Irish Dance competitions are called feisanna, or individually “feis”, pronounced “fesh”. These are held wherever Irish Dance is taught. Our Comerford School traditionally hosts a feis every March. And since our school teachers are certified by the Irish Dance Commission in Dublin, our feis is likewise sanctioned.
A feis features several levels of dance ability – usually Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Novice, Prizewinner, Preliminary Championship, and Open Championship. There are guidelines and rules which determine how a dancer is placed in these categories. Basically, one has to master a given level before moving on to the next level.
Feisanna typically include other competitions called Specials or Trophy dances. These give dancers a change to take home a trophy. The requirements for entering these competitions are provided in the feis syllabus. l
The competitions and rules for a feis are published in the feis syllabus. Feisanna use one of several online feis entry services. FeisWorks and Feis Productions are used for most Western US feisanna. The syllabus and other info will be posted at the feis entry service.
And, every Fall the Western Region US Championships happen in November. This event is limited to championship dancers. It highlights the best of the best in the West, and also is a qualifying event for the World Championships the following year.
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