Irish dance goes global, The Israeli Academy of Irish Dance (PHOTOS)

A big welcome to Yair Werdyger, TCRG/ADCRG and founder of The Israeli Academy of Irish Dance.

Christy: How did your dance school begin?

Yair: I first saw Irish Dance in 1994 at the Eurovision song contest when Michael Flatley and Jean Butler danced the seven minutes of Riverdance. I bought video tapes of self learning made by Olive Hurley.

In 2002 after serving three years in the Israeli army, I opened Irish Dance - Israel.

At first there were thirty students that were the first Israeli Irish dance troupe and the main purpose was to perform and bring this art form to Israel. In 2005 I was exposed to the traditional dance and a new world opened to my eyes, so I decided to learn correctly and I traveled back and forth to Galway. There I was taught by my dance teacher and adjudicator, Mary Brady.

I traveled to many competitions to practice and did sessions with famous adjudicators including: John Carey, Sarah Clark, Jackie Kennedy, Mary Sweeney, Vicki Paulin, Lisa Delaney, Ronan McCormak, Michael Meehan, and the one and only Molly Farrelly.

In 2011, I passed the ADCRG exam and became the first qualified adjudicator in Israel, and in January 2013 I had the privilege to dance with Lord of the Dance on their Israeli tour.

Now we have around 250 students in the Academy ages 6-60 and I expect that every year we will grow. 

Christy: How is Irish dance received in Israel? 

Yair: It is received very well. Lord of the Dance performed in Israel 4 times and every performance was sold out.

Every year the demand for us to perform in private and at corporate events has grown, and our big show, Magic of Ireland, composed by my partner Alex Reznikovich, sold out in many of the big theaters in Israel.

Christy: Does your school compete or perform? Where have you danced?

Yair: Every year we run a class Feis in our academy and I host adjudicators from abroad.

On the 13th of October 2013 our student, Itay Cohen, who is celebrating 40 years old, competed and placed well at the Vienna Feis.

We have a couple, Pavel Kolesov and Marina Frumkin, who will compete at the Mainland of Europe championship in Krakow this November in primary and intermediate level. I think in 2 years they can be qualified to compete at the worlds and will be the first Israeli dancers there.

I am the soloist of the show which I created with the composer Alex Reznikovich. Magic of Ireland combines my academy's dance troupe, Alex's Irish band, and a singer. It's a dynamic show with international standards.

We also performed in Irish pubs around Israel, especially on St. Patrick's Day and Arthur Guinness Day.

Christy: Do you teach adult Irish dancers?

Yair: Sure! At the beginning of our school, just adults came to dance because they were exposed to Irish dance when Lord of the Dance came to Israel, but now there are many kids who are attending the classes, and we have families who dance too.

Christy: What are your goals in Irish dancing?

Yair: As for my own goals, I have achieved lots of them: qualified to be a teacher and adjudicator, danced with Lord of the Dance, and adjudicate in many major competitions, including the worlds.

Bringing more kids and adults to the classes, and sending many students to compete abroad, including the worlds.

Lastly, to make Magic of Ireland an international show.

Christy: How do you envision Irish dance in the future in Israel?

Yair: I think in couple of years the Irish dance will be as well known in Israel as ballet, flamenco, belly dance, salsa, etc.

I brought the Irish dance to Israel, and I will keep doing this for many years ahead--it's my full time job and passion.

Christy: Is there anything else that you would like us to know?

Yair: Our Academy is like family and among our adult students we have 3 couples who met during the classes. I also met my love, Inbal, in the academy and I feel blessed every day.

* All photos courtesy of The Israeli Academy of Irish Dance.

Readers: Are you an Irish dancer or a dance school, competitive or not, with a story to share? Would you like to inspire others to feel your passion for Irish dancing and culture? Do you have a question about Irish dancing? Please visit www.christydorrity.com. 

A year of the Irish dance diet, reaching goals and beautiful rewards

Prime Dress Designs the reward of hard labor

Month: 12
Weight: 140
Weight lost: 15 pounds
Muscle gained: 17
Total fat loss: 34 pounds
Body Fat percentage lost: 22%

This month marks one year since the beginning of the Irish dance diet, and I am happy to say that I am reaching my goals! In my first post about the Irish dance diet, I talked about why I wanted to do an Irish dance diet.

Basically, my goals of being a proficient Irish dancer, and my lifestyle and health problems were incompatible. I knew that if I didn't change my habits, that I would never reach my goals.

Well, my goals are within reach, and I'm almost there. Next month when I post, I hope to be able to say that I've reached my goals.
I've come so far, it would be such a shame if I didn't push through to the end and make it happen. It will be hard, but I want to give my body and my dancing the best chance.

And did you see that gorgeous dress at the top of my post? It is the work of Prime Dress Designs. When I reach my goal, I am having one similar in style and color made for me. I know, for a 36 year old mother of five to want an expensive, shiny dress may seem silly to some.

But for me, that dress represents all of the hard work and sacrifice, the putting aside of fears and doubts, and the training that have helped me achieve a goal that I'm not even sure I believed could happen in the beginning.

I can see the end in sight, it's up ahead. Now is the time for me to buckle down, and sprint to the finish. And while I would like to say, "wish me luck!", I've learned that luck has nothing to do with it. So instead, give a little cheer to help me on my way.

Readers: Are you an Irish dancer or a dance school, competitive or not, with a story to share? Would you like to inspire others to feel your passion for Irish dancing and culture? Do you have a question about Irish dancing? Please visit www.christydorrity.com.

Irish dance diet - Harvesting the fruits of your labors

Christy Dorrity and Victoria Lambourne, TCRG,
at the launch party of AWAKENING
Photo: Kathleen Lamborn

Month: 11
Weight: 140
Weight lost: 15 pounds
Muscle gained: 17
Total fat loss: 32 pounds

For years I've been working hard. Not just on training my body, but on bettering my Irish dancing and writing a novel. It's been a great journey, full of hard work, sweat, and bumps in the road. Sometimes I've wondered if I would ever reach my goals, or if I would be happy when I arrived at the end of my journey.

This month I've seen the fruits of my labors rewarded in a harvest of plenty:

1-I am a hairs breath away from my personal training goals (can't wait for maintenance). It's been almost exactly a year from when I started, and I'm looking at solo dresses! More on that later. I can't tell you how good it feels to have my body in shape again. My body no longer gets in my way when I'm dancing, and I feel great!

2-My novel, AWAKENING, (about an Irish dancer) debuted this month, after four years of work. The launch was fantastic, blowing the doors off of the sales we expected to reach. My dance school hosted a launch party where we danced some Irish and I signed copies of the book. I can't tell you what that night meant to me. It was a fantastic blend of family, Irish dance, and the culmination of many years of hard work. Truly a bounteous harvest.

3-This weekend I went to the Southern California Open Feis in Redlands, CA, competing as an adult at the champion level. I placed last, but I danced hard and felt great about it. I felt accepted by the fellow competitors, the judge, and the teachers, and the satisfaction of being able to dance at that level was a boon.

I'll tell you what I tell the kids when I sign a book for them:

"Believe in the unseen, and follow your dreams!"

Yes, they really do come true!

Readers: Are you an Irish dancer or a dance school, competitive or not, with a story to share? Would you like to inspire others to feel your passion for Irish dancing and culture? Do you have a question about Irish dancing? Please visit www.christydorrity.com. 

Irish dance shoes giveaway by debut Celtic fantasy author

Awakening: Book One of The Geis
by Christy Dorrity
Photo: courtesy Christy Dorrity

I'm so tickled to announce to you the publication of my debut novel, Awakening: Book One of The Geis! Awakening is a young adult mythic fantasy based in Celtic mythology. It is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Hulluchan Pro ghillies
Photo: courtesy Antonio Pacelli

To celebrate, I'm giving away a pair of Hulluchan Pro Irish dance ghillies, generously donated by Antonio Pacelli.

To enter the contest, purchase a copy of Awakening, and then send me a proof of purchase (whether it be a confirmation email, a screen shot of your purchase, or a photo of you with the book or the cover on your eReader), and then enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below!

 

About the Book

. . . because some Celtic stories won’t be contained in myth.

A little magic has always run in sixteen-year-old McKayla McCleery's family—at least that’s what she’s been told. McKayla’s eccentric Aunt Avril travels the world as a psychic for the FBI, and her mother can make amazing delicacies out of the most basic of ingredients. But McKayla doesn't think for a second that the magic is real—it’s just good storytelling. Besides, McKayla doesn’t need magic. She recently moved to beautiful Star Valley, Wyoming, and already she has a best friend, a solo in her upcoming ballet recital—and the gorgeous guy in her physics class keeps looking her way.

When an unexpected fascination with Irish dance leads McKayla to seek instruction from the mute, crippled janitor at her high school, she learns that her family is not the only one with unexplained abilities. After Aunt Avril comes to Star Valley in pursuit of a supernatural killer, people begin disappearing, and the lives of those McKayla holds most dear are threatened.

When the janitor reveals that an ancient curse, known as a geis, has awakened deadly powers that defy explanation, McKayla is forced to come to terms with what is real and what is fantasy. A thrilling debut novel based in Celtic mythology, Awakening is a gripping young adult fantasy rife with magic, romance, and mystery.

Praise for Awakening

"AWAKENING is a wonder and a delight. Christy Dorrity is a talent to watch."
~David Farland, New York Times bestselling author of Nightingale

"I thoroughly enjoyed AWAKENING, a captivating and unique debut novel that creatively integrates Irish dance."
~ CHRIS NAISH, Riverdance member and Creative Director of Fusion Fighters Irish dancers.

About the Author

Christy Dorrity
Photo: courtesy Christy Dorrity

Christy Dorrity lives in the mountains with her husband, five children, and a cocker spaniel. She grew up on a trout ranch in Star Valley, Wyoming, and is the author of The Geis series for young adults, and The Book Blogger’s Cookbooks. Christy is a champion Irish dancer and when she’s not reading or writing, she’s probably trying out a new recipe in the kitchen.

www.christydorrity.com
@christydorrity
facebook.com/authorchristydorrity

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Irish dance is expanding at The Carey Academy in Russia (PHOTOS)

Carey Academy Russia Irish dancers

Photo: courtesy of Carey Academy Russia

"It is wonderful to see Irish dancing and culture alive and thriving in Russia. I am very excited to be involved in the developing stages of this art form in this part of the world, and I see a great future for Irish dancing in Russia." 

~John Carey

Darya Markosyan teaches at the Carey Academy Russia in Yekaterinburg, Russia. She teaches dancers ages 12-48 years old, and the school is lucky enough to have regular instruction by John Carey A.D.C.R.G (certified teacher and adjudicator), from Burmingham, England.

Two-hand reel at Moscow Feis 2012

Photo: courtesy of Carey Academy Russia

Christy: Your school recently coordinated with John Carey. How did this come about and what are the results thus far?

Darya: I first saw John performing at NANs in 2006 and thought he was surely the best dancer I've ever seen. I wrote him an email, closed my eyes and pressed the send button, now my dancers have workshops with John and other Carey Academy teachers on regular basis. Our dancers joke than even watching John Carey dance for 3 minutes increases your own jump height in 5 cm. 

Christy: Where do your dancers compete and/or perform?

Darya: We try to go to at least two feiseanna in Russia and at least one in Europe. We do not really focus on performances as much as on competitions.

Christy: Do you teach adult dancers? How do they fit into your school's culture?

Darya: I teach mostly adult dancers. Irish dance is still very new to Russia, especially in the regions, so most of kids who dance in our school are our adult dancers' relatives, or their friends' children, or somehow related to people who are connected with the school. In my own class I have dancers aged 12-48 practicing together, cheering for each other at competitions and helping each other out, whether it's about mastering a new dance or coping with tricky homework assignment.

Irish dancers at RTME Feis/Oireachtas

 in Milan, November 2011

Photo: courtesy Carey Academy Russia

Christy: How is Irish dance received in Russia?

Darya: Whenever a show like Lord of the Dance or Gaelforce Dance is coming to perform in Russia, venues everywhere are sold out. While organizing feiseanna and grade exams, I discovered that professional dancers and choreographers in Russia do not take irish dancing serious (yet!).

Christy: Earlier this year you attended the European Oireachtas, where one of your students became the first Worlds qualifier from your school. How do you think this will help motivate the other students in your school?

Darya: I do see the difference already. Other dancers know Alina (age 13) quite well, see how hard she practices and realize that whatever they want is really possible to achieve.

Alina Valeeva, European Oireachtas 2012 in Salzburg

Photo: courtesy of Carey Academy Russia

Christy: Can I ask Alina what her Irish dance goals are?

Alina: If I qualify in Poland next year I will go to the Worlds in 2014. Honestly, I don't know what I will do after the Worlds. Maybe I will go on practicing, maybe I will give up dancing (because I need to study a lot as I will be in high school). But for now, I will dance on. And this is really a very important part of my life!

Christy: How does it feel to be a part of Irish dance history in Russia?

Darya: That's really exciting. Over the 10 years Russia has progressed from trying to copy moves from shows like Riverdance or Lord of the Dance, to dancing at World's stage. It's great to see schools from outside Moscow and St Petersburg organize feiseanna and grade exams and stand on podium during the results and meet people from all over the country. When I started dancing, the only tutorial everybody had was Olive Hurley's DVDs, and now there are six schools registered with CLRG (Irish dance organization), and the same people who accidentally influenced Russian Irish dancing (like Olive Hurley or Mary Duffy) are now adjudicating feiseanna here in the country.

Irish dancers at a Summer camp in July 2012 

with John Carey in Ufa, Russia

Photo: courtesy Carey Academy Russia

Readers: Are you an Irish dancer or a dance school, competitive or not, with a story to share? Would you like to inspire others to feel your passion for Irish dancing and culture? Do you have a question about Irish dancing? Please visit www.christydorrity.com. 

National Irish Dance Federation and World Irish Dance Association merge

On August 21, 2013, two Irish dance organizations merged together to form a larger open platform organization. Earlier that month, the National Irish Dance Federation (NAIDF) split, with many of the individual schools being welcomed into various organizations. Many Irish dance schools that previously participated in NAIDF were welcomed into the World Irish Dance Association (WIDA). Sean Gavan, founder of WIDA is confident that the merger will benefit dancers of both organizations.

"This merger will give people who want to try something different from the existing large dancing bodies an organization with a wider geographic reach as something to be part of,"Gavan says.

Both WIDA and NAIDF were open platform organizations, which means that any dancer can participate in competitions, regardless of the organization that they belong to, and even if they are self-taught. The merging of organizations combines the efforts of each one  to bring more experiences to those who are involved. It will now be easier for all Irish dancers to make choices that are suitable for them and their families. Gavan says, "In times past, the options of choice were limited, but today that has certainly changed and we look forward to seeing the awareness of Irish dance increase and become more accessible for everyone."

Among the other options available to those who were affected by the NAIDF split is a new organization called Rince Tuatha Nua, which means, "a new Irish dance community". More information about many Irish dance groups who participate in open platform competitions can be found at The Road Together website.

"We are very happy to welcome so many new schools in to the WIDA organization," Gavan says. "We look upon ourselves as a family and we welcome all the new schools in to our dancing family."


Readers: Are you an Irish dancer or a dance school, competitive or not, with a story to share? Would you like to inspire others to feel your passion for Irish dancing and culture? Do you have a question about Irish dancing? Please visit www.christydorrity.com. 

Irish dance diet - How to find your own pot of gold

Photo: flickr user tao_zhyn

Month: 9
Weight: 142
Weight lost: 13 pounds
Muscle gained: 17
Total fat loss: 30 pounds

You may have heard that a man will become rich by following a rainbow to its end, where fabled leprechauns squirrel away their gold. Are the legends true? Can something be had for nothing? 

I think we all know the answer:  there is no replacement for hard work. 

Those pounds are not going to melt away like magic. Strong muscles will not build themselves. 

Leprechauns are tricky fellows; they lure the unsuspecting on an impossible quest. To the mythological laborer, assurance of easy riches is a powerful siren that calls him away from the daily grind toward a magical life of ease. He leaves all that he has worked for and drifts toward the allusive rainbow, always just out of reach.

Scientifically, we understand that the rainbow is an optical effect that depends on the location of the viewer. The closer we try to get to its end, the further away the bow will drift.

A rainbow can be thought of in a different light: as a visionary goal. Think of the rainbow as a metaphor for a lofty goal that you have set for yourself. Does it seem so far away that you could walk forever and never reach it?

Unlike a physical rainbow, we have control over the attainability of our personal rainbows. I had a teacher in high school who drilled the importance of determined work into my brain, “Working will win, when wishy-washy wishing won’t,” he often quoted (Thanks Mr. C).

Photo: flickr user dingbat2005

Think of the most successful people you know. Did they pine away after a get-rich-quick scheme or complain about how they just couldn't give up their cola to improve their health? If you take a close look at those people whom you admire, you will see a trend of hard work and determination. Probe a little further and those accomplished success stories will reveal a secret the leprechauns would rather you didn’t know:  when they reached the end of their journey for success, it wasn’t the “pot of gold” at the end that gave them the satisfaction they had looked towards, it was the passage of time and work that became the real treasure.

Dictionary.com defines a pot of gold as the realization of all one’s hopes and dreams; ultimate success, fulfillment, or happiness. That kind of gold can be found at the end of anyone’s rainbow. Look for your own bow of light, and resist the urge to wait around for success to find you. Catherine Pulsifer, editor of Inspirational Words of Wisdom puts it another way, “Wishing for something occupies the mind, but leaves the bank empty. “

Whether you are working toward improving your health, learning a new set dance, or improving your technique, work hard and keep your rainbow in view, and your own pot of gold will be within grabbing distance. Just don’t forget to gather the valuable nuggets abounding from your efforts along the way.

Readers: Are you an Irish dancer or a dance school, competitive or not, with a story to share? Would you like to inspire others to feel your passion for Irish dancing and culture? Do you have a question about Irish dancing? Please visit www.christydorrity.com.