Feis Fairy Corner
Age Category for Competition
Your dancer competes in an age category depending on his/her age in January of that year (ex. dancer who is age 9 in January and who turns age 10 in the following May competes in the Under 10 category for the full year).
To Jig or Not To Jig? – That Is The Question
The Jig is sometimes called the Light Jig depending on the feis but is one of the first 2 dances that the Rochez dancers learn. However, Rochez does not dance the Cross Jig (sometimes shown as XJ) or the Single Jig.
We’d Like To Try A Feis – Now What?
If you are unsure if your dancer is ready to do a feis or not certain what level he/she should compete in, it is best to ask Eilis.
Please see the links page for feis-related websites when ready to register.
Please see Shari’s Feis Kit page to find out what to bring to the feis.
- Some feisanna (the plural form of feis) will e-mail you your dancer’s competitor number in advance, but others require you to pick it up at the feis, so allow yourself time in the morning.
- The way you get your dancer’s results, including comments, also varies: printed out on the spot, e-mailed, and regular mail are the usual. Can’t read the comments? You are not alone!! Bring a copy to class so that Eilis can keep track of your dancer’s progress and explain the results! Alternately, you can forward the results to Eilis directly if they have been e-mailed to you.
- After your dancer has danced, the results area is usually a sea of numbered papers. Look for the Competition Number and/or Description at the top of the page and below that will be the numbers of those dancers who have placed (there are often 4th and 5th place medals as well). If your dancer’s number is on the page then take the actual comp. card your dancer wore to the awards area to pick up the medal
- Once your dancer is in Advanced Beginner they must place 1st, 2nd or 3rd in that particular dance before moving up to Novice in that dance the following year. At the Novice level, a dancer must place 1st in a dance before moving up to Opens level in that particular dance.
- Note: There must be at least 5 dancers in a competition for a result to count.
- Two or three nights before (or sometimes the night before!) the feis, go to the specific feis website and check for stages schedule. Print it out, highlight your dancers’ competition numbers and take it to the feis. The number in parentheses beside the comp. number indicates the number of dancers registered to compete in that specific dance. Stage schedules are the best way for you to determine the approximate time your dancer will be dancing, but sadly this is not an exact science!
- Specific dance competition numbers can be found at the individual feis websites and are listed in the Syllabus section (this includes figures or group dancing –every member of the group registers individually)
- Do not hesitate to contact Christine Symons (Feis Fairy) at 634-5670 if you have any questions, concerns or confusion! It’s also a great idea to “pick the brains” of many senior dancers’ parents or other members of the Guild.
