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Learning, Competing and Moving Up -
Learning, Competing and Moving Up -
In our little Irish Dance world, the solo material our dancers learn is broken down by levels. We use these levels as a guide for all of our dancers (youth & adult) whether they are competing or just dancing for recreation. The levels get more intricate and it is important that dancers can execute one level before moving on to the next. Our classes are broken into levels and ages so that dancers of similar age and ability can work along together.
It’s not enough to just know the choreography of each of the solo dances. Dancers must produce properly executed footwork, demonstrate proper rhythm & timing, have proper posture, (which includes straight back, shoulders back, arms held close to sides), good stage presence and possess the ability to be a good team member.
Along with learning solo dances, our dancers will learn group or team dances which can consist of 2 - 16+ dancers. These dances are used in conjunction with solo dances for both performances and competitions.
Levels & Dances
Levels & Dances
Moving Up
The opportunity to move up through the levels is determined by placement at Feisanna, your teachers, and your behaviour as a McGovern Irish Dance Team member. Many dancers are eager to move up the levels quickly or learn ALL the material at once. There are also times in which you have leveled out of a dance at competition, but your teacher may decide to have you wait for the next level for a variety of reasons. Your teachers want you to be successful, know best, and have a plan for your Irish dance adventure.
The following MUST be adhered to:
- All dances are assigned to all students by Shelagh McGovern only and are taught ONLY by an approved team member.
- Permission to learn or teach material or levels must be received from Shelagh McGovern.
- Failure to follow these rules will result in you and the person who taught you sacrificing the learning , performing or competing that dance for up to 6 months. Repeated disregard to this rule can also result in suspension or expulsion for a set amount of time from your classes or the school entirely with no refund of tuition.
Competing
McGovern Irish Dance has been a member of CRN and participating in CRN sanctioned competitions, or feile (rhymes with Shelagh) since 2003.
Do you have to compete just because you are dancing with us?
Absolutely not! But, I highly encourage the activity. It is a wonderful opportunity to see how you compare to other dancers in your level and age group and with other dancers from all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, Wales, Scotland, Holland and Ireland. It is also a good motivating factor to continue to practice and hone your Irish dance skills. Competition encourages the dancer to strive for continual improvement.
But, the best part of competition is that it is a GREAT opportunity to travel and make new friends from all over the place. It is also a great bonding experience for you and the members of your class and the rest of the school. Not only is the dancing part great fun, but there is lots of time to get to know the other members of the organization, not just your classmates, but the members of the entire organization and usually their family members as well.
What is CRN then?
Just like sports, Irish dance has governing bodies that guide how competition should run and what the criteria for that competition will be. Cumann Rince Naisiunta (pronounced koo-mon rink-a now-shoon-ta) is the National Dance Association of Ireland and is a professional organization of Irish Dance teachers based in Dublin. It has been in existence since 1981 and has branches in Ireland, Wales, Holland, Japan, and the newest branch the United States. The website is www.crn.ie
How do competitions work?
Solo competitions are broken into age and skill level sets and the dancers are graded on their performance by qualified ADCRNs (certified adjudicators thru CRN). Dancers move through the ranks of competition by levels. The first 3 levels of CRN Irish dance consist of compulsory material which gets gradually more intricate level by level. To move from one level to the next, the dancer must win first place in a competition that has more than 7 dancers or win First place in 3 consecutive competitions within one year.
There is also the opportunity to compete in team competitions, called Ceilis (kay-lee). In these competitions, the dancers compete as a team of 2, 4, 6, or 8 dancers performing as a group in a traditional ceili dance. Team competition is great fun and really brings the dancers together as friends and mentors. Dancers that are not as experienced in the team have the opportunity to dance up to their more experienced team mates and learn from them. The more experienced dancers have the opportunity to step into a leadership or mentoring role. All of these opportunities are great experiences for everyday life and what they learn from this will bleed into other areas of life.
Dancers that are not interested in travelling to competitions will have the opportunity to compete in our Annual Class Feile, Semi Annual feile and occasional mock comps. We will also be conducting Evaluation days at least twice per year.
What about those sparkly dresses?
Solo dresses are earned. Dancers that Leveled into any Mean Grad dance by means of a CRN sanctioned competition may start the process of getting their solo dress. Due to the Covid situation right now, we do have some dancers that have learned some Mean Grad dances and are ready to compete in them. However they are only to compete in their school costumes. Once they place (any number, any dance) they may start their solo dress process.
While the solo dresses reflect your personal choices and preferences. Every solo dress must be approved by Shelagh McGovern
There are many shopping options when looking for your solo dress. Many of them can be purchased used, you can also get brand new custom made ones (which are QUITE price)
Shelagh will talk with you when the time is right and help you through the process.
Keeping Track of Your Dances
Keeping Track of Your Dances
Keeping track of where you are in your Irish dance adventure is important to keep you focused on what you need to do to improve but it is also important to keep track of your competitive adventure too. Dancers and teachers get reprimanded from CRN Ireland when they compete in levels they have already placed out of. It starts with a “hand slap” but can end up with dancers being suspended from competitions. While I try my best to keep track of all of you, it is ultimately up to you. Here a sheet you can use that can help you keep track of your progress. After each competition you should turn this into Shelagh, but by all means keep one master copy for yourself so you can see your progress and refer back to this occasionally for motivation
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