A few months ago I was looking at the calendar and realized this past week was my daughter's spring break. Last year a lot of her friends went out of town and I knew we couldn't go on a big spring vacation but I wanted to take her somewhere. So what else does a good feis mom do? I started looking for a feis to attend and found one 5 1/2 hours away in Syracuse New York. As it got closer to feis day I started thinking that maybe we shouldn't go. I've never driven 5 1/2 hours by myself and my husband couldn't take the day off work to chauffeur me and I was worried I we would make the trip for nothing. As the week went on and my daughter was bored I decided to make the trip - after all I had paid for it and the adventure would break up the monotony.
The Central New York Feis is held at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse and is run by FeisWeb. I have to be honest - I don't care for FeisWeb. When registering for a feis I'm used to seeing a count of how many are in each competition. I like that. It gives us a sense of the competition and whether or not the event will split or merge. It's not possible to do this with FeisWeb. They give an up to the minute entry list but in order to see how many are in your competitions you have to scroll through and physically count the entries. Who has time for that? At least we got totals with the stage assignments. A nice touch was having the dance number emailed to us a few days before the feis. All we had to do was print in out and take it with us.
The feis itself was well run. It started promptly at 8:30 with the singing of the national anthems and headed straight to the competitions. Younger grades were danced three at a time with the older dancers two at a time. PC/OC competitions were held at the concurrent to the grades and those results were announced starting mid-morning. This CNY feis committee decided not to break for lunch because last year's feis ran very long and they hoped to keep things moving this year. To help accommodate this they had two judges at each grade event. The two judges stayed at the same stage the entire day but took turns judging the competitions and taking breaks. It was different and liked it because it kept the momentum going. It also helped that we were allowed to bring coolers in and I was prepared with all sorts of delicacies to feast on. Which was a good thing because the concessions were not good at this feis - more on that in a moment. The stages were organized and efficient and results were posted in lightning speed! Even with all these good things it still took us three hours to complete five events because the competitions were heavily populated. The two Novice dances my daughter competed in numbered into the mid-30s and thankfully split but the U11 and U14 weren’t so luck and had numbers in the mid to high 20s each. Trophies were handed out to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in the Open/Prizewinner competitions – a nice touch as I’m used to seeing only the 1st place dancer receive a goodie. There were 10 vendors – including 2 shoe vendors and dresses sales were limited to one location.
Three things keep me from raving about this feis – the concessions, the bathrooms and the admission process. There was only one concession stand open in the morning and for of us who needed/wanted coffee it wasn’t possible. There was only coffee maker and the lines were simply too long to wait through. By lunch time another concession opened and the lines were much smaller so that was somewhat of a consolation. I got my afternoon coffee and all was right with the world. Both concessions were cash only. The admissions process while very smooth required the payment a $10 of each adult attending the feis – again cash only. In this era of debit cards I don’t carry a lot of cash on me so I much prefer to the pay the family fee online with the registration. Last but very important – the bathrooms! With a feis capping at 1200 dancers (not to mention family members attending) there was only 1 – yes 1 – bathroom per gender. Dancers were urged to use a location other than bathroom to change in order to have enough space for those of us who needed to visit the necessary. I’m not sure if other buildings on the fairgrounds were open to the public and didn’t have time to find out.
We were fortunate to get a good camping area but then again we got there as the feis started and waited 2 ½ hours before her first dance. However had we waited until later we would have had pressed to find a descent spot. I think that’s true of most feisanna though.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised with this feis. It started on time, was well run, efficient and the volunteers were pleasant. Things that I found troublesome were not something the feis could control unless they found a new venue or went to a different feis management system like efeis or something similar. 24 hours we’re still waiting for personal results/comments to emailed on posted on FeisWeb and being new to this system I’m not sure when to expect them. Again given the fact that the results at the feis were posted quickly I’m assuming this might be something with FeisWeb but I’m not certain. We had a nice time, brought home some hardware and met nice people so over all I give this feis a B+. Our next stop – Cincinnati – the Queen City in two weeks. Til next time – Slainte!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Buckeye Feis Review
Saturday I spent the day in Columbus, Ohio attending the 3rd annual Buckeye Feis where my daughter danced. Overall the feis was a good experience. The venue is located just off the downtown area in the Franklin County Veterans Memorial Center (I believe it's the old convention center) and is perfect for a smaller feis - the Buckeye Feis caps at 850. There's more than enough room for stages, camping and to move around freely but perhaps the best thing about this feis is its efficiency.
As promised the feis began promptly at 8:30am with the singing of the anthems and got underway immediately with the competitions. Stages were slow in spots but the volunteers kept things moving along. Results were posted very quickly (which I always appreciate) and had it not been for a lunch break we would have been done with the competitions before noon. The volunteers were some of the nicest I've experienced at feisanna and my daughter won a 2nd place medal in a dance that has been her Achilles heel so we were happy.
Now for the nit picky side of me to rear its ugly head. I mentioned the stages breaking for lunch which seemed to happen hap hazardly with one stage breaking at 11:00 am and ours breaking at 11:40 - right in the middle of the Hornpipes and yes - right before my daughter was to dance her last competition. So instead of being done before noon we were forced to stay and have lunch which came to $16 for 1 slice of pizza, fruit cup, turkey sandwich and a diet coke. Thankfully the competition resumed by 12:30 and we were ready to go by 1:30. I realize that doesn't sound bad but when you have a 2 1/2 hour drive home it would have been nice to get on the road. Conversely friends of mine got there around 10:30 expecting their children to start dancing around 11:00 and in reality those competitions didn't start until after 12:30pm. I'm sure they could used an extra hour or so that morning and that aspect needs to be looked at (in my opinion). I felt the food prices were a little on the expensive side - especially drinks at $3.00 for a bottle of water and $4.00 for a cup of lemonade but I'm sure the feis committee had to go with the venue's food service. Luckily the Buckeye Feis does allow coolers to be brought in and if we do this feis next year I'll be more prepared in the food department. There is on site parking with a $7.00 charge (cash only) and since there's really no other convenient parking you have to pay it. I brought two solo dresses to sell and was disappointed that there was only one large rack and it was already full by the time I got my items there. By the time we were packing up the dresses were crammed in so tightly people were draping some of them on the top of rack rather than return the dress to its original spot. I was told that last year there were more dress racks and I hope they will get more for next year because I'm sure I'll have dresses to sell.......
A few things I liked were the availability of a hole punch and various colors of ribbon for the number cards, an additional card for the parents to keep track of their childrens' competitions, results were posted by stages and awards were handed out in the same fashion making that process very easy. A "girly" note - the medals are very pretty with the Buckeye Feis logo painted in enamel in the feis' colors. The fun part of the day for me was getting to meet 2 of Twitter friends at this feis (Hi Mike & Kristen!) and spend some time with each of them.
Aside from the couple negatives things I mentioned - a few of those not being in the feis committee's control (food & parking costs) this is a very organized feis. I'm hoping the feis committee looks more closely at where they put their lunch breaks in the future in order to allow some of the competitors to leave and others to get there in a more leisurely fashion. That would also free up camping and parking spaces. Next up - The Central New York Feis in two weeks. It will be our time first attending that event and I'm looking forward to something completely different! Til next time - Slainte!
As promised the feis began promptly at 8:30am with the singing of the anthems and got underway immediately with the competitions. Stages were slow in spots but the volunteers kept things moving along. Results were posted very quickly (which I always appreciate) and had it not been for a lunch break we would have been done with the competitions before noon. The volunteers were some of the nicest I've experienced at feisanna and my daughter won a 2nd place medal in a dance that has been her Achilles heel so we were happy.
Now for the nit picky side of me to rear its ugly head. I mentioned the stages breaking for lunch which seemed to happen hap hazardly with one stage breaking at 11:00 am and ours breaking at 11:40 - right in the middle of the Hornpipes and yes - right before my daughter was to dance her last competition. So instead of being done before noon we were forced to stay and have lunch which came to $16 for 1 slice of pizza, fruit cup, turkey sandwich and a diet coke. Thankfully the competition resumed by 12:30 and we were ready to go by 1:30. I realize that doesn't sound bad but when you have a 2 1/2 hour drive home it would have been nice to get on the road. Conversely friends of mine got there around 10:30 expecting their children to start dancing around 11:00 and in reality those competitions didn't start until after 12:30pm. I'm sure they could used an extra hour or so that morning and that aspect needs to be looked at (in my opinion). I felt the food prices were a little on the expensive side - especially drinks at $3.00 for a bottle of water and $4.00 for a cup of lemonade but I'm sure the feis committee had to go with the venue's food service. Luckily the Buckeye Feis does allow coolers to be brought in and if we do this feis next year I'll be more prepared in the food department. There is on site parking with a $7.00 charge (cash only) and since there's really no other convenient parking you have to pay it. I brought two solo dresses to sell and was disappointed that there was only one large rack and it was already full by the time I got my items there. By the time we were packing up the dresses were crammed in so tightly people were draping some of them on the top of rack rather than return the dress to its original spot. I was told that last year there were more dress racks and I hope they will get more for next year because I'm sure I'll have dresses to sell.......
A few things I liked were the availability of a hole punch and various colors of ribbon for the number cards, an additional card for the parents to keep track of their childrens' competitions, results were posted by stages and awards were handed out in the same fashion making that process very easy. A "girly" note - the medals are very pretty with the Buckeye Feis logo painted in enamel in the feis' colors. The fun part of the day for me was getting to meet 2 of Twitter friends at this feis (Hi Mike & Kristen!) and spend some time with each of them.
Aside from the couple negatives things I mentioned - a few of those not being in the feis committee's control (food & parking costs) this is a very organized feis. I'm hoping the feis committee looks more closely at where they put their lunch breaks in the future in order to allow some of the competitors to leave and others to get there in a more leisurely fashion. That would also free up camping and parking spaces. Next up - The Central New York Feis in two weeks. It will be our time first attending that event and I'm looking forward to something completely different! Til next time - Slainte!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Confessions From the Irish Dance Floor
Last night I went to my very first adult Irish dance lesson. I didn't know what to expect really except the fact that I would be sore in the morning (as prophesied by a friend). I knew that other moms couldn't make it until the next week but a 16 year old would be in the class that evening - just what my 40 something year old ego needed. So I was very happy when another 40 something mom showed up and equally glad that someone other than our owner would be teaching us. Some how that made us a little more confident that our teacher would be laughing with us instead of laughing at us - however the laughing was to come in the form of the senior dancers peeking into our studio as they passed by en route to the water fountain. After a few gentle warm ups the fun began. We started out with the same basic steps that the 5 year olds learned - 3s, Hop, Toe, Step and 7s. It was simple enough and soon the three of us were dancing across the floor. Then, Eileen started increasing the music speed until it was "normal" and asked us to dance around the perimeter of the studio. It was at this point I was sorry I didn't invest in that oxygen tank like I wanted to and the crutches I noticed in the office suddenly looked appealing. The other mom said at one point she had a whole new respect for her son and I had to agree.
As I crawled - I mean walked into the house my daughter (who has not been thrilled about the idea of me dancing) came running to me asking how the class was and wanting to see what I learned. So I began to demonstrate Hop, Toe, Step only to be told I was doing it all wrong and she began to show me how to do it correctly. Everyone's a critic aren't they? Of course I had to let her know that I was complimented on my turn out - something that's been nagging her and that quickly shut her up. It didn't take long, however, for rigor mortis to set in and even though I did some post dance stretching it was becoming apparent that I was going to need a strong dose of Ben Gay, Tired Old Ass Soak (yes there's a product called that sold through a mail order catalog), Bushmills or all of the above. I settled for the Ben Gay and a big glass of water. After whining a bit on Facebook and Twitter I decided it was time for bed but was seriously dreading what the morning would bring. To my surprise I wasn't as sore as I thought I'd be and I am looking forward to the next class but not the mirrors in the studio that make me look fat. It's the mirrors right - not the x amount of pounds I've gained (all of which I found on the dance floor Monday night) since the last time I took dance classes.
All kidding aside Irish dance is a great workout, challenging dance style and a good time for all ages. For all those reasons I'm looking forward to going back to the next class but will look into that oxygen tank just to be safe! Til next time - Slainte!
As I crawled - I mean walked into the house my daughter (who has not been thrilled about the idea of me dancing) came running to me asking how the class was and wanting to see what I learned. So I began to demonstrate Hop, Toe, Step only to be told I was doing it all wrong and she began to show me how to do it correctly. Everyone's a critic aren't they? Of course I had to let her know that I was complimented on my turn out - something that's been nagging her and that quickly shut her up. It didn't take long, however, for rigor mortis to set in and even though I did some post dance stretching it was becoming apparent that I was going to need a strong dose of Ben Gay, Tired Old Ass Soak (yes there's a product called that sold through a mail order catalog), Bushmills or all of the above. I settled for the Ben Gay and a big glass of water. After whining a bit on Facebook and Twitter I decided it was time for bed but was seriously dreading what the morning would bring. To my surprise I wasn't as sore as I thought I'd be and I am looking forward to the next class but not the mirrors in the studio that make me look fat. It's the mirrors right - not the x amount of pounds I've gained (all of which I found on the dance floor Monday night) since the last time I took dance classes.
All kidding aside Irish dance is a great workout, challenging dance style and a good time for all ages. For all those reasons I'm looking forward to going back to the next class but will look into that oxygen tank just to be safe! Til next time - Slainte!
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