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Your First Feis
Entered for your first feis? No real idea what to expect when you get there?
Read on!
Your first feis will be either a beginners' or class feis held by the Academy, or an 'open' feis somewhere in the Southern Region. (Commission rules prevent dancers from competing 'out of region' until they are intermediate or open grade.)
When she feels a new dancer is ready to enter a competition, Frances will consult the dancer's parents and provide instructions on how to find the feis, etc. If the feis is pre-entry, she will also collect and send entry fees to the organising school in advance. Do talk to parents of more experienced dancers -- their advice can be very helpful. In the end, though, you'll only find out what a real feis is like when you go to your first one.
Many feiseanna are held in large schools and community halls, and are usually full of dancers and their families rushing to and fro in what seems like utter chaos. Don't be fooled, though -- most of them do know where they are going, but you won't be the only first-timers there, and we all went through the same learning curve.
Tip number one: leave yourself plenty of time for your journey, plus at least an hour for registration, finding your way to the right place at the feis, removing hair curlers, putting on the costume, warming up, etc. Giving yourself plenty of time means you can enjoy the experience. After all, that's the point!
Tip number two: be sure your dancer has had something to eat, and drinks plenty of liquid during the competition. Studies suggest that as little as 10% dehydration results in significant loss of muscle power.
Arrival
Congratulations! You've passed the first test -- finding the venue -- and have managed to park the car. Grab all that gear, load up the kids (that's what they're for, isn't it?), and make your way to the entrance. You might have to hunt around, but head for the place where the majority of people are coming and going, and ask somebody.
At the entrance, you will normally have to pay a few pounds for each adult. Dancers and other kids are usually free. You may also be able to buy a programme, which will hopefully list all the entrants in each age group and grade. The names might not mean much to you at this stage, but you will soon be able to match names to faces if your dancer continues to compete.
Unless registration has been done in advance and you already have a competitor number, the next job will be to find the registration desk. Ask the person on the door where this is. You will probably need to tell the registrar which dances your dancer is doing (Frances will normally discuss this with you beforehand).
At most competitions, you will be given small slips or tokens -- one for each solo dance (with possibly different ones for trophy dances). These are handed in as the dancers line up for each dance (see below).
Tip: If you don't have a timetable, try to find out which competition is immediately before yours in the same hall, and which dances are included in that competition. This is useful so that you can tell when it is nearly time for you to be ready.
Armed with your number, the next job is to find out where in the venue your competition(s) are being held. The main hall, probably with a stage, is often reserved for championships. Non-championship competitions are usually staged in sports hall, gyms, etc. Ask the registrar where you should go, and look for signs, arrows, etc. You may find yourself in a 'split' hall. This is where one musician sits between two or three 'stages' and plays for all competitions at the same time.
Somewhere between the audience and the dance area(s), there will be a small desk and a chair for the adjudicator.
Setting up
Now you've found the right hall, the next jobs are to find somewhere to sit and sort out those curls! (Especially note the warning about tight tops!) Both of these can be a bit of problem, because (a) the hall is probably crowded and (b) it is difficult to stand and remove 100-150 curlers in the middle of the previous competition.
You may also want to apply make-up at this time, but this is not a requirement. Unlike championship dancers, who need to highlight their features on stage, beginners usually dance right under the adjudicator's nose, and heavy make-up can be very off-putting -- especially on younger dancers.
A couple of tips, then: if you have time, find the canteen, a changing area, or a quiet corner, and do the hair job; and remember that if all else fails, there will be a changeover of dancers and parents when the previous competition ends. If you are quick (and you sometimes need to be!) you will manage to grab a couple of seats.
Now you can relax a little -- at least until your competition is about to begin.
Nearly time
It can be difficult at first to know when the previous competition is about to end (see our tip, above). Competitions generally (but not always) run to a similar pattern, however, with a number of light dances, possibly a trophy light dance, then a number of heavy dances, and possibly ending with a trophy heavy. If in doubt, look out for the parent of a dancer who is competing. They will likely know what dances are still to come.
At least 20 minutes before your competition is to start, your dancer should have socks and shoes on, and be going through his/her warming up routines, and practicing the steps of the dance about to be performed. With ten minutes to go, check that the dancer has been to the loo -- difficult in full costume! Then it's time to get the costume on (including pinning or tying the number in place), check that laces are tight, and that socks are clean and 'glued'.
Lining up
Before each dance, the dancers are called to line up at the side of the stage. Don't be surprised if lots and lots of dancers suddenly appear -- these competitions can sometimes be large. Somebody will be there to help -- especially with younger dancers, and will also collect their dance tickets.
Dances are usually performed with three dancers on stage at a time, but Frances will have coached them in what to do before and after dancing. A smile is nice, from time to time -- everybody likes to see dancers enjoying themselves.
That's it. Your dancer is on stage. Good luck!
Etiquette
If you go to enough feiseanna, you will see people doing the strangest things. Some dos and donts are:
Do:
- Be quiet and stay seated while dancers are performing.
- Respect the fact that some dancers are nervous or easily distracted.
- Remember to praise your dancer for his/her efforts. They've done well just getting up there!
Dont:
- Take flash photographs or video while dancers are on stage.
- Allow other children to run around noisily.
- Comment about other dancers/parents/adjudicators/musicians/etc.
- Complain loudly if your child doesn't win. Like the referee in football, an adjudicator never changes his/her mind!
- Allow food or drink to be spilled on the floor (most competitions are food- and drink-free zones anyway -- although dancers' drinks are usually OK).
- Use hairspray or other aerosols in confined spaces -- they can cause breathing problems for some people.
