Dancer's Association - New Students

The world of Irish Dance can be confusing to the new parent. The following information may be helpful.

Where can I buy dance shoes and dresses?
Click on the Marketplace link for listings of used dance gear for sale by Maple Families. Additional information can be found by clicking on Useful Links

Does my child have to compete or do performances?
No, your child is not required to compete or do any performances. We do encourage all children to participate. Competition and performances help build confidence and increase enthusiasm for Irish Dancing. Participating with the school in the St. Patrick's Day parades is encouraged.

What is a Feis?
Feis (pronounced fesh) is the Irish word for festival. In the solo dancing events, the dancers compete in one of six levels based on prior accomplishment. These six levels are further broken down into age brackets. Dancers are scored on Timing (rhythm), Carriage (deportment), Construction of Steps (complexity), and Execution (presentation). A beginner student will only compete against other beginners of the same age.

How do I sign up for a feis?
Click on the Feis News link on the left. The Feis News page has a list of local feiseanna (the plural of feis). There is also a link to the full feis calendar for the year for all states. You can sign up for most feiseanna by visiting the hosting school's website and following the directions. Most schools will either have the syllabus online or will use a third party registration service such as www.efeis.com. A few feiseanna will require you to mail a self-addressed, stamped envelope to receive a syllabus. Many feiseanna reach their registration limit quickly, so register promptly or you may be closed out. This is also true for the Old Dominion Feis hosted by the Maple School. You must register your child for the feis on www.efeis.com.

Feis Levels:

• The Beginner level is open to boys and girls who have attended dance class for less than a full year. The dancers perform a light jig and/or a reel. They wear soft shoes which are similar to ballet slippers. Dancers will dance either 2 or 3 at a time and dancers from different schools will perform different steps.
  
• The Advanced Beginner level is for dancers who have attended dance class for a full year.
  
• The Novice level is for boys or girls who have placed first, second, or third as an advanced beginner in that particular dance. It is not uncommon for a dancer to compete at the novice level in some dances and the advanced beginner level in others.
  
• The Prizewinner level (sometimes called " Open") is a step up from the novice level. A dancer must win a first place in a dance at the Novice level to move up to Prizewinner.
  
• The Preliminary Championship level is for those who have placed first at the prizewinner (open) level in both soft shoe (reel, slip jig) and hard shoe (hornpipe, treble jig, traditional set dance). Dancers perform one soft shoe dance and one dance in hard shoes in Preliminary Championship.
  
• The Open Championship level, the most advanced of solo competition, is for those who had previously won two first place awards in the Preliminary level.

What should my child wear to a feis?
The Maple school of Irish Dance has two girls costumes, beginner and school costume. Please see the Costumes page for details and photos. Check the Marketplace link for re-sale items.

How do I do the hair?
The easiest option for a feis is the bun curl. This hairstyle is also worn for the St. Patrick's Day Parades and for performances. Click on the Parades link on the left for a photo. Simply put the hair in a bun and finish with a curly hair bun scrunchie which can be purchased at Sally's Beauty Supply.

Another option is to curl the hair to achieve the oodles of noodles look. Click on the link to the left for directions for curling the hair. The results are beautiful but for mothers short on time a bun curl or wig is a great option! Click on the Parades link for photos of the bun curl hairstyle.