Competitive Irish Step Dancing - What you need to know
If you are interested in competitive Irish Step dance, please read the following carefully.
As I am a registered teacher with An Coimisiún, the governing body of Irish Step dancing, and a member of IDTANA (Irish Dance Teachers' Association of North America), students of the Millennium School may enter in competitions. However, my students and I must abide by these associations' rules and regulations.
- New teachers were once restricted from accepting transfer students for the first two years of teaching. In addition, their students were forbidden from transferring to other schools for this same period. As of January 1, 2001, this rule has been abolished. However, the transfer rules outlined below still apply.
- Students who transfer from one school to another without changing their residence are held to a six month suspension from competition. This is really fair, since it allows students time to learn new material (they can no longer perform material from their old school). These students must inform the teachers involved of this change, since there is paperwork to be filed with the regional dance association. The date of the suspension is determined by the postmark of the letter of notification sent by the NEW teacher to the Regional authorities. Failure to inform your teachers will only result in grief for all parties involved.
- Students who transfer from one school to another as the result of a change of residence may do so without penalty. In the case of a teacher closing a school, students may also transfer without penalty. In some circumstances, it may be possible to perform your old material after the transfer. Please discuss this carefully with your teachers -- do not assume ANYTHING.
For clarification regarding Irish dance student transfers, you should speak directly to a certified Irish dance teacher. Parents or other students are not members of our governing association and are not responsible for explaining this information to you.
People--students and teachers alike--
have been burned by not following these rules.
You owe it to yourself and to your teachers NOT to violate these guidelines!© Millennium School of Irish Dance, LLC, 2007. All rights reserved.
