Fill your Feis Bag for under $15!

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If you are like me, you have just dropped a chunk of change on Irish dancing. This could have been for a workshop, dance camp, private lessons, school dance costume, or new dance shoes. Possibly even (gasp) a new feis vest or solo dress! Anyway you look at it, you just spent a lot of money.

But, your dancer still has a feis bag to supply. Fear not! At least that part of the equation does not have to be quite so expensive. You can stock their feis bag and still have enough to join Ash Wilkes, or Mr. WTF, for a feis coffee.

Our family was able to find all of the items listed below at our local dollar shop. For your specific area, please check around. Different stores stock different merchandise. In the US and Canada, the Dollar Tree is one of the largest dollar chain shops. In our area, there are also smaller shops. Even though they have other names, we still call them Five and Dimes. If you want your local store to stock particular items, speak with the store manager. Another option is to purchase, in bulk, from the internet. This could be an ideal, and cost effective solution, for a dance school.

Hair donut/ wig lifter

These sell for upwards of $3 at the feisanna. I have even seen them priced at $5. You could pick spares and still come out with change. They stock 3 color options. Light, Medium, and Dark.

Black Electrical tape/White electrical tape

Although the white electrical tape could be it’s own item, I have lumped them together. The black tape comes in the regular, palm sized roll. We go through two rolls, per month, at our house. The white tape comes on a 6″ roll, along with green, blue, yellow, and red tape. If you have a Fusion Fighter fan in your house, this could make them happy. For just a couple of dollars, they could trick out their hard shoes, too.

Duct tape

Now, this is the off brand duct tape. But, it still comes in black. Along with several other color options. Traction is traction, at least in the Wilkes household. If you want to argue the benefits of electrical, gaffers, and duct tape, there are forums online for just such a purpose. If you want to save money on an item that will be stomped on and thrown away, this is your purchase choice.

Mole skin/bandages

Blisters. Cuts. Scrapes. They are a fact of life in every form of dance. They can be particularly problematic in Irish dance. Keeping a stash of mole skin and adhesive bandages is a good plan. Grab a couple boxes of each, if you have more than one dancer in your family.

Safety pins/Sewing kit

It happens to everyone. Your dancer is about to go onstage and disaster strikes. Whether it is a broken number clip, damaged cape, or unsnapped leotard, your dancer requires a quick solution. Safety pins are the fastest fix. Keep the sewing kit for quick repairs. This is especially helpful when you discover a problem the night before the feis. Add a pair of small scissors, if you have more than one dancer. The little scissors included in the kit are fine to deal with once or twice. More than that, and even Mellie Wilkes loses patience. Sharp scissors make sewing easier.

Sport hair gel/spritz

Brace yourself. This will not be your Aussie/Redken/BedHead/FancyPants hair supply selection. This will be the hair equivalent of glue in a bottle, or in a tube. It will keep all those little, fine, flyaway hairs in place. Especially helpful when placing a bun wig on a smaller dancer. Add a plastic/faux bristle brush, if you do not want to cross contaminate your existing feis hair supplies. It will better spread the gel through the hair, as you put it into the pony tail/bun. You can also rinse it in hot water and air dry. The spritz is great for holding feis hair poufs and spikes in place, too.

Bobby pins

Who does not require 100 or more? Especially on the morning of the feis. Our family has certainly bought our fair share of them. Most of them probably ended up on the feis stage or in the hotel elevator. So, grab a pack. Or two. Or ten… You get the idea. Have some extras on hand. If you would rather not lose them so quickly, pick up a hard shell carry case for them. The adhesive bandage sized cases work great. They are also easy to find in a feis bag.

Highlighters

You can grab a 2-pack, in a variety of colors, while you are in the store. Invariably, we loan ours out or lose them in transit. With several stages to watch, the highlighter makes competition tracking easiest. It is bright and easy to use. For us, it is also easy to lose.

Cooling sport towel

These are great! Especially for your dancer who gets quite warm. Whether in a solo dress, feis vest, or school dress, this item can be a life saver. They are hand washable. We get our cold in the room, then put it into a zipper baggie. In the summer, drop on a cube of ice. Once at the feis, you can drape it over the dancer’s neck. Or you can wipe down their arms and part of their back.

Instant cold packs

These are amazing to have on hand. The unthinkable can happen to any dancer. None of them are immune from falls, bumps, or on stage collisions. These are the snap and roll for instant cold packs. Be sure to check the package before purchasing. You do not want to buy this item damaged. Picking up a hard shell case for these is also advisable, especially if you have more than one dancer in your family.

There you have it! A list to fill your feis bag for under $15. Obviously, you could spend quite a bit more, or less. Be sure to take stock of your existing supplies, before shopping. No sense spending more money on items you do not need.

Then, you will have some cash on hand for those new diamanté socks.

Priorities, after all.

Attending Your First Feis

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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!

When you walk into the feis, and the surrounding area, try NOT to stare at people. It is rude, in general, and especially frowned upon at a feis. Yes, they are wearing wigs. So, yes, that would make it their real hair. They bought it. They probably still have the receipt. No, the dress has not been bedazzled. It has been designed to be more eye catching on stage. And, this is NOT Riverdance. That is a traveling Irish dance show, which has been around for 20 years. This is a feis. So, smile. You are obviously favored enough to have been invited. Behave yourself.

No snapping random pictures of people to post online, either. If you would not do it at a restaurant, church, or mall, then do not do it at a feis. Feis moms have high level radars. Photographing their dancers will set them off. You DO NOT want to set off a feis mom radar. Photography is also forbidden of dancers on stage, unless they are in the beginner levels.

So, eyes up. Cameras and phones down.

Pick up a schedule at the registration desk. You will want it while sitting in the audience. The competition numbers are posted, and rotated, at the side of the stage. Highlighters are the usual method of tracking the current competition on the stage. You can also draw a line through the number with a pen. Be sure to clap at the end of each competition. Those dancers have just done their best. Appreciate their work. You never know if one of their family members is seated right next to you. Also, NEVER say ugly, critical, or unflattering things about ANYONE at a feis. You are in tight quarters. Most everyone’s ears work. You will be overheard. Remember that behave yourself suggestion? This applies here, too.

If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Smile and nod. Clap and laugh.

Sometimes all at once.

When watching the amazingly talented dancer who invited you on stage, pay attention. Watch their feet. The real work happens with a dancer’s feet. In Irish, the toes are to be pointed out. They are to be dancing high up on their toes. They are also to keep their arms down by their sides. If they have high kicks, lovely spins, or energetic jumps, remember those bits. Complement the dancer specifically on them. They have likely spent hours in working on that aspect of their performance. Show them you care and paid attention to them. After all, they invited you to the feis.

You are quite favored, you know. Not everyone is invited, after all.

Between dances, they may be searching for the bonus point packing items. You will be most appreciated if you can produce those items rapidly, in a moment of need. The dancer will certainly be impressed. If you did not pack them, no worries. Just try to be helpful and supportive while they search for them, between dances. Then, be sure to pay attention to their other dances. The hard shoe portion can be especially exciting. Sometimes for more reasons than just the dancing. If there are sound system errors, they usually show up in these rounds. Heels, tips, and entire shoes have been known to go flying.

So, pay attention. You never know what may happen at a feis.

If asked, accompany them to the results area. This will be an area frequented by dancers and non dancers alike. Usually, it is a lot of paper posted on a wall. Or two. It is very important paper, so don’t laugh! Be excited about any placement they receive. Be sympathetic if they do not place. Remember the chocolate bar and peppermints I told you to pack? Now is the time to offer those to the dancer.

Oh, you thought they were for you? No. You get the water bottle and snack bar. They just danced. They get the chocolate.

Walk around the feis. Check out any baking or Celtic art competitions on display. Be sure to visit the vendors. Don’t try on a wig, unless you plan to buy one. Many of the items are difficult to find, or are only available at the feis. A feis t shirt is a great souviner. It is also an excellent gift, if you would like to buy something for the dancer who invited you.

Enjoy yourself. Stay awhile. Meet their feis friends. Watch other competitions and award ceremonies. The feis is an experience. One to which you are fortuate to have been invited.

And be sure to tell the amazingly talented person who invited you “Thank you!”

Who knows? You may even receive an invitation to the Oireachtas.

Parents & Dancers PLEASE Read

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At the McMenamin Academy Feis in Milwaukee this weekend, I witnessed a rather disturbing event that I thought would never happen at a feis. I suggest all parents and dancers read this, and share with anyone you think needs to read it…. I suggest all parents, with or without dancers.

*****

NOTE: Please see the comments below this post and on our FB page. This is not the only time ‘creepy’ has invaded our feiseanna.

I have added a second post to capture ideas to be presented to governing bodies on ways to make feiseanna safer. Please also visit that if you have suggestions.

*****

As I watched The Girl Child (TGC) practice in the hallway from inside the room where her stage was, I saw her and her Mom start this very intense discussion, so intense that it made me go out to find what was wrong. When I got to where they were, TGC said ‘that guy is filming us’ and as I looked over, I saw who she was talking about. My wife told me he had filmed a number of the girls who were practicing in the hall, as well as panned the whole area with his phone.

Not sure if he figured out we were talking about him, but he turned to leave, and my son and I followed him and watched him leave the building. I went to the awards table near the door he went out, told them what had happened, described the man and what he was wearing, and then I asked where the ‘Feis Boss’ was. They directed me to the office where I retold the story, wrote down a description of the man and his clothes, and I was informed security would be notified.

I returned to the stage and also told the feis volunteer who was working the hallway outside the stages what had happened. He had seen the man, but did not realize he was not associated with anyone at the feis. I told him I did not think he belonged, especially since TGC, as well as another dancer who was with her father, were both filmed, and we did not know him, and that when I had followed him, he had left the building.

And that was that, or so I thought.

As we were waiting for TGC to do her last dance of the day, I saw the ‘creepy man’ sitting in the back row watching the stage. I went into the hall to notify the volunteer I had spoken to earlier, and he was standing there with two security members, but had lost the man when he went to get security. I told him I knew where he was, and pointed him out to security. He was escorted out, and that was the last I heard of it.

Parents, you  know why I am posting this, and some of the older dancers who might read this get it. If you are like me, you would never think something like this would happen at a feis, and I tried to go through non-creepy scenarios as to why this man was filming, but his actions were just not fitting any of these scenarios.

So parents(and teachers maybe), please talk to your dancers, and let them know that if they see anything that just does not seem right, to tell someone. Do not assume that since there are feis volunteers around, everything is fine. In this case, a volunteer saw the man, but was busy with his job and had no reason to think anything out of place. NEVER go up and confront the person, but tell a parent, teacher or a feis volunteer. It could be someone taking pictures or videos, or who seems to be hanging around but seems to be alone, or whom just seems out of place. Have the dancers use the buddy system, and not run around the venue alone. This typically happens without them being told, but reminding the dancers to do it, and telling them why, is probably a good idea.

Also remember, there are some people who are professionals, and they do these things, but are supposed to be there. A photographer who had photographed dancers at the Dayton Celtic Festival mentioned on our Facebook page that he might fit the description above. I actually saw this photographer working at the Dayton Festival, and reassured him that I could tell the difference between him and the ‘creepy-guy’ right away, and I am sure he, and anyone who is supposed to be at an event, would be ok if they were questioned about what they were doing there. Just don’t assume that everyone is always supposed to be there, because sometimes, like this weekend, they are not. A little paranoia is not necessarily a bad thing.

WTF Happened?

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About 26 hours ago, the What The Feis Facebook page had about 86 Likes. We have been online for a little over 2 years, and I let natural word of mouth create our ‘fan base’.

Well, last night, Facebook What The Feis was listed on Crazy Irish Broads page (18 and over suggested please) and we blossomed to 106 Likes. I met my 100 Like goal, life was good.

At approximately 1415 (that’s 2:15PM for you civilians) my Like count started to climb, I mean, like refresh the page and there were 5 – 10 more likes kind of climb, and I found out that Pride of the Irish decided to jump onboard the WTF train. When you have nearly 82,000 Likes and you say ‘go like a page’, sh… um, stuff happens.

Since that time, about 7 hours, nearly 300 people(just 2 short at the 6 hour and 50 minute mark) have liked WTF on Facebook, and while  I am keeping up with the likes and the comments, I am trying to figure the best way to answer and make the best of it all for FB and the WTF website. We have one new follow whose Mum was an Undefeated All-Ireland Champ in 1951… that is not something you just ‘like’ in passing, that is cool history that needs to be shared somehow.

So, thanks for the follows and if you think WTF is worthy, please share it. In the meantime, I am going to figure out the best way to share my new found followhood  🙂

 

The Mark of the Beast

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For those of you who follow @whatthefeis on Twitter or on Facebook, you may recall my remarks about the dancer at the Indianapolis Feis who was dressed all in black, and whose number was 666. Now, I was raised Catholic, attended Catholic school, was an altar boy, etc… and am a practicing Christian now (not Catholic anymore, nuns scare me). Anyone who actually knows me knows I am not the most religious (at least outwardly) individual, but I have to say, I am surprised they use that number.

The Irish are a religious people, and I would assume using the mark of the beast would offend the Catholic sensitivities of the feiseanna crowd. I know that if TGC was given that number, we would ask for a different one.

So what say you? Take the poll below because I am really interested.

[poll id=”11″]

Dancer Nicknames

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I have a feis-free weekend so I decided to write that blog post I have had on the back-burner.

When my daughter started competing, she danced against the same people over and over again, and we began to recognize the girls (and an occasional boy) from feis to feis and year to year, but had no idea what their names were. We started to ‘label’ the other dancers so we could identify them. None of them mean spirited, although I guess some may sound that way if you didn’t know the story behind them, they were just a way for us to be able to talk about things like ”nickname has really nice kicks” or “nickname got a new dress” or whatever, until we eventually learned the dancers real names.

I have been wondering about this topic for a while, thinking that we (my daughter and I) could not be the only ones that had nicknames for other dancers, and when another dance Mom recently told me one of the nicknames her and her daughter had, I figured I would just write this and see if this was common, or if the dance Mom and I were the only ones.

And what, you may ask were the nicknames and how did they come to be? Well…

Amazon – Early on, the girl child would dance against this extremely tall girl, literally a foot or more taller than the other girls and she gained the nickname ‘Amazon’ from the tall female warriors of Greek mythology. We have since met her and her parents and she is one of the nicest young ladies, so she has lost the moniker, but that is where it started for us.

Grumpy – there was this one girl who would NEVER smile on stage, but danced extremely well, besting the competition in most every event. It was almost like she danced because she was forced to, and she kept an Eeyore attitude throughout the competition. The fact she did so well but did not seem to enjoy any of it got her the nickname Grumpy.

Rachel from Akron – I know, not much of a nickname but Rachel isn’t from Akron. That is where we first met her and her family, so in a way, its a nickname.

Rootbeer – the dancers initials were AW so that one just kind of created itself.

Rachel from Michigan – I know, another one that is not so creative, but since we already had Rachel from Akron, we needed a way to tell them apart. Rachel from MI is indeed from MI.

Disco Ball – this is not so much about the dancer as it is her dress, which has SO many sequins, well, you get the idea.

So what about you? Any nicknames or stories you would like to share? Take our poll or add comments below.

NOTE: Please do not use dancers real names and note that all comments will be moderated. Thanks

Ashley Smith – Heartbeat of Home Update!

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Ashley was chosen as one of the 10 Judges Choice winners for the Heartbeat Of Home competition. She will compete against the 9 other JC winners and the 10 Peoples Vote winners in on the 24th of May in Dublin, Ireland for the formal audition for Heartbeat of Home which opens in Dublin in September.

We wish Ashley the best of luck in the auditions!

Ashley Smith on Heartbeat of Home Talent Search

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Fans and friends of Ashley Smith, or any of the Smith family for that matter, may already know that Ashley, a 3 time World Champion. is competing in the Heartbeat of Home Talent Search.

If you would like to support Ashley in this endeavor, go to http://talentsearch.heartbeatofhome.com/portfolio/ashley-smith/ and vote for her!

Good Luck Ashley!

Voices in a hail storm

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Click the link to listen to the attached sound…. I am sure you guys know what it is, but doesn’t it sound like a hail or really heavy rain storm with a few voices mixed in?

Voices In a Hail Storm

Comment if you know what it really is.

A Feis-Free Weekend!? WTF?

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Actually have this weekend and next off from Feising, and then Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh Halloween Feis and Dayton for the Gem City Feis (yeah, only a 30 minute drive!).

If anyone is dancing before then and wants to add a feis review, please let me know here by leaving a comment, or on Twitter @whatthefeis or on Facebook. I know I only have midwest feis reviews but I will post reviews from anywhere!

Enjoy the fall and we will be back soon!