Posts Categorized: Parents

Custom-dress Regret Anxiety and Panic Syndrome (CRAPS)

Posted by Patty O'Bench & filed under Humor, Parents, Satire.

An in-depth look at something that, at one time or another, will affect us all, from new contributor, Patty O’Bench.

1513fad900fc46de1bd9a6e5036bb4d0Have you put a deposit down on a solo dress? Are you checking email obsessively hoping for a photo or a FedEx tracking number? Do you worry endlessly that you’ve made a big mistake and you should have forked out the extra money for a Gavin?

You might be suffering from Custom-dress Regret Anxiety and Panic Syndrome or CRAPS. The symptoms of CRAPS change with each stage but might include the following: read more

The Shoe Shine Post

Posted by What The Feis & filed under ID Trending, Parents.

idblHardShoesWhat The Feis do you do to get her shoes that shiny?

A few people have asked about what I do to get TGC’s (that is The Girl Child in case you are new to my blog) shoes looking the way they do. Its easy, step 1, join the Navy, step 2, go to boot camp… OK, so maybe that is a little extreme, but it is how I learned. I use a technique commonly called ‘spit shine’ or ‘bull polishing’, but don’t worry, there is no actual spit or bulls involved

Please note, I have put as much detail into this as I could to try to describe the process. There are actually very few steps, but I tried to list all the little nuances to consider and be aware of. I am not big on videoing, and I can’t hold a camera and polish shoes at the same time anyway, so this is going to have to do. I will gladly demo in person, at the hotel bar, the night before a feis, by appointment only ;). read more

A Very Basic Intro To Irish Dances

Posted by What The Feis & filed under Antonio Pacelli, Parents.

In my feeble attempt to prove I know something about Irish Dance, I have created another post for Antonio Pacelli, this time on the basic Irish dances. Meant as a primer for new parents, it may be a bit uninformative for a lot of you, but honestly, I picked up some things I didn’t know when I researched it so it might be worth a quick read. So, take a look at A Very Basic Intro To Irish Dances

Attending Your First Feis

Posted by Mellie Wilkes & filed under Parents, Related, Tourist.

A contribution by my friend Mellie Wilkes who thought some of you would find it useful. Thanks Mellie!

So, an amazingly talented friend or family member has invited YOU to a feis?

Wonderful!

The following are some suggestions and tips, to help in your first feis experience.

Packing List:

  • Water bottle
  • Snack bar
  • Peppermints
  • Chocolate bar
  • Highlighter
  • Ink pen
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Cash in small bills
  • Plenty of time
  • Sense of humor

Bonus points for packing the following:

EDITORS NOTE: I didn’t tell her to put that in here, but I do think its brilliant ;)

Try to arrive 30-45 minutes beforehand. Parking at any event can be a challenge. A feis is no exception. The competitions can happen very quickly. It would be a shame, to arrive at a feis and the dancer you came to see has finished for the day. So, arrive EARLY! read more

An Intro to Irish Dance Terms

Posted by What The Feis & filed under Antonio Pacelli, Glossary, Parents.

orockwhatThe next post in my Feis Dad series out on Antonio Pacelli is a quick intro to some of the terms used in Irish Dance. You know the easy ones to say like ‘feis’. Don’t laugh, you know you probably said it wrong before you were ‘in the know’.

So take a look and let me know if I captured all of them out at An Introduction to Irish Dance Terms.

It’s August, it must be creeper season…

Posted by What The Feis & filed under Parents, Safety.

Sorry for the title, trying to get your attention. If you have been a What The Feis groupie for a while, you have probably already seen the article I posted last August about the guy videoing dancers at a feis. If not, here is the link again.

Why am I bringing it up, well, it happened again this weekend and I wanted to share the story from a follower who messaged it to me via Facebook.

Wanted to write to you and let you know that we were at the Missouri State Championships in St. Louis this weekend and while watching the PC/OC stage we sat next to an older gentleman. We noticed that he was not just watching one particular child and when a young little dancer would walk by him he would write her number down on a sheet if paper. When I took a closer look at the sheet he was writing on there were LOTS of different dancers numbers. We went to let the volunteers know and in about five minutes staff of the Feis and hotel security were talking to the man. He stated he was just watching his “granddaughter” but he became very uncomfortable while they talked with him. Staff then looked like they were leaving but the hotel security guard sat two rows back. We watched as this man crumpled the numbers sheet up and dropped it on the floor and then he got up and walked out of the room. The security guard followed him out. We later caught back up with the staff and security guard and they stated they took his photo and all staff would have his picture for Sundays Feis. It was just scary to know that this happens even though we read about it this hit home for our school and we spread the word for dancers to be vigilant about what they are walking around in and also who is talking/watching them. read more

Haiku, Haiku

Posted by What The Feis & filed under Antonio Pacelli, Haiku, Parents.

This month has been a bit crazy, so for my Antonio Pacelli post this month, I am sharing some of the haiku I have previously posted here on WTF. If you have found them here, no point in clicking the link, but if you want to find out what I think about Irish Dance in 5/7/5, take a look at Haiku…You’re Welcome out on the Feis Dad page of Antonio Pacelli.

Feis Dads – Extra Strong T-Shirt Design

Posted by What The Feis & filed under Parents, Shop.

UPDATE: It is now available for purchase, click here.

I rolled this out to a few dozen people a few weeks ago and it was received really well. So I would like to formerly announce the upcoming release of the Feis Dads – Extra Strong T-Shirt.

Inspired by some old Irish drink labels, in case you can’t tell,  Feis Dads Extra Strong is a play on a dad’s ‘typical’ role in Irish dance. The date is based on info I found about when feiseanna became an organized sport.

feisDadsExtraStrong read more

What goes online, stays online…

Posted by What The Feis & filed under Parents, Safety.

foreverThis morning, while getting caught up on things in my home office, with my ever present social media streams going on the monitor, I saw a well-known dancer who I have always admired post a rather derogatory over-generalization.  I won’t say who or what, you can probably find it, and that is the point of this post.

I know people use social media for all kinds of reasons; to praise, to complain, to share, to seek, to buy, and so on. What lots of people seem to forget, or maybe not realize in the first place is, that temporary rant that is on your screen right now, and off it 15 seconds from now, is still out there. read more

A Tribute to Feis Dads, Father’s Day 2014

Posted by What The Feis & filed under Antonio Pacelli, Parents.

dadsAs I drove home from the Indianapolis Feis, I thought it was about time to write another blog post for my Antonio Pacelli blogging gig. What better than to write a small tribute to the Feis Dad’s out there on their weekend, and why not post it on AP so it can reach a wider audience. Even though the whole world isn’t having Father’s Day this weekend, it is still appropriate since Feis Dad is a 24/7/365 kind of thing.

So, without further ado, go read my Tribute to Irish Dance Dads. And Dads, thanks for all you do and Happy Father’s Day! read more