinley (Eastern Canada/Florida)
4th Teresa Kennedy from Hagen (New York)

5th Bridget Monahan from Stephen Scariff (Florida)

Open Championship under 16

1st Haley Tanner from Watters (Florida)

2nd Alana Bracken from Drake (Southern)

3rd Kayla Armstrong from King-O'Sullivan (Georgia)

4th Clare Roca from Glor na Daire (Georgia)

5th Brynne Archbold from Stephen Scariff (Florida)

6th Autumn Lambert from Drake (Southern)

7th Cassandra Ratzlaff from Drake (Southern)

Open Championship under 18

1st Molly Barton from McGinley (Eastern Canada/Florida)

2nd Macintyre Schauman from Rondeau (Florida)

3rd Mary Lancaster from Stephen Scariff (Florida)
4th Courtney Marcinowski from Watters (Florida)

5th Maggie Domingo from Drake (Southern)

6th Anna Johnson from Glor na Daire (Georgia)

7th Cara King from Stephen Scariff (Florida)

Open Championship 18 and over

1st Samantha Wheaton from Watters (Florida)

2nd Sierra Deaton from Watters (Florida)

3rd Kaitlin Lewis from Butler-Fearon-O'Connor

Non-Champion Slip Jig Special Irish Dancing Competition Awards

Photo:  Madison Daley for Feis America LLC

Preliminary Championship under 14 Irish Dancing Competition Awards

Photo: Tess McKenna for Feis America LLC

Open Championship under 14 Irish Dancing Competition Awards
Photo:  Madison Daley for Feis America LLC

Preliminary Championship Special Irish Dancing Competition
under 15 Awards
Photo:  Madison Daley for Feis America LLC

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New England autumn Irish dance competition - PHOTOS

Top Four Open Champions under 13

New England Autumn Feis
hosted by Clifden Academy and Dunleavy Shaffer School

9/25/2011

The Dunleavy Shaffer School of Irish Dance together with the Clifden Academy of Irish Dance hosted its first ever Irish dancing competition, the New England Autumn Feis in Marshfield, Massachusetts on Sunday. 

Nearly 1,000 competitive Irish dancers, mainly from New England and metropolitan New York, converged on this quiet coastal town for New England's first feis of the new season. Dunleavy Shaffer co-directors and TCRGs Suzanne Dunleavy McDonough and Theresa Shaffer Wilkinson, are both certified Irish dance instructors with An Coimisiun le Rince Gaelacha in Dublin, Ireland.

With multiple stages located in Marshfield's Middle and High Schools, champion awards in an outside courtyard and dozens of volunteers wearing pumpkin-orange teeshirts, this feis ran as close to on time as possible. Despite the humidity, Irish dancers and their families and friends stayed happy and focused, dancing reels, jigs and hornpipes to live music in front of adjudicators from several states. Vendors included Feis America Irish dancing magazine, Dance Bling, Head for the World and Mary Devlin for Fay's Irish Dancing Shoes and used dresses and portrait photography were also on-site.

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All champion level Irish dancers who placed in their competitions received royal blue sashes, and placing preliminary champions were treated to medals for each round. Instead of traditional trophies, the top three placements were awarded tasteful plaques. Award times and results were posted throughout the venue, and the competitor list, stage schedule and venue map were posted in advance on the school's website. An informative blog with regular updates also was much appreciated by first feisers and experienced Irish dancers both.

Friends and fans for life from Smith-Houlihan (MA)

Preliminary Champions under 10 medaled in their light round.

Open Champions under 13 with their round medals.

Classmates from Gilleoghan Irish Dance (CT) share a laugh.

Pre-beginners lined up to dance their very first reel.

For more Irish dancing competition news, photos and family-friendly articles to inspire your favorite Irish dancer or fan, subscribe to Feis America magazine, North America's favorite Irish dancing and culture magazine here.

All photos copyright Feis America LLC.

At-home exercises for Irish dancers with flat feet

by CAITLIN BUCK, Feis America Magazine contributor

I'm one of many Irish dancers who suffer from flat feet. And, according to my doctor, tightly lacing my shoes actually caused more harm than good to them, creating a lot of stress on an already delicate area. Hey, I thought I was supposed to lace my shoes tight because it’s easier to point that way!

After undergoing surgery and physical therapy for my feet, I’ve learned that it’s essential for flat-footed and low-arched dancers to do exercises that will help strengthen the arches instead of wearing tightly laced small shoes. Suffering from the same problem as me? Try these moves at home:

- Roll a tennis ball in a circular motion under both feet to warm up.

- Pick up marbles and other items with your toes.

- Roll a towel up with your toes then unroll it several times, really contracting the muscles in the foot.

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Irish dancing through illness or injury

Neck stretches for Irish dancers - health tips and warm-ups

Motivation to practice Irish dance during the school year
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- Sit in a chair with your legs at a 90-degree angle and flex your toes up.

- Sit in a chair with your legs at a 90-degree angle and put a sponge under one foot. Press down on the sponge using only your toe muscles.

- Stand on a flat surface and imagine that you are at the beach with sand below your feet. Lift the toes of your right foot and imagine you are grabbing as much sand as possible then release. Repeat with the left foot.

Be sure to check back for a list of the best type of Irish dance shoes for flat-footed dancers.

What are some exercises that have worked for you? Share in the comments below!

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