Steveston Dock Shows: July 31

Eire Born dancers at the Steveston docks today

Back: Claire and Cara

Middle: Tess, Naomi, Poppy, Lindsay,

Samantha, Jessica and Jessie

Front: Willow and Robyn

Group photo including Reese, far left

Thank you to Steve for submitting these photos taken at the Steveston dock shows today.

A big THANK YOU to all the parents who came out to assist with the set-up and take-down today! The dock shows cannot proceed without you; sincere thanks for volunteering your time! Many thanks also to Vic on sound; Jessie, Tess and Claire (team captains/MC's); and Scott and Rosalie for their hands-on assistance and mentoring of the floor and tent set-up and take-down.

And of course a big thank you to the dancers!

Dancers and parents: Please remember to sign up for the upcoming Sunday dock shows on August 7, 14, 21 and 28. We still need lots of dancers and parent volunteers to continue to make the rest of the dock shows as successful as today!

First 2016 Steveston Dock Shows Tomorrow!

Dancers and parent volunteers; the weather forecast looks very promising for tomorrow so we'll see you at the Steveston Docks tomorrow morning for the first shows of 2016!

Parent Set-Up Volunteers:

Please meet Vic at 10AM sharp
at the Steveston docks

to set up the portable Eire Born floor.

The shows will take place at 12PM, 1PM, 2PM and 3PM.

Thank you to those who have signed up for tomorrow! Remember, we still need lots of dancers and parent volunteers for every Sunday in August in order to make the 2016 dock shows a success!

If you haven't already signed up, please make sure to do so on the Eire Born performance schedule (Google Doc).

Good Luck at the Dance For Life Feis! *UPDATED x 3*

NPIDA's U-10 and U-12 Prelim dancers

Poppy, Esther, Malia, Reese, Jessica and Zoe

Congratulations Jessica on your first Prelim feis!

1st in U-10 Prelim Treble Reel

Congratulations Yuka!

4th in U-14 Open

Congratulations Callie!

3rd in U-14 Prelim

Aki, Callie, Yuka and Nora

Zoe, Malia, Jessica and Reese (all U-10 Prelim)

Malia and Jessica

Our U-10/ U-12 dancers plus siblings and injured dancer Willow

Poppy. Leila, Esther, Malia, Reese, Willow, Jessica and Zoe

Feis fun in Bellevue today!

UPDATE 7:30PM: Thank you to Nora for submitting these photos, which were taken in Bellevue today at the Dance For Life Feis. I'll be posting NPIDA's results once full results are available on Feisworx later tonight.

UPDATE 8:15PM: RESULTS (please see below).

PRELIM CHAMPIONSHIPS
U-10
Reese T: 1st in Soft Shoe, 2nd in Hard Shoe, 4th overall
Jessica J: 6th overall
Malia K: 3rd in Set Dance
Zoe C: 3rd in Set Dance

U-14
Callie Shay C: 3rd in Hard Shoe, 1st in Set Dance, 3rd overall

U-17
Aki H: 3rd in Hard Shoe

OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
U-14
Yuka H: 2nd in Set Dance, 4th overall

TROPHY DANCES
Prelim Treble Reel
U-10
Jessica J: 1st!

U-15
Callie Shay C: 4th

15+
Aki H: 2nd

Advanced Beginner Reel Trophy
U-8
Sophie X: 3rd


NPIDA has 13 dancers in Bellevue today competing at the Dance For Life Feis. (This is a 1-day feis; Saturday only). Good luck to all the dancers! Please check back here later for NPIDA's results.

Parents Needed: Steveston Dock Shows!

Please help at the Steveston Docks

on July 31, August 7, 14, 21 and 28!

Hello NPIDA parents! The annual Steveston dock shows are coming up very soon; this will be our 15th year of dancing at the docks every Sunday in August. Yes, Eire Born has been performing on the docks every summer since 2002!

The ONLY way the dock shows can continue is with a solid volunteer group to help with the set-up and take-down of the Eire Born portable dance floor and dancer tent. Vic and Pat have been volunteering their services for the past 14 years and they cannot do the docks shows without YOUR help. We really need a new crew of NPIDA parent volunteers to assist with this commitment!

We need some strong Dads and Moms

to help set up and take down the floor.
Minimum of four parents for
each set-up and take-down crew

If your dancer is performing at the docks, please consider offering your assistance! Without a firm commitment from parents to help with set-up and take-down, the dock shows will not take place. Please help us continue this long-standing NPIDA tradition, which is an important fund-raiser as well as an excellent performance experience for the dancers. Not to mention, a lot of fun!

Parent volunteers needed

on the following Sundays:

July 31, August 7, 14, 21 and 28.

There are four 20-minute shows on each of these dates, at 12PM, 1PM, 2PM and 3PM. Set up takes place on the Steveston docks at 10AM sharp on each of these days; take-down occurs immediately following the 3PM show.

IMPORTANT:

Please sign up directly

on the "Floor Crew" section

of the Eire Born performance schedule

(Google Doc)

We need to know IN ADVANCE that there are enough parent volunteers scheduled for each of these dates; otherwise the shows will be cancelled.

DANCERS: have YOU signed up yet? We need lots more committed dancers on each of the above dates! Come join the fun!

The first day of dock shows is Sunday July 31 - less than two weeks from now. Parent volunteers and dancers: Please sign up soon and help us continue this important tradition for our 15th year!

Congratulations To Our 2016 High School Grads!

Congratulations Cara!
Cara at her Grade 12 Commencement

Grade 12 Grad Banquet

Cara dancing with the

North Shore Celtic Ensemble

Last month NPIDA had two current dancers and two recently retired dancers graduate from high school. Congratulations Cara, Sophie, Rhiannon and Raven! Today we feature Cara:

CARA
Cara has been dancing at NPIDA since she was eight years old. She is an Open Championship dancer and joined Eire Born in 2009, serving as team captain on many occasions. She was an Assistant Teacher at NPIDA for four years.

Cara says "Teaching has been one of the highlights of my time with NPIDA - I have absolutely loved helping each dancer improve and grow. I am so proud of all the dancers and feel privileged that I was able to be a part of their Irish dance lives. I will miss everything about teaching - from doing drills in class to cheering dancers on at feiseanna to preparing original routines for the year end Ceili. I will definitely be back to visit!"

Cara competed at the Oireachtas five times and also represented NPIDA at the North American Championships four times, recalling at NAN's in 2012.

Cara has graduated from Sentinel Secondary in West Vancouver. She was involved in many clubs including Me to We Club for two years, serving sandwiches to people living in the downtown eastside; a fundraising event to raise money for a school in Kenya; and canned food drives. 

In the community, Cara has been a member of the North Shore Celtic Ensemble for seven years. This fiddle group has performed in many local and international shows, including touring Quebec and the Maritimes last summer. Cara will be travelling to Scotland with the NSCE this summer where they will be participating in the Aberdeen International Youth Festival. She also has been an active RAD ballet student, completing graded levels 5-8 (final level) and performing at Centennial Theatre with Vanleena Dance Academy.

Cara has been volunteering - including several leadership roles - in both her school and community: fundraising for the SPCA by participating in the Paws for a Cause Walk each year during highschool; fundraising with the Me to We Club; and organizing an interactive fiddle concert for the Lower Mainland Down Syndrome Society (an event for all ages with interactive music and movement).

With the Celtic Ensemble, she assisted with fundraising for a Syrian refugee family; performances at senior living centres/hospice; and a fundraising benefit for Nepal earthquake victims. Since January 2016 Cara has also been part of the sponsorship team to bring a Syrian refugee family to North Vancouver and teaching English to the three children. 

Cara has been the recipient of many scholarships and awards:

- Flying Colours Dancewear Scholarship (Grades 10, 11, 12)
- Artona Scholarship for Design (Grade 12)
- Principal's List and Honour Roll (Grades 8-12)
- Chemistry 12 Book Award (Top Student)
- AP Language 12 Book Award (Top Student)
- AP 3D Design 12 Book Award (Top Student)
- 2013 NPIDA Garlene Pickett Memorial Trophy $75 winner
- 2012 EBIDS Garlene Pickett Memorial Trophy $100 winner

Cara has been accepted to the two universities she applied to, UBC and SFU. She was offered the UBC McFarlane-Karp Major Entrance Scholarship and the SFU Alumni Leadership Major Entrance Scholarship. She has accepted the SFU offer and has deferred her start date for one year; she will begin her studies at SFU in September 2017 in their International Studies program.

Cara will be taking a "gap year" before starting at SFU and has many plans for the year ahead! She will be heading to Scotland with the Celtic Ensemble this summer (Aberdeen International Youth Festival and the Skye Festival on Isle of Skye). She will then be exploring Europe; Ireland, England, France, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary and Croatia. She will continue volunteering next year, including tutoring the Syrian refugee family, and is planning to volunteer at the Multicultural Society. She also plans to pursue her language interests, including starting Arabic lessons.

Cara won't be dancing next year but says she will definitely be stopping by NPIDA to teach a few classes as a substitute teacher! 

Congratulations Cara!

Cara performing with the

North Shore Celtic Ensemble

Cara (2012)

Cara (2013)

Cara at the 2016 NPIDA Winter Ceili 

In flight at the 2013 NPIDA Ceili

Our 2016 PMAE Winners

Mary: $2000 winner

Reese: $1000 winner

Olivia: $500 winner

Julie: $500 winner

Lucy: $500 winner

Tess: $500 winner

Thank you to Cheryl for providing these photos of the 2016 winners of the PMAE (Pat McAndless Award of Excellence), which were awarded at the NPIDA year-end show on June 8.

The PMAE recognizes NPIDA dancers who demonstrate the highest qualities of passion, work ethic, dedication, persistence, and leadership in pursuit of excellence in Irish dance, academics, and voluntary community service. You can read more about the PMAE HERE. Congratulations girls!

Join Us at the Steveston Docks in August

Kassidy, Josie, Sophie and Olivia

Steveston Docks August 2015

Thank you to Bridget for submitting the following on behalf of EBIDS:

Summer has finally arrived and that means 3 things: sunshine, slurpees and shows!

The summer schedule of Eire Born shows are an exciting way to hang out with your friends, make new friends and dance. (They are also an easy way to get your 15-show minimum in order to qualify for funding in the fall.) If you are not yet in Eire Born, we welcome you to come out and watch us every Sunday in August at the Steveston docks and see some fantastic performances. 

The first day of Steveston dock shows will be Sunday July 31 (BC Day long weekend), and the final day of shows will take place on Sunday August 28. There are four opportunities on each of these days to cheer the dancers on: 12PM, 1PM, 2PM and 3PM.

With hard work and dedication, you will be there one day too! Stay tuned for more shows and times when you can come out and support the NPIDA Eire Born dancers.

Have a fabulous summer and we'll see you at the dock shows!

- EBIDS

Reese and Alexis

Steveston Docks August 2015

Congratulations To Our 2016 High School Grads!

Congratulations Rhiannon!

Rhiannon and her family

Rhiannon and her brother

Rhiannon and her music teacher

at Rhiannon's final 2016 recital -

they performed a duet together

Last month NPIDA had two current dancers and two recently retired dancers graduate from high school. Congratulations Cara, Sophie, Rhiannon and Raven! Today we feature Rhiannon:

RHIANNON

Rhiannon has been dancing at NPIDA since she was five years old. She is a Preliminary Championship dancer and joined Eire Born in 2010, serving as team captain on many occasions. In 2012 she became an Assistant Teacher at NPIDA and says "sharing my passion and love for Irish dance with younger dancers always brought me great joy". 

Rhiannon competed at the Oireachtas twice in both solos and Ceili teams. She also competed at the 2013 World Championships in Boston as a member of the U-16 and 18+ 8-Hand Ceili teams. Unfortunately she suffered a devastating injury in the fall of 2014 just before the Oireachtas, tearing her ACL, MCL and meniscus in her right knee.

Following reconstructive surgery she was unable to return to competitive Irish dance. However, she has remained involved in NPIDA by helping out and supporting Eire Born shows. She was a troupe captain for the 2016 St. Patrick's shows, and even danced in a couple of performances - her first time dancing in nearly two years.

Rhiannon has graduated from Windsor Secondary School in North Vancouver. She was involved in a variety of clubs, including Interact, Student Council, Green Team, Year Book and Ambassadors. She was also active in several Windsor sports, including soccer, basketball and cross-country. In the community, Rhiannon has been an active participant in the North Shore Girls Soccer Academy, the West Vancouver Youth Band (cello), and the North Shore High School Honour Orchestra (cello).

Rhiannon has been volunteering - including several leadership roles - in both her school and community: Secretary of the Interact Club Executive; Bumpin Bakery (food aid to homeless citizens on the downtown eastside); The North Vancouver Harvest Project; Golder Trust for Orphans; BC Lung Association Trek for Life and Breath (200km fundraising bike ride); and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. 

She has been the recipient of many awards and scholarships;

- Honour Roll With Distinction (all years)

- Athletic Certificate (Grade 10)

- Service Certificate (Grade 11)

- Service Gold Medal (Grade 12)

- Top Strings Student (Grades 11 and 12)

- Trajan Martin Memorial Scholarship (Grade 12)

- Dorothy Lynas Elementary School PAC French Immersion Scholarship

She also was a $500 winner of the 2014 PMAE (Pat McAndless Award For Excellence), and was the recipient of NPIDA's "Most Improved Work Ethic" award in 2012.

Rhiannon was accepted to all six universities that she applied to, receiving multiple entrance scholarship offers, and has accepted the offer from McGill University in Montreal. She will be pursuing a B.Sc. in Kinesiology beginning in September. Meanwhile, this summer she is working and volunteering (mainly at The Door Is Open shelter in downtown Vancouver). 

Congratulations Rhiannon!

Rhiannon at the 2011 POD Feis

Rhiannon at the 2013 Van Eire Feis

Rhiannon at the 2013 World Championships

Rhiannon in 2012-2013

NAN's Photos From Nora: Malia and Reese

Malia and Reese in Orlando on Monday

Nora with Malia and Reese at their first NAN's

Malia with parents Marcel and Nora

Reese, Sophie and Malia

Malia with Marcel and Nora

Thank you to Nora for submitting these photos, all taken on Monday July 4 in Orlando at the North American Championships.

Day #4 at NAN's: Malia and Reese (July 4) *UPDATE X 1*

Malia (U-8)

Reese (U-10B)

UPDATE #1: Unfortunately no recall today for Malia or Reese. Congratulations girls on representing NPIDA and Western Canada at your first NANs! Enjoy the rest of your time in Orlando!

Today our final two NAN's competitors Malia and Reese are taking the stage at the North American Championships in Orlando. Good luck at your first NAN's girls; NPIDA is rooting for you!

Monday July 4: Malia (U-8) and Reese (U-10B)

- Thank you to Cheryl for these photos.

Day #3 at NAN's: Esther, Tess & Josie (July 3) *UPDATE X 3*

Esther (U-11B)

Tess (U-12B)

Josie (U-12A)

Esther (U-11), Josie (U-12) and Tess (U-12)

in Orlando today

Esther and her mom Mei at NAN's

Josie

Tess

Friends Josie and Tess

Tess and Esther warming up

Josie with her mom Belinda

Esther and Nora

Tessa and Josie

Esther and Tess

UPDATE #3: Many thanks to Nora for sending the above photos. Enjoy the rest of your day in Orlando, NPIDA crew!

UPDATE #2: Unfortunately no recall for Esther in U-11B. We know you danced beautifully Esther and NPIDA is so proud of you! Congratulations on representing NPIDA and Western Canada at your first NAN's!

UPDATE #1: Unfortunately no recall today for Tess or Josie (still awaiting recalls for Esther's group). Tess and Josie; we know you danced beautifully and all of NPIDA is so proud of you! Congratulations on representing NPIDA and Western Canada so strongly today!

Today Esther, Tess and Josie are competing at the North American Championships in Orlando. Good luck girls; NPIDA is rooting for you!

Sunday July 3: Esther (U-11B), Tess (U-12B), and Josie (U-12A)

- Thank you to Cheryl for these photos.