Posts Categorized: Related

Fill your Feis Bag for under $15!

Posted by Mellie Wilkes & filed under Parents, Related.

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. read more

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

Parents & Dancers PLEASE Read

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

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. read more

WTF Happened?

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

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. read more

The Mark of the Beast

Posted by What The Feis & filed under Poll, Related.

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. read more

Dancer Nicknames

Posted by What The Feis & filed under Humor, Parents, Related.

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. read more

Ashley Smith – Heartbeat of Home Update!

Posted by What The Feis & filed under Related.

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!

Voices in a hail storm

Posted by What The Feis & filed under Related.

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?

Posted by What The Feis & filed under Related.

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!