The Haran School of Irish Dance
Fall Feis Update and Info
Dear Haran Families,
Hope your Summer has been well! As many of you know, our school is hosting Spokanes annual Feis and the Falls and Deirdre Abeid Memorial Feis, September 14th and 15th 2024.
These competitions are an opportunity for dancers to perform for their families and community, connect with dancers and schools in our region and get feedback and encouragement from professional Adjudicators.
We will be hosting two separate Feiseanna this year,
Feis at the Falls (Saturday Sept 14) and Deirdre Abeid Memorial Feis (Sunday Sept 15)
Some of you have dancers who are new to competing– Read on to learn more about Feiseanna, what you will need and how to Register!
IMPORTANT FEIS-DAY FORMATION
For Dancers and Parents
Click Here
General Information
LOCATION
Spokane Convention Center
334 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
HOTEL
DoubleTree by Hilton Spokane City Center
322 N. Spokane Falls Court, Spokane, WA 99201
For Group Discount Rate, Click Here
FEIS SYLLABUS
Available on Feisworx
ADJUDICATORS & MUSICIANS
REGISTRATION
www.feisworx.com
Registration deadline is August 2023
(A dancer is not considered registered until fees are paid)
First Feis
Registration Guide
What is a Feis?
Feis, pronounced ‘fesh’, is the Gaelic word for ‘festival’, and traditionally a time when people in Ireland gathered to share their talents and crafts with their communities. Nowadays Irish dancers gather for Feiseanna (plural of feis) to compete and advance through the grade levels. There are 4 grade levels (Beginner 1, Beginner 2, Novice & Prizewinner) after which dancers move up into the Championship levels. In grade-level feiseanna, dancers compete against other dancers in their age group and at their level, receiving feedback and marks, and a possible placement for each dance.
Feis REGISTRATION-
Before Registering your dancer, you must ask your teacher which dances you can register for, and what level each dance should be. You will need to register separately for Feis at the Falls (Saturday Sept 10) and The Deirdre Abeid Memorial Feis (Sunday Sept.11)
We encourage all dancers to participate in both days! This allows dancers to work out any nerves and come to try again if anything didn’t go well the first day. All Beginner dancers ages 5+ are eligible to participate in solo and group dances at an age appropriate level.
Your dancer should register for all the same dances (Reels, Light Jigs etc) at both the Feis at the Falls and Deirdre Abeid Memorial Feis.
We are using the National Feis registry Feisworx ( feisworx.com ) to process Registrations and tabulations.
If you are new to competing, please do the following to register with feisworx:
-Go to YouTube for a video walk-through
-Go to http://www.feisworx.com
-Create a new user account
-Enter your children's information into your account (if you have more than one child, make sure you create a "family" so you can take advantage of the family maximum discount fees)
-To begin feis registration, go to the "Select Feis" pull down tab and register for Feis at the Falls/Deirdre Abeid Memorial Feis and click register
Competition Categories- There are several categories once you get to the registration page: Solos/Figure/Trophy Special/ Set
-SOLO -Register each of your solo dances in their appropriate difficulty level (whatever level your teacher suggests). Solo Dances consist of Hard and Soft shoe dances. There are 4 types of Softshoe dances and 3 types of Hardshoe dances. First Feiser’s and Beginner Dancers may not compete in every type of dance so talk with your teacher before registering.
Softshoe
Reels
Light Jigs
Single Jigs
Slip Jigs
Hardshoe
Hornpipes
Treble Jigs
Treble Reels
-FIGURE (Offered on the First day, Feis at the Falls, not Deirdre Abeid Memorial) -
If you are a dancer in U12 Figure/Performance class, please register for the 2-hand, 3-hand, 4-hand, and 6-hand in the BEGINNER figure category.
If you are a dancer in the 13& Over Figure class, please register for the 2,3,4,6, and 8-hand in OPEN figure category.
If you are a Beginner Dancer you may be able to participate in the 2-hand competition. Please check-in with your teacher.
-TROPHY- Trophy dances or “Specials” are very fun extra dances that competitors may do, and if a dancer places, special awards (Trophies) are given out instead of medals. Your student should sign up for at least one of the trophy dances because competitors get the opportunity to dance alone in front of a judge, instead of 2 or 3 at a time like they will do in their solo dances. Every dancer will qualify for at least one trophy dance per feis day, but are allowed (and encouraged!) to do as many as their solo dance level allows
(i.e. if you are registered for solos in a beginner reel, you register for the Beg/Adv Beginner trophy reel).
-SET DANCE- Set Dances are traditional hardshoe dances “set” to different traditional songs. The Choreography is largely the same throughout the world. Common Set dances are St.Patricks Day, Blackbird, Job of the Journeywork, Garden of Daisies, King of the Fairies etc.
FIRST FEIS Competitions- First Feis is not per dance, but the first feis ever for the dancer. You can only compete in the First Feis category once, regardless of how many dances they are doing. When you register for the second day of competitions (Deirdre Abeid Memorial Feis) you will register for the beginner category. First Feis Dancers will likely only register for their First Feis Reel, Light Jigs and Reel Special, unless their teacher says otherwise!
-Once you have registered for all of the dances you want to enter, click the "Register Me" button. DO NOT PAY YOUR FEIS FEES IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. When you do pay, please use a debit card if possible as it will save the school A LOT of money in credit card fees.
Once you have Registered, our TCRG (Caitlin Trusler) will approve all registrations, and make changes if need be. Feisworx will send you adjustment notifications if we make any changes to your registration. Caitlin will do her final approvals by Aug 19th, so please have them done by then. Registration closes August 26th, after that date a late fee for processing will be charged.
If your dancer places in the top three in their dances at Feis at the Falls, they will move up to the next level in that dance for the Deirdre Abeid Memorial Feis the next day!! Please read the advancement rules in the Feis at the Falls Syllabus for specifics on what placements allow a dancer to move up. You will be able to change your registration at the registration table at the feis if you end up qualifying to move up for the next day. Your teacher will be able to explain how these rules work.
We look forward to having you all join us for Spokanes First Feis! Thank you for all your support and for being a part of this crazy dream we’ve put together! We wouldn’t be here without the support of our dancers, musicians, parents and families. Thank you.
FOR MORE INFO ON WHAT TO WEAR, WHAT TO EXPECT AND WHAT TO BRING, Click Here
