Irish Dance Teachers' Association of Eastern Canada

2011-10-02T21:48:00.003-04:00

Want to appear in Feis America magazine?

Paul Seale (a parent in the Corrigan school) has always been generous in sharing his fun feis photos with Feis America, and even jumped in at the Montreal Feis with his beautiful camera to capture the cover shot on our September/October issue of the NAFC Junior Trophy Championships.

Paul has graciously offered to be a clearinghouse for feis photos from Eastern Canadian events through ecfeisphotos@gmail.com. This means that parents and teachers and dancers can send digital images along to Paul and he will organize them in such a way to make it easy to publish them in Feis America and on the Go Feis! Irish Dance Blog at www.irishcentral.com.

There are some basic requirements to note before submitting photos, such as: the need for photographer permission to publish the image, the names/schools/location of photo subjects as well as the event and date, and a photo release confirmation for any minor subjects.

Feis America magazine is hoping to feature an Eastern Canada event, teacher or group of dancers monthly on the Go Feis! blog with results and photos from competitions 2 times a month. Someone from Feis America magazine will again be present at the Eastern Canadian Oireachtas this year and will handle running commentary and posting of results each day.

2011-09-20T13:16:00.002-04:00

Les Suites has been added as a preferred hotel. Please consider using this property if the Westin and/or the Novotel don't suit your needs.

We have negotiated discounted room rates as follows: one bedroom suites for $145 and two bedroom suites for $195.

This rate is valid until October 19, 2011.

Reservations are to be made by contacting the property directly at 1-866-682-0879 then mention ECRO2011.

2011-09-15T13:51:00.001-04:00

All Irelands 2012

The AI timetable is available in the DOWNLOADS section on www.clrg.ie

The syllabus is due to be added any day now.

Hotel booking info for City West will appear on the same website next week. Teachers shall get early reservation option.

There is a possibility of a facility fee being added to those not staying on site. The venue hire for this and any major championship is huge. The cost is offset by securing a contracted number of rooms. If people don't stay on site, then the venue must be paid for.

Please do not copy this information to any Message Boards. This information is accurate at the time of publishing however changes may occur.

2012 ALL IRELAND Accommodation Information

2011-09-01T09:30:00.000-04:00

Dear Teachers

Re Oireachtas Rince na hEireann 2012

Please note that as the final schedule for Oireachtas Rince na hEireann 2012 has not been finalized An Coimisiun cannot be responsible for accommodation that has been booked in advance. As the configuration of our All Ireland venue is very different than in previous years it is expected that the schedule will also have a different format which may involve changes of times and days.

Teachers should also note, as discussed at the last meeting of An Coiste Oireachtas and will be ratified by An Coimisiun in September that a facility fee will apply in addition to entry and door fees to dancers and families who do not stay at the City West complex. However a separate entry scheme for local dancers and schools will be put in place.

It is expected that rooms for All Ireland 2012 will open during the week of Sept 12^th when we also hope to release a preliminary daily schedule which will allow schools book in advance.

Is mise

Terry Gillan

Chairman

Coiste Oireachtas

Please do not copy this information to any Message Boards. This information is accurate at the time of publishing however changes may occur.

Come Celebrate With Eastern Canada's Two World Champions 2011-2012

2011-06-27T19:39:00.000-04:00

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BFOC would like to extend an invitation to the entire ECR to celebrate with our two world champions, Emily Penner and Michaela Hinds at the World Champions Celebration Ball.

It is such an achievement for the ECR to have two World Champions in 2011. Please join in this very special event to honour these world champions and celebrate the success of the region’s World's competitors. It promises to be a great evening.

Plans have been finalized for our World Champions Celebration Ball to be held on Saturday August 27^th. The fancy dress Ball will celebrate our School's
overall success at the World Championships this past April and in particular honour our two World Champions: Emily Penner and Michaela Hinds.

Details

Date: Saturday August 27^th
Location: Toronto Airport Marriott Hotel, 901 Dixon Road, Toronto
Time: 6:30 Cocktails 7:30 Dinner

Tickets: Adults $80 Children under 13 years (having a children's meal) $30

Entertainment: Live Band "The Swing Junkies" during Cocktails and Dinner. DJ for dancing after Dinner.

Attire: Fancy Dress

Hotel Rooms: Available for $121 for Standard Double Room - Held Under "Irish Dance Champions Ball - Irish Rose Dancers Inc." call 416 674 9400 to book.

Tickets are now on sale and must be purchased by July 3^rd.

Contact Dawn Penner

dawn.penner@absciex.com

or Nancy Brown-Andison

nancy.brown-andison@ca.ibm.com

Please do not copy this information to any Message Boards. This information is accurate at the time of publishing however changes may occur.

Change to Directors of the Executive Board of IDTAC - ER

2011-04-12T10:30:00.000-04:00

Please be advised that at the regional AGM of Sunday April 3, 2011, the membership of the Irish Dance Teachers Association of Canada - Eastern Region elected the following members to serve on the Executive Board effective until the AGM of 2013.

Regional Director - Ryan Carroll ADCRG
Vice-Regional Director - Bernadette Short ADCRG
Treasurer - Fiona Cunningham TCRG
Corresponding Secretary - Kim Lancaster TCRG
Recording Secretary - Patricia Finnegan TCRG

The members listed below were elected to non-Executive Board positions.

Representatives to An Coimisiun - Mary Bryan ADCRG and Rose Fearon ADCRG
Regional Feis Liaison - Glenn Simpson ADCRG
Representative to the IDTANA Ethics Board - Sinead Gilchrist TCRG

Congratulations to the new officers and representatives; thank you to the outgoing team.

---------------

Please do not copy this information to any Message Boards. This information is accurate at the time of publishing however changes may occur.

Unofficial British Nationals Info

2011-04-04T22:41:00.000-04:00

BRITISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011
-- North West Teacher Association, 4/04/11 13:53:44, Mon

BRITISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011
PROPOSED TIMETABLE – IE DAYS OF DANCING

SATURDAY 23RD. JULY 2011
SOLO COMPETITIONS:
UNDER 12, UNDER 14, UNDER 18, UNDER 19, UNDER 20 & SENIOR
TEACHERS’ RECEPTION

SUNDAY 24TH. JULY 2011
CEILI & FIGURE – ALL AGE GROUPS:
UNDER 10, UNDER 12, UNDER 15 & SENIOR
SOLO COMPETITIONS:
UNDER 8, UNDER 15, UNDER 16 & UNDER 17

MONDAY 25TH. JULY 2011
SOLO COMPETITIONS:
UNDER 9, 10, 11, & 13

PROPOSED DANCES:
REEL OR SLIP JIG & JIG OR HORNPIPE
RECALL TSD. UNDER 8 & UNDER 9
RECALL OPEN SET DANCE (CHOICE OF TIMING)

** FINAL SYLLABUS AVAILABLE EARLY MAY **

Please do not copy this information to any Message Boards. This information is accurate at the time of publishing however changes may occur.

Dublin Airport - City West ground transport info

2011-03-30T11:42:00.000-04:00

AIRCOACH (BUS COMPANY) have agreed the below very good rates to lift people to and from Dublin Airport for the World Championships. YOU CAN EMAIL brendan.gallagher@aircoach.ie if you are interested in same. The following Fares are offered to your Visiting Competitors , Teachers , Family Supports and Officials/ Delegates for Airport Transfers to / from The City West Hotel and other Overflow Hotels in the vicinity of Clondalkin , Tallaght and West City Suburbs. Adult Return Fare € 14 per person , Child Return Fare ( ages 5 to 12 years ) €8 per person , Children under age of 5 years travel Free , all Children to be accompanied by Parents / Adults . Those Fares are based on Group Transfers in excess of 25 persons per Coach Transfer -- Coach Capacities are from 44 to 53 seats . For Transfers -- Dublin Airport to / from Dublin City Centre Hotels and City Centre , Accommodation Facilities , we offer Fares as follows on the High Frequency , Coach Services ( every 15 mins in both directions , throughout 7 days and 24 hours ) -- Adult Return Fare € 10 per person ; Child Return Fare €7 per person , Children under 5 years of age travel Free . The City Centre Hotel Transfers are based on either Individuals Travel , Small Groups / Families or Larger Group Transfers . The Transfers to / from The City West Hotel and Overflow Hotels nearby can better be accommodated by allocating dedicated Coaches with full or near full Loading , based on Airline Flight Arrivals and Departure Times being such that there will be a requirement to provide dedicated Coach Transfers based on numbers of Personnel assembling at Dublin Airport , Terminals 1 and 2 and who have Hotels / Accommodation Bookings in The City West Hotel and Hinterland Hotels . We will be in a better way to planning the Transfers Scheduling when you receive Information on No's of Personnel to be Transferred , Airline Arrival / Departure Itineraries -- Dates / Times . Trusting that this Information is sufficient to enable you to Communicate / with your Office Staff Team and we remain available at Aircoach to work with you and your Team in order to ensuring a satisfactory and efficient Airport Transfers arrangement for The World Championships in Irish Dancing in April / May 2011 .Should there be Coach Transfer requirements from Dublin City Centre Hotels to / from The City West , Competitions Venue , we can discuss Fares and plan the Transfers based on Personnel Numbers requiring such Transfersbrendan.gallagher@aircoach.ie ; Tel 00353 87 9786126 -- Mobile ; 00353 1 8447118 -- Office ; 00353 1 8447915 -- Fax .

Notes from the meeting of ACLRG March 26,27 2011

2011-03-27T18:49:00.008-04:00

Hello everyone/Bonjour à tous/Dia duit gach duine.

As a regional representative to An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha for Eastern Canada, it is my duty to convey important details of Coimisiun meetings to members of my region who should, in turn, pass such information on to their dance families. Understanding that occasionally, a breakdown in communication beyond my efforts occurs, I began posting my relevant notes online for all ECR teachers and families to see, to ensure that everyone in our region gets the information they (may) need. There is nothing confidential being published, however please do not copy and paste any of this to the message boards; instead, copy the link to this page to encourage the direction of traffic here. These are my own personal notes, not the official notes of ACLRG so these notes are meant only as a guideline. Most, if not all of this information should follow in an official capacity when made available.

My last blog post (to the Eastern Canadian regional blog) featured the announcement of adjudicators selected for the 2011 ECR Oireachtas and it was brought to my attention that the discussions on the ECR message board were livelier than ever with thoughts and opinions of the quality and integrity of judges selected. It was appalling actually, and if this is how the information I provide is appreciated, then I will have to decide if posting these updates is in every one's best interests.

-------------- Having said that, I am very happy to get info out there quickly so here is a lheap of notes pertaining to many issues - most notably the upcoming World Championships to be held in City West Resorts ltd, Dublin Ireland. ---------------

City West is technically OUT of receivership and is also sold out of accommodation for Worlds. The gala Ball is sold out too. There are still rooms in a few of the overflow hotels and there will be shuttles between them and CW for guests who are registered as a part of the Irish Dance block. If you are staying in an overflow hotel, you MUST register yourself as being a part of the block in order to take advantage of the shuttle to/from CW or you will not be allowed to use the shuttle.

*****The opening ceremony (approximately 2.5 hrs) will occur mid-Monday morning and feature an appearance by the Irish President, which for many of us will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be visited by a World leader. It is a very prestigious honour which took months of negotiations and everyone involved is delighted at such an opportunity. A such, the competitions will stop in all three rooms and everyone will be directed to one room for the ceremony and presentation. Further news is forthcoming and will appear on the official CLRG website. *****

All award ceremonies will occur at the end of each day with one exception; the final schedule will reveal which day. Boys competitions will be awarded before girls/teams where possible to ensure they have a sufficiently sized audience. All efforts will be made without guarantees. We can't stress enough the importance of going back stage with PLENTY of time before performing. No side-stage manager or anyone connected to the event wants to tell a child they cannot perform if they miss their rotation but that is the rule and as such, it must be followed. PLEASE, don't disappear - go backstage when you are called. You never know if a bunch are entries are no-shows, and all of a sudden, you are due to be up next.

Listening to requests from teachers and parents, multi-day discounts for wristbands have been added this year – fees are: 1 day is €15, 4 days are €50, 7 days are €90. The fee to enjoy the evening of dance dramas is €20 (tickets available only via Ticketmaster) and is not part of the daily admission. Beoga is performing on Wednesday night; information is on the CLRG website.

The JIG documentary crew will be on-site distributing promo materials, goodie bags and showing new clips. An exhibit depicting the history of Irish dancing will be on display and A Taste Of Dublin will be on offer that week too, allowing those who can't get into Dublin a chance to still experience Irish food, drink and souvenir shopping.

City West will not permit costumes on display in public areas for sale. A costume re-sale room will run for the whole time for a fee of €25 per costume– this is run by “Second Time Around”. There is a flat-rate fee for all registrations. If your costume sells in ten minutes (lucky you) then there is no recourse for a partial refund. This is standard practice with all (or at least most) of the other enterprises.

Dancers MUST collect their number in the hall where they will compete (also, mentioned at a previous meeting, all three rounds will occur in the same hall).

A coach from Dublin Airport to City West will leave every 15 minutes at a reduce rate of around €15 per person (taxis are between €75 & €90 one way), a coach will run from City West to downtown Dublin – (times and fees not yet disclosed). Info will be on the CLRG website when ready.

(This paragraph was amended on March 31st as my original posting was incorrect.) Finally, a ruling was passed enabling any traditional version of the four main traditional set dances to be accepted for use in their teaching or dancing sections. There are a variety of versions of these dances and we wish to ensure candidates do not worry if their version doesn't match that of another candidate.

Info for upcoming examinations is on the CLRG website. Eastern Canada is discussing running an exam in 2012.

END

A revolutionary Irish Dance show - during Worlds Week...

2011-03-14T00:46:00.002-04:00

Performing at the Civic Theatre in Tallaght (near Worlds) from April 18-23rd.

Message For All Feis Musicians In North America

2011-03-13T23:34:00.000-04:00

Sent: Wed, Feb 23, 2011 1:10 pmSubject: Music for Feisanna in North America

Hi everyone. Hope all is well with each of you and that we are all looking forward to spring!!!!

The reason for this email is to make you all aware, as feis musicians of some new and a reiteration of some older rules.

Effective MARCH 1 (NEXT WEEK) the speed for St Patrick's Day in the traditional set competition will be 94.

Effective January 1, 2010 the speeds for Beginner and Advanced Beginner Reels and Slip Jigs is 118.

Also currently in effect(pertains primarily to Prelims and Open Championship competitions) only the prescribed number of bars of music to be played will be played. What this means is for Reels and Jigs only 48 bars of music is to be played and for Slip Jigs and Hornpipes only 40 bars of music is to be played. This rule has been around for a good while but has not been adhered to but it must be now. What it means is basically if a dancer does not start after the proper introduction, the musician(s) cannot add the number of bars to the dancers' performance i.e. the dancer false starts or missed the start. The same would apply to set dances. The onus is on the dancer to start correctly. Please adhere to this to avoid potential problems that could crop up.

If you have any questions, feel free to get back to me. If you know of someone who may not be on the group list above, please let me know and pass the information along. Thank you.

James Early
(Mid-Atlantic Regional Director)

Latest News - DEC 2010

2010-12-19T23:39:00.007-05:00

With the year coming to a close, I shall write my final (I hope) entry with news from the last meeting of An Coimisiun of 2010. These are my own personal notes so the usual disclaimer applies. The word of CLRG and/or IDTANA supercedes what you read here, should there be a conflict of information.

-musicians for the 2011 AI have been selected; they include: Paul O’Donnell, Anthony Davis, Kevin Joyce, Orflaith Ni Bhrian, Dean Crouch and Frances Ward all doing half of the week and Sean O’Brien doing the entire week

-a third musician/instrument (banjo, fiddle etc.) shall be added for ceili competitions at the 2011 Worlds on Tue Wed / Fri Sat to heighten the atmosphere

-registering for website access will now include live-streaming of the ceili competitions at the 2011 Worlds; there shall be no opportunity for a team to opt-out of being streamed - all teams give their consent by registering for the competitions; it was clarified that live-streaming can not be copied or saved to a computer and that the screen size will be fairly small; this added feature is in response to feedback to include some dancing on the site

-City West is NOT full (yet) – people are not attempting to book using the correct system (the booking code) thus being told there are no rooms left; City West has since made the process even easier to book so hopefully people will get their bookings in very shortly; family rooms are booked out however the hotel will consider amending the current layout of King rooms by adding additional bedding where possible - contact them directly by phone to enquire

-City West is going to host “A Taste of Dublin” – an exhibition for the benefit of Worlds attendees who may otherwise not get the chance to go into Dublin to eat and drink like a local

-transit suggestions from Dublin airport to City West will appear on the CLRG website when such a list has been compiled

-the definitiion of a event with MAJOR status was officially noted as: the AI, the W, the NAIDC, the BNAT, the AS and the GB (events confined to a specific country did not qualify for MAJOR status, plus, all three British events have such status even in years they are not the official secondary qualifier)

-as such – an ADCRG who judges any listed major may not judge another listed major until after the end of that same major the following year (this shall be reviewed in the year where the AI moves to October so as not to create a loophole); this too is in repsonse to feedback given, this time in regards to adjudicators appearing too often on panels of major events

-wonder no more - the dances for Worlds and the North Americans for senior ladies/men are now on a set schedule. it is:

Worlds in EVEN years shall have Sr. Ladies dance R HP and Men dance R TJ eg 2012, 2014, 2016; ODD years shall then have Sr. Ladies do SJ TJ and Men do R HP eg 2011, 2013, 2015, therefore the NAIDC shall do the opposite meaning 2011 NAIDC will have R HP for Sr. Ladies and R TJ for Sr. Men.

-after discussion that 96 is too fast for the traditional St Patrick's Day, it was agreed to change the required speed from 96 to 94; this takes effect MAR 1st so as not to interfere with the All-Ireland

-here are the NAIDC locations/hosting regions as reported by our IDTANA president Lisa Petri

2011 Nashville/IDTANA
2012 Chicago/Mid-Am
2013 Anaheim/W US
2014 Montreal/E CAN
2015 Providence/NE
2016 Orlando/S US (different venue to 2010)
2017 New Orleans/Mid-At
2018 Orlando/IDTANA (different venue to 2016 and 2010)
2019 TBA/W CAN

-booking info for the 2011 NAIDC will go online FEB 1, as will the syllabus

Final List of Official Judges for Worlds 2011

2010-12-14T20:31:00.012-05:00

Before I begin with the intended topic, let me state straight-away that while the list of adjudicators published below is 100% accurate, the writing surrounding it is my own and thus not an official voice of the body of An Coimisiun. I am but one member who is sharing what I can to help everyone understand the situation a little better. My obligation as an attendee of the Coimisiun meetings is to share my notes with my fellow teachers but given it is the holiday season and perhaps not all teachers are around to pass my notes on to their dance families (including me), I am sharing some points on the blog. While I have made every attempt to ensure everything is accurate, whatever An Coimisiun says in any situation referred to below is the final word. Before making any travel plans, check with your teacher. "Ryan's blog said..." will not be accepted as a reason for erroneously booking flights to Dublin.

CLRG recently distributed the names for the panel for the 2011 World Irish Dancing Championships to all Coimisiun members, and they are shown below in alphabetical order. Voting took place at the meeting last weekend and the votes were counted straight away by independent tellers. Once the list was compiled, attempts were made to contact the successful candidates to confirm acceptance. 11 or 12 names (I don't have my notes handy to double-check) were announced at the meeting. The rest of the names remained private until the candidates were contacted. That should explain why the list was incomplete in the hours/days following the meeting. Three halls will run until Thursday; two after that. It was decided to hire four panels to keep the schedule running smoothly all day in order to finish the days at reasonable hours. That should explain why there are 20 names. Each panel will consist of five members. Each entrant's highest and lowest score per round will be discarded; something new this year and something requested by teachers and dance families around the world.

Along with this list comes disappointment, excitement and confusion; disappointment for those who are just learning they are unable to attend, excitement for those are learning they suddenly ARE able to attend and confusion for the reasons why.

Any dancer unable to attend due to a judging conflict, (either by their teacher being on the panel or an adjudicator with whom their school has a conflict such as a family relation or workshop connection or an adjudicator with whom an individual dancer has a conflict such as a family relation, a professional show conflict if the judge was a dance captain/choregorapher or if a dancer changed schools without serving a six month adjustment period due to moving or school closure) their WQ status is held over until Belfast 2012, provided they compete in 2012 for the school with which they qualified.

Their WQ status for Dublin 2011 gets passed onto the next dancer in the result at their Regional Oireachtas provided that dancer: a) recalled and completed the third round, b) will still compete for the school they represented at the Regional Oireachtas at Worlds and c) they too do not have an association conflict. Should the next dancer in line also have an association conflict, the dancer after them shall be invited and so on.

Should that next dancer in line opt not to go, has given up competing or has left the school with which they competed at their Regional Oireachtas, then no one further shall be invited.

The same bumping system applies in the case of qualifiers from the Secondary Oireachtas (in North America's case - the NAIDC) although there is no requirement that bump-up dancers have to recall or dance their set. However, they must have participated in their Regional Oireachtas for the same school as at the NAIDC.

It is very important to note that 2010 World Medal Holders will have already been skipped over at the qualifying events, so if it is a WMH who is ineligable to attend Dublin 2011, then their WQ status does NOT get passed onto the next available dancer in the result.

Figuring out who can't go and thus, who can, is fairly tricky in some cases as there associations not obvious to everyone. The onus is and has always been on each school to make themselves aware of their associations. Presently, there is no master list of schools affected by the association rules. Some of the adjudicators do not run classes so it is likely that some judges on the 2011 Worlds panel do not have any connections however they may have family members who teach and those family members may also have teachers in to do workshops. As such, I can't speculate as to who is free and clear (in case you are considering writing to me to ask).

There has been much speculation as to why judges can put their names in to judge, comments that they are in it for the money, and comments stating that workshops should be banned thus ending associations. I don't wish to comment on those points - everyone is entitled to their opinions. However, I have also read complaints about the same judges showing up time after time and complaints about judges without dance classes being out of touch. No system will satisfy anyone in anything in life. This system was brought about due to demand from teachers and dance families not in favour of previous systems. "The powers that be" can and do listen - but not to anonymous chatter on message boards. If you have anything constructive to contribute, you can talk to your TCRG or send an email to the address on this blog site at any time.

For those dancers who were next in line by a couple of spots and suspect a conflict which could lead to them being eligible to attend Worlds, talk to your teacher to start investigating. I will try to obtain more information on this issue but not until January.

Alison Reaney Brown Canada
Anne Reid Ireland
Antony Ferguson Ireland
Conleth Mullan Ireland
Denise Elebert Ireland
Eoghan O'Cuinn Australia
Gary Healy USA
Jackie Scanlan Ireland
Julie Loughlin England
Kathleen O'Keefe USA
Lisa Delaney Galal England
Mandy Hennigan O'Loughlin England
Miceal Hopkins Ireland
Michael Mullane USA
Noreen Redmond Loughran Ireland
Rose Kenny England
Sharon McCaul Kelly Ireland
Stella Moore England
Sue Fay Healy Canada
Vourneen McLoughlin Ireland

List provided by:
Máire Dixon
Office Manager
An Coimisiún Le Rinci Gaelacha.
B.A.C. 7

Notes and explanations provide by:
Ryan Carroll
ADCRG and regional rep to An Coimisiún Le Rinci Gaelacha.
Eastern Canada

Announcement of Judges for 2011 Majors

2010-12-03T11:48:00.004-05:00

Judges for AI 2011
Caroline Greene Parfery Scotland
Frances McGahan Lees England
Francis Curley Ireland
Jimmy Smith Ireland
Kathleen Maguire O’Shea England
Kevin McCormack Ireland
Marie Moore U.S.A.
Michael Maguire England
Olive Burns Crowley Ireland
Russell Beaton U.S.A.
Ryan Carroll Canada
Thomas Bracken U.S.A.

Successful candidates in the ballot for NAN judges are being contacted to confirm their availability. The final list is expected to follow very soon.

Worlds judges will be voted for on Dec 12th; it has not yet been communicated as to when those judges will be announced.

New rules for 2011 in the ECR

2010-11-25T15:51:00.004-05:00

A teachers' meeting was held at the ECRO in Ottawa. Here are some items of which feis chairpeople, dancers and dance parents should become aware.

- There will now be a minimum of three age groups required in a syllabus for treble reel competitions at ECR feises.

-The policy for advancing from PW to PC shall be changed to require a first place in one soft shoe dance (reel/slip jig) and a first place in one hard shoe dance (treble jig/hornpipe) instead of needing wins in all four dances; effective January 1st, 2011. This change will be reviewed next Novemeber to measure its effectiveness.

-The combining of age groups in the grades shall be reduced from three to two.

-Non-GTA feises who desire some leniency with age groups due to smaller numbers are encouraged to write to the Regional Director and the Feis Liaison with requests in a timely manner for review.

-Dancers who compete prior to the official end of their adjustment period shall serve double the remaining time before competing again and a fine of $500 shall be deemed payable by the school. The school has the option to expel the dancer from their school, in which case the $500 fine will not be required. As such, it is every dancer's and every parent's responsibilty to verify the official end date of such adjustment periods with their new teacher. They are advised to ask their new teacher for an official copy of the transfer confirmation form.

-Effective January 1st, 2011, a $25 transfer fee to be payable to IDTACE must accompany all transfer applications.

Info for NAIDC 2011, Nashville TN

2010-11-25T15:36:00.002-05:00

Here is everything I know about the 2011 NAIDC:

Dates: Teachers' Convention Friday July 1st; Dancing Saturday July 2nd to Wednesday July 6th inclusive.

Location: Gaylord Opryland Hotel, Nashville Tennessee

Judging System: Rotating panels of three per round

Hosting Region: The IDTANA Executive Board

President - Lisa Petri ADCRG
Vice-President - Tim O'Hare ADCRG
Secretary - Russell Beaton ADCRG
Corresponding Secretary - Vincent O'Connor ADCRG
Treasurer - Sandra Connick TCRG
Seargant at Arms - Kevin Broesler ADCRG
President Emeritus - Michael Mullane ADCRG
with assistance from Regional Directors and many, many volunteers

Qualification Requirements:

-U8 and U9 may enter at teachers' discretion
-Any open championship dancer may be entered. Preliminary Championship dancers who earn their wins to qualify for OC by May 1st must move up to OC as of May 1st if they are entering the NAIDC on this option.
-U10 and up must either be in Champ or qualify at their regional Oireachtas. The qualifying formula is calculated as the top ten plus 25% of those who actually danced on the day.
-the option to enter based on recalling at the previous NAIDC has been rescinded
-dancers who qualified for 2010 but had to sit out due to a judging conflict are automatically entitled to enter the 2011 event; the same applies for 2011 status being deferred to 2012
-dancers who qualified for 2010 but did not attend for any other reason (transfer, illness, injury, personal choice) must meet a qualification listed above in order to enter the 2011 event

Competition Notes:

Soft shoe dances will be danced two-at-a-time for all ages.
Hard shoe dances will be danced three-at-a-time for all ages.
Set dances (including u8/u9 traditionals) will be danced one-at-a-time.
For events where the panels rotate, traditionals must go one-at-a-time in North America. If the panels do not rotate, this decision is up to the event's organizing committee.

Judges/Musicians:

Judges submitted their names in early 2010. Voting occurred at the 2010 IDTANA convention last July. Results of the ballot will be released in early December after the results of the All-Ireland ballot have been announced and all regional qualifiers are complete. Adjudicators who officiate at the 2011 All-Irelands may not also adjudicate the 2011 North Americans.

Musicians have until December 10, 2010 to submit their names for consideration. Voting among registered teachers will decide the list of musicians to be invited. Interested musicians should follow the weblink at:
http://www.idtana.org/index.html

Ceili Dancing:

Amendments to figure dancing shall include splitting competitions into "girls" and "mixed" groups. A mixed team requires only one male (as opposed to the World syllabus which requires more) and no more than 50% of the girls can compete in both a mixed figure and a girls figure in the same age group.

Ceili requirements shall follow the same rules published in the World syllabus for the duration of each dance and the point of conclusion.

Entries:

The entry due date is (as always) May 1st. A late date with a late-fee penalty of double the entry fee shall be May 8th.

Official Website: (not much information so far)

http://www.idtana.org/index.html

Worlds 2011 Preliminary Schedule

2010-11-10T11:25:00.003-05:00

This was just sent out from the Dublin office.

Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne 2011 /Time table by days only.

Sunday 17th April 2011
Girls under 11
Girls under 12
Boys under 11
Boys under 12

Monday 18th April 2011
Girls under 13
Girls under 14
Boys under 13
Boys under 14
Junior Dance Drama under 16

Tuesday 19th April 2011
Girls under 15
Boys under 15
Boys under 16
Mixed Ceili under 13
Girls Ceili under 13
Mixed Figure under 13
Girls Figure under 13

Wednesday 20th April 2011
Mixed Ceili under 16
Girls Ceili under 16
Mixed Figure under 16
Girls Figure under 16
Girls under 17
Girls under 18

Thursday 21st April 2011
Girls under 19
Girls under 16
Boys under 17
Boys under 18
Men under 19

Friday 22nd April 2011
Ladies under 20
Girls Ceili under 19
Ladies over 21
Senior Dance Drama

Saturday 23rd April 2011
Men under 21
Men over 21
Ladies under 21
Girls ceili over 19
Girls figure over 16
Mixed ceili over 16
Mixed figure over 16

Compeitions may not run in the order shown above although they will run on the day they are listed against.

Camp Rince Ceol Decision Reversed

2010-05-27T09:26:00.003-04:00

Great news for ECR campers and counsellors who were planning to attend Camp Rince Ceol.

The decision to deny the camp OPEN status has been reversed, meaning dancers may now participate without risk of establishing "associations" with other campers and instructors.

Whether you are heading to this camp this summer or not, have a great one!

Worlds 2011 - 2012 - 2013

2010-05-17T18:57:00.005-04:00

The following is for information purposes only. It was reported at the recent meeting of An Coimisiun in Dublin. This information shall be deemed unofficial until the syllabus is distributed later this year. Anything you read here is subject to change and I will not be held responsible should any changes occur. All information is accurate to the best of my knowledge.

The 2011 event will be held over the period of April 16-24 which is really late due to Easter being so late. There is a desire to end the Championships on Holy Saturday to allow people to enjoy Easter at home and/or to enjoy an Easter brunch at the CityWest in southern County Dublin. On-site accomodation will be priced per room rather than per person and all rooms are well sized. A link to the website is included for informational purposes only. Rooms are not ready to be booked yet.

http://www.citywesthotel.com/

Plans for the competitions include running three halls, all of which will be equal in prestige. The schedule will be tightened up to make better use of the stages to eliminate downtime as much as possible.

The judging system shall remain as it was for 2010 (three rotating panels of five judges) because we are in the second of a two-year term BUT there is an amendment to be aware of.

Due to both popular demand and CLRGs quest to find the best possible judging system, the high and low scores from each round will be dropped - thereby giving a maximum total score per round of 300 and a maximum total championship score of 900. This is on a trial one-year basis.

Ceili teams will be expanded to: u13 u16 u19 and 19&o; regional/national qualifying events do not need to change age groups because of this announcement; mixed figure choreography will only require four boys per team to enter those competitions.

Solo dances are:
LU19 R HP
LU20 SJ TJ
LU21 R HP
L21&O SJ TJ

MU19 R TJ
MU19-21 R TJ
M21&O R HP

Splits for NAIDC 2010, Orlando Florida

2010-05-17T18:38:00.001-04:00

With the exception of Girls Under 8, all girls solo championship events will be split this year (this includes Senior Ladies).

Camp Rince Ceol

2010-05-17T18:29:00.002-04:00

Anyone registered for the above camp needs to read the notice below. Camps involving Irish dance portions involving children from more than one Irish dancing school registered with CLRG will be considered equal to a workshop so the camps must apply for OPEN WORKSHOP status to exempt the participants from being connected to each other due to the current Workshop Association Rules. Such applications have a due date and a list of criteria to follow, as one would expect.

Where a camp such as CRC does not achieve OPEN status, all of the dancers attending will be deemed "connected". This means their teachers can not judge any of the dancers in attendance, their classmates and their workshop associaitons. If any of the instructors are certified teachers, then the same will apply to them too.

Anyone applying for camps where Irish dancing is featured should always check with their teacher first because attending could negatively impact an entire school.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Fellow Teachers & Adjudicators,

This weekend we received word that Camp Rince Ceol has not been granted "Open Workshop" status by An Coimisiun for 2010. The Rules Committee felt that the "aims and activities of the camp did not reflect the intended 'spirit' of open workshops".

Camp Rince Ceol has been providing a wonderful Irish dancing summer camp experience for the past 11 years. Our camp was founded on principles fostering our Irish culture and heritage. We have always paid careful attention to keep our workshops focused on dance basics; never teaching new material or altering material taught by campers' TCRGs. We have offered workshops in Irish music and Irish language, in addition to our dance workshops.

We take great pride in our program and have always followed the rules set forth by An Coimisiun. We want our Irish Dance community to know that we are presently working on an appeal. We feel confident that An Coimisiun will work with us to clarify any changes we need to make to bring this to a positive outcome. If you would like to keep informed of our progress you can look to our website, www.irishdancecamp.com or ‘Friends of CRC’ on Facebook.

We appreciate any support you can provide and thanks again for your patience while we complete the appeal process.

Sincerely,

Camp Rince Ceol

Dates For 2011 AI and W

2010-05-05T10:26:00.001-04:00

A Chara,
Please note the dates of the All Ireland & World Championships 2011.

All Ireland: 19th-27th February 2011.
World: 17th-24th April 2011.

2010 Great Britian Hotel Booking Info

2010-04-22T00:28:00.001-04:00

Dear Teacher,

We are proud to announce this year's Great Britain Championships, to be held at Butlins Resort, Bognor Regis, from 15-18 October, 2010.

The dedicated GBs website will go live on Sunday 25th April at:

www.greatbritainchampionships.com

The Teachers' booking line will open on 10th May 2010 at 9 a.m. BST. You MUST quote Great British Irish Dance Championships 865 and provide your CLRG registration number, which will be cross-referenced against the current CLRG list. You will not be able to book without your number.

Booking lines open for non-teachers on Monday 17th May at 8 a.m. BST. Non-teachers MUST quote Great Britain Irish Dance Championships 862. If non-teachers book in the first week their bookings will be cancelled and deposits returned.

Please note that the week between the two dates above is the only opportunity for Teachers to book without the risk of an under-occupancy charge being levied on under-occupied rooms.

The booking line number is 0845 070 4785 (+44 845 070 4785 from overseas).

We look forward to welcoming you, and your dancers and their families, to another fabulous Great Britain Championships. Should you have any queries please email secretary@greatbritainchampionships.com

Yours sincerely,

The Southern England Regional Council
[All GBs information is available on the GBs website at www.greatbritainchampionships.com]

Nationals 2011 Information

2010-04-21T23:29:00.003-04:00

*AGM June 30th
*Competitions July 1-5
*MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, NV
*Rooms at $149++
*Judging applications currently online; judges will be voted for in July 2010 (Orlando convention); ballots will be held in trust until after all regionals are over
*Automatic replies were sent to every judge who e-mailed an application (if you didn't get a reply then your application didn't go through)
*The number of judges per panel and if the groupings will be set or rotating will be decided at the Orlando convention as well

IDTANA Scholarships

2010-04-21T23:26:00.001-04:00

Has anyone from the ECR received one of the IDTANA scholarships? If so, please drop me a line at:

newfangle
@
yahoo.ca

IDTANA and Regional Dues

2010-04-21T23:22:00.003-04:00

Members:

Effective 2011, all dues for the ECR and IDTANA will be collected in June to co-incide with the cut-off date for dues payable to An Coimisiun.

The change is occurring to tidy up the loophole of elapsed time between submitting paperwork from one body to another with respect to workshop conflicts and associations.

Traditional Set Dance Speeds

2010-04-21T17:22:00.001-04:00

Blackbird 144
Job of Journeywork 138
King of the Fairies 130
Jockey to the Fair 90
St. Patrick's Day 96
Garden of Daisies 138
Three Sea Captains 96

As taken from the 2010 All-Ireland syllabus.

2010 ECRO Senior Age Groups & 2011 Worlds Senior Age Groups

2010-04-15T14:40:00.002-04:00

Confirmation from the Oireachtas Chairperson of An Coimisiun allows me to publish that the dances for Senior ladies will be SJ/TJ. Senior men will do R/HP.

Recently Certified ADCRGs to Consider For Feises

2010-04-13T16:11:00.005-04:00

From The Derry Exam, September 2009:

Darina White ADCRG, Drogheda, Co. Louth
Lorainne Farrell ADCRG, Tuam, Co. Galway
Fiona Diggins ADCRG, London, England
Anthony Murnane ADCRG, Co. Dublin
Tracy Taaffe ADCRG, Co. Cavan
Gavin Doherty ADCRG, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Bernadette Fegan ADCRG, Bray, Co. Wicklow

Worlds 2010 Results - Day Eight (Sunday)

2010-04-04T21:37:00.002-04:00

What a wrap-up to what seemed like a never ending week.

In the Ladies Under 21, Emily Lupiano from Sue Fay Healy was sooooooooooo close missing the medals by only one, and Lauren Stewart from GC placed 19th.

In the Seniors, Emily Penner from BFOC placed 3rd, Emily Babyn from NFOC placed 10th and Heather Adlam from GC placed 18th. Collen McKay from NFOC recalled as well as Rae Giguere from BFOC.

Congratulations also goes out to Michael Keane of the Short school for recalling in Senior Mens and to Nick Andison from BFOC for recalling in the Junior Mens category.

Well, that's a wrap for 2010. Awesome job by our region. Recall or not, always remember it is a huge achievement just to be here and that hundreds of dancers would love to have the chance you had to compete. Well done everyone.

Worlds 2010 Results - Day Seven (Saturday)

2010-04-03T08:55:00.002-04:00

All rounds for the boys are complete. Teams are underway.

Recalls went to Ben Fraser of GC and Mark Brenyo of WS in Men Under 18 and to Mike Newman also of WS in men Under 19.

Results not due for another 3-4 hours.

Worlds 2010 Results - Day Six (Friday)

2010-04-02T17:54:00.002-04:00

Good Friday brought recalls for:

Colleen Daly of Woodgate-Shamrock in Ladies Under 18 and four ladies in the Under 19 section: Rebecca Stewart of Goggin-Carroll, Ashley Davidson of BFOC, Kait Andrushko of Woodgate-Shamrock and Shaunessy Sinnett of the Corrigan school.

Congrats ladies!

Worlds 2010 Results - Day Five (Thursday)

2010-04-01T16:35:00.003-04:00

More medals for Team ECR

Boys Under 17
Lorcan Balfe placed 8th, Patrick Andison placed 9th (both from BFOC) and Lucas Lawton from Short earned himself a recall medal.

Girls Under 17
4th place for Corinne Gallibois of BFOC and 7th went to Erinn Brown of McGinley. Congratulations to Lindsay McBride from NFOC for her recall.

ECR Medal Count
BFOC 5
Corrigan 1
McGinley 1

Worlds 2010 Results - Day Four (Wednesday)

2010-03-31T17:20:00.003-04:00

The Highs and Lows of Day Five.

Michaela Hinds from BFOC proved masterful in GU15 by taking her second consecutive World Championship title. Way to go Michaela. You continue to shine and thus, inspire us all.

Sadly, there were no other recalls for the rest of the ECR girls in the U15 section nor for any of the girls in the U16 competition.

ECR Medal Count

BFOC - 2
Corrigan - 1

Worlds 2010 Results - Day Three (Tuesday)

2010-03-30T14:21:00.002-04:00

Girls Under 14:

Recalls for Laura Pastor of BFOC, Claire Gallibois of BFOC, Justine Bongers of BFOC and Alexa Petersen from Corrigan.

The final result has been given.

Girls Under 13:

Recall for Avery McNair of BFOC

Set dances are still underway.

Well done everyone!

Worlds 2010 Results - Day Two (Monday)

2010-03-29T09:41:00.003-04:00

Recalls for:

Boys U13 - Lee Tanner from Gilchrist-Canavan and Keelan Paliani from Corrigan

Boys U15 - Garth McBride from NFOC

No placement medals for the boys but great marks for each of them.

Congratulations guys.

Worlds 2010 Results - Day One (Sunday)

2010-03-29T07:52:00.003-04:00

A great start for Eastern Canada

2nd place in Boys Under 11 for Liam Grant of BFOC
11th place in Girls Under 12 for Kylie Paliani of Corrigan

Lots of personal bests for the rest of our competitors.

Changes to Contemporary Set Dances

2010-03-26T19:16:00.002-04:00

Effective September 2010, all jig set dances will carry a minimum speed of 66.

Changes to HP tempo set dances are under review by the Music and Dance committee of An Coimisiun.

Judging NAIDC 2011

2010-03-26T19:07:00.002-04:00

Names have already been sought. Submissions end May 31, 2010. Voting will occur in Orlando at the National Convention in July 2010. Results will be withheld until all qualifiers are over.

Judging 2010 North Americans

2009-12-12T13:53:00.002-05:00

Fellow Teachers:

I have just forwarded by e-mail the invitation letter to submit your name to be considered for selection.

If you didn't receive it, please ask me or e-mail Eileen Henry (she's in the book).

RC

Dancers Attending College/University Far Away From Home

2009-10-22T14:44:00.003-04:00

An Coimisiun has recognized that many senior dancers attend post-secondary school too far to attend classes regularly at their actual dance school.

As such, dancers will be allowed to participate in the class of a school near their Uni/College without creating an association conflict for both schools.

The only restriction is that the student may not be judged by the hosting teacher.

Teachers children attending University/College too far away from home are included in this ammendment.

Worlds 2010 Update

2009-10-22T14:41:00.004-04:00

It is intended to run the event with rotating panels of five judges for solo events at next year's worlds, subject to receiving enough applications to adjudicate. The second-option will be rotating panels of three judges.

Entries will be handled on-line and teachers are asked not to wait until the last minute to submit them.

The Thistle Hotel in Glasgow has been selected as the main Headquarters. Rooms are still available (no phone bookings; online only).

Grade Exams

2009-10-22T14:33:00.003-04:00

An Coimisiun offers Grade exams from 1-12, which measure proficiency in Irish dance. These was set up in part to offer something different for dancers who are less into the competitive side of dancing.

Passing the twelve exams will better prepare one for the TCRG/TMRF exam, which dancers are eligible to sit for in their twentieth year.

Dancers who earn a minimum of 71% on Grades 7-12 will be exempt from taking the dancing portion of the TCRG/TMRF exams, provided the take the test within five years of completing Grade 12.

Rule: Grade 11 and Grade 12 must be taken at different times and officiated by different examiners.

There will be a Grade Examination seminar at the IDTANA mini-convention in April (location to be determined).

IDTAC Executive Board

2009-10-21T13:02:00.002-04:00

2008-2010 Executive Committee Members

Regional Director - Yvonne Kelly, ADCRG
Vice Regional Director - Rose Johnson, TCRG
Treasurer - Michelle Brady-Hanlon, TCRG
Corresponding Secretary - Mary Bryan, ADCRG
Recording Secretary - Ryan Carroll, ADCRG

Vice-President to An Coimisiun - Rose Fearon
Regional Representative to An Coimisiun - Ryan Carroll

Next Election: March 2010

Attention: Future Exam Candidates

2009-10-20T12:48:00.000-04:00

A 3 day Ceili and Traditional set dance workshop will take place in the Studios of Rince Na hEireann/ Sandra Connick TCRG, Charlotte North Carolina.

email - wconnick@aol.com.

Teacher = Mary McElroy ADCRG from Dublin Ireland.

Items to be covered = 30 Ceili dances also all trad sets to include 3 sea caps, Jockey to fair & King of fairies.

Cost for same = $250 Sun 25th Oct 1pm - 7pm Mon 10am - 4pm, Tue 10am - 4pm.

Course suitable for all TMRF. TCRG. ADCRG candidates

2010 Junior Trophy

2009-10-20T12:45:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to the Rose City Feis in Windsor, Ontario for being awarded the honour of hosting the 2010 NAFC Junior Trophy next August.

All Ireland 2010 Adjudicators - Announcement

2009-10-20T10:27:00.003-04:00

Below is the official list of judges for next year's All Ireland, to be held in Killarney.

Adrian Stewart - SCOTLAND
Aedin Ui Mhaoileidigh - IRELAND
Brendan O'Brien - IRELAND
Brian Grant - CANADA
Charles Moore - IRELAND
Gerard McQuaid - IRELAND
Isabella Fogarty - IRELAND
Marie Connell - ENGLAND
Pascal Lyons - IRELAND
Rosetta McConomy Bradley - NORTHERN IRELAND
Tara McConomy Doherty - NORTHERN IRELAND
Vincent O'Connor - USA

New CLRG Examiners - Announcement

2009-10-20T10:22:00.003-04:00

Congratulations from IDTACE to the following recently qualified examiners who will join the list of many very distinguished members in assessing potential TCRG, TMRF and ADCRG candidates.

Anthony Costello, Brendan O'Brien, Gabrielle Hall, James McCutcheon, John Morgan, Mary McElroy, Mona Ni Rodaigh,Vincent O'Connor.

Hot Off The Press - Worlds 2010 Draft Timetable

2009-09-24T10:20:00.004-04:00

Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne 2010 Draft Timetable

Please note this is only a list of competitions and DOES NOT mean they will be danced in this order.

Sunday 28th March 2010
Girls 10-11; Boys 10-11; Girls 11-12; Boys 11-12

Monday 29th March 2010
Boys 12-13; Boys 13-14; Boys 14-15; Girls Céilí Under 13
Mixed Ceili Under 13; Mixed Figure Under 13; Girls Figure Under 13

Tuesday 30th March 2010
Girls 13-14; Girls 12-13; Mixed Ceili 13 - 16
Mixed Figure 13 - 16; Junior Dance Drama

Wednesday 31st March 2010
Girls 14-15; Boys 15-16; Girls 15-16

Thursday April 1st 2010
Girls Ceili 13-16; Boys 16-17; Girls Figure 13-16; Girls 16-17

Friday April 2nd 2010
Ladies 17-18; Ladies 18-19; Ladies Figure Over 16
Senior Dance Drama

Saturday April 3rd 2010
Men 17-18; Men 18-19; Ladies Ceili Over 16
Mixed Ceili Over 16; Mixed Figure Over 16

Sunday April 4th 2010
Men 19-21; Men Over 21
Ladies 19-21; Ladies Over 21

Training Workshop for Exams

2009-09-18T12:30:00.000-04:00

A 3 day Ceili and Traditional set dance workshop will take place in the Studios of Rince Na hEireann/ Sandra Connick TCRG, Charlotte North Carolina. email - wconnick@aol.com.

Teacher = Mary McElroy ADCRG. Items covered = 30 Ceili dances also all trad sets to include 3 sea caps, Jockey to fair & King of fairies. Cost for same = $250 Sun 25th Oct 1pm - 7pm, Mon 10am - 4pm, Tue 10am - 4pm.

Course suitable for all TMRF. TCRG. ADCRG candidates.

Nationals 2010 - Room Info And Daily Schedule

2009-09-18T12:25:00.003-04:00

Rooms are going to open up to the public in mid-October. Any rooms booked up to October 15th by non-teachers (the list will be scanned regularly) will be cancelled.

Timetable

Saturday, July 3rd
· Comp. 2 A & B Ladies 18 & Under 20
· Comp. 6 A & B Girls Under 15
· Comp. 11 A & B Girls Under 10
· Comp. 14 Men 20 & Over
· Comp. 15 Men 18 & Under 20
Sunday, July 4th
· Comp. 1 Ladies 20 & Over
· Comp. 4 A & B Girls Under 17
· Comp. 8 A & B Girls Under 13
· Comp. 25 Boys Under 9
· Comp. 26 Boys Under 8
Monday, July 5th
· Comp. 16 Men Under 18
· Comp. 17 Boys Under 17
· Comp. 18 Boys Under 16
· Comp. 19 Boys Under 15
· Comp. 20 Boys Under 14
· Comp. 21 Boys Under 13
· Comp. 22 Boys Under 12
· Comp. 23 Boys Under 11
· Comp. 24 Boys Under 10
· All Ceili, Figure Choreography, Dance Drama and Adult Competitions

Tuesday, July 6th
· Comp. 5A A Girls Under 16 A
· Comp. 7 A & B Girls Under 14
· Comp. 10 A & B Girls Under 11
· Comp. 12 Girls Under 9
· Comp. 13 Girls Under 8
Wednesday, July 7th
· Comp. 3 A & B Ladies Under 18
· Comp. 5B B Girls Under 16B
· Comp. 9 A & B Girls Under 12

North American Championships

2009-05-12T11:24:00.002-04:00

Info on the 2009 "Nationals" in Nashville, TN.

http://www.idtana-southernregion.com/NAIDC09/

Great Britains 2009

2009-05-12T11:22:00.001-04:00

2009 Great Britain Championships Information

http://greatbritainchampionships.com/index2.php