May 23, 2004
Capital Feis,
Ottawa, ON
July 17, 2004
Dongan Feis, Albany, NY
.
Never been to a feis before? No problem! If you have any questions,
you may want to check out the following:
What to Bring:
Students:
Costume, neat not wrinkled, clean socks, ghillies, hair clips, pins and
spray, proper coverage for undergarments if needed (i.e. bloomers, kick
pants) headphones with music to practice while waiting, deck of cards,
a book, or game for down time. Also bring or purchase an extra
pair of
socks. Ghillies need to be free of dirt/dust before going up on
stage. Remember to label all your personal items and keep things
together in your bag. Always let your parents know where you are
and
stay with a grown up your family knows and trusts. STAY HYDRATED!
Drink lots of water.
Parents:
Think
picnic--folding chairs, blanket, healthy foods, drinks (lots of water),
a good book and/or cd player with headphones, first aid kit, and safety
pins.
Be prepared to spend a lot of time standing
around, running
around, and waiting for your child's event. At some point make
sure
you take some time to enjoy and view the other events.
For
Montreal:
Upon entering the front entrance which is closest to the
main
street. If you enter at that opening go immediately to your left
down
the hallway and set your things up against the lockers. I would
like
for all of those attending to stay together and help one another
throughout the day. We camped out there last year and even though
it
was away from the gym, I think it is good for the students to have a
quiet place.
If both parents are going, one parent should go
down the main
hallway where the vendors are and get your child's registration card
number. People should be set up alphabetically like they do at
voter
registration. ***Guard this card with your life and make sure it
is
kept neat and intact. Your child will need to wear this number
card
pinned to the front of his/her costume for competing and will need to
show the card to pick up any medals*** Write your child's events down
on the back of the card in pencil,
Go in to the main gym and find what stage each
of your child's
events will be on and note them also in pencil on the back of the
card. Each platform/stage will be numbered and on the back wall
should
be a large poster board with all the events for that stage
listed. The
feis officially begins at 9:00am after the Irish, Canadian, and
American anthems are played.
WHILE one parent is getting the card and
information, the other
parent should be getting your dancer ready. Find the bathrooms
for use
BEFORE changing. Get the costume on, hair neat and secured off
the
face, socks clean and shoe laces DOUBLE KNOTTED. No food or drink
other than water should be consumed while in costume. It is
helpful
for your child to wear clothing that he/she would feel comfortable in
getting changed in a large group.
After finding the stages, go back to your
dancer, pin on the
number with two small safety pins and walk down together to the
stages. As the time approaches, have your child stretch out and
go
over his/her steps.
Be ready at your stage by 9:00am if you event is
up first anc
check in whith the stage manager. The stage manager will have the
entry numbers llisted for all dancers in that event. If you have
any
questions direct them towards the stage manager, NEVER approach the
judge. Events may or may not be announced, you are responsible
for
being on time and checking in for each event. You will need to
anticipate when your child's next event will take place.
NO VIDEO TAPING OR FLASH CAMERAS ALLOWED!!! Read
all of the rules noted by the North American Feis Commission
NEVER leave valuables unattended and know where
your child is at all times.
Dancers, upon entering the gym area listen to
the music and
review your steps in your head. Make sure you do your steps to
the
right music. While sitting and waiting to go up on stage stretch
your
legs and feet, point and flex.
Most importantly...HAVE FUN!
Still have questions? Check out these sites for more
information:
Jenny's
"First Feis" page
The McGahan Lees
Academy's "First Feis" tips
Your First Feis and
Beyond
Also, you can also ask Alice at mcmurphy@adelphia.net
