A Feis (Irish word for festival, pronounced FESH) is an Irish Dancing competition. They are noisy, hectic, exciting, fun and tiring (not just for the dancers!).
Feiseanna (plural of feis) are run by dancing schools, sometimes just for their own dancers called 'Class Feis', but mostly they are open to dancers from other schools, called 'Open Feis'. They are usually held in schools or sports centres and can have a thousand dancers or more!. They are a wonderful place to see lots of dancing, meet friends, hear live musicians and look at stalls selling all sorts of things to do with ‘Irish dancing’. To get the most out of the experience you need to be organised, flexible and patient as they often run late!
Entering a Feis
To be eligible to compete in most feis your teacher needs to be registered with the organisation to which the Feis is affiliated. Ian Boyd TCRG is registered with An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha so Boyd dancers can compete in An Coimisiún feiseanna once Ian feels they are ready. Being ready to compete is an achievement in itself!
Feis details for local feis are shown in the Calendar, and other feis further a field are generally listed on the web (see More Information for links to some sites listing feiseanna).
In the UK entries are usually submitted by post with all the dancers from a school being entered on one form, signed by the teacher.
You will need to pay in advance, by cheque, a fee of generally between £2.50 & £3.50 for each dance you enter. There will also be a small entrance fee which sometimes you pay in advance and sometimes you pay when you get there. The fees go towards the running costs of the feis, which can be very high. They usually sell programs at the feis which list all the dancers in each competition and these are useful for getting to know the names of dancers in your age group (and what school they dance for).
If you would like to know more about age groups and grades at feiseanna, click here
Getting Ready for the Feis
Once you are entered there are a number of things you can do to get ready;
Practice your dances! You will probably also have the opportunity to practice feis etiquette (bowing to the adjudicator etc.) at a lesson before your first feis.
Decide what costume you will wear and make sure it is ready. See Costumes for more information.
For girls, decide what you will do with your hair. It is customary, but not compulsory, for it to be curly for feiseanna (see Hair and Wigs for more information). If you are going to curl it, it may be a good idea to have a trial run beforehand.
Make a checklist for everything you will need to bring and start to gather up things on it. For some ideas for a checklist click here. It can be useful when you compete in a lot of feiseanna to have a 'feis bag' in which you keep packed all the things you only use for feis.
Make sure you know where the feis is and that you have directions how to get there. It is a good idea to have a map as backup if you are using directions from the feis information in case of diversions or other problems. Although signs or balloons are often put up nearby, some of the venues can be tricky to find.
Have a look, if you can, at the feis syllabus (the document with all the information about the feis, usually on the Calendar page). This will give you more information about finding the venue, catering arrangements etc. plus it will say who the musicians and adjudicators (judges) will be.
Sometimes your competition number – a piece of white card with a big black number on - will be sent to the dancing school before the feis. If you are given this - look after it carefully - you cannot dance without it!.
The Day Before the Feis
Have a final practice of your steps - don't overdo it as you will need plenty of energy tomorrow.
Make sure your shoes are clean and that your heavy shoes have new tape on if you use it.
Check your costume and press it if necessary.
Pack everything on your checklist into your bag and leave it with your costume where you won't forget it, like by the front door. DON'T FORGET YOUR COMPETITION NUMBER IF YOU HAVE IT ALREADY.
Print off a copy of the timetable from the Calendar page if possible and check your competition time. Pack it to take tomorrow.
Have a final check of directions to the feis and decide what time you need to leave. You should plan to be at the venue at least an hour before the competition. You must be ready to dance 15 minutes before the stated time and you need to allow time to find where to register and collect your number if you do not already have it, find your stage(s), warm up and get dressed (go to the toilet first!). You will probably need longer if you are planning on taking curlers out at the feis.
If you are curling your hair, make sure it is dry before you put the curlers in.
Have an early night!
The Big Day
Try and eat breakfast.
Make sure you have put everything in the car.
When you arrive you will usually be met by a helper at the gate who will take any entrance fees if they are due on the day, may sell you a program, and will direct you to where to park.
Next go and find where to register (if you do not already have your number). Names are normally listed by dancing school - sometimes the helpers mix up 'Boyd' with 'Boyle' (for Boyle O'Dowda) so check they are looking at the right school if they can't find your name!
Go and find the stage where you are competing first (often 'stages' are dance floors laid out in a gym or hall next to each other) and then find a place to change. There are usually changing rooms. If you can't find what you are looking for ask, other parents and dancers are very helpful and friendly and remember their first time too.
If there is a competition before yours listen to the music and get a feel for it as it will be different to the CD's you dance to at class.
If you have the timetable, find out if the feis is running on time, by seeing which competition is currently ‘on stage’ and looking to see what time that should be on. You can work out which competition is on stage by asking someone or by looking up the number in the program of one of the dancers dancing.
Get changed (go to the toilet first!) so you are ready about 15 minutes before the start time of your competition - do not get changed too early if you are wearing an Irish dancing dress as it is very difficult to sit down in!
Fix your number to your costume, either with a pin or with a string or ribbon around your waist.
Double knot your shoelaces and check them regularly (if one does come undone while dancing, stop dancing and go and stand at the back of the stage and wait for the others to finish, you will usually be allowed to dance again).
When it comes to the time of your competition listen carefully for announcements and go and line up by the side of the stage. Sometimes dancers try and hold back to go up last so they can dance last. For your first feis it is probably best to dance somewhere in the middle but it does not matter much. Some feis have a 'last up first on' rule where the last dancer to line up will be the first on stage, this encourages everyone to line up promptly.
Try not to line up with another Boyd dancer. Although all dancers will be dancing to the same music, every dancing school teaches different steps and the adjudicator will not know what your steps should be - but if you dance with another Boyd dancer and you make a mistake they will be able to tell you are dancing differently!
When you are lining up remember to stand tall and proud and not talk too much - first impressions help!
A stage helper or manager will bring 2 or 3 dancers at a time onto the stage and ask you to line up. Stand with your feet crossed and smile - you are about to do your first dance at a feis which is very exciting!
When the music starts point your toe and listen carefully. Often for beginners, especially young beginners, the stage helper will tell you when to start otherwise you will need to count in four bars and then start on the next beat.
Now you can finally dance ! - smile and enjoy it, smiles are infectious. Remember, you will be dancing different steps to the dancers on stage with you so try not to pay any attention to them (except to make sure you don’t crash!). You will usually dance your lead around and your first step but it varies from feis to feis. Keep dancing until the music stops or the adjudicator rings a bell, then stop and bow to the adjudicator then walk smartly to the back of the stage and stand still with your feet crossed and head up.
When the adjudicator is ready he or she will ring a bell, now bow again to the adjudicator, and then to the musician (or to whoever is operating the CD player if there is not a musician) then walk proudly off the stage.
If you have another dance on the same stage wait until that dance is called by the announcer, if it is on a different stage, go there to be ready. (Beginners dances for a particular age group are usually all on the same stage but check!)
When you have done all your dances, don't take your costume or shoes off until after the results just in case you have been placed as you will need them on to collect your award.
Wait for the results to be announced, sometimes this will be after all the light dances are completed, sometimes not until all the dances have been completed or later. The number of dancers who have been placed will be called out so make sure you remember what number you are. Remember if you win something or not, it is a tremendous achievement just to get up there and dance!
When you have finished you can have a look at some of the stalls and soak up the atmosphere. You may also be able to have your photo taken in a mobile studio by Feispix as a record of the day. If you can, watch some of the championship competitions, these will usually be on the big stage. You could be dancing like that someday!
Afterwards
Celebrate !!
When you get home, unpack, check everything over and then pack away what you only need for feis ready for next time.
Let Ian know how you got on. He will be keen to hear all about it. This is especially important if you come 1st, 2nd or 3rd in any of your beginners dances as if there are 5 or more dancers you will move into the primary grade for that dance!
Consider keeping a Feis record book to keep track of how you do at each feis, they soon become difficult to remember. To download a simple feis record card to print click here (print two sided then fold into three).
Tips for parents
Ian is not able to attend every feis and at some he may have several dancers all competing at the same time in different places so be prepared to help your child as much as possible.
Make sure they drink and eat enough before and during the feis. Water is very important.
Be considerate of other dancers and parents.
If your child really does not want to do a particular dance do not force them, they can still do their other dances and there is not a penalty for 'no shows' (these are actually quite common).
Remind young dancers what ‘dance’ they are about to do, perhaps ask them to tell you their first few steps just before they go on.
Do not go to the line-up with your child, the stage helper will take it from there.
Smile, nod, and encourage your dancer, but don’t distract them from the audience.
Be calm. Things will go wrong or get forgotten but don't let small glitches become big distractions.
Never speak directly to an adjudicator or a musician, if you have any concerns speak to a feis helper.
Compare your child’s performance with their own past performance, not with the other competitors’. Adjudicators don’t always see what the parents see, or may see something that the parents did not! Do not try and predict results!
Keep criticism constructive. Whatever happens it takes a lot of courage for them to get up and dance at all.
It is an An Coimisiún rule that you are not allowed to video or photograph dancers in anyway during competitions. Photographs of award presentations are allowed.
This may all sound complicated but it is great fun and you will soon get to have 'feis friends' – girls or boys from other schools you meet at feiseanna. The secret of a relaxed enjoyable time is to be organised, be patient and remember it is about the joy of dancing too and not just winning!
| A photo story about attending a feis from the Teelin School in America. Some things are a bit different in the UK (they announce the results and present awards and you don't need to go to the stage as early) but still interesting | |
| Feis listings on the In Step Feis Managements website. In Step help to organise and run many feis and are a good source of information | |
| Feis listings on the Irish-dancer website | |
| Some typical feis rules |
More Information