Going to a Feis

So you’re going to a feis (pronounced "fesh"; the plural is feisanna, "feshanna"). A feis is an Irish Dance competition; some Irish festivals may include other competitions (music, recitations in Gaelic, Irish sodabread, prettiest baby). The information below was written as a guide for the parents of our first-time competitors, based on my experience in the Northeast and Eastern regions. You may read through the sections in order, or go directly to the section that interests you. Please remember that your teacher must be your ultimate authority on all matters pertaining to your participation in Irish dance competitions.

Understanding the Feis syllabus | Preparing the dancer for the big day | Preparing the family for the big day |
What to expect at the Feis | Other useful information | Final reminders for beginner dancers | More sites

Understanding the Feis syllabus

The Feis syllabus is published by the Feis committee, the group sponsoring the competition. Competitions are divided by experience level, age, and type of dance, and it is up to the entrant, with the aid of the teacher, to select the appropriate competition(s) and fill out the entrance form. You must list your teacher or school on the form. Usually the deadline for entries is several weeks before the competition, but it’s not unusual for dancers to sign up late and pay a late fee. If you sign up early, sometimes your competitor number will be mailed to you; if you sign up late, you may have to pick up your competitor number at the feis. It will also contain an entry form that your certified teacher must sign. Here are the basics of how to read a syllabus:

• Look for your child’s experience level. If you’ve never been to a feis before, you’ll probably be a beginner. Other experience levels are: Advanced Beginner, Novice, Prizewinner, Preliminary Champion, and Open Champion. Usually, dancers must win prizes at one level to progress to the next level. The exception is Beginner: you automatically move to Advanced Beginner within 16 months of starting to take lessons. (If you begin in September of 2007, you will move up in January of 2009; if you begin in June of 2007, you would move up in January of 2008.)

• Look for your child’s age level. There are two ways the syllabus may group ages: Girls under 8; or Girls Age 8. All competitions follow the rule that your age for that competitive year is based on how old you are on January 1 of that year. If you turned 9 on January 4, you were 8 on January 1, which means you may dance in the Girls Age 8 competition, but not in the Girls under 8—you must dance in Girls under 9. Boys please note: at the Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Novice, and Open Championship levels, boys usually have separate competitions, but for Preliminary Championship, boys dance with girls. Boys competitions frequently combined more than one age group. This may seem unfair, but it is also frequently done at Championship levels.

• Look for your child’s dances. Your dance teacher will tell you which dances are appropriate for which child. Most children will dance Reel and Jig (softshoe) for their first competition. Some may also dance Slip Jig. Sometimes this is not offered for beginners, and a child may have to sign up for Slip Jig in the Advanced Beginner category; this is perfectly appropriate. Hardshoe or Treble Jig and Hornpipe (also performed in hard shoes) are generally not beginner dances. Please note, Treble (Hardshoe) Reel is not the same as Reel.

• Complete and return the entry form. Once you identify the appropriate competition numbers, you can fill out the entry form. Before you send in your form, please make sure to read the feis rules to see if there are any you don’t understand, or that make you question your selections. It's generally better to speak to your teacher if you have questions, rather than call the feis sponsor.

Preparing the dancer for the big day

PLEASE NOTE that this section contains my personal preferences for my own dancers. Most teachers have definite opinions about this subject, and your teacher's may not agree with mine.

• What do I wear? In a beginner competition, there is a fair amount of leeway regarding dress. You are not required to have Irish shoes, or an Irish dance costume. Black ballet or jazz shoes and white ankle socks are appropriate. You may wear a black skirt that falls above the knee, and a white, short-sleeved blouse. Your teacher may provide colored cloth for a shawl and/or belt. Boys should wear jazz shoes, black pants and a button-down Oxford. You should not wear your costume in the car, since it will wrinkle! It’s fairly easy to change at an indoor feis, but harder at an outdoor feis. Girls should think about slipping the skirt on over their shorts, and possibly wearing a camisole top to make changing shirts easier. Your teacher may also have arranged for you to have a costume; treat it with care, and make sure to keep track of all the pieces (hairbands, undergarments, pins). It's also a good idea to have a large old shirt to put on over your costume so that you can drink and/or eat (carefully) without damaging your appearance!

• What do I do with my hair? The current fashion is for girls to wear wigs, or to curl the hair and to pull it back off the face, usually with a headband and crown, leaving some hair down on the sides and back. Some teachers insist girls curl the hair or have a wig, but some dancers at the lower levels do not. French braids are also attractive. The important thing to remember is that the hair should be neat. If you have short hair but long bangs, you may need a headband to pull hair out of your eyes.

• Anything else? Many girls put on makeup, and you will see even very young girls wearing lipstick and rouge. If a little makeup is part of your daily grooming, then by all means, prepare as you normally do. I do not feel it is appropriate to apply makeup to young children, nor should you feel you need to use makeup if you don’t normally. You should refrain from showy jewelry (i.e. large earrings, distracting necklaces or bracelets). Many of the championship dancers also tan their legs. Beware that quite a few judges don't find this attractive, especially on lower level dancers! Bring a few extra safety pins with you (somehow they always come in handy), and a piece of string to tie your competitor number around your waist. Check that you have all the pieces of your costume together, and that your shoes are in your bag. (No joke, I’ve seen experienced dancers pull two left shoes out of a bag and then run around competitions trying to borrow dance shoes. NOT FUN!) Finally, bring your syllabus to the feis!

Preparing the family for the big day

• What to bring? WATER. Water is especially important at an outdoor feis, where the heat and sun will do a number on the dancers. Many families bring coolers with all kinds of food and drink. (Some syllabi say "No coolers allowed", but I’ve never seen that rule enforced at an outdoor feis.) If you have particular dietary requirements, you might want to bring appropriate meals. Food is always available (burgers, hot dogs, sometimes sandwiches, and drinks), and usually not too expensive. Experienced feis-goers bring tents to outdoor events, along with their coolers. For your first feis, I’d forget the tent. You may find it useful to bring lawn chairs (especially for older relatives) and a blanket to an outdoor feis.

• Whom to bring? Some feisanna are all about dancing and offer little entertainment for tag-along siblings, which can be tough on wee ones on a long, hot day. Others offer some activities for non-dancers, but usually not enough excitement for a whole day. Unless you can count on non-dancing siblings to last through a hectic, boring, and incomprehensible string of events, perhaps they’re better left at home, at least until you’ve been to a feis once and have seen what the situation is like. The same might be said for older relatives.

• When to arrive? Hopefully, the syllabus will state when your competition should begin. If this information is not on the syllabus, check the website a few days before to see if stage schedules have been posted. Beginner competitions may be first thing, or they may begin in the middle of the day, or they may immediately follow figure (group) dancing, which often starts first thing. We like to say that competitions run on IRISH TIME, which means everything is approximate and usually runs late.

What to expect at the Feis

• When you arrive: Sometimes for an outdoor feis you are charged to park your car, but usually you pay at the entrance gate or door. The price for adults is generally $10; dancers get in for free, and non-dancing children may pay a reduced rate. Programs are generally for sale; unless you really want to see your name in print, they are usually not that valuable. Sometimes, you can get a stage schedule (see below) at the front door; if so, take it!

• What to look for: The Feis Secretary is where you pick up your number, if you don’t already have it. Your competitor number will have your competition number(s) written at the bottom of the card. The Feis Secretary is also usually where you can go to get your marks (competition scores) later in the day, usually for a small fee. Sometimes marks are not available the same day and will be mailed to you. The Trophy or Awards Secretary is where you pick up your prizes. For all competitions below Championship level, results are posted on a Results Board, usually a big piece of cardboard where they list the winners (by competitor number) in each competition (by number). It’s convenient to note the location of bathrooms/changing rooms early on; you never know when you’ll need to rush to get to a stage. Finally, check out the Stages and figure out where and (roughly) when your competitions are.

• How do the Stages work? Each stage is numbered or lettered, and each has a list of the competitions being held at that stage, in the order they will be run. As each competition finishes, it is crossed off on the list (usually….). Sometimes, but all too rarely, your competitions follow one after the other on the same stage. More frequently, they will be on more than one stage, in a seemingly random order. On your competitor number (a 3x5 index card), make a note next to each competition number which dance it is, since you may not dance them in order. DON’T WORRY if you seem to have a conflict where two competitions might be run at the same time. Because of this tendency to run competitions for the same age/ability group on different stages, officials are used to holding one competition while dancers finish in another. It WILL all work out. If you have questions about or issues with what is going on, try to find your teacher, or speak politely to the stage official. NEVER speak to the judge.

• How are competitions run? Below Championship level, all dancers are lined up facing the judge. If there are more children than can fit across the stage, they may make a second and even third line behind the first, or they may have the line snake off stage. Your child should know NOT to stand next to a friend from class, because two children with the same steps should not dance together (children dance two at a time). The music will start, and the first two dancers step forward. In a beginner or advanced beginner competition, usually the stage manager will be with them and assist them in starting properly. As soon as they have finished, the next two dancers begin, and so on down the line. You may certainly clap for your child, but please do not shout and distract the next pair of dancers (judges notice this). When the entire line has finished, they will exit the stage and the next line (if required) will form. If the child’s next competition is not immediately on that stage, the child is probably free to leave the stage area, but please wait for official directions. Sometimes, stage officials will cross off the completed competition number on the child’s competitor number. (You may feel free to do this if they don’t.)

• How do you get the results? Go to the Results board and look up your competition number(s). It usually takes at least half an hour before results are posted, but it can take a good deal longer. First, second, and third place winners are listed by competitor number, so make sure you have your number handy. If you’ve won something, you should go to the Trophy Secretary, tell them your competition number, and show your competitor number as proof that it’s really YOU. Most beginner prizes are medals, not trophies. Some competitions are generous and award multiple first, second and third places, some only give out one prize for each place. Still others award one first, but multiple second and third places. Current trends seem to be to place about half of the dancers. Championship results are usually announced onstage, or at a separate area where trophies are handed out.

Other useful information

• There are usually vendors at dance competitions selling dance shoes, broaches, music, and many Irish-themed articles. (Warning to parents: WALLETS BEWARE!) It is best not to purchase shoes from a clothing vendor, but from one of the shoe vendors--usually the only other thing they sell, besides shoe accessories, are CDs. Most shoe vendors are very experienced at fitting shoes and can be trusted. Don't buy your shoes too large to allow for growth! A child can easily trip with a baggy soft shoe, and an overly large hardshoe will not fall properly on the foot and could cause serious injury.

• For my students, LOOK FOR ME! I’ll be around, trying to catch as many competitions as I can. Because of the nature of the feis, I cannot see everyone in every competition, but I will try to spread myself as best I can. Please also find me when you know the results of your competitions. Parents, please try to remember that the feis is long and busy day for everyone. It is NOT usually the best forum for a long talk about your child's performance, or other matters not relevant to the events at hand. We teachers are not being rude, it's just not the right time.

• As stated in the feis syllabus, absolutely NO VIDEOTAPING OF DANCING COMPETITIONS IS ALLOWED. I know this seems draconian, but each teacher’s Irish dance steps are considered proprietary material. If you wish to film your child in costume dancing on the big day, stages are frequently abandoned at lunch time; find me, and I’ll assist you if you wish. Still photography is allowed (and I LOVE to pose with my dancers!), but PLEASE, don’t even think about video.

Final reminders for beginner dancers

• Check your shoelaces before going on stage! Double knots are MANDATORY!

• Keep your chin up. Look at the bottom of the tent, or a window or exit sign.

• Ignore the other dancer! Do your steps as you know them; if the other dancer starts or ends differently, assume the other dancer is WRONG.

• If you make a mistake, or bump the other dancer, keep going. The judge may not have seen your mistake. Try not to make an "Oh no" face.

• Make good use of the stage. Be confident that you belong there, because you’re prepared.

• After your bow, look out for the other dancers as you go back to line.

• SMILE! You’ve worked hard, and everyone wants to see you do well and look your best!

For more sites on the Feis scene, check out:

• Irish Dancing for Beginners (Irish dancing Down Under; not always the same as here in the States)
• An Irish Feis - Competition in Dance  (An American perspective)
• Feis Results (Placements for major competitions)  

Understanding the Feis syllabus | Preparing the dancer for the big day | Preparing the family for the big day |
What to expect at the Feis | Other useful information | Final reminders for beginner dancers

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