Feis Information

The Irish word feis (pronounced “fesh”) means festival, but is more commonly used to describe a sanctioned Irish dance competition.  Maureen Berry is TCRG certified and a registered instructor with the Irish Dance Teacher's Association of North America, therefore, Teelin Irish dance students are eligible to compete in NAFC feiseanna (plural of feis, pronounced “FESH-nah”), with instructor's consent.

Some students enjoy the opportunity to compete, and some students prefer to focus their efforts on other aspects of Irish dance.  Choosing to compete is a personal decision, and Teelin supports and respects each dancer's various interests.

(Note: Irish dance competitions are NOT related to performing with the Teelin Irish Dance Company.  Some students are involved with both, some students with just one or the other, some students are not involved with either and just dance for recreation.)

Dancing in a feis requires a lot of concentration.  Competitors of the same age and experience level perform their competition dances on stage to live Irish music.  During each competition, two or three dancers perform their steps simultaneously, yet choreography is unique to each school, so competitors are each dancing different steps.  It can be a great way for dancers to build confidence.  But, competing can also be overwhelming if you are not prepared.

RECENTLY REVISED! To learn more, please begin with the following resources:

• Feiseanna 101 - an article written to introduce Teelin families to Irish dance competitions

• Attending Your First Feis - a photo story to help prepare for the big day

• Tips for Competitors

NEW! Dancers who are currently competing will need to be familiar with these guidelines:

• Irish Dance Competition Levels: Information for Moving through the Ranks

NEW! Dancers who are currently competing in the Beginner through Prizewinner Grades, please report your wins to competitionstuff @ teelin.com.  Follow the guidelines listed in the document above, and remember to check with Maureen before advancing to the next grade.  Congratulations!

Oireachtas is a regional championship competition, introduced in this document:

• Everything You Need to Know About an Oireachtas

Do you have a Teelin Feis Journal to record your results from each competition?  The Teelin Feis Journal is a very helpful tool for dancers competing in Beginner through Prizewinner level dances.  It allows competitors to log each dance, which steps they performed, what their results were, and any notes they may want to remember.  Please request your marks from each feis that you attend, enter the information in your Feis Journal, and share the journal with your Teelin instructors.

• Teelin Feis Journal

If your journal needs more pages, print them here:

• Feis Journal Log Sheet

For even more information, visit the library at Diochra.com, Irish Dancing Online.