Irish dance is a highly competitive sport and art form. Dancers who wish to compete do so at a feis(pronounced”fesh”). Feis is a Gaelic word and means a competition or festival. In this context it refers specifically to an Irish dance competition. The plural is feiseanna (pronounced “fesh-e-ANN-uh”). Feiseanna are held all over the country and are open to any dancer. Most dancers will not be prepared to compete in a feis until they have had approximately 6 months of class. This timeline can vary from student to student. If your dancer is interested in competing, please speak to his or her instructor to find out when they are ready. All dancers who wish to compete must purchase the HOI school costume appropriate for their level and gender.
Feiseanna: To compete, a dancer registers for the feis they wish to attend through the World Irish Dance Association’s online registration system, FeisKeeper. FeisKeeper FAQ’s are available to help you.
Competitive Levels: Feis competitors are divided into levels. The levels of competition are Beginner, Primary, Intermediate, and Open. Within each level, competitors are divided by age, so each student competes with other students of a similar age and level. For each age group and level, dancers compete in several different dances. Dancers enter to compete in the dances that are offered for their level; more dances are offered at higher levels of competition. For a list of dances offered at each feis, visit the WIDA Local Feis Syllabus here.
To move to the next higher level of competition in a dance, a dancer must place 1st in that dance when there are at least 5 competitors in his or her age group. Once a first place has been achieved, a dancer would then compete at the next higher level in that dance ONLY.
There is a yearly regional Oireachtas (pronounced “Aw-ROCK-tus”) competition as well as a National and World competition. Qualifying information is listed on the For Dancers page.