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North American Championships
Toronto, July 2001

Now THIS was a cool feis. Same deal as last year--huge feis, lots of people, lots of dancers, lots of vendors. After a terrible, nail-biting time getting a flight to Toronto, we arrived late at night and didn't fall asleep until 2 A.M. Then I got back up at 6 to dance. Goody. We took my curlers out in our hotel room, then walked a block or two to the feis. In the ten minutes of the walk, my one hundred perfect ringlets wilted into a bedraggled mess. Darn humid east coast weather. We quickly threw it up into a bun, and it looked okay, but it was amazing how fast the curls had fallen. Between that experience and seeing all the wigs on the dancers, I resolved to get a wig as soon as I got home. Which I did.

So I danced, uneventfully. I felt like I danced well for me, but again no recall, and again I hadn't expected one, so there was no pressure. After my solos, I wandered around, idly looking at used solo dresses for inspiration because I was planning to get a new one made for the Oireachtas. Then I saw it. THE dress. It was the very latest style, perfect condition, and just my size. It was black and orange-gold raw silk with very bold geometric glitterball designs. I had my doubts at first, but I thought I'd try it on anyway. As I was trying it on, we were thinking of putting it back as there was no way to contact the owner, but a woman walked up and asked if I wanted to buy it. It was the owner's teacher! It seemed like fate. We decided given the good condition, the excellent price, and the fact that it was a stunning dress, we simply had to buy it. So we did. It made a huge difference, as you will see...

California Irish Festival and Feis
July, 2001

I had had an Irish dance makeover. New Irish Curls wig, fabulous new dress, new attitude. I arrived late in the day and watched the other girls dance and warmed up. Then I got dressed. I got lots of compliments on my new dress, and I was so excited to be wearing it. I fell down in my reel, but got back up and danced again, so it was okay. I ended up getting first in it! I also got second in my hornpipe!

Then came the championship. I felt great onstage. I had never felt so confident, nor had I ever had just so much fun up there. I did my new set that I had choreographed myself (Hurry the Jug at 70). I did the treble reel, then I waited around, getting more and more nervous. They finally announced the results. I clenched my fists so tightly that I left little half-moon fingernail marks in my palms. The numbers climbed higher and higher, and I wasn't called. The scene was all too familiar: waiting, thinking, "Maybe I got fifth," and then not getting fifth, then not getting fourth, until the places grew impossibly high and I was still not called. My heart sank. I had been so sure I would place. They reached the top three, and I began to get my good-sport face on, ready to go and congratulate the thrilled winners again. They announced third, then second, and they were both fabulous dancers. I was trying to crane my neck around to see who had won when suddenly they called MY NUMBER for FIRST! I was so shocked! I was so thrilled to death that I actually burst into tears! (Not big huge drama tears, mind you, just proper little oh-my-GOSH tears.) I could absolutely not believe it. I ran around like silly, getting my picture taken with my mom and my teacher and my trophy and whatever else I could think of. I had to stop taking pictures for minute when they announced the treble reel, though, because I got second in that as well. It was a perfect day.

What a difference that dress made!

Comortas an Costa Oir
August, 2001

This is always one of the biggest feiseanna in southern California. I was nervous because I really wanted to place again, just to prove that I wasn't a one-hit wonder. I danced my solos on Saturday, and I was really surprised to find out from a friend that the feis was having a hard shoe round in the championships instead of a set, like I'd been preparing. This meant I had to do my hard jig in solos, which I hadn't done in a long time. This feis also had a solo competition for traditional set, which was a lot of fun. I did Garden of Daisies, which I had never done in competition. My solos went off without a hitch, and after the first day, I had won thirds in both my hard jig and my traditional set.

The next day, I woke up nice and early and hung around the feis for a few hours. I love just being at a feis, cruising the vendors and watching competitions and bopping around with friends. Anyway, my championship rolled around, and it went smoothly. I felt a little tired by the end of my hornpipe, but then, doesn't everyone? I danced my treble reel and hung around for awards.

They announced the treble reel first. They only gave first through third and a bunch of honorable mentions, so I got a little medal. I later found out I was only a few points behind third, so I was happy about that. They announced my championship then, and my stomach gave a huge leap like it always does. Luckily, though, I placed fifth! I was so relieved, because it was a huge competition and I really wanted to prove to myself that the last feis hadn't just been a fluke. It was a very nice trophy, too. A fun feis.

Note: The day after this feis, on the way home from dance practice, I was in a car accident and had a broken pelvis. Fun fun fun.

St. Ambrose Feis
Glendale, CA, September 2001

Now, I wasn't really supposed to dance in this feis. Like I mentioned above, I had broken my pelvis a month and three days before. However, I had healed amazingly fast, so I was hoping to enter late. The teacher very kindly let me enter, so I ended up dancing. I really wasn't expecting to place--come on, I hadn't danced in weeks, and I'd had a broken pelvis, for pity's sake! This feis started the new system of championships and solos, in which prelims do three rounds in the championships, but no solos. Instead, they award medals for each round according to one judge's marks. They also award overall championship results, like usual. So I did my three rounds, nearly fainted after my hornpipe (a combo of having lost my stamina and being way too hot), and did my treble reel too. Then there were results. I was announced as getting third in my reel and in my hornpipe, which I was really pleased about. Then, I also got fourth in my championship! I was really surprised! I mean, the day before, I hadn't even really been expecting to dance, and here I had a really nice and unique trophy (a gold-colored cup on a pink marble base). I was thrilled.

Pride of Erin Feis
San Diego, October 2001

I don't remember this feis very well, but I'll do my best. The night before the feis I went out with two dance buddies and had a lot of fun. The next morning, I did solos and got third in my reel. Woohoo. I did my championship, but I messed up my hornpipe a bit at the beginning and it just didn't feel right for the rest of the dance. So, I didn't place in the championship. I was disappointed, but I did get fourth in the treble reel, so it was still a good day.

Western U.S. Oireachtas
San Francisco, November 2001

This was my third Oireachtas for solos, and if you've read the other two, you'll know that I had problems keeping my head about me. I was determined that I would NOT let that happen again. The first day, I did an eight-hand and a figure choreography. They were a lot of fun. Our eight-hand felt great, and we'd worked really hard on the choreography. Unfortunately, we didn't place in the eight-hand, but our choreography did tie for fourth. My eight-hand team was pretty disappointed not to place, though, especially after our great success the year before.

The second day, I woke up with airplane-sized butterflies in my stomach. I got down to the ballroom an hour early. I was the first one in there, aside from staff. It was chilly and quiet, a world apart from the sweltering, noisy crowd of the day before. Since no one else was in there, I decided to go up on the stage. Not to dance or try it out, just to visualize my performance and get used to how it felt up there. It was funny--when I was up there, I felt like I had come home. This was where I was supposed to be. After that, I didn't feel so nervous anymore.

I warmed up, stretched, and got dressed and made up. I felt calm, but psyched up ad ready to go. I danced my hornpipe well--definitely better than the last feis. I went over the slip jig with my friend Lauren, then danced my slip jig. I waited on tenterhooks for the callbacks. By coincidence, I was number 1, so when the recalls were announced in numerical order, I would know right away whether I got it or not. Finally, a teacher with an official-looking manila envelope in her hand strode up to the podium. The buzzing crowd fell silent when she announced, "We have the recalls for the Girls Under 16." She cleared her throat and started to read. "Number 1..."

I GOT IT!

I was ecstatic! I had worked so hard and I really wanted it, and this year I finally got it. So I danced my set and got to go up onstage with everyone for results. I ended up getting 20th, which was cool because before I was in the car accident, I had set a goal of placing in the top 20 at the Oireachtas. What a great day!

McElligott Christmas Feis
Phoenix, AZ, December 2001

This has always been one of my favorite feiseanna, and this was no exception. I drove there--six hours, and it was unexplicably fun. I danced in a special which included all levels and which donated the proceeds to Toys for Tots. The music was a lot faster than I expected, but I ended up getting fourth anyway. Then I did my championship, which was run the way St. Ambrose ran it. The championship was smaller than a SoCal feis, but I had been expecting that. So I danced my three rounds, pretty well, I thought. My slip jig felt strong and graceful, and I was more relaxed because I danced it alone and the musician was playing my very favorite tune. My hornpipe seemed right on rhythm and every beat fell into place. My set felt strong, although not as strong as the previous two rounds.

Afterwards, I danced in the treble reel, which was huge with 94 people. I just happened to be dancing last (total coincidence. No, really!), which was fun. Being towards the end in a large treble reel is a trade-off. On the one hand, conventional Irish dancing wisdom holds that going later is better, especially in the treble reel, which has a final step that all dancers do together. On the other hand, your feet can fall asleep and the judge could get bored after seeing so many. When I danced, last of all, the other dancers must have miscounted, because a lot of them started the final step while I was on my left foot. They stopped, though, and the judge laughed and I just kept going. So then they announced the awards. Like at St. Ambrose, they announced the solo awards first, then the championships, which makes for a very long awards ceremony. They finally reached my championship. I won the soft shoe, then the hard shoe, then the set too! Then they announced the championship. I won. They gave me a huge trophy and everyone was hugging me and cheering. I wasn't excited so much as dazed. This meant I was now an open champion. It was surreal. I still felt like I was in novice, but here they were telling me I was good enough to dance at the top. Then they announced the treble reel, and it kept getting higher and higher. Then they announced a tie for first, one of which was me!

It was a perfect day. On the drive home, I barely put my trophy down.

A great end to a great feising year!