We Love Irish Dancing!

NBC coverage of Worlds

2009-04-11T08:10:00.001-04:00

Seamus O'Se interviewed by Philly's NBC affiliate ... with footage of dancing competition included. Great promotion for the sport!

Live commentary ...

2009-04-06T17:13:00.002-04:00

Well you can't see the dancing! But You can hear it, and I am watching the Girls 12-13 in line for sets, and our friend Kelsey from Mayer is in line right now. Yeah! Good luck, Kelsey!

Worlds' photos & results

2009-04-05T21:59:00.004-04:00

Photos from Worlds are beginning to go online at Swoose.net. Scroll down to the World Championships section, and then click on the day for which you want to see photos.

And when it's updated, you'll be able to find results online at Feisresults.com.

More Worlds' video

2009-04-05T14:40:00.000-04:00

Four CNY Dancers Going to the World Championship of Irish Step Dance

Four dancers from Johnston School of Irish Dance, in Syracuse--Colleen Augello, 11, of Camillus, Merry Jo Devine, 13, of Watertown, Colleen Byrnes, 14, of Syracuse, and Abigail Trageser, 16, of Brewerton--will be competiting in the World Championship of Irish Step Dance, in Philadelphia, April 5 to 12. The girls will be competiting against approximately 6,000 dancers from across the world.

More Worlds' Tweeting

2009-04-05T09:41:00.001-04:00

Don't miss out on the updates at Twitter.com/irishdance for more great news about this weeks' World Championships in Philly. It's all getting underway now!

Worlds' dancers in the news

2009-04-01T13:04:00.004-04:00

Ready to dance for the world
A group of Irish dancers from Lincoln have been making last minute preparations ahead of the world championships in America. (BBC)
Click here for video

Dancers hope to become world champs
(The Lincolnshire Echo, story about dancer school featured in video above)

OSU student to compete for Irish dance world title
(The Lantern, story about Michael Holland)

Stepping up to the Worlds in Philadelphia
(The North Shore News)

Getting set for Worlds' coverage!

2009-04-01T12:44:00.005-04:00

As dancers & TCs Worldwide finish prepping for the Irish Dancing World Championships, those of us not attending are getting eager for information about the upcoming competitions!

CLRG will again be charging 12 Euros, as it did during the All Ireland Championships, for complete access to coverage - photos, recalls, results and the always-popular live commentary.

However, those of you who do not want to pay for your Worlds' news may want to take former dancer, now journalist S.J. Velasquez up on her offer. Velasquez will be covering the ultimate 2010 Irish dance competition via her I Heart That! Dance blog. She also will be tweeting Worlds' updates, so if you're on Twitter - or like me find that Irish dance is what gets you to finally sign up - you can send Velasquez a request.

Of course, the online community will also be posting lots of info and links on Dance.net. So check there regularly for great links! Not long now ...

McClanahan Dancers - St. Patrick's Day 2009

2009-03-21T17:14:00.002-04:00

Here's a glimpse of some dancing from one of our performance troupes this St. Patrick's Day. We had four groups out this year - with a minimum of 10 performances on their schedule each! What a day ... and what a great way to celebrate our heritage!

St. Patrick's Performances begin

2009-03-16T15:20:00.004-04:00

Here's just a little snapshot of our first performance this year ... we've many more to do!

Irish Dancing on the Today Show

2009-03-16T15:19:00.000-04:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Photos for All Irelands now available to all!

2009-02-20T08:34:00.001-05:00

With the subscription service that CLRG required this year for the All Ireland awards and live commentary, pictures certainly were hard to come by! But now FeisPix has loaded its entire gallery online for everyone to check out.
Enjoy!

Dress for Sale!

2009-02-09T19:48:00.004-05:00

Well, maybe I'll feed them less ... then they'll stop growing so fast, right?
We just bought this beautiful, well-kept Dancing in Celtic dress in May and already it's beyond too small for my dancer. I guess that's what happens when they grow more than four inches in less than a year!
This two-piece dress has been well cared for and is in excelled gently used condition. It includes a floral headband, bloomers, and a gorgeous gold broach that we use on the cape.
The dress as originally made can be seen on DIC's gallery, No. 014. Since then, however, it has had hundreds of embellishments added, including the raspberry discs around the front ruffle and sleeves as well as lots of crystals.
It has been stored flat in a smoke- and pet-free home.

We'll have the dress with us at the St. Louis Irish Arts Feis on Feb. 14, and it's available now.

Measurements are as follows:
Bust: 28
Waist: 25.5 (underbodice); 26.5 (jacket)
Sleeve: 21
Total length: 28.5
Asking: $850
For more picture or with questions, email me at brookedesign (at) insightbb.com.
Thanks!

Storm delays updates

2009-02-09T19:32:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posting this. We were without power for nearly five days in Kentucky, and had lots of cleanup following the major ice storm that went through the area.
So, by now, all of you probably know that the Consumer Protection Safety Commission has issued a one-year reprieve on lead- and phthalate-testing for children's items.
For more on the delayed implementation of the full law, read the following:
Lawmakers Rush to Delay Consumer Protection Law
Children's product sellers get 1-year reprieve on lead testing

This is good news for those of use looking for a dress in the next year, and hopefully the law will be rewritten in the coming year to allow for one-of-a-kind handmade items to fall outside the testing requirements. But if it doesn't ... I don't know where we'll all be getting dresses for those littler DDs in our lives.

CPSIA: Dressmakers', buyers' worries continue

2009-01-25T14:19:00.004-05:00

For those of us having dresses made — and certainly for those whose livelihoods depend on dressmaking — the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act has meant ongoing concerns. Micro-producers and makers of handmade items worldwide who sell their products in America are facing severe financial implications because of the law's language regarding lead and phthalate testing even for items previously identified as not problem-causing.
I have continued to follow this issue and wanted to provide links to some additional information. If you, too, are concerned, please write your legislators and ask that Congress revisit this act. Protecting our children is important, clearly. But putting small businesses out of business because the law to protect those children was poorly written is unconscionable.
Blog.Buyhandmade.org
CPSIA-central.ning.com
Nationalbankruptcyday.com
Handmade Toy Alliance

Scrap the CPSIA (Forbes magazine 1/16/08)
Scrap the CPSIA - Part 2 (Forbes magazine 1/22/08)

2009-01-21T09:14:00.001-05:00

So I was talking to my inauguration lunch buddy yesterday and completely missed this beautiful music from Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Anthony McGill & Gabriela Montero called "A Gift to Be Simple."
Well, what do ya' know, the arrangement included a large portion of the Shaker Quick Dance ... also instantly recognizable to Irish dancing fans as "Lord of the Dance."

Listen and enjoy ... it's beautiful

And another video out of the vault!

2009-01-16T22:56:00.002-05:00

Here's one of Sean O' Cuilleanain dancing the Liverpool Hornpipe in 1963. It's pure, Irish dance as it was meant to be done. His beats are incredible, and it's all done on a stage that looks to be about to cave in at any minute!

Amazing older ID video

2009-01-16T22:26:00.003-05:00

Here is an AMAZING 1972 video of Celine Hession and Donncha O' Muimhneachain dancing a hardshoe slipjig at RTE Studios in Dublin.

Forget about turnout ... Their precision, posture and stamina during this performance of "A Fig for a Kiss" and "The Kid on the Mountain" is phenomenal.

More on the new product safety law ...

2009-01-06T21:23:00.003-05:00

Again, not strictly ID related, but certainly important and it will have an effect. As I've done more reading on this issue today, I've discovered that the apparel industry is calling Feb. 10 "National Bankruptcy Day" because of all the businesses that will no longer be able to function given this law's rigidness. Here's a web site that is working to reverse some of the most egregious aspect of HR4040.

And just this morning, From the LA Times: "Regulators rethink rules on testing children's clothing and toys for lead"
Story contains links for how to get your opinion heard during the comments period.

New Consumer Safety regulations - how will it affect Irish dance costuming?

2009-01-04T16:05:00.018-05:00

Costuming is an enormous part of the competitive Irish dance arena - for better or not. We can say the results should be all about the dance, but TCs, moms and dancers all spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about that crucial next dress. Not to mention, the sale of the current dress to help fund said next dress.
Well, partially in reaction to last year's product-safety debacle involving imported Chinese items, the U.S. government has passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which goes into effect Feb. 10.
The prohibition of lead and phthalates from prolonged contact with our children is important. But, as always, there are two sides and this law does seem so broad as to be detrimental to both small business and, ultimately, the environment.
It has far-reaching implications on both the production and sale of new and used products for children under the age of 12 - toys, furniture, jewelry, apparel and more. All materials used in the production of these items must be tested and may not contain more than 600 ppm of lead or any of several kinds of phthalates (a plasticizer).
While most large manufacturers can afford the testing of materials, small makers protest that they would never be able to afford to test the small batches of fabric, ribbon, plastic, etc. they use. Many of these people are artisans and/crafters who make unique and boutique items. Their businesses would be shut down, or at least banned from selling to anyone younger than a teen.
Additionally, resale outlets, such as consignment stores and eBayers, would be unable to test the materials involved in every item they sell for children. Owners of such businesses say the act would mean millions of children's items would end in landfills because they could neither be sold nor even donated to places such as the Goodwill or Salvation Army. And, of course, the resellers would lose huge portions of their own businesses by no longer being able to sell children's products.
According to Apparel News:
"Manufacturers, in order to comply with the law, must test every product detail, including each individual paint color, fabric, buttons, thread and rhinestones. Even if the same paint, zipper, fabric or buttons are used on a variety of different garments, each garment must be separately tested. Estimates put the cost of testing each garment between $600 and $1,500."

So, how does this affect Irish dance?
Well, how are dressmakers going to handle these regulations? Certainly, they cannot test all their materials for lead content. Crystals are one item that already has been mentioned as a likely problem. Surely some fabrics will be also - anything with sequins come to mind. Their highly plastic quality makes me wonder, as plastic and vinyl are both typical lead carriers.
Will getting a dress through U.S. customs become even more difficult? If so, will we in the U.S. have even fewer choices of where to have our dresses made? There are no "big-name" dressmakers here. No new Gavins, Phoebes or Elevations for the U13 crowd? Maybe the silver lining will be that someone in the U.S. will rise up and take a larger role?
Dressmakers already are talking about no longer making dresses for dancers younger than 12, and making sure that when they ship a dress it is clearly marked "Not intended for children under the age of 12." But what about a dress already under contract, or already in production? Feb 10 isn't very far away ...
As for used dresses, does that mean that the second-hand market for the dresses of younger dancers in the U.S. will no longer be able to sell online for fear of being caught and facing significant fines? If you've got a used dress for a younger dancer, now may be the time to get it sold.
Of course, the issue there is that everyone already else is trying to do the same thing. The number of new dress listings recently on Dance-Again for older dresses has been pretty significant. It seems the economic downturn has a lot of people looking deeper into the old dress bags under their beds.
And Irish Dance vendors likely will be affected as well. Those tiaras and pricey embellished headbands laden with crystals likely wouldn't meet the standard. What other products would be problematic?

It's a lot think about, particularly if you're a dressmaker or if you're getting ready to be in the dress hunt again. Here are some links to a few news stories on the topic:
New safety rules for children's clothes have stores in a fit (LA Times)
Upcoming CPSC Deadline Vexes Childrenswear Manufacturers (Apparel News)
When rules trump ingenuity (Seattle Times)
New law seems to ban resale of toys (Columbus Dispatch)
New law may hurt crafters at home (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

The Smart Mama blog also has a good explanation.

Finally, if you are affected, this group has formed a petition to alter the testing standard.
And for dressmakers, here's a link to information that will be required under the new law on labeling for all children's products manufactured.

Ending 2008!

2009-01-04T11:08:00.005-05:00

Wow, what an end to 2008! We were on quite the whirlwind ... the Oireachtas, which seems so long ago, followed by less than two weeks to get ready for our family's first big trip home to Ireland in six years.
I hated not to be able to do a post-O wrap up for 2008, but with only 14 days to do a month's worth of work when we returned from Columbus, plus pack and do all the much-procrastinated-about Christmas shopping, I was seriously behind schedule!
So here's a quick note on the Oireachtas that will never be forgotten ...

McClanahan took more dancers to the MWO in 2008 than ever before. It was a great year. We had 25 qualify, but due to college and an injury, 22 actually travelled to compete. But once we got to Columbus, we were beset by one crazy, unforeseen event after another.
We had one dancer - a first-timer at the O - who was in the group of dancers accidentally left out of the initial recalls on Friday. She had already returned to her hotel and was getting ready to hit the movies with her family when she found out she actually had recalled. What a rush to get back to the venue and onstage to compete!
Also, three of our dancers were in a car wreck the day before their comps. And two dancers were unable to compete after they got there - one because she got a violent stomach virus and was ill all night long before her competition.
After all that chaos, though, there were two great silver linings. We had two World Qualifiers! A first for our school. Lisa Morales, a senior ladies dancer, qualified by placing 9th. And Maria del Rosario (shown at right onstage with other U17 world qualifiers) placed 7th in the Ladies U17. What an inspiration to see these young women do so well amongst such amazing competition!

So, now the O is over once again, and 2009 is here. Many people are talking about how the economy will change feising. How will it change my family's feising? I don't know. I think we're likely skipping King O'Sullivan this year, which has been an annual favorite. But that's as much because I'm tired of traveling as anything. We spent the last two weeks of December in Ireland (here's a pic of the kids at the Cliffs of Moher), and I'm feeling like I haven't had much normal at home time in months!
Our first feis of 2009 will probably be St. Louis Irish Arts and then the new Buckeye Feis in Columbus. But, then again, that's only two feiseanna over the next four months ... can feisheads like us really dial back that much?!

Southern Region Oireachtas Updates Online

2008-12-06T16:16:00.002-05:00

The Southern Region is posting live recalls and other info on its blog. Lots of awesome information and super fast updates!

Mid-America Irish Dance Championships Photos

2008-12-05T19:05:00.002-05:00

Photos are now online from the 2008 MidWest Oireachtas! This link will take you to Harrington Photography's gallery page. Note that the pages for each day's photos from the O are at the bottom of this gallery.

Mid-America Irish Dance Championships Parade of Champions

2008-12-05T10:36:00.000-05:00

Eastern Canada Oireachtas Awards photos

2008-11-25T22:10:00.001-05:00

Click here to see photos on RincePix of the awards from the recent Eastern Canada Oireachtas awards.

Other Os getting underway!

2008-11-21T21:37:00.004-05:00

The New England and Western Os are this weekend. You can find out more about them on their web sites:
New England Regional Oireachtas
Western Region Oireachtas

Results for the NE Region do not appear to be posted on the region's web site live, but many can be found in the NE Voy Message Board.
And recalls for the Western Region will be posted on the Feisworx blog and final results on Feisworx.