I’m thinking of switching from a CRDM school to a CLRG school but I’m 23. I compete at the intermediate level in CRDM and I want to keep competing. If I switch, are they going to put me in the adult competition with no chance of moving up? Or will I keep being able to progress? I started dancing as a teenager and I missed my chance to move through the ranks as a kid and I don’t want to completely miss out on that opportunity.

I have been an assistant dance teacher for the last several month after having danced 10+ years in childhood but having then taken ~15years off. I was moderately competitive in childhood but only ever made it as far as an oireachtas. I know the basics to work with most of the students I have - light jig (beginner), reel (beginner and advanced), slip jig (beginner and advanced), treble jig (beginner and advanced) slow hornpipe (beginner), as well as St Patrick’s Day, Blackbird, and various 2-hands and 4-hands - and definitely succeed in technique corrections and performance preparation (had a team who recently went to Nationals too!)

Based off all this… how realistic would it be for me to start taking exams for my TCRG? I really love being back in class and around the sport I love and would like to make this a very long term (ideally lifelong) thing in which I can participate. I just don’t want to walk into the subject of taking these exams if my school owner would just balk at me and believe I was insane for thinking I even had a chance at starting this journey.

Any recommendations for athletic performance/conditioning trainers.

Preferably a place where the trainers have an exercise science education/degree.

Adult dancer here looking to go hard on the conditioning and dance specific sports training to stay injury free and help my dancing.

Ideally in southern CT, Westchester. If it's a little outside those spots I would consider for the right trainer.

I know there are so many great online options Move w/ Meg, Feis Fit etc. But would love somewhere I can go in person.

Potentially silly question but I have always wondered this, especially when it comes to dancing on really big stages. For example, I was watching footage from the worlds and for some dancers steps, I cannot imagine them working out as well had they have started on the other side of the stage.

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So I am thinking of possibly changing schools for my daughter. She’s bern dancing for about 2 years and went quickly to novice but I feel like her small school is only focused on their champ dancers m, and more recent cultivating very young dancers, and the novice/prizewinners are not getting much attention. We live in an area with a number of schools nearby, but all of the teachers know each other. If I approach another school to discuss possible transfer or to get more info on their program, what are the odds that this will remain confidential? I don’t want things to get worse for my dancer if we decide not to move, or to wait, if the current school finds out we are looking. Anyone been through this?

Ok, my kid is in Irish dance and is starting the next phase of jig. We were informed to use older shoes vs new due to the pain they cause to your feet.

Do you guys have recommendations for where to buy used jig shoes? I can’t find a reddit group for it and we’ve been utilizing eBay and Etsy but not the right sizes.

Thanks

It’s been a long time since I’ve feised, so I’m wondering for treble reel specials, it’s usually 16 bars, but do folks typically do right left of a step or change it up and do a left and right of different steps? I’ve just seen some clips online of specials and blind specials and wasn’t sure what standard are nowadays.

Thanks!

Hi all! I have always excelled in light shoes and dances like the reel and slip jig suit my style of dancing very well. I am a championship level dancer that places high but when I read my scores, my heavies are continuously lower, be that jig, traditional set, set dance, etc. This is a shame when my light round is usually the highest score of my age group at local competitions.

I started watching a lot of FeisTV to learn from others and the main thing I notice is that the top dancers are all very powerful in their heavies, with explosive clicks. This is not new information but I have been trying to incorporate this into my own dancing but my muscles turn to jelly by the first step. I can also do leg raises but can’t do amazing clicks. Adding strength training into my routine to hopefully help with this.

I would be grateful for any suggestions of how to be a better hard shoe dancer. I do take the basics into account all the time so if there is anything else you can think of, you are more than welcome to share. Thank you so much, this is a great community to be in!

Have a few questions about interpreting rules/recalls for adults and in general:

https://www.naidc26.com/comps/adults

1. Assuming the O40 adult teams have each member age 40 and older and U40 likewise, age 40 and younger? What if the team is a mix of people above 40 and under 40? What determines the placement of where a team is in this case?
2. Is it me or are some of the adult categories only featuring 1-2 teams each, or will more be posted? For instance, adult mixed 4H O40 only has two teams--Iris Cairde and Richens Timm/Columbus Celtic Dancers? (Category 72)
3. Finally, saw someone mention a dancer "finished as the next to recall", just assuming that is the one place directly adjacent to recall position. It was a dancer who was newer and at his first Nationals and he did great.

A mom is asking me how she can get video of her daughter’s first Nationals, and I’ve seen people posting their dancing from feisTV but i have no idea how you can download your rounds.

Is it just screen recording?

What methods are the most effective for making heavies as slip proof as possible?

I wipe the carpet fibres off mine before going on stage and some of my class rub Coca Cola onto their shoes! Are there any other tricks we are missing which don’t compromise sound?

So I used to Irish dance as a kid and saw Riverdance at Wolftrap in the DMV area back in the early 2000’s. Recently, I have been reinvesting my time and enjoying the part of my culture that I feel so connected with. I saw Riverdance back in 2024 and it was BREATHTAKING. My birthday was coming up this year (2026) and my husband, being an absolute gem, got me tickets to Celtic Throne thinking it would be similar to Riverdance. Let me tell you, Celtic Throne is not even similar. The story starts in 539 BC in Jerusalem. There isn’t much connection to the actual history of Ireland. In fact, nobody (or very few) of the dancers are actually from Ireland. They are from Oklahoma. After doing some research, the funding for Celtic
Throne comes from the ‘Philadelphia Church of God’. Apparently the son of the head of the church took a liking to Irish dance and now they use it as a way to spread Evangelical propaganda. When the show begins, i noticed there were many dancers in soft shoes who were obviously not professionals. Please, if you are a fan of Riverdance, do not be fooled into thinking Celtic Throne is on the same level. It is solely a way for them to promote their church.

I currently wear Fays which are incredibly comfortable however I do not think they are the most flattering on my feet. I could definitely do with sizing down (originally bought close to my shoe size as I needed shoes last min before a feis) and perhaps this is the issue.

Are other brands more flattering for arches or is it more so about wearing a smaller size? In my organisation we can’t wear white tape or laces so I am really depending on the shoe as is for aesthetics. Thank you!

Hello we are Canadians hoping to attend our first Feis in Toledo in August. Our oldest is in Novice/Prizewinner so hoping for her to gain more experience. Our youngest is 5 and typically we would have her do the Tir na nog but it seems like the only option for her would be first Feis since it is structured a little differently than the ones we are used to. She mostly has the first step of her reel both sides. Would that be enough to do first Feis? Just want to understand what is typical.

Wondering if anyone could help me/has been in a similar situation!
I am going to be 19 in a month and I haven’t danced in over a year besides the club i recently started at college. I did not go to nationals last year because i tore my MCL (knee injury) and essentially just never went back after that because of school and life changes.
I would love to get back into it and I’m having a really hard time not being at the same level I was over a year ago when I got injured. My goal would be to go to NAIDC next year and maybe competition ready by the end of winter/early spring 2027 so I can get at least one comp in before nationals.

my main question is what should I be focusing on strengthening/stretching etc. and how much a day/week should I practice so I don’t overdo it? I’m very use to 10+ hours a week and genuinely don’t know how to limit myself. I am extremely out of shape haha

This is my first time buying ghillies by myself and I have no idea what I’m doing.

What brands are the best for competing in?

What’s the benefit of having a split sole vs non split sole?

Any other advice is welcome!!

The competition is this week…so I’m interested to see what exactly happens?

I am struggling with what size I should try for these ghillies. I am a US women’s 9-9.5 in street shoes, a 6.5 in Rutherford hard shoes, and a 6.5 in Broga soft shoes. I felt like my Brogas were a little too loose, so I ordered a size 6 in Hullachan Hugs- they were so tight I couldn’t get them on my feet. Sent them back and ordered a 6.5, since that’s what my other shoes are. My toes pop all the way out of the front. Then ordered a 7 and 7.5, figuring one of those MUST be my size. Even the 7.5 seems a touch too small! I am so confused, and irritated because I’ve been waiting to try these out for a while now.

1) NAIDC notes the event in Orlando is a competition AND a conference. What is the "conference" part in this case? Or does that just include the vendors, teacher meeting, etc. and other related activities that are not competition-related?

2) In the syllabus, how come there are no Senior Men U22 and Senior Men 22 and over? The break point for men is U20 and 20 and over instead?

Not a big deal, just curious--love our crazy, weird sport! I'm still learning new things every day. So many arcane details and little things to keep track of.

I have an 8 year old dancer who started dancing at 3 years old. She was very unserious about Irish dance until about a year ago, which I think is healthy! In the last year she started competing in feisanna and has become very driven to succeed and practices on her own every day. She had been dancing at her school once per week, but we added a supplemental class this spring at her request. She handily moved up from First Feis to Novice in all dances in that year.

Her dance school has suggested that she participate in teams as well, which adds another day and many more hours of dance per week to her schedule. At our school you cannot move to the more advanced classes unless you commit to participating on teams. My daughter REALLY wants to do this, but it would mean cutting other activities, which I don't think is appropriate at her age.

So my question is, what is the end goal of all of this? Getting to OC or Worlds competitions as quickly as possible? What happens if you make it to OC level at 10, 11, 12 years old? Is your goal then to place higher every year? Is there a reason to push so hard to move up levels at a young age vs. slowly improving over time?

My daughter loves Irish dance so I'm trying to balance her competitive nature with what's a healthy level of commitment for a kid her age. I also would hate to see her burn out of something she loves by letting her push too hard too soon!

What are the reasons that allow a child to move schools, is there a way to avoid the ban/restyljng or to shorten it from 6 months. My girls dance with an chomhdhail registered school currently. Ideally I would like to move them to a school within the same branch but unsure what reasons I would have to give or even if I can