Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all the NPIDA families! Thank you for supporting the PickettLine Blog in 2010, and best wishes to all of you for much happiness, health, and continued dance success in 2011!!!

Clip art from Google Images.

Van Eire Feis 2011

After taking a year off due to the 2010 Olympics, the Van Eire Feis is back in 2011, with a date of February 26-27/11. Did you know that the Van Eire Traditional Dance Association is a non-profit organization comprised of members from 6 local Irish dance schools - including NPIDA? The mandate of Van Eire is to promote Irish dance and culture in BC's lower mainland.

The feis will be held at North Surrey Secondary School (same venue as the DeDanaan Feis in October 2010). Registration is now open on feisworx; please complete your own registration and mail your payment and page 1 of your form to the address provided on the syllabus; the deadline is February 10/11. All Championships will take place on Saturday; all non-Championships (Pre-Beginner to Prizewinner) will take place on Sunday.

Click here for a direct link to feisworx: www.feisworx.com

Photo from the archives: Kimberly, Hanna and Lisa at the Van Eire Feis 4 years ago, with their Prelim trophies and bouquets.

Happy Holidays!

Wishing all the wonderful NPIDA families a relaxing and festive holiday season, filled with peace, love, joy and friendship!!!

Photo from Google Images

Special Subscription Offer from Feis America

Kathleen O, publisher of Feis America Magazine, has e-mailed to advise of a special holiday offer: a limited-time special "Mini Subscription" (3 issues) at 50% off the regular full-year (6 issues) subscription price. You will also receive a gift certificate (pdf) via e-mail that you can print off and present to the recipient at Christmas.

Your mini-subscription will include the upcoming January/February 2011 issue, which features photos and information from the Western Canadian Oireachtas! Cheryl G and Moira S both submitted Oireachtas photos which have been selected for publication in this issue.

This offer is only good up 'til 12:00 noon EST on December 24. To order, click below for a direct link to the subscription section of the Feis America website. Underneath the "Choose Term/Country" tab, scroll down to "Mini CN: 3 issues". (Of course, if you wish to order a regular full year subscription - 6 issues - you can chose that option!)

www.blogsgate.com/feisamerica/subscribe

Future North American Championship Cities

For those of you who like to do some really long-term planning - here are the host regions and cities of the North American Championships from 2011 to 2019, as recently determined by IDTANA. (Of course, changes are always possible; please consider this a tentative list!)

2011: City - Nashville. Host - IDTANA

2012: City - Chicago. Host - Mid-America

2013: City - Anaheim. Host - Western USA

2014: City - Montreal. Host - Eastern Canada

2015: City - Providence. Host - NE USA

2016: City - *Orlando. Host - Southern USA

(* "different venue than 2010")

2017: City - New Orleans. Host - Mid-Atlantic USA

2018: City - *Orlando. Host - IDTANA

(* "different venue than 2010 and 2016")

2019: City - To be determined. Host - Western Canada!

Photos from Google Images

Buck Show: December 17

Many thanks to Sue M for submitting these photos, taken at the Buck on Friday night. As always, thanks to the dancers, sound team and parents, along with Courtney! This was the final Eire Born show until the new year. Thanks to everyone within NPIDA who participated in Eire Born shows in 2010! Happy Holidays!

Dancers (in top photo, left to right):

Catharine, Mikaela, Shannon, Courtney, Caitlin, Jessie, Catalina, Jadyn, Morgan and Macaela.

North Van Oireachtas Recallers

Many thanks to Cheryl G for these beautiful photos of the NPIDA Oireachtas recallers from North Vancouver.

1. Back row: Mackenzie, Ellen, Maya and Cara. Front row: Jessi, Camryn, Olivia and Julia.

2. The dancers joined by teachers Rebecca, Courtney and Nora.

Another Photo from Sunday

Thank you to Jennifer R for submitting this lovely photo of Anna and Cara at the Wolf and Hound fundraiser on Sunday night! Thanks again to all the Eire Born dancers, sound team members and parents who took time from their busy holiday schedules to attend this show.

Parents; if you have attended the "parent viewing" time at any NPIDA class this week and took some photos, you are welcome to submit them to the blog; please e-mail photos to me at: pickettlineblogAThotmail.com

Wolf and Hound Show

Thanks to Leanne A for submitting these photos taken at the Wolf and Hound on West Broadway last night, where Eire Born provided entertainment for a "Feed the Hungry" benefit.

1. Sarah, Camryn, Cara, Olivia, Emma, Mackenzie, Anna, Maria, Jadyn and Gemma.

2. Maria, Jadyn, Camryn, Mackenzie, Emma and Sarah.

3. Emma, Olivia, Jadyn, Anna, Gemma, Camryn and Cara.

4. Sarah

5. Olivia, Gemma, Anna and Cara (and Pat behind the girls!)

6. Sisters: Sarah and Olivia

Richmond Oireachtas Recallers

Thanks to Connie for these photos of the Richmond Oireachtas recallers, taken a few days ago at the Ballroom. Top photo: Natalie, Kelly, Morgan, Jadyn, Caitlin, Michael, Macaela, Jessie, Shannon and Catalina. (Joined by Nora and Courtney in Photos #2 and #3). Thanks Connie!

Fundraiser at The Raven Pub

Big thanks to all the dancers, sound team members, Nora, and parents who came out to the Raven Pub in Deep Cove for a very special fundraiser on Saturday night!

1/Back row: Camryn, Emma, Mackenzie, Maria, Raven and Rhiannon.

Front row: Nora, Olivia, Gemma, Jessie, Jadyn, Alannah, Jayne and Anna. (Photo by Sue M).

2/Sound team members: Pat, Diana and Vic. (Photo by Jennifer R).

New Photo Added: Red Dress Qualifers

Please scroll down 3 posts to Friday December 3 ("New Red Dress Qualifiers") for the addition today of a photo of Cara B. She joins Kyla F in qualifying for a red dress based on her results at the Oireachtas Mini Feis last month. Congratulations Cara and Kyla!

Natalie S at the Oireachtas

Thanks to Gail S for submitting this photo collage of Natalie S at the Oireachtas. (All photos by OnSight Photographers). Natalie placed 20th in Girls U-17; congratulations!

Friday Night Shows

Eire Born dancers were busy last night with 2 shows in Richmond at O'Hare's and the Buck, and one downtown at a seniors' dinner at the West End Community Centre. Thanks to all the dancers, parents, sound teams (Pat, Vic, Aileen and Kelly), and Courtney ! Thanks also to Jennifer for the West End photos and Sue for the Richmond photos.

1. Back row: Mackenzie, Emma (team captain) and Laurel. Front row: Anna, Olivia, Camryn, Sarah, Rhiannon and Gemma.

2 and 3. Dancers in action entertaining at the seniors' dinner

4. Backstage at the Buck: Alannah, Jadyn, Aishlin, Jessie, Morgan, Catharine, Shannon and Lauren

5. Courtney with the girls at the Buck.

New Red Dress Qualifiers

NPIDA has two new red dress qualifiers based on their results at the Oireachtas Mini-Feis last month. Congratulations to Cara B of North Vancouver (top photo, by her mom Lisa V) and Kyla F of Richmond (bottom photo, by Cheryl G)!

Buck Show: November 26

Thanks to Sue M for this photo taken backstage at the Buck last night. Thanks to all the dancers and the sound team (Vic, Pat and Connie)!

Back row: Hanna, Catalina and Mikaela

Front row: Shannon, Catharine, Jadyn and Morgan

Dates: 2011 Ceili and 2011 Oireachtas

Nora has confirmed the following dates for 2011:

- The 2011 NPIDA Ceili will take place at Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver on Saturday May 21 (this is the May long weekend). The Ceili rehearsal will take place on Wednesday May 18.

- The 2011 Western Canadian Oireachtas and Mini-Feis will take place in Edmonton at the River Cree Resort on Friday November 4 to Sunday November 6.

Photos: thanks to Sue M for submitting these scanned photos of Jadyn at the 2010 Oireachtas; photos by OnSight Photographers. Jadyn placed 5th in the Girls U-9 group.

Cheryl's New Photo Website

Longtime NPIDA parent Cheryl G has created a new website to share her photographs. Please click on the direct link below to explore Cheryl's new site, where you can view a multitude of dance photos (including the 2010 Oireachtas), as well as view some Eire Born video clips. I have also added a permanent direct link to Cheryl's new website; scroll down on the right to "Website Links: Alphabetical List", underneath the little calendar.

www.cherylgaldertphotography.ca

November 20 Buck Show

Thanks to Jennifer R for submitting these photos, taken at the Buck last night in Steveston. Thanks to the dancers, team captain Shannon G, and the sound/lighting team (Pat, Vic and Diana) for another great show! And as always, thanks to the supportive parents too!

1. Back row: Mikaela, Catalina and Shannon. Front row: Anna, Morgan, Gemma, Jessie and Aishlin.

2. Same as above

3. Treble Reel

4. Diana

5. Vic

Hand Dancing

If you're an Irish dancer, chances are good that you are familiar with the concept of "hand dancing"; tapping out your steps using your hands when you hear Irish music. For your amusement, here is an excellent example of hand dancing (although not Irish music), performed by two former Riverdance performers Suzanne and Peter. Click directly on the video for a larger view.

Oireachtas and Mini Feis Scanned Photos

Last weekend at the Oireachtas and Mini Feis, there was a professional photographer taking action shots during all the competitions; Onsight Photography. Thanks to those dancers and parents who scanned their photos for the blog!

Oireachtas Photos

1. Jadyn and Caitlin - Top 5 at the U-9 awards

2. Anna - Soft Shoe round

3. Olivia - Collage

4. Olivia - Hard Shoe round

5. Hanna - Beginning of her Slip Jig

6. Hanna - Treble Jig

7. Stephanie - Collage

8. Stephanie - Hard Shoe round

9. Stephanie - Soft Shoe round

Mini Feis Photos

10. Mckenna - U-9 Prizewinner Single Jig (she placed 2nd)

11. Thea - Hard Shoe dance

12. Thea - Hard Shoe dance

13. Thea - Hard Shoe dance