"Irish dancers kick butt." It's not just a bumpersticker; it's the truth. The aim of most good Irish stepdancers is to literally kick their behinds while executing certain dance steps.
(Some Irish ceili and set dancers may kick rather high, and some dancers do both styles of Irish dancing, but for the most part, kicking ones backside is NOT a goal nor aim of most of us ceili / set dancers. Thankfully:) )
Last night, OHBoy was told that he needed to kick his (feet, heels, ?) up higher, at his butt, not down low, when he did a particular turn in his dance. I'm sure there's a fancy name for it.
The other week, I was watching the dance class that my daughter, M, assists in. One of her friends was wearing a long yellow t-shirt over her shorts. There was a greyish-black mark on the back of her shirt. Then I noticed, every time she danced certain steps, her hardshoes kicked her backside, and left a mark. Ha, proof to the teacher, this girl really was kicking her butt!
So, of course, M kicks her feet up behind her, and hits her backside. Except last night, somehow, she kicked herself right in the center, on her tailbone. In her hardshoes.
My boyfriend, E, called me as M and I were coming home. "How'd practice go?" "Oh, good, well, except that M kicked her tailbone." E, laughing, "I can see how that could happen." M looked over at me, trying to move herself up and out of the car, "OWW!"
M tells me that normally she'd just see how it goes, but "with Oireachtas 3 weeks away....." I didn't correct her, that the SRO is just over 2 weeks away now. Her face showed enough worry. She can walk, but she's still in pain this morning. She'll see the orthopaedic (sp) doctor tomorrow, the same wonderful one she was referred to when she kicked her own ankle, and bruised her ankle bone. I didn't even know one could bruise a bone. The doctor estimated 3 months to heal, yeah, just in time for the Oireachtas, and potentially bruising a tail bone. Ha.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
2008 Southern Region Oireachtas
Just pointing out that I've added the blog for the 2008 Southern Region Oireachtas to the list of those I'm following (see below as well).
Hard to believe it's just over 3 weeks away. Ack! :)
M's attended two previous to this one.
In 2006, the Southern Region Oireachtas was held in Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. It was actually closer to me than M's dance studio is, but my mother got her and M a room, and I commuted back and forth for the dog's sake and some sense of sanity. M was in a figures team that year. I highly recommend that anyone who may compete in an Oireachtas anytime, to visit one if possible, as you learn so much. Or, if just interested in Irish stepdancing and an Oireachtas, NANs, or Worlds, is held close by you, to visit and watch some truly amazing dancing.
Last year, 2007, M competed in figures, and in figures choreography (which she got to go onstage for at awards as her figures choreography team got 3rd place). She was not yet a preliminary champion dancer in her feising, so TCRG debated M competing in solo's. Admittedly, her strongest dances were not the ones she'd have competed in at last year's Oireachtas. This time, the Southern Region Oireachtas was in Atlanta. It really felt as if we were going somewhere. We typically travel north, but obviously all of our regions Oireachtasi will be held someplace warmer, or near our temperatures. It was fun, intense, and overall good. Going away helped us feel as if we were really part of the experience, yet staying in the overflow hotel allowed us some breather room, or, at least me. She didn't want any ha.
This year, 2008, the Southern Region Oireachtas (SRO) will be held in Orlando, Florida. M will compete in two figures teams, a 4-hand, and an 8-hand, in dance drama (which should be a lot of fun, and just before awards the last day so a large audience), and gulp, she's earned this, solo competitions. I'm glad we waited; she is a lot more ready this year. I hope she gets sufficient practice time in, and actually learns her non-traditional set dance in case she does recall. M's certainly excited, and explains it to her non-dancing friends as "regionals." I worry a bit that she's in four events, yet her solo's are first, anyway, plus the TCRG's want the dancers to focus on solo's if there's a conflict, so I suspect it'll all work out as it should, whatever that may be. Ack!
2008 Southern Region Oireachtas
Hard to believe it's just over 3 weeks away. Ack! :)
M's attended two previous to this one.
In 2006, the Southern Region Oireachtas was held in Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. It was actually closer to me than M's dance studio is, but my mother got her and M a room, and I commuted back and forth for the dog's sake and some sense of sanity. M was in a figures team that year. I highly recommend that anyone who may compete in an Oireachtas anytime, to visit one if possible, as you learn so much. Or, if just interested in Irish stepdancing and an Oireachtas, NANs, or Worlds, is held close by you, to visit and watch some truly amazing dancing.
Last year, 2007, M competed in figures, and in figures choreography (which she got to go onstage for at awards as her figures choreography team got 3rd place). She was not yet a preliminary champion dancer in her feising, so TCRG debated M competing in solo's. Admittedly, her strongest dances were not the ones she'd have competed in at last year's Oireachtas. This time, the Southern Region Oireachtas was in Atlanta. It really felt as if we were going somewhere. We typically travel north, but obviously all of our regions Oireachtasi will be held someplace warmer, or near our temperatures. It was fun, intense, and overall good. Going away helped us feel as if we were really part of the experience, yet staying in the overflow hotel allowed us some breather room, or, at least me. She didn't want any ha.
This year, 2008, the Southern Region Oireachtas (SRO) will be held in Orlando, Florida. M will compete in two figures teams, a 4-hand, and an 8-hand, in dance drama (which should be a lot of fun, and just before awards the last day so a large audience), and gulp, she's earned this, solo competitions. I'm glad we waited; she is a lot more ready this year. I hope she gets sufficient practice time in, and actually learns her non-traditional set dance in case she does recall. M's certainly excited, and explains it to her non-dancing friends as "regionals." I worry a bit that she's in four events, yet her solo's are first, anyway, plus the TCRG's want the dancers to focus on solo's if there's a conflict, so I suspect it'll all work out as it should, whatever that may be. Ack!
2008 Southern Region Oireachtas
Feis Culkin, more review this post
First off, welcome back, Feis Culkin. They had to take a break last year due to a big anniversary celebration for the college. To be fair, I have to point out that any fault I find with Feis Culkin is minor. This is, overall, a consistently good feis, one of our top three in this (greater D.C.) area. It's one of the few my daughter would attend when first starting to compete in Irish stepdancing.
I like the venue -- Mount St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, Maryland, allows for bleacher "camping." I don't get claustrophobic. I can see, and I can move. My mother can almost always get a seat even, with a view. The one tight spot is between one of the stages and it's check-in location, the bleachers, and the steps. Maybe the stage could be moved a foot more towards the center next time to relieve some traffic jam. (Same recommendations I'd give to CCE / Comhaltas feis which uses the same venue.) Sometimes the stage signs can be tricky to see, requiring going over to the stage and up to the sign, but no more so than at many other feiseanna.
For some stages, the musicians, yes, live musicians are a lovely requirement for any sanctioned feis, are shared. The thought is that the music would carry over just the two adjoining stages; this is a typical set up. Some stages had dedicated musicians. The drawback of a feis with all stages in one large room is that sound can carry, music from one stage might be mixed in with music from another stage in a dancers head. There can be sensory overload, not too bad this time. Personally, I still prefer this over being squeezed into a too-small hotel room (especially if stage signs indicating what dance is going now, and next, are in the rooms so entry is required to check stages). FYI -- good musicians.
The stages themselves, from all indications I've received, ran well. One was a bit slippery (perhaps others but I don't know that), and I saw three people fall in a similar spot. Otherwise, they were decent, sprung/raised, standard stages.
There is an entry fee vice a family fee. Some prefer one, some prefer the other. Typically, it's just my daughter and me, so I'd prefer the entry fee as being more cost effective. As my mother joined us for this one (and can't, normally), we'd have done alright w/ a family fee. Nicely, there was not a jam getting in (albeit we did arrive approximately 8:20 a.m., with the feis starting at 9:00 a.m. YEAH for 9:00 a.m. start, not 8:00 a.m., and nicely coordinating w/ when the times go normal again and we get an extra hour of sleep).
Food options were reasonable in variety and pricing, including a bake sale table put on by the Culkin school. Basically, this means that I could find a couple items not only for my daughter who gets pickier on feis days as to what she'll eat, and for vegetarian me.
Figures started off the day, on time, and treble reel ended the day -- ending around 4:00 - 4:30 p.m. ??? Feis Culkin offers many figures dances that are the same as what's competed in at the Southern Region Oireachtas, a nice feature for any feis that can get enough figure dancing entries. They did not offer the non-traditional set for preliminary champion dancers (helpful for O practice, but not needed for a typical feis).
M's Oireachtas 4-hand team couldn't perform at this feis. Others from M's dance school did. I forget what 8-hand dances were offered. However, her 4-hand has one dancer in the next higher age level, and so when M's 2-hand partner, L, signed up for their 2-hand, she accidently signed up for the next higher age level. They were able to dance together in their appropriate age group.
The girls did both forget their new headbands for their new school dresses, as the headbands are also used with a different performance dress. Nicely, they both had coordinating tiaras so they still looked like a team. They dance a beautiful, nicely executed 2-hand. They didn't, fully, this time; 3rd place out of 4 teams "Mom, I'm just glad that even though we screwed up, we still beat someone." Hmmm. I don't care so much about the placement as their effort and did they get sloppy at parts. It's still useful for M to compete in a dance previous to her "important" one, dance on the stage, get in competition mode, hair, makeup, muscles moving. Still. I do want her to try to do her best.
We could move around and see other dancers, friends, her sister, others, in both champs and grades, sometimes a few stages at a time. This was while waiting for M's own competition on her stage to be checked in (a perk for this venue). M & L both had time before changing into their solo dresses for their preliminary champion rounds.
Champion awards were within quick to reasonable timeframe, albeit I didn't know when awards were being announced unless I went up to that area and checked. If the announcement that awards for x competition were going to be anounced, was given in the large gymnasium/room, I never heard it / could differentiate that notice from others. Love that sashes were also given out to any champion winning first place. The black and white on everything can get a bit much (the school colors), but minor. One competition had two 1st-place tie winners (U-16 girls), and a second trophy was brought out so that each girl had one. M and L both placed, yeah, always exciting, but one of their friends in their competition did not.
Champion scores were included in cost (normal practice where we tend to feis), and available after awards (also typical). Wow, they included comments from each of the three judges. Most dancers we talked with also received comments, often on both rounds, from each of their three judges, also. That is worth a lot, and us MAIDs and the TCRG's and the dancers really appreciate it.
Seemed to be good panel of judges overall. An adult competitor friend, from a different Irish dance school, was pleased as well. She said that her judge really concentrated on watching the dancers steps. It had my friend feel a bit embarrassed when she slipped up, and also had her working really hard on her particular areas of concern. She also received comments, and thought the judge fair.
In order to finish up the feis, M & L's treble reel was moved to another stage. However, at this point, they weren't fully paying attention. Oh, they knew their treble reel competition was moved, and where to. They were talking with their teacher and missed it, even with a phone call from L's mom pointing it out. Oy. A friend of theirs, a dancer I call LCGirl, talked with the stage manager of her treble reel competition. No one lied and said they missed theirs as the stages changed, but not sure if the stage manager considered that was the issue or not. The two girls, M and L were allowed to join the over-18 champion treble reel. Thankfully, it's really a for fun and some show-off dance to end the day with (and likely why LCGirl likes it so).
The awards room seemed organized and not too overwhelmed the few times I entered it. One year, possibly 2 years ago, Feis Culkin awards room was backed up I think over an hour, and they ran out of some medals. (This was in grades; M moved up to prelim at this venue just this May at the Comhaltas Feis.) The medals were mailed, with a lovely note attached. There didn't seem to be any issues this year. M was quite pleased with her treble reel trophy, as large as her champion trophy. At first, a prizewinner trebel reel trophy was given out by mistake but "oh, sorry," fixed quickly.
I like that there was an engraver onsite. The t-shirt vendor accidently brought the logo for a different feis with them, but no matter; they'd mail the items at no cost to the customer after adding the logo. Other good vendors.
Even if it weren't so daggone convenient, we'd still have M compete at this feis. Heck, we've even visited to watch friends before M ever competed, and we likely would if M stopped competing, temporarily or permanately.
I like the venue -- Mount St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, Maryland, allows for bleacher "camping." I don't get claustrophobic. I can see, and I can move. My mother can almost always get a seat even, with a view. The one tight spot is between one of the stages and it's check-in location, the bleachers, and the steps. Maybe the stage could be moved a foot more towards the center next time to relieve some traffic jam. (Same recommendations I'd give to CCE / Comhaltas feis which uses the same venue.) Sometimes the stage signs can be tricky to see, requiring going over to the stage and up to the sign, but no more so than at many other feiseanna.
For some stages, the musicians, yes, live musicians are a lovely requirement for any sanctioned feis, are shared. The thought is that the music would carry over just the two adjoining stages; this is a typical set up. Some stages had dedicated musicians. The drawback of a feis with all stages in one large room is that sound can carry, music from one stage might be mixed in with music from another stage in a dancers head. There can be sensory overload, not too bad this time. Personally, I still prefer this over being squeezed into a too-small hotel room (especially if stage signs indicating what dance is going now, and next, are in the rooms so entry is required to check stages). FYI -- good musicians.
The stages themselves, from all indications I've received, ran well. One was a bit slippery (perhaps others but I don't know that), and I saw three people fall in a similar spot. Otherwise, they were decent, sprung/raised, standard stages.
There is an entry fee vice a family fee. Some prefer one, some prefer the other. Typically, it's just my daughter and me, so I'd prefer the entry fee as being more cost effective. As my mother joined us for this one (and can't, normally), we'd have done alright w/ a family fee. Nicely, there was not a jam getting in (albeit we did arrive approximately 8:20 a.m., with the feis starting at 9:00 a.m. YEAH for 9:00 a.m. start, not 8:00 a.m., and nicely coordinating w/ when the times go normal again and we get an extra hour of sleep).
Food options were reasonable in variety and pricing, including a bake sale table put on by the Culkin school. Basically, this means that I could find a couple items not only for my daughter who gets pickier on feis days as to what she'll eat, and for vegetarian me.
Figures started off the day, on time, and treble reel ended the day -- ending around 4:00 - 4:30 p.m. ??? Feis Culkin offers many figures dances that are the same as what's competed in at the Southern Region Oireachtas, a nice feature for any feis that can get enough figure dancing entries. They did not offer the non-traditional set for preliminary champion dancers (helpful for O practice, but not needed for a typical feis).
M's Oireachtas 4-hand team couldn't perform at this feis. Others from M's dance school did. I forget what 8-hand dances were offered. However, her 4-hand has one dancer in the next higher age level, and so when M's 2-hand partner, L, signed up for their 2-hand, she accidently signed up for the next higher age level. They were able to dance together in their appropriate age group.
The girls did both forget their new headbands for their new school dresses, as the headbands are also used with a different performance dress. Nicely, they both had coordinating tiaras so they still looked like a team. They dance a beautiful, nicely executed 2-hand. They didn't, fully, this time; 3rd place out of 4 teams "Mom, I'm just glad that even though we screwed up, we still beat someone." Hmmm. I don't care so much about the placement as their effort and did they get sloppy at parts. It's still useful for M to compete in a dance previous to her "important" one, dance on the stage, get in competition mode, hair, makeup, muscles moving. Still. I do want her to try to do her best.
We could move around and see other dancers, friends, her sister, others, in both champs and grades, sometimes a few stages at a time. This was while waiting for M's own competition on her stage to be checked in (a perk for this venue). M & L both had time before changing into their solo dresses for their preliminary champion rounds.
Champion awards were within quick to reasonable timeframe, albeit I didn't know when awards were being announced unless I went up to that area and checked. If the announcement that awards for x competition were going to be anounced, was given in the large gymnasium/room, I never heard it / could differentiate that notice from others. Love that sashes were also given out to any champion winning first place. The black and white on everything can get a bit much (the school colors), but minor. One competition had two 1st-place tie winners (U-16 girls), and a second trophy was brought out so that each girl had one. M and L both placed, yeah, always exciting, but one of their friends in their competition did not.
Champion scores were included in cost (normal practice where we tend to feis), and available after awards (also typical). Wow, they included comments from each of the three judges. Most dancers we talked with also received comments, often on both rounds, from each of their three judges, also. That is worth a lot, and us MAIDs and the TCRG's and the dancers really appreciate it.
Seemed to be good panel of judges overall. An adult competitor friend, from a different Irish dance school, was pleased as well. She said that her judge really concentrated on watching the dancers steps. It had my friend feel a bit embarrassed when she slipped up, and also had her working really hard on her particular areas of concern. She also received comments, and thought the judge fair.
In order to finish up the feis, M & L's treble reel was moved to another stage. However, at this point, they weren't fully paying attention. Oh, they knew their treble reel competition was moved, and where to. They were talking with their teacher and missed it, even with a phone call from L's mom pointing it out. Oy. A friend of theirs, a dancer I call LCGirl, talked with the stage manager of her treble reel competition. No one lied and said they missed theirs as the stages changed, but not sure if the stage manager considered that was the issue or not. The two girls, M and L were allowed to join the over-18 champion treble reel. Thankfully, it's really a for fun and some show-off dance to end the day with (and likely why LCGirl likes it so).
The awards room seemed organized and not too overwhelmed the few times I entered it. One year, possibly 2 years ago, Feis Culkin awards room was backed up I think over an hour, and they ran out of some medals. (This was in grades; M moved up to prelim at this venue just this May at the Comhaltas Feis.) The medals were mailed, with a lovely note attached. There didn't seem to be any issues this year. M was quite pleased with her treble reel trophy, as large as her champion trophy. At first, a prizewinner trebel reel trophy was given out by mistake but "oh, sorry," fixed quickly.
I like that there was an engraver onsite. The t-shirt vendor accidently brought the logo for a different feis with them, but no matter; they'd mail the items at no cost to the customer after adding the logo. Other good vendors.
Even if it weren't so daggone convenient, we'd still have M compete at this feis. Heck, we've even visited to watch friends before M ever competed, and we likely would if M stopped competing, temporarily or permanately.
photos from Culkin Feis 2008
This is M in her new dress, lined up to dance her hardshoe at the Culkin Feis held at Mount St. Mary's gymnasium the first Sunday of most Novembers. They danced two at a time, thankfully. Three at a time is too much for this age, IMHO, even if allowed if the stage is of sufficient size.
She did very well in her hornpipe (hardshoe dance). She also danced a reel in her ghillies (softshoe dance). Reel had always been her best and favorite dance, even treble reel went well (done in hardshoe). I'm not sure if it's the concentration on hardshoe to improve it, or all the percussion and hardshoe work in the performing troupe, or what, but her reel now, comparatively, needs more oomph or something. Still beautiful, however; it'd be difficult to say that any dancer at the preliminary champion level doesn't dance wonderfully for any dance.
Honestly, if a dancer has joy on his or her face, like the girls in their beginner school jumpers at a fundraiser last Sunday who were dancing their reels and slipjigs in time to a live band for the fun of it, not as their performance, it's all good.
Both TCRG and "FiguresTeacher" said that M was showing off her dress. It's not the dresses, really, it's how a dancer feels IN the dress (or costume, some dancers are boys and while they rarely wear kilts for competitions, they don't wear these fru fru dresses and "Shirley Temple" hair, i.e., wigs). The confidence, the joy, can carry over into how a dancer dances, combined with the technique and timing and hard work and natural ability, yadda yadda.
Unfortunately, photos aren't allowed to be taken while a dancer is in motion during a competition. A friend took this one of the line up. Note the other styles of dresses -- they get fancier and "more modern" as the levels get higher. (The girl in the red dress got 1st. Most of them become friends, or at least friendly, with each other. One girl shown is M's bestest dance friend, L, who placed right next to M; their results can be all over the place yet they're still super supportive of each other.)
Updating: Official feis photographer, Zebadiah Beaugard, took a great shot of three of my favorite dancers, during their treble reel. And, don't they look happy? (I couldn't get it to post anywhere but on top, first. Yes, he takes some great photos.) Thanks, Z&B! See a link to his blog on my site here.
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