Raleigh Feis 2015 , Champs Review

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raleighThe Raleigh Feis is hosted by the Inis Cairde School of Irish Dance. The 2015 Feis was held on Friday February 6th (Adult and Music Comps) and Saturday February 7th (Grade and Champs). The location for the Feis was the Durham Marriott Convention Center in Durham, NC. Information regarding the feis was available on their website Raleigh Feis. This is the third time we have attended the Raleigh Feis. We like it for it’s location and the size of the competitions not too small, not too big. This area of Durham is up and coming and is surrounded by eclectic restaurants and shops. Many of these places are within walking distance to the Feis.

Venue

The venue for 2015 was the same as 2014–Durham Convention Center, conveniently attached to the Feis Hotel, Durham Marriott City Center. The ballrooms (used for champs) were spacious and there was not a feel of overcrowding in the Champs competition areas. Air temperature inside the rooms was cool. Even the hallways were not as jam packed as many feisianna we have attended.

Score 10

Hotel

A feis rate of 121.00 was offered with a daily fee of 12.00 for parking (valet only). For those guests not staying at the hotel, parking cost 3.00 in the garage. The hotel is nice and staff are friendly, rooms are adequate in size. The price is a little above average but the convenience of location is a benefit. While the service in the hotel lobby restaurant is slow, that is of no fault to the feis committee! Besides, there are plenty of highly rated restaurants near the hotel.

Score 8

Stages and seating

The stages were huge! They were slightly (one inch?) raised off the ground and covered in marley. There were no slipping issues that we could see and none that my dancer experienced. As for seating, the ballrooms offered plenty of chairs for guests.

Score 9

Judges

Three judges scored dancers in both rounds. They all left comments for my dancer and as most will agree, that is appreciated. The set round judge also left comments for my dancer and seemed attentive throughout the competition.

Score 9

Musicians

Champ stages each had one musician, whose music could be heard without issue. Thank you to the musicians for doing a wonderful job.

Score 10

Food

No outside food/coolers were allowed. The Feis program which was available about 10 days in advance provided a menu (with prices) of what would be available for purchase that day. While I prefer to bring my own food to a feis, knowing what will be offered and how much it will cost is beneficial. Items were somewhat pricey- the food was provided by the hotel and not affiliated with the feis. The hotel didn’t prepare well and had decreased options by lunch time. By the way, the hotel didn’t appear strict about the “no food” policy (we had our own drinks and snacks…shhhhhh). Vendors also sold snacks (taytos, cadbury, etc).

Score 7

Vendors

  • Celtic Curls – Wigs and accessories
  • Celtic Shoes – Fay’s Irish Dance Shoes
  • Emerald Key – Solo costumes, wigs
  • FabRince Callahans – Pacelli, Hullachan, Rutherford Shoes
  • Fine Designs – Official feis logo products
    • **Note: 2015 Raleigh Feis T-Shirts are available pre-sale only when registering on Feisworx, click to see the design
  • Hibernian Designs – Handmade totes, dance bags, cross-body cellphone holders
  • Thirty-One Gifts – Purses, totes, bags
  • Wild Irish Rose – Celtic jewelry, gifts and ornaments

Score 10

Seating/Camping

The ballrooms provided plenty of seating and therefore traditional “camping” is unnecessary. As usual some chairs were covered in dress bags, zuca bags and coats to “hold” seating. Overall there were seats available to those that wanted them.

Score 10

Restrooms

Location was close to the stages. One stall for the ladies room was “out of order” but this is at no fault of the feis. A short line was usually present. Another restroom was just outside the convention area and easy to get to.

Score 8

Feis Flow

The feis began at 8am with the National Anthems and then teams competition. Stages were held until teams were finished (there was an issue with this but that review should come from the grades reviewer). Once Stage 3 started (around 9:45) they moved the comps nicely. Dancers danced two at a time. While the stage was large enough for three dancers it’s always nice to have your dancer out there with only one other competitor. Morning Sets were held up a bit waiting for an adjudicator and musician. Later in the day there were more delays. This was the only negative thing that we experienced.

Score 7

Results

The results for the first few champ competitions were posted nearly 2 hours after completion of dancing. As the day pushed on it took as long, if not longer for results to be posted. This is a long time to wait! But, once the recall list was posted the awards were presented within 10 minutes. (“Recall” meaning if your number is up there you are getting an award, not the “recall” like at Oireachtas).

Score 6

Awards

The awards were made of crystal and they were splendid. In looking at pictures on twitter, instagram, and facebook, some examples of the awards were candlesticks, vases, cake platter,butterflies, and others. Sashes in bright hues of White (3rd) Purple (2nd) and Aqua (1st) were awarded as well. Top three dancers had a podium to stand on. Awards were in a separate room from dancing- it was spacious and the announcer could be heard easily. The person/people in charge of awards did a fantastic job.

Score 10

Social Media/Misc

Everything you needed to know about this event was posted on Facebook and here. The Raleigh Feis also has an Instagram page and utilized Twitter Twitter handle to announce results/awards- although it took until 11:30a.m to begin informing anxious parents/dancers when awards would finally be announced. A competitor list was posted which most attendees are happy about. I cannot praise the social media volunteers enough for the information that was provided (more info during the feis please) Something else worth recognizing at this feis was the Charity Reel to support the South Florida Chapter of the ALS association and in honor of the late Maureen Harling-Welty. The Feis raised $840.00!

Score 9

Raleigh Feis Overall Score- 8.0

The sluggish result time is the only hiccup we experienced at this feis on the champs side. According to pictures on facebook the last competitions received their results/awards just after 6pm. That seems like a long day for both the champ families and the feis volunteers! Had the results been quicker the overall score would have easily been a 9. However, there are positives to this feis such as spacious rooms, large stages, hallways were not cramped, a dress room (monitored) was offered, food was available, awards were fantastic and the volunteers were helpful and available. Special Competitions were offered for Adults, Figures, Parent/Child, Trad Set, Non Trad Set, Treble Reels/Charity reel (hard and soft shoe), Irish art, Irish baking, Vocal and Music. If you are looking for a nice feis in the Southern Region during February, consider the Raleigh Feis in 2016.

Thank you Inis Cairde Families!

What did you think?

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Raleigh Feis 2015, Grades Review/1 Comment/in , , /by

raleighThe Raleigh Feis was held February 6 and 7, 2015. Even though it is called the Raleigh Feis, it was held in the Durham Convention Center, in downtown Durham, North Carolina. This feis put the Ish in Irish. Registration began at 6ish on Friday evening. The competitions began at 8ish on Saturday. The stages were handled in a professional-ish manner. After all, enough is as good as a feast, isn’t it? This was the first feis, in a long time, where we have not heard Quiet in the Hall. So this was also a quiet-ish feis. The feis had something for all ages and abilities. The feis offered competitions in Celtic instrumental music and vocals. They also offered Celtic Art and Baking competitions. The main feis competitions were supplemented by treble reels, traditional and non traditional sets specials, and the Maureen Harling-Welty charity reel specials.

Venue: 6 out of 10

This was advertised as a convention center feis. As this was our first experience, we went on the advertised information. Our mistake. This is a glorified hotel convention center feis. Think crowded ballrooms, low lighting, and cramped hallways. With the stages on the floor, it caused most spectators to stand. Only the first four rows could see the dancers fully. From the fifth row on to the back, you saw bobbing heads and bouncing curls. The feis had previously announced a No Camping policy. It also announced that the venue would provide ample feis seating. Ample feis seating is a relative term. This could be seen by the numbers of people standing or kneeling in the aisles. Personally, I learned that posting an irritating tween next to empty seats for your family is as effective as a pile of gear. The more people who ask if the seats are taken, the more irritated the tween becomes. I think one family kept nearly half a row empty with this method. Of course, I pity those in the immediate vicinity of said tween. But, a method to remember, none the less.

Parking: 10 out of 10

For a feis, parking was plentiful. Some intrepid feis goers found free parking, on the street. Others could park at the municipal garage for $3 a day. Hotel parking ranged from $9 to $12, for overnight guests. So, all things considered, parking was an A+ for this feis.

Food: 6 out of 10

$2 for a bag of chips. $1.50 for a piece of fruit. The outside food and drink rule was sporadically enforced. Many feis supporters were seen carrying hotel coffee cups into the venue. (Yours truly, included.). The way in which the venue was constructed made it easy to leave for a bite to eat. The hotel provided coffee in the lobby, for those who knew where to look. Ash Wilkes was much more pleasant, after having his pre-feis and mid-feis cups of coffee. The feis provided 2 different food stands. Feis vendors also sold snacks. (Genuine Cadbury, anyone?)

Music: 5 out of 10

One little darling had a blessed accordionist for their stages. Said accordionist also had to repair their instrument during the morning competition. It caused confusion and delay. Our older three darlings had a fiddler for accompniament. Even in the best of circumstances, a violin is difficult to hear over hard shoe competitions. This proved to be no exception. We saw several dancers experience music related problems. Speaker volume and instrument connectivity were also a problem.

Judging: 4 out of 10

Two of our darlings had the same judge for all of their competitions. Our other two darlings had two judges for their competitions. This worked out favorably for all but one of our darlings. As I have said before, at a perfect feis, they would have a different judge for each dance. The least they could have done was to send them to the opposite stage in the same room. Then, there would have been some attempt at rotation. Sadly, for two of our darlings, all of their competitions were on the same stage…for the same judge. This feis did something we have not seen previously. They listed their art, music, and baking judges separately. The Art and Baking judges gave written comments. It was a nice touch and was an appreciated surprise by several recipients. The music judge gave verbal comments with the awards ceremony. Again, a nice touch.

Results: 6 out of 10

The results came out in a timely manner, in the morning. The room for the results was very well chosen. An L shaped location, with large easels. Brilliant solution, Raleigh Feis! It allowed for traffic flow, simple locating, and easy results reading. Champ results, with podium, were announced in a separate location. Again, brilliant move for the Raleigh Feis.

Awards: 6 out of 10

This would have been higher, if they had not advertised special awards for their art and baking competitions. Those competitors received standard medals. Which is fine, except when the feis advertising suggested otherwise. Prizewinner and above received feis emblazoned trophies. We saw several smiling dancers carrying them. Also, the top three champ placements received sashes. Wide satin sashes, with the feis name on them. This feis also offers a charity reel special, in memory of Maureen Harling-Welty. Each participating dancer received a commemorative card, long stemmed rose, and a Twizzler. This set of special was popular with all ages, from beginner to championship dancers. The new medals this feis rolled out were interesting. A clear, etched, plastic oval with the feis name and location. Instead of using gold, silver and bronze to differentiate placements, day glow medal neck ribbons were the identifier. The only draw back to these medals are the noise they make. Plastic clunking into plastic. Now, what else makes that noise? LEGOS. It is the same sound they make, as they are being dumped out of a box. Now, I don’t know about anyone else, but that sound makes me cringe. One little darling had their medals taken from in the car, on the ride home. Even Mellie Wilkes can only take so much.

Social Media: 5 out of 10

The feis utilized social media in the weeks leading up to the feis. They also began using social media to announce champ award times. Sadly, this happened after the lunch break. Social media would have been helpful with the reasons behind slow grade stages and the bumping up of charity specials in the schedule.

Overall Score: 6

All things considered, this was an enjoyable feis for the Wilkes family. Even though it was a bit of a drive, we plan to attend next year. The Raleigh Feis volunteers put in a lot of work. It resulted in a successful feis.

So what did you think?

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Rince Na h’Eireann Charlotte Feis 2014 Review/0 Comments/in , , /by

3948211The RNE Charlotte Feis was held on October 25th, 2014 at the Hilton Hotel in the UNC Charlotte are and was held in memory of Brian Quinlivan and what a great memorial it was to him. This is always a favorite feis because of the venue, the draw of the competitors from the region and the awards.

Venue and Food

This feis took place at the Hilton Hotel in the UNC Charlotte area. Since this venue is in the middle of a retail complex, there was plenty of parking for the number of people attending as well as plenty of restaurants within walking distance so you weren’t locked into the typical hotel food.

There were signs posted in the hall ways letting people know it was unacceptable to ‘camp’ and there was a security guard who made sure the rule was enforced. This allowed people to easily get between rooms without having to navigate around stuff scattered on the floor. I don’t know if the organizer planned this or the hotel but it was MUCH appreciated.

My only complaint were the costs for snacks sold by the venue which I thought were overpriced which is probably par for the course and the length of time it took to get through the Starbuck’s line. With only 4 people ahead of me, each ordering 2 drinks a piece, it still took about 20 minutes at 7am!

Stages/Music

There were a total of 5 stages. According to the schedule, Stages 1-3 were in the main ballroom and were host to Figures and grade levels. They were slightly raised (inches) and covered in marlee. Tape divided the 3 stages which were all serviced by the same accordion player.

Stage 4 was the Champion Stage and was a beautiful raised stage covered in marlee as well. PC & OCs were all supposed to dance on this stage but unfortunately, the U15 and higher PCs were moved to stages 1 & 2. This caused a lot of confusion since families were arriving in the afternoon and were hearing conflicting stories as to the schedule change.

Stage 5 was plywood and used for the Prizewinner/PC non traditional sets.

Judges/Competition

I commend the feis coordinators for splitting the competitions in the PC & OC levels so that the dancers could compete against other dancers in their same draw and age. This does require extra awards and time but it is nice to see how competitive the dancers are in relation to their age group this close to Oireachtas. The one thing that I think disappointed some dancers and parents is when the U15 and above PC levels were still dancing 3 at a time versus 2 at a time. I am assuming this was more because of how late it was in the day.

It was nice to see comments from all of the judges which were emailed out that same evening.

Vendors

The vendors were the typical ones and could get everything from socks to wigs to shoes including the make your own t-shirt vendor.

Awards

The results for the grades and the recall lists were posted VERY fast! I think within 20 minutes of the completion of the competition which I attribute to the number of volunteers the organizers probably had in the tabulations room. I think this helped with the crowd control so that people could dance, see the results and leave when they were finished versus having to hang around and wait.
Gorgeous perpetual trophies were given out to the winner of Traditional Sets as well as PC and OC winners. It was nice to see the Traditional Sets held in such high regard by presenting such beautiful trophies since it is the basis for modern Irish Dance.

The OCs dancers who made it to the podium received beautiful platters and the coveted embroidered pink and green sash. PC dancers on the podium received imprinted sashes. Prizes for individual rounds were also given which is nice for some of the dancers to receive who didn’t make the recall list.

Volunteers

It is so nice to get to a feis and encounter volunteers who were happy to be there. I think they were the contributing factor to the success of the overall event. They should all be congratulated.

Social Media

There was no social media effort for this feis which is unfortunate. There is a lot of great communication that can be pushed out through Facebook and Twitter that can solve some confusion when competitions get moved around on stages or what competitions are being run concurrently as well as when awards are going to be announced. It can also help promote the event to boost attendance. My recommendation would be for the feis organizers to look into a social media plan for next year but start to build a presence months before the actual event.

Summary

Well run feis! To quote a family who travels there every year by plane, ‘it is one of our favorites and we wouldn’t miss it!’ I, myself, will definitely return.

Score 9.5

What did you think?

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Greensboro City Feis 2014 Grades Review for U10 and Below/0 Comments/in , , /by

The 2nd annual Greensboro City Feis, held on Saturday October 4th and Sunday October 5th was sponsored by the Walsh Kelley School. After a not so stellar venue in 2013, the organizers secured a different hotel for 2014 -The Greensboro Marriott Downtown.This review will cover my opinion of the U10 and below comps. U11 and above danced later in the day.

Venue

The venue was much improved from last year. Overall it was more spacious, both the dance room, vendor room, and hotel lobby. A feis rate of $119.00 was offered (plus parking). There was ample parking in the garage adjacent to the hotel but it wasn’t free. There are restaurants in walking distance however the area around the hotel might be best visited in the daylight and with a group of people. Initially the dance room was stuffy then the air kicked on and it was noticeably cooler.

Score 8

Stages and Seating

The Feis was held on the bottom, or lobby floor of the hotel. Grades stages were run on on 2 stages (one huge stage divided) and featured a raised stage The stages were durable and not slippery. The size was small/average and dancers went two at a time. On the far end of each stage was a column type support beam which obstructed the view of the audience, though it *seemed* like the judges, who were seated below the stage could look out and around the column. For the young ones the stage size was not an issue, I am interested to read what U11 and above thought. The raised stage created some excitement among the dancers, especially those who will be attending Oireachtas and don’t normally dance on a raised stage.

Score 7.5

Judges

Dancers rotated stages for each dance. There were 4 adjudicators (from Mid America and West region) -2 sat on one stage, two at the other and they took turns judging the comps. My dancer was judged by 3 of them. All left comments.

Score 9

Musicians

Only one musician was needed at this feis, and he (Mark Arrington) did a fabulous job. Music could be heard just fine by the dancers and audience.

Score 10

Food

Coolers were allowed at the feis which is always a plus. No food or snacks were offered by the host school,which probably had to do with the proximity of the hotel restaurant which hotel was literally behind the room the dancers danced. After the feis it was convenient to go sit and eat. Somewhat pricey, though what you would expect from a hotel.

Score 8

Vendors

Again, this is a small feis so the there were only two vendors ( Fab Rince and Callahans) but they sold the most popular kind of Irish Dance needs. I don’t think either were selling shoes but please correct me if I am wrong.

Score 7 (8 if shoes were offered)

Camping

The room for dancing was not conducive to camping, but there were a good number of chairs set up for guests. I learned quickly though that if my dancer was on Stage 2, then the best area for viewing was close to stage 1 and visa versa. Outside the dancing room people camped along the hallway. The lobby was huge and offered a nice respite from the action. The second floor (staircase from the lobby or elevator) was also roomy and offered a good place for dancers to practice.

Score 7

Restrooms

Close to the dancing room. Again this was a smaller sized feis and not all ages danced at the same time so long lines for the bathroom did not exist (thankfully!!)

Score 10

Feis Flow

The feis began on time (8:00) with the beginners dancing all of their dances. Next up were the AB/Nov/PW for U10 and below. The last dance for this group was the U10 non traditional set which commenced at 11:10. Figures went next, then lunch, and finally U11 and above, Beg/AB/Nov/PW. The organizers underestimated the time U11 would start by over an hour. Though the stage schedule read u11- Not before 10:20, it was probably more like noon. Per the committee, the feis ended by 4:00 pm. Better feis math will prevent the second group (U11 and above) from showing up too early. If I were to score just for my dancer’s comps, I would rate this a 9, but realistically and thinking what the next group thought, it deserves a lower

Score 6

Awards and Results

Results were posted in an adjacent, very large room (the vendors were also in this room along with the dress rack). Let me restate it was a large room! As far as results go I have to tip my hat to the organizers. They had those results up swiftly, at least for the U10 and below group. PW received trophies for 1-3 places, and medals for any place below 3rd. The trophies noted the placement and the first place trophies were taller than 2 and 3. Medals were given for Beg-Nov. groups. Medals came with ribbons.

Score 10

Overall Score 8

If you were at the 2013 feis in Greensboro and decided not to return in 2014, you missed out on a good feis. It was 100% better than last year leading me to believe the feis committee is open to criticism and suggestions and willing to seek measures to improve. Walsh Kelley *usually* schedule their feisianna with younger dancers dancing in the morning and older age groups in the afternoon. If that schedule suits you, then come on down to Greensboro in 2015. I know we will be there!

Cheers, CC

Did Y’all Get Down There?  😉 What Did You Think?

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Holy Angels Feis 2014, PC/OC Review

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holyAngelsThe Holy Angels Feis was held on Saturday May 10th in Charlotte, North Carolina. Originally, the Preliminary Champions were scheduled for Friday the 9th but after some feedback and people wanting to travel to the event, all events were changed to Saturday. This was a welcomed change and in glancing at the competitor list, many traveled from Florida, Virginia, Georgia and Maryland.

Intro

This feis had a lower cap with 150 PC/OC dancers and 250 grade level dancers. It appeared to be capped primarily because of space limitations since the school/church where the competition took place was not that large. Parking was free which is always nice!

We arrived in the late morning and found more than adequate parking. Looks like we got there about the same time that the beginners and advanced beginners were finishing up which helped with potential congestion with the PC/OCs arriving.

Venue

The event was held at St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church and school in their cafeteria. Unlike last year, there was plenty of seating. The organizers removed the round tables at the back of the room and put additional rows of chairs which alleviated much of the ‘camping’ and bottlenecks witnessed last year.

Food

The concessions were run by parent volunteers and some of the older dancers. There were plenty of selections including premade sandwiches, fruit, granola bars, and homemade baked goods. It was nice not to be overcharged for a bottle or water or a banana. You could also bring your own food in which is always a plus!

Stage/Music

There were 3 stages in the morning for the grade levels with one musician. In the afternoon for the PC/OC level, the tape was removed and it became one stage. The stage was not raised and was made of plywood and was not covered in any marley.

Judges

As always, the PC/OC competitions had three judges. The judges seemed very attentive to the dancers even after a long morning of grade level competitions.

Vendors

This was a small feis so I didn’t expect an elaborate selection of vendors. The one there did have a great selection of all the basics and then some.

Results

The results for champions took a little longer that what I expected since the grade levels were done but then again, it can feel like an eternity when you have a bunch of dancers standing around full of nervous energy!

Thankfully, they posted a recall list which I am learning is not always the case. This alleviated the stress for the dancers and the parents when the awards were called. The presentation of the awards was about 15 minutes after the recall list was posted in the atrium of the school. There was not a formal podium instead there were numbers taped to the floor. That was quickly overlooked when the dancers realized that the top 3 were going to get sashes!

Awards were given for individual rounds as well as the overall placement. The dancer placing in the individual rounds were given a nice angel clip board which went with the Feis Name, Holy Angels. The championship awards were a silver tray and for the top three, itunes gift cards and a sash.

Conclusion

This was really a no frill feis but it accomplished the basic purpose which is to provide an opportunity for children to dance, gain feedback from the judges and for the lucky few advance. Over all, I would rank this feis an 8.5.

What Did You Think?

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