THANK YOU VAN EIRE FEIS VOLUNTEERS!

At the risk of inadvertantly omitting someone's name, we would like to sincerely thank every NPIDA Van Eire Feis committee member, teacher, assistant teacher, parent, dancer, sibling, spouse and family member who gave so generously of their time and energy to contribute to the success of the Van Eire Feis this past weekend ! It truly was a joint effort of dozens of people from the 6 local schools which make up the Van Eire Traditional Dance Association. Thank you for a wonderful feis!

NPIDA Teachers and Assistant Teachers

Nora, Courtney, Rebecca, Rachel, Paula, Michael, Catalina and Natalie S

NPIDA Van Eire Feis Committe Members and Parents

Maeve M, Jennifer R, Diana P, Vic S, Pat M, Shelly M, Christine B, Kenny B, Aileen B, Mr Gorsuch (Kyra's dad), Arthur P, Leanne A, Gail S, Rosalie D, Connie G, Sheryl J, Jacqueline C, Brad G, Belinda S, Christina M, Andrea C, Harolyn S, Sue M. As well we would like to thank all the NPIDA families who contributed to the NPIDA raffle basket, and Cheryl G for taking photos.

NPIDA Dancers

Anna M, Mackenzie C, Camryn C, Emma B, Rhiannon M, Shannon G, Morgan G, Mikaela P, Jessie H, Sarah A.

NPIDA Siblings

Emma M, Matthew M, Jordan P

NPIDA Spouses and Family Members

Marcel K, the Price family (Dave P, Maureen B, Joanne P)

If we have left anyone off this list, please accept our sincere apologies (and leave a comment or send me a note so I can add your name!)

Clip art from Google Images

Van Eire Feis: Sunday

Congratulations to all of the NPIDA dancers who competed at the Van Eire Feis today! Here are the trophy dance winners, below. Thank you to Leanne A (photo #1) and Nicole D (photos #2-#5) for their photos! Parents, please e-mail your high-resolution feis photos to: pickettlineblogAThotmail.com

1ST FEIS REEL TROPHIES

Girls U-7

Kyra G: 2nd

Katelyn D: 3rd

Girls U-8

Emma S: 4th

Girls U-9

Sydney B: 1st

Cassidy C: 2nd

Megan H: 2nd

Aiden C: 3rd

Girls U-12

Olivia B: 1st

Girls 12+

Tansy C: 2nd

Boys 15+

Alexey K: 1st

1ST FEIS LIGHT JIG TROPHIES

U-7

Katelyn D: 1st

Kyra G: 3rd

U-9

Aiden C: 3rd

U-11

Olivia B: 1st

Sasha E: 4th

U-13

Tansy C: 6th

13+

Alexey K: 1st

BEGINNER/ADVANCED BEGINNER REEL TROPHIES

U-7

Leila K: 1st

Emma B: 3rd

U-8

Kyla F: 1st

Pixie K: 5th

U-9

Lauren G: 2nd

U-12

Tegan P: 2nd

BEGINNER/ADVANCED BEGINNER LIGHT JIG TROPHIES

U-9

Kyla F: 4th

Amalie W: 6th

Pixie K: 9th

U-12

Olivia B: 6th

NOVICE/PRIZEWINNER REEL TROPHIES

U-9

Mckenna L: 1st

Jenny M: 4th

Urvee M: 4th

Megan S: 5th

U-12

Tomas M: 2nd

Emma Hib: 3rd

Emma Hous: 4th

Katerina S: 4th

U-15

Sophie C: 3rd

NOVICE/PRIZEWINNER TREBLE JIG TROPHIES

U-8

Mckenna L: 2nd

U-9

Sarah A: 1st

U-10

Emma Hous: 4th

U-11

Sophie R: 2nd

U-12

Mary M: 3rd

U-14

Mikaela P: 3rd

NOVICE/PRIZEWINNER TREBLE REEL TROPHIES

U-12

Catharine A: 2nd

Emma Hous: 3rd

Photos:

1. Sarah A with her 1st-place Treble Jig trophy

2. Katelyn D and dad Jay

3. North Van assistant teachers Paula K, Rebecca R and Rachel S

4. Kyra G and Katelyn D with their 1st Feis trophies

5. Katelyn D with Rebecca R

Photos from Van Eire: Saturday

Here are a few candid shots of our Prelim and Open dancers at the Van Eire Feis today. (Scroll down to the post directly beneath this one for full Prelim and Open Championship results).

1. Nora and Malia with Rebecca and Courtney, celebrating Rebecca's 1st place win in 16+ Prelim.

2. Partial NPIDA group shot during the lunch break.

3. Emma and Morgan get creative Saturday morning

4. Shannon, Cara, Catalina and Mackenzie

5. Gemma takes a reading break

6. Back row: Morgan, Alex and Olivia. Front row: Jadyn, Caitlin and Macaela

7. Anna and mom Jennifer (aka Feis Volunteer Extraordinaire!)

8. Sisters Mackenzie and Camryn

9. Sisters Caitlin and Macaela

10. Courtney (center) with Hanna and Catalina after the Treble Reel Trophy awards.

(Updated) Van Eire Results: Saturday

NPIDA had lots of Preliminary and Open Championship dancers competing at the Van Eire Feis today in Surrey. Congratulations to all the dancers !

U-10 Prelim Championships:

Jadyn M: 2nd in Soft Shoe, 5th in Hard Shoe, 1st in Set Dance, 4th overall

Julia M: 5th in Hard Shoe, 5th overall

Alannah C: 2nd in Set Dance

Morgan G: 5th in Soft Shoe

U-12 Prelim Championships

Jessie H: 2nd in Soft Shoe, 1st in Hard Shoe, 2nd in Set Dance, 1st overall! Congratulations Jessie: Halfway to Open!

Olivia A: 1st in Soft Shoe

U-14 Prelim Championships

Raven G: 5th in Hard Shoe, 10th overall

Gemma K: 5th in Soft Shoe, 5th in Hard Shoe, 11th overall

Cara J: 5th in Set Dance

Maria M: 6th in Soft Shoe

U-16 Prelim Championships

Emma B: 2nd in Soft Shoe, 3rd in Set Dance

16+ Prelim Championships

Rebecca R: 1st in Hard Shoe, 1st in Set Dance, 1st overall! Congratulations Rebecca and Welcome to Open!

Alex W: 2nd in Soft Shoe, 2nd in Hard Shoe

U-10 Open Championships

Caitlin B: 1st in Soft Shoe, 3rd in Hard Shoe, 1st in Set Dance, 1st overall!

U-12 Open Championships

Macaela B: 2nd in Soft Shoe, 1st in Set Dance, 2nd overall

Shannon G: 3rd in Soft Shoe, 3rd in Hard Shoe, 4th overall

Camryn C: 4th in Hard Shoe

U-16 Open Championships

Mackenzie C: 1st in Soft Shoe, 5th overall

18+ Open Championships

Hanna S: 3rd in Set Dance

Stephanie M: 4th in Hard Shoe

CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY DANCE RESULTS

U-12 Treble Reel

Camryn C: 1st!

Shannon G: 4th

Caitlin B: 5th

U-12 Hornpipe Trophy

Macaela B: 1st!

Jessie H: 2nd

U-14 Treble Reel

Gemma K: 4th

Cara J: 5th

U-15 Hornpipe Trophy

Mackenzie C: 2nd

U-16 Treble Reel

Catalina G: 1st!

16+ Treble Reel

Hanna S: 4th

Alex W: 5th

Photos: Our 3 1st-place winners in Prelim and Open Championships today: Jessie; Caitlin (with dad Kenny); and Rebecca. Congratulations girls! More photos to follow later tonight...

Good Luck at Van Eire!

NPIDA has a whopping 76 dancers registered for the Van Eire Feis this weekend. Good luck to all, from our 11 Pre-Beginners to our many Prelim and Open Champions!

Remember, as per the syllabus, Van Eire is "going green" this year and will not be printing paper copies of the program. The program is now available for download/viewing/printing on feisworx; click here: www.feisworx.com

From the archives, just for fun... here's a look back at 2005 Van Eire Feis results for NPIDA championship dancers:

U-13 Prelim (21 dancers): Natalie L - 2nd

U-15 Prelim (29 dancers): Michael Y - 1st, Hanna S - 3rd

U-17 Prelim (20 dancers): Kelly D - 2nd

17+ Prelim (12 dancers): Kali M - 1st

White Rock Seniors Show

Many thanks to Sue M for submitting these photos from a show at the White Rock Come Share Seniors Center, which took place on Friday February 11. Thank you to Courtney (team leader), Connie (sound) and all the dancers!

1. Back row: Tomas, Shannon, Courtney, Jessie and Morgan. Front row: Jadyn, Mckenna, and Kyla.

2. Connie speaking to the seniors.

REMINDER to RICHMOND DANCE FAMILIES: As per the February 2 post, below, an ongoing bottle recycling fundraiser is underway for our Worlds and All Irelands dancers. Tomorrow, Wednesday February 23, please bring your bottles to the back parking lot of the Grand Ballroom between 3:30-5:30pm. Thanks for your help!

All Ireland Photos

Big thanks to Courtney who sent an e-mail with these photos from Ireland this morning. As per the post below, Shannon recalled in both her Reel and Hornpipe yesterday and received 2 recall medals. Again, CONGRATULATIONS SHANNON!!!! See also the comments in the post below for a reply and "thanks" from Shannon.

Recalls for Shannon at All Irelands!!!!!

Connie has heard from Shannon and Courtney in Ireland - Shannon has recalled this morning in both her Soft Shoe (Reel) and Hard Shoe (Hornpipe) at the All Irelands! She did not recall overall, so will not be doing her Set Dance. (At the All Irelands, there are recalls for the individual rounds as well as overall). The award ceremonies have not yet taken place but check back later today for news of Shannon's placements in these 2 rounds.

Updated Sunday afternoon: As per a note from Courtney (see the comments, below), Shannon received recall medals for her 2 solo dances at the awards ceremony this afternoon. The top 50% in each dance were recalled (158 dancers competed in U-11!) and from those, the top 19 dancers were "placed" and the other recallers were awarded recall medals. Way to go Shannon, we're so proud of you!

CONGRATULATIONS SHANNON - WE ARE ALL SO DELIGHTED FOR YOU!

OK folks, come on: let's leave lots of comments here for Shannon! Choose the "Name/URL" option and then just type your name; don't worry about the URL. Please choose this option when commenting on the blog instead of the "Anonymous" option - thanks.

(New Photos Added): O'Hare's and Buck Shows

Thanks to the dancers and sound team for two more great shows at O'Hare's and the Buck & Ear in Steveston last night! Dancers: Anna, Jessie, Jadyn, Morgan, Catharine, Hanna (team captain) and Mikaela (at the Buck).

Photos #1-5 were taken at O'Hare's; photos #6-11 were taken at the Buck.

The Van Eire Feis schedule has now been posted at feisworx; click here: www.feisworx.com

Introducing: Flying Colours Dancewear Blog

On behalf of Hannah P I am pleased to announce that today she has launched her new blog for Flying Colours Dancewear, her Irish dance solo dress business. The purpose of this new blog is to sell new and used solo dresses that have been made by Hannah.

Hannah is a longtime NPIDA parent, who started making solo dresses 12 years ago. At any local feis you can see many examples of her beautiful handiwork, as dozens of dancers from schools across Western Canada are the happy owners of a custom dress made by Hannah. Her reputation for creative and innovative designs, a highly trained eye for eye-catching colour choices, and above all expert workmanship have gained her a very loyal following! Many of Hannah's gorgeous dresses have been worn by top National and World qualifiers. In addition to her busy solo dress business, Hannah also makes all of the NPIDA red school dresses.

The Flying Colours Dancewear Blog currently has 1 new dress for sale, in addition to 2 used dresses for sale by their current owners. New dresses will continue be showcased on the blog as Hannah completes them, so check back frequently for updates! If you are the owner of a solo dress made by Hannah and you wish to put it up for sale on her blog, please contact her at whenATtelus.net (replace AT with @).

Here is a direct link to the Flying Colours Dancewear blog: www.flyingcoloursdancewear.blogspot.com

I have also added a permanent direct link to the Flying Colours Dancewear blog on the right sidebar under "Website Links: Alphabetical List".

Good Luck Shannon!

Shannon G is flying to Ireland this evening, where she will compete in the 2011 All Ireland Championships on Sunday. Shannon, we all send you our best wishes and good luck; we hope you have a wonderful experience ! Have some fun too!

Natalie L: Ethel Tibbits Nominee

Congratulations to Natalie L who has been announced this week as a nominee in the Youth category for the 2011 Ethel Tibbits Award, sponsored by the Richmond Review newspaper. This is an annual award to recognize outstanding women in Richmond in the categories of Arts, Business, Sports, Community and Youth. Natalie is one of 7 youth nominees this year; the winners will be announced at a ceremony on March 7 at the Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport.

Natalie is a longtime NPIDA dancer, competing as an Open Champion. She is currently a Grade 12 student at McMath Secondary School, and is also a top competitive pianist. She is the third NPIDA dancer to be honoured with an Ethel Tibbits nomination, joining Hanna S (2008/Youth) and Courtney R (2009/Arts). Congratulations Natalie!

Photos from Movie Night

The Movie Night fundraiser which took place at the NPIDA studio on Saturday night was a huge success. Thanks to all the attendees for supporting our Worlds and All Irelands dancers! There was pizza, a movie, raffle baskets, face-painting, crazy hair colouring, and lots of fun for all! Thank you to Andrea for submitting these photos.

1. Angela, Julia and Megan

2. Sophie, Thea and Nora

3. Ellen helping with a raffle draw

4. Ellen spray-painting Morgan's hair

5. Shannon face-painting Mckenna

6. Jadyn

7. Emma and Hanna

8. Thea with her raffle win

9. Malia helping with popcorn clean-up

10. Rosalie, Christine and Connie

11. Scott, Kenny and David