More Photos from the Fundraiser

Thanks to Nicole D for submitting these photos, taken Saturday night at the NAN's fundraising event at Taylor's Crossing.

1. Jadyn, Gemma and Jayne

2. Jessie, Jayne, Camryn and Cara

3. Mackenzie, Shannon, Courtney and Jayne

4. Ellen, Mackenzie, Courtney and Michael

5. Jadyn

6. The whole group, wearing their sashes from Gail

7. Pat, Vic and Connie

8. Pat and Vic.

Taylor's Crossing Fundraiser

Our dancers who are heading to the North American Championships next month had their big "pub night" fundraiser event last night in North Vancouver. They performed 2 times during the evening; first in their black outfits and later in their solo outfits. Many thanks to Connie G for taking all these photos and submitting them to the blog!

Photos:

1. Courtney, Jessica and Natalie

2. Ellen, Stephanie and Alex

3. Legs!

4. Michael and the girls

5. Jessie, Lauren, Shannon, Nicole, and Ellen

6. Cara, Jessica, Natalie, Alex, Shannon and Lauren.

7. Alex

8. Ellen, Mackenzie, Courtney and Michael

9. Lauren, Jessica and Shannon

10. Courtney and Catalina

11. Jadyn and Gemma

12. Jessie, Jayne and Camryn

13. Jessie, Jayne, Camryn and Cara

14. Lauren and Shannon - the annual dress switch!
15 and 16: The dancers after the show. Gail S made all the special sashes as a surprise for the dancers!

Thanks to Pat and Vic for their sound and lighting expertise, and to all the family and friends who attended the pub night to support our NAN's dancers. Congratulations to all the dancers, parents and Nora for a very successful evening !

Nightly Themes for NAN's Award Presentations

The organizers of the 2010 North American Championships have announced the nightly "themes" for the award presentations. Dancers, parents, and teachers are invited to dress up in appropriate attire if they wish, according to the themes for each night. Each nightly theme will be hosted by a different IDTANA region.

Sat. July 3: Mickey and Minnie

Sun. July 4: Princes and Princesses

Mon. July 5: Pirates of the Caribbean

Tues. July 6: Villains

Wed. July 7: High School Musical

The final night of award presentations, Wed. July 7 (High School Musical) will be hosted jointly by the Eastern and Western Canadian regions. Canadian dancers, parents and teachers are especially encouraged to dress in theme that night!

Photo from Google Images.

More Lonsdale Quay Photos

Nicole D kindly submitted these photos taken at Lonsdale Quay last weekend. Thanks Nicole!

1. Mackenzie C, Raven G, Camryn C, Anna M, Jayne D, Gemma K, Olivia A, Maya B, and Samantha L.

2. Maya and Raven.

3. Jayne, Gemma, and Olivia.

June 12 Pub Night Tickets Still Available!

Do you have your tickets yet for the pub night fundraising event this Saturday June 12 at Taylor's Crossing in North Van? Come support our dancers who are heading to Orlando next month to compete at the 2010 North American Championships!

Although the official deadline to purchase tickets was last week, you can still arrange to buy a ticket by contacting Andrea C via e-mail at davidandthegirlsATuniserve.com (replace AT with @). You can also arrange your ticket purchase with Nicole D in North Van or Rosalie D in Richmond. For last-minute attendees you can also buy a ticket at the door, although advance ticket purchases are preferred.

Ticket prices:

Adults: $20

Children age 6-12 years: $15

Children Under 5: $12.

Your ticket gets you a burger (or veggie burger) and a beer or bottomless pop. The event begins at 5:00pm and you won't want to miss the dance performance by the NAN's dancers!

Update About Age Splits at Nationals

For those of you going to Orlando next month for the 2010 North American Championships, today the hosting region posted the official age splits. As is the norm, age groups that have more than 150 dancers registered have been split based on birth date within that year. The only groups not split are Girls U-8, Ladies U-19, and Ladies U-20.

Of note; in the past there has not been a separate Ladies U-19 group; the age groups jumped from U-18 to U-20. This year there is both a Ladies U-19 group and a Ladies U-20 group. The Ladies 20+ group has been divided as well, essentially to create a separate U-21 group.

This reflects a recent decision by CLRG to change the age categories beginning at the 2011 World Championships and All-Ireland Championships; there will be separate U-20 and U-21 categories. Since the North American Championships are a "qualifier" for the World Championships, the age groups in Orlando had to be split. It is my understanding that this will also be in effect at all regional Oireachtas in 2010 as well.

There is also new information posted today about used dress sales in Orlando. Hang your dress for sale for a $30 flat rate - or work a volunteer shift in the used dress room and hang your dress for free!

Click here for a direct link:
www.mid-atlanticregion.com/NAN.html

Logo copied from the Mid-Atlantic Region NAN'S website

Dancing at Lonsdale Quay

Thanks to Leanne A for submitting all these photos yesterday, taken during 2 Eire Born shows at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. Thanks to all the dancers, Nora, and the Sound Guys for a great afternoon of shows! Anna M, Camryn, Emma H, Gemma, Jayne, Laurel, Maddy, Mackenzie, Maya, Olivia, Raven, Samantha, and Taigen. (I took these names from the most recent show schedule; please leave a comment if there are any errors or omissions).

Congratulations Margaret: UBC Grad!

Longtime NPIDA dancer Margaret E graduated from UBC last week - congratulations Margaret; we are so proud of you for this major achievement ! Margaret completed a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, with a focus in Paleolithic Archaeology.

In the spring of 2009 Margaret travelled to the Middle East for several weeks to participate in an archaeological dig in Jordan. She is currently exploring options to participate in another dig during the upcoming year, before applying for a Masters program in Archaeology (location to be determined).

Margaret, we all wish you the very best of luck with your future school and career plans! Congratulations grad!

All photos submitted by Margaret.

Feis Info and Reminders

Just a reminder that tomorrow, Friday June 4, is the deadline to register and pay for the Stewart Feis which takes place the weekend of June 19-20.

If you are looking for a feis to go to this summer, the Dance For Life Feis is taking place in Seattle on July 17-18. Registration is currently open on feisworx and closes on July 2.

Photo: NPIDA dancers waiting for results at the 2008 Stewart Feis (Courtney, Michael, Shannon, Macaela, Lauren, Hanna, Lisa, Catalina, and Devon).

In Case You Missed It...

As posted yesterday (see below), Hanna S has just been announced as a recipient of a 2010 IDTANA Scholarship. In case you missed it last summer (PRE-PickettLine Blog!), Michael Y was a recipient of a 2009 IDTANA Scholarship. (This was announced on the blog back in October 2009, but it bears repeating here!) Michael and Hanna both have the distinction of being the only dancers from a Western Canadian Irish dance school to be awarded an IDTANA Scholarship in 2009 and 2010, out of nearly 200 applicants from across North America both years.

Michael graduated from McMath Secondary School last year with an abundance of awards. He was the recipient of multiple honours from McMath: Student Council Scholarship, Principal's Honour Roll Award, Drafting and Design Award, and a McMath Service Award for 60+ hours of volunteer service to his school. He was also honoured to be awarded the Rick Hansen Leadership Award, for his outstanding contributions and commitment to making a difference in the lives of others.

UBC awarded Michael a President's Entrance Scholarship for his entrance average above 86%. At the 2009 NPIDA Ceili, Michael was a co-winner of the Garlene Pickett Memorial Scholarship for his outstanding dedication and passion for Irish dance. He has also contributed many hours of volunteer service in the community and with his church over the past several years.

Michael has successfully completed his first year of full-time General Arts studies at UBC. He plans to transfer to Environmental Design (a pre-Architecture program) in 3rd year. During his first year at UBC, he also found time to attend frequent practises for the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies, which he and his sister Lisa both participated in.

Michael has had an illustrious career in competitive Irish dance! He quickly advanced to Open Championships and has qualified for the World Championships multiple times. At the 2009 North American Championships last July, Michael received a $500. IDTANA scholarship (top photo, left, with Nora). A few months earlier, he won a recall medal at the 2009 World Championships in Philadelphia, placing 16th overall in U-18 Mens. Two months ago at the 2010 World Championships in Glasgow, he again won a recall medal, placing 18th in U-19 Mens.

Michael is currently training for the 2010 North American Championships next month in Orlando Florida. Good luck Michael, and once again our congratulations on your 2009 IDTANA Scholarship!

Hanna: 2010 IDTANA Scholarship Winner!

We are very pleased to announce that Hanna S has been notified by IDTANA today that she is a winner of one of the 2010 IDTANA Scholarships! The Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America generously awards a total of $20,000 in annual scholarships to dancers from across North America who excel in academics, leadership activities, school and community service, and dance.

This year there were 193 applicants from across North America. For the first time, the IDTANA Scholarship Committee completed a "first round" of judging based on academic marks only, which whittled the applicants down to 78 semi-finalists. The semi-finalists then had to submit extensive additional documentation, including...
- a list of all their school and community activities, emphasizing positions of leadership;
- a list of all their volunteer work in the community and at school;
- a list of all their dance activities and accomplishments;
- an updated academic transcript;
- reference letters from their TCRG and school/university teachers;
- a personal essay.

From this group of semi-finalists, only 26 have been selected as scholarship recipients; 4 current university students and 22 Grade 12 students. Hanna is the only Western Canadian 2010 scholarship recipient, and one of only two from all of Canada! (Last year there was also only one Western Canadian winner: Michael Y!) Awards range from $500 to $2000; Hanna has won a $750 scholarship.

A bit about what made Hanna's application stand out to the IDTANA Scholarship Committee:

She has just completed her first year at UBC, where she plans to major in History. She graduated from Prince of Wales Mini School in June 2009 with an entrance average of 95%, and continued her academic success at UBC, recently completing her first year of full-time studies with an "A" average.

She was honoured with numerous awards and scholarships at her graduation last year, including the Vancouver Rotary Club Scholarship, the Vancouver School District Modern Languages Scholarship, and the Ken Annandale Scholarship. UBC offered her both a President's Entrance Scholarship (for her Grade 12 average above 95%) and a Major Entrance Scholarship (for her combination of academic excellence, leadership activities, school and community volunteer service, and involvement in the arts).

Hanna has had years of extensive involvement in her school and community, serving on numerous committees and volunteering for several programs. She was selected to represent her school at events such as the Canadian High School Model UN Conference and the Encounters With Canada "War and Remembrance" program in Ottawa. She is a 3-time City of Richmond "U-ROC" award winner for her volunteer service, and was a youth nominee for the 2008 Ethel Tibbits Women of Distinction awards in Richmond.

Hanna's passion for history is long-standing, and in Grade 7 she won 1st place in the Vancouver Historica Fair and represented Vancouver at the National Historica Fair in Montreal. In Grade 11 she won an international history scholarship through the Vimy Foundation; a 2-week trip to France, Britain and Belgium to travel and study WWI/WWII battlefields, war cemeteries and museums.

As for her dance involvement, she began with Nora 12 years ago at age 6, progressing quickly to Preliminary Championships and moving into Open Championships at age 15. She taught NPIDA Beginner dance classes for 4 years and has been a longtime member and team leader of Eire Born, where she has had many wonderful opportunities such as performing multiple times with fiddler Natalie MacMaster, travelling to EXPO 2002 in Switzerland at age 10; and performing 2 times in New York City with other senior Eire Born dancers and Coco.

Congratulations Hanna: NPIDA is very proud of you!

At the Buck - May 28

Thank you to Jennifer R for sending these photos taken at the Buck in Steveston last night. Thanks to these dancers who performed at the Buck as well as at O'Hare's!

Dancers (bottom photo): Lauren, Shannon, Nicole, Jessie, Catharine, Anna M, Morgan, Jadyn, and Aishlin.

Raven Pub on May 21

Thanks to Connie for sending these photos, which were taken last Friday night (May 21) at the Raven Pub in Deep Cove. 13 of the NPIDA North American Championship competitors performed at the pub as a fundraiser.

Dancers were: Camryn, Cara, Catalina, Caitlin, Gemma, Jadyn, Jessie, Jayne, Lauren, Nicole, Macaela, Mackenzie, and Shannon.

Parents going to Orlando: The IDTANA has posted a request for parents to consider volunteering for a shift while you are at NAN's (mostly 4-hour shifts selling programs, wristbands, results, etc). You can download the form on the IDTANA website: www.idtana.org (Scroll half-way down the homepage for a link to the form).

SYTYCD + Stewart Feis and Oireachtas Update

Thanks to Nicole D for sending this photo from the dock shows last Monday!

For those of you who enjoy the TV show "So You Think You Can Dance" (SYTYCD); the new season begins tonight and one of the first-round dancers to audition is Irish dancer Ashley S, who has won the North American and World Championships multiple times. The show airs tonight at 8:00pm on CTV (Shaw Channel 9).

Please note that the Stewart Feis (June 19-20) has recently announced a change to their venue; the new venue is Lord Tweedsmuir Highschool at 6151 - 180 St in Surrey (Cloverdale).

I have posted on the sidebar at right the confirmed date for the 2010 Western Canadian Oireachtas and Mini-Feis, which is November 12-14. The event will take place at the Westin Bayshore in downtown Vancouver. It is anticipated that all U-13 Oireachtas dancers will compete on Friday; all 13+ dancers on Saturday, and Mini-Feis dancers on Sunday. The syllabus is normally posted in early Fall.