Irish dance competitions for adult Irish dancers in September

Adult Irish dancers from the
Bell School of Dance in Pittsburgh dressed for a feis special
Photo: courtesy Jennifer Irvin

Many feiseanna (Irish dance competitions) offer competitions for adult Irish dancers. Here's a quick glance at feiseanna that welcome adult Irish dancers in September.

Plan on supporting a feis in your area that includes adult Irish dancers, and keep an eye out for those feiseanna who are offering slow speed dances for adults. 

Source: www.feisworx.com 

Key: FF-first feis B-beginner, N-novice, PW-prize winner, O-open championship

Hidden Valley Feis 2012   Coronado, CA - Sep 1, 2012 to Sep 2, 2012 Donna Means School of Irish Dancing B, N, PW 4 soft shoe 2 hard shoe, traditional and slow speeds traditional set  2,3,4,6,8 hand Adult special (reel, hornpipe and trad set), family 2 hand or 3 hand reel.

Enchantment Feis 2012   Albuquerque, NM - Sep 2, 2012 to Sep 3, 2012 Irish Stepdancers of NM and Coleman Academy B, N/PW 4 soft shoe 2 hard shoe traditional set  2,3,8 hand Family figure

Longs Peak Feis 2012 Estes Park, CO - Sep 8, 2012 to Sep 9, 2012 Bennett School B, N, PW 4 soft shoe 2 hard shoe traditional set  2,3,4,6,8 hand Hard reel special, family special, prizewinner special (soft and hard shoe)

Rock River Valley Feis 2012 Palatine, IL - Sep 8, 2012 McNulty School and Illnois Celtic Arts B1/B2, N?PW 3-4 soft shoe 2 hard shoe, traditional traditional set (at feis discretion)  8 hand no specials

Michigan Feis 2012 Muskegon, MI - Sep 15, 2012 Ardan Academy FF/B1, B2,  N, PW 3 soft shoe 2 hard shoe, traditional and slow speeds traditional set  2,3,4,8 hand no specials

Oklahoma State Championships & Feis 2012 Oklahoma City, OK - Sep 15, 2012 McTeggart, Oklahoma B1/B2, N/PW 4 soft shoe 2 hard shoe traditional set  2,3,4,6,8 hand no specials

Raleigh Feis 2012 Raleigh, NC - Sep 21, 2012 to Sep 22, 2012 Inis Cairde School of Irish Dance B1, B2, N,  N/PW(at feis discretion), PW 4 soft shoe 3 hard shoe traditional set  2,3,4,8 hand Parent/child special

The Minnesota Feis 2012 St Paul, MN - Sep 22, 2012 The Minnesota Feis, Inc. B1/B2, N/PW 3 soft shoe 2 hard shoe, traditional and slow speeds traditional set (trophy dance) 8 hand girls, 8 hand mixed Parent/child figure

If you have a photo of your adult class practicing or performing that you would like to see featured, please email me.

Spotlight on Birgit Engleken adult Irish dancer from Hamburg, Germany

Birgit Engelken, adult Irish dancer at the Munich Feis 2012
Photo: courtesy Birgit Engelken

Welcome to Birgit Engleken, an adult Irish dancer at The Gabriell School of Traditional Irish Dance, in Hamburg Germany. 

Feis America:  When did you first begin Irish dancing?

Birgit:  My very first lessons were at a two-week language course in 1999 in Cork/ Ireland. But at this time there were no Irish Dance School, or teacher in the region of my home near Hamburg, so I couldn't continue.

In January, 2008 I got to know about my school, The Gabriell School of Traditional Irish Dance, in Hamburg, and started to dance immediately with my great teacher, Robert Gabriell, who founded his school first in Frankfurt, and then 2006 in Hamburg.

Birgit Engelken and other adult Irish dancers
Photo: courtesy Birgit Englelken

Feis America:  Is Irish dancing a novelty in Germany or is there a large following?

Birgit:  I think Irish dancing is not a novelty anymore in Germany(the first school was founded by Ian Creaner in 1987, or so in Stuttgart). There are a few good schools throughout Gemany. However, it is a fringe sport without a significant following, because the most children don't know Irish dancing (or think it is just for adults, as they see only adults in the shows), and the adults think they are too old to do it. Contrariwise there are "teachers" who attend one workshop, and think they can dance and teach Irish dancing. 

Feis America:  Is your Irish dance school supportive of adult dancers?

Birgit:  Oh yes. Most of the students at my school are adult dancers. It is rather difficult to find younger dancers in Hamburg. Many parents don't like to drive their children long ways to take part in an Irish dancing class.

All over Mainland Europe (and Asia I think), there are so many adult dancers competing that we have not only adult competitions, but also several age groups up to 35 and over.

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Read more:

Darrah Carr Irish dance group nominated for a Bessie Award - VIDEO


New York's O'Rourke adult Irish dancers feel like family - PHOTOS


Spotlight on adult Irish dancer Sara Gutis from Connecticut
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Feis America:  What is your favorite dance? 

Birgit:  I love all dances, but my favorite is the Heavy Jig.

Birgit Engelken and other adult Irish dancers at the City of Dublin Feis 2012
Photo: courtesy Birgit Englelken

Feis America:  How do you think Irish dance will change for the better in years to come?

Birgit:  I think with more public relations by performances from German dancers,  more people see, young and old, that they can learn it themselves. For example, in the last season of "Germanys next Topmodel" by Heidi Klum, the girls had to learn a reel. After that my teacher had some inquiries about classes. And in the next season of  "Das Supertalent" (the German version of "America's/Britain’s Got Talent") a group of young dancers from a Munich Irish Dance School will perform for a big group of TV viewers.

The Irish dancing community in Germany and mainland Europe changes from year to year and enlarges more and more. Every year, new teachers establish their own schools, registered in different organisations, and also the number of feiseanna hosted in Germany, and nearby will increase.

Feis Ameria:  Thank you Birgit.  Good luck with Irish dancing in Germany!

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Readers: Are you an adult Irish dancer, 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. 

Darrah Carr Irish dance group nominated for a Bessie Award - VIDEO

Darrah Carr Dance 

Photo: Lois Greenfield

Irish dance performance group Darrah Carr Dance, and guest choreographer Seán Curran have been nominated for a 2012 New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie Award) for "Outstanding Production of a Work that Pushes the Boundaries of a Traditional or Culturally Specific Form”.

Artistic director Darrah Carr, is thrilled and honored to receive the nomination. Grateful to the Bessie Selection Committee and to Seán Curran, Carr says, “This nomination would not have been possible without the boundless energy of my company members, and the steadfast support of our presenting partners at the Irish Arts Center and at Gotham Arts Exchange.”

 Artistic Director, Darrah Carr  

Photo: Lois Greenfield

Darrah Carr trained in both competitive Irish dance and classical ballet from ages six to sixteen. When she began her training in modern dance, she learned to relax her arms and torso and work with gravity. “I realized that in modern dance, bucking tradition was the traditional way of doing things,” Carr says. “I began to explore how I could reconcile two very differnt types of training to create a distinctive choreographic voice.”

So began “ModERIN”, a play on words that combines contemporary modern dance with “Erin”, an Anglicized word for Ireland. The result is what Darr describes as “a process of fusion, and a tightly woven marriage of modern dance freedom, and Irish dance structure.”

The Darrah Carr Dance group began in New York in 1998. The group performs extensivly, not only in New York, but in such venues as Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and The Yard at Martha’s Vineyard, to name a few. Recently the group performed on NBC’s “The Today Show”, with The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, and featured “Dingle Dewali” at Symphony Space, for which they have been nominated for the Bessie Award.

“I source from two genres,” Carr says, “traditional Irish step and contemporary modern dance. Dance in Ireland traditionally happened at a crossroads, a reminder to respect the road that led me to a place of intersecting genres, while simultaneously remaining curious about the path that lies ahead.”

Darrah Carr Dance in "Dingle Diwali" 

Photo: Matthew Murphy

Not only does the Darrah Carr group inspire from the stage, they also seek to spread their dance expertise through a junior troupe, DCWee, and an outreach program that travels the country. Carr says, “I am proud to spread awareness and appreciation for Irish music and dance through our educational and outreach programs." Carr loves doing school assembly performances. Often the children ask imaginative questions such as if leprechauns are real, and whether or not the group has seen one.

Many of the performers and students involved with Darrah Carr Dance, and the outreach program are adult Irish dancers. Carr enjoys teaching adults in a relaxed and low-key atmosphere. “I also find that adult dancers really want to be at class, which makes them really engaged, and eager students.”

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Read more:

Irish Arts Center launches fall season of theatre, dance, music, film, and more

Irish dance competitions for adult Irish dancers in August

Doherty Senior Ladies Ceili are British National Irish Dancing Champions - Team Results

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Darrah Carr Dance company member Timothy Kochka in "Dingle Diwali" 

Photo: Matthew Murphy

Artistic director Darrah Carr is excited about the paths that Irish dance is headed down. Many dancers who retire from touring with the major shows, such as Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, are still interested in performance opportunitites. “I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with some of these dancers,” Carr says. “They have exquisite technique and incredibly open minds.”

The Darrah Carr Dance group will be dancing their annual New York season at the Irish Arts Center November 16-18^th. For more information go to www.irishartscenter.org.

You can find out more about Darrah Carr Dance, the DCWee junior troupe, and outreach programs at www.darrahcarrdance.com.

Darrah Carr Dance -VIDEO

Readers: Are you an adult Irish dancer, 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 competitions for adult Irish dancers in August

Adult Irish dancers from Beaton School of Irish Dance in Maryland, USA
Photo: Courtesy Rachel Joy

Many feiseanna (Irish dance competitions) offer competitions for adult Irish dancers. Here's a quick glance at feiseanna that welcome adult Irish dancers in August.

Plan on supporting a feis in your area that includes adult Irish dancers, and keep an eye out for those feiseanna who are offering slow speed dances for adults. 

Source: www.feisworx.com 

Key: FF-first feis B-beginner, N-novice, PW-prize winner, O-open championship

Two Rivers Feile 2012
Des Moines, IA - Aug 3, 2012 to Aug 4, 2012
Iowa Irish, Inc.

B1/B2, N/PW

4 soft shoe

2 hard shoe, traditional speed only

traditional set 

8 hand

no specials

Arizona State Championships & Feis 2012
Phoenix, AZ - Aug 4, 2012 to Aug 5, 2012
McTeggart, AZ

B, N/PW

4 soft shoe

2 hard shoe

traditional set 

2,3 hand

parent/child special

Milwaukee Feis 2012
Milwaukee, WI - Aug 11, 2012
Milwaukee Feis Society

B1/B2, N/PW

3 soft shoe

2 hard shoe, traditional speed and slow speed

traditional set 

any figure

parent/child specials

McMenamin Academy Feis 2012
Milwaukee, WI - Aug 12, 2012
McMenamin Academy of Irish Dance

B1/B2, N/PW

4 soft shoe

2 hard shoe, traditional speed only

traditional set 

8 hand

no specials

Southern Tier Feis 2012
Binghamton, NY - Aug 18, 2012
Carle Irish Dance Co.

B1/B2, N/PW

3 soft shoe

1 hard shoe

no traditional set 

no figures

parent/child special

Great Lakes Feis 2012
Lansing, MI - Aug 19, 2012
Ardan Academy

FF/B1, B2, N, PW

3 soft shoe

2 hard shoe, traditional speed or slow speed

traditional set 

2,3,4,8 hand

no specials

Cowboy State Feis 2012
Casper, WY - Aug 25, 2012
Irish Dance Association of Central WY

B, N/PW

4 soft shoe

2 hard shoe

traditional set 

2,3 hand

parent/child special

St. Louis Gateway Feis 2012
St. Louis, MO - Aug 25, 2012
St. Louis Gateway Feis Society

B1/B2, N/PW

3 soft shoe

2 hard shoe

traditional set 

no figures

no specials

Kansas City Feis 2012
Kansas City, MO - Aug 31, 2012 to Sep 1, 2012
O'Riada-McCarty-Manning Academy

B1/B2, N/PW

4 soft shoe

2 hard shoe

traditional set 

8 hand

no specials

If you have a photo of your adult class practicing or performing that you would like to see featured, please email me.

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