Feiseanna
Feiseanna Guidelines | Adjudication
For complete feis rules, visit the North American Feis Commission website. The following are the NAFC rules for levels of entry in a feis. If you are uncertain of your dancer's level, please email Sheila or Liz.
Feiseanna Schedule
Check www.NorthAmericanFeisCommision.org for a full list of feiseanna throughout the world.
West Virginia Feis
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Akron Feis - May 29, 2010 (register early)
Cleveland Feis
May 30, 2010
Youngstown Feis
Pittsburgh Feis
Feis Culkin
For a complete feis schedule, visit the North American Feis Commission website. Remember that some competitions fill up quickly, so sign up as soon as possible if you want to attend a particular feis.
For an introduction to the feis world, check out Ireland's Dance website.
Grade Categories
Competitors have the option to remain in the same category for the remainder of the Feis year.
Beginner Grade
A beginner is a competitor who has not taken a full year of Irish Dance lessons,
thereby giving beginners a full year with such status. A Beginner must move into
the Advanced Beginner category the next year.
Advanced Beginner Grade
An advanced beginner who wins 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place will advance to the Novice
category in that particular dance.
Novice Grade
A novice who wins a 1st place will advance to the Open (Prizewinner) category in
that particular dance.
Open Grade (Prizewinner)
A competitor who does not qualify as a Beginner, Advanced Beginner, or Novice.
Adult Beginner
An adult beginner is a competitor who never took Irish dancing lessons as a
juvenile and is over 18 years of age.
Feiseanna Guidelines
The word "feis" is pronounced "fesh." It is the Gaelic word for festival. In preparation for the annual Pittsburgh Feis and other competitions, here are some tips for competitors and parents. Please take time to read these guidelines and prepare ahead. You should bring folding stools or chairs for you and your dancer and maybe a blanket to create your own space. There is always food sold at feisanna but bring some of your own snacks/drinks. Bring these guidelines with you for the big day.
When should I arrive?
See the appropriate feis website and corresponding syllabus (list of rules and
instructions) for the feis start time. Beginners should plan to arrive early because
all beginners dance first with figure (group) dancing. Beginners are defined as
those dancers who have not been dancing with a registered teacher for more than a
year. Even if a dancer decides not to compete in the first year, he/she is still
an Advanced Beginner after the (roughly) first calendar year is up. More advanced
solo competitions (Advanced Beginner, Novice, Open/Prizewinners, Preliminary, and
Championship) start immediately after Beginners and Figures, usually with the
youngest age groups first. They don't always announce stage assignments, or how
many are in each competition prior to the event, so we really don't know when a
dancer will compete. For first-time feis goers, we strongly recommend planning to
arrive early and plan your morning with the following guidelines.
May I change into my costume when I get there?
Obviously, there will be rest rooms to change in. However, they may be crowded with
few places to hang hangers, etc. So, if you choose to change there, leave yourself
enough time to deal with the dressing rooms.
What do I do when I get there?
Parents and friends will have to pay a fee to get in, but competitors are exempt.
Grab a program book when you pay. All of the dancers and their numbers and
competitions are listed in this book, as well as the map of where to find each stage
and what competitions are on what stages (stage assignments). At this point, you
should seek out the registration desk. At the registration desk, you will pick up
your child's number (written on an index card). He/she should fasten this somewhere
on the front of their costume. Some feiseanna provide a hole punch and string to
tie it around the child's waist to avoid sticking their costume with pins
over-and-over again. Watch that you don't place the number such that it gets torn or
wrinkled. When your child is finished dancing, you may need their number to pick up
awards, so do not discard it until the results are posted.
Find a spot for you and your child while you locate your child's competition numbers on the "stage assignments" page in the program book or on a separate sheet. Depending on the size of the feis, there could be from 6-9 different stages throughout the facility sometimes in different rooms. Check the back of his/her competitor number card for the competitions and those are the stages you need to watch. Each stage has a large board listing all the competitions being held there and stage monitors will mark off completed competitions. The stages will also post the "Now" and "Next" competition. Note: The back of the number card will not list what type of dance it will be, so bring with you from home the list of dances (numbers and names of dances) your child entered. But if you forget, some feisanna will have the syllabus on hand to check. The reel is always the lowest number, then jig, slip jig, treble jig and hornpipe. For instance, if your child's number card reads "50, 51, 52," the reel is 50, jig 51, and slip jig 52. Boys, however, do not dance the slip jig in competition.
Who are the other dancers in my child's competitions?
There are dancers from other Irish dance schools. There are two others in the
Pittsburgh area but most come from nearby states and some further. Each school
creates unique steps for its dancers, so the dance steps will not be the same.
What happens when my child dances?
For each competition, the dancer should check in at their stage when their
competition is marked as "Next." (Careful, boys competitions are sometimes very
small and therefore quick.) Once at the stage, the "stage monitor" (the one with
the clipboard) checks in your dancer and soon thereafter lines them up to walk
on stage and dance. They line up on stage (about twelve at a time) and dance
two steps, right and left foot, two dancers at a time. (These steps are
practiced in class and can be found on the students page.) At the beginner
level, either the adjudicator or stage monitor will tell the dancers when to
start. At any level above beginners, dancers will required to start on their
own. Dancers are taught in class to start on their own at all levels, but sometimes
nerves get the best of them. It is all part of the learning experience and even
mistakes are welcome as sometimes recovering from these mistakes with grace offers
more growth than a flawless performance.
Where do I check whether my child has won?
There is an area where the results of all competitions are posted, the location of
which is usually listed on a map found in the feis program book. By finding your
child's competition number on the results board, you'll find the competitors who
placed in that competition. If your child's number is not listed among the places
awarded, reinforce the importance of the performance in front of a crowd and other
positive features of the experience that day.
If my child has won, where do I go?
To the "awards" desk area! The "awards" area can also be found on the map in your
program book. Inform the volunteers at the awards desk of your competition number.
Your dancer will show his/her number card as ID and sign for the award. And
congratulations!
Good luck and as always, good sportsmanship!
Adjudication
Each dancer's performance in a solo event is evaluated by an adjudicator (a judge). The number of adjudicators will vary depending upon the level of competition. In the Beginner through Open categories, competitors dance before one judge. In the Preliminary and Championship levels, competitors dance before multiple judges, usually three. In the case of special dance-off or a regional championship event, there may be five judges.
In most dances, competitors dance two or three at a time, with the exception of the non-traditional set dance which is performed individually. (Traditional set dances such as St. Patrick's Day and the Blackbird are usually performed two to three at a time.) Depending upon the level of competition dancers will perform two to three "steps" for each dance (see below).
| Category | Dance | # Steps |
| Beginner through Open | Reel, Light Jig, Slip Jig, Hornpipe, Treble Jig | 2 |
| Preliminary & Championship | Reel, Treble Jig | 3 |
| Preliminary & Championship | Slip Jig, Hornpipe | 2.5 |
The Irish Dancing Commission has established a 100-point scoring system for judging competitors. A dancer's performance is evaluated in four categories with an equal percentage of points in each of the categories (i.e., 25%). The categories are timing (rhythm), carriage (deportment and style), construction of steps (complexity), and execution (presentation). In ceili or figure dancing, distribution of the 100 points is 30 points for timing, 30 points for figures, and 40 points for deportment and style.
At most feiseanna, after the judge has scored all the competitors in an event, the scoring sheets are collected, dancers' raw scores are ranked, and the first, second, and third place competitors are then listed on a posting board (sometimes 4th, 5th, etc., as well). Dancers who have placed may then collect their medal/ribbon by showing their competitor number card at the awards desk. In group dance events, adjudicators will typically use one competitor number from the group. Again, this is how it works at most feiseanna. Each event is governed by their own policies on the number of awards they wish to distribute.