Good Luck at the Stewart Feis!

NPIDA has 86 dancers competing this weekend at the Stewart Feis ("Beautiful BC Feis") in Surrey. Good luck to all of the competitors ! Please check back for results later tonight.

2014 All Ireland Championships

Citywest Hotel: Home of the 2014 All Irelands

Nora would like to advise that the 2014 All Ireland Championships will take place from October 25-30 2014. The event will be held at the Citywest Hotel Conference and Event Centre, Saggart, South County Dublin.

Nora says "Only our Open Championship NPIDA dancers are eligible to enter this Major Irish Dance Championship. Dancers who wish to attend this event must advise me by September 1st 2014 if they would like to enter".

Please click HERE for the official All Irelands syllabus as posted on the CLRG website.

NPIDA Dancers Volunteering as Movie Extras! **UPDATED With Photos**

 

UPDATED 8:50PM: Please scroll down to view photos submitted by Nickey this evening. Thank you Nickey!

Thank you to Nora for submitting the following:

I am thrilled to announce that 14 of our NPIDA dancers ranging in age from 11 to 18 are volunteering today at the PNE as Extras during the filming of a local made for TV movie called "The Untold, Unauthorized Story of Saved by the Bell"! We also have 2 volunteer NPIDA parents working onsite as chaperones… thank you Nickey and Val! 

We are happy to announce that EBIDS will receive $960 as a donation from the casting company in lieu of their volunteer time today!! 

Thank you to these dancers that have volunteered at the fun event:

Krista R, Adreanna C, Catharine A, Laurel S, Alexis B, Tegan P, Jadyn M-T, Pixie K, Emma Hib, Mackenzie C, Camryn C, Jayne D, Amalie W and Tomas M.

 

I hope you all enjoy your big filming day!

 

- Clip art from Google Images

Adreanna, Tegan, Alexis, Jadyn, Pixie, Krista and Amalie

Emma, Jayne (back), Camryn (middle), Catharine,
Laurel, Tomas and Mackenzie

Alexis, Amalie, Tegan, Jadyn and Krista

Amalie, Tegan, Adreanna and Pixie

Hanging around on set

 

2014 NAN's Qualifiers at Ceili's

Back: Jessie, Gemma, Thea, Raven, Camryn, Hanna, Sophie,
Mikaela, Mackenzie, Laurel, Olivia A and Catherine
Middle: Megan, Jayne, Morgan, Sydney, Anna, Jadyn and Sarah
Front: Samantha, Pixie and Katelyn

The dancers and Nora at Ceili's

Thank you to Cheryl for these two photos of our 2014 North American Championship qualifiers, who attended a fundraising event at Ceili's last night.

Unfortunately at least 10 other NAN's dancers/qualifiers were unable to attend last night. Check back later this week for a full list of dancers who will be attending the North American Championships, which will take place in Montreal July 2-6.

Jessie At Worlds

Thank you to Rosalie for submitting this amazing action photo of Jessie, taken at the 2014 World Championships in London by Feispix, the professional photographer.

Dress For Sale (#2014-9) *PRICE REDUCED*

Information about this dress from the owner:

Sparkling Gavin! Dress originally made by Gavin in 2011 for a world champion dancer. Fits ages 10-13. Measurements on request.

PRICE REDUCED TO $500.

 

Please contact Tara at TaraWilkinsonATshaw.ca for more information (please replace AT with @).

NPIDA Summer Dance Camps!

 

Carrie will soon be sending detailed info via e-mail about NPIDA's 2014 Summer Dance Camps. New this year: Full and half-day camp options that include Irish dance, karate, and other indoor and outdoor activities! Nora, Aisling and NPIDA Assistant Instructors will be teaching our 2014 summer camps. Sensei Nicole P of Top Karate will be teaching karate at NPIDA beginning in August.

The selection of 2014 summer camps at NPIDA includes:

JULY 1-DAY CAMPS  (All levels)

Great prep for the Seattle Dance For Life Feis
- North Vancouver: July 14 and 15
- Richmond: July 17

AUGUST CAMPS (All levels)

Irish/Karate Adventure Camp #1 (5 Days - Full Day)
- North Vancouver: August 11-15

Irish/Karate Adventure Camp #2 (5 Days - Half Day)
- North Vancouver August 11-15

Irish Dance Camp #3 (5 Days - Partial Days)
- Richmond: August 5-8
- North Vancouver: August 11-15

Karate Camp #4 (5 Days - Partial Days)
For Ages 5-12
- North Vancouver: August 11-15

Full details including exact times and dancer levels for each camp will be in the forthcoming e-mail from Carrie - stay tuned! Registration forms will be attached, and will also be available at the North Vancouver and Richmond studios.

- Clip art from Google Images

Congratulations Cameron!

Cameron's medal: 1st in U-13 Prizewinner Light Jig

Thank you to Leanne A who forwarded this photo and info: "Attached is a picture of a first place medal Cameron R won this morning at the Detroit Feis". Cameron is in Detroit this weekend with her family. Congratulations Cameron!

Dancer Advancement and Ceili DVD

Lauren F, Lucy F, and Lauren G
All photos by Cheryl G

Nora has confirmed the following dancer advancements:

- Lauren F is a new red dress qualifier effective after the Van Eire Feis
- Lucy F is a new red dress qualifier effective after the POD Feis
- Lauren G is a new Prelim dancer effective after the POD Feis.

Congratulations girls!

Please note that tomorrow, Friday June 6 is the final deadline to order your 2014 Ceili DVD! The cost is only $20 for a 2-disc set. Please complete an order form at the North Vancouver or Richmond studios and submit along with your payment (cash or cheque payable to EBIDS). Below are a few of Cheryl's screenshots taken directly from the Ceili video; thank you Cheryl!

"Best Song Ever"

"Slip Jigs and Reels"

"What Does The Fox Say"

Eire Born

"Celtic Thunder"

"Lord of the Dance"

"Reel Around The Sun"

Congratulations to Hanna: UBC Grad!

Hanna on Convocation Day - May 22/14

Hanna and Michael tossing their grad caps

Congratulations to NPIDA's 2014 university grads, Kali M (Kwantlen), Michael Y (UBC) and Hanna S (UBC)! These are three of NPIDA's most senior dancers, with Kali and Michael retiring in recent years and Hanna still actively dancing. Please see the two posts directly below for posts about Kali (June 2) and Michael (June 3). Today we congratulate Hanna.

HANNA
Hanna is the last remaining original NPIDA dancer, having started with Nora at age six in 1998. She advanced quickly to Prelim Championships and after several years of determined effort moved to Open Championships at age 15. Hanna was one of the original members of Eire Born and served as a team captain for many years. She was also an Assistant Teacher at NPIDA Richmond for four years. She was thrilled to compete at the 2013 World Championships in Boston with NPIDA's age 19+ 8-Hand team. Last month Hanna retired from 16 years of competition, placing 4th at her final feis.

At age 10 Hanna was the youngest of five NPIDA dancers selected to travel to Switzerland for two weeks to perform at EXPO 2002 along with Kali, Natalie, Kelly and Coco. She also performed and taught in New York in 2007 and 2009 with a small group of NPIDA dancers at charity events organized by Coco. Like Kali, Hanna has many fond memories of performing with fiddler Natalie MacMaster on numerous occasions throughout BC, Alberta, Washington and Oregon; most recently in April 2013.

Hanna graduated from UBC on May 22 with a Bachelor of Arts, with a double-major in History and Classical Archaeology.

School Involvement, Volunteer Service and Internships
Hanna volunteered weekly for four years at UBC’s Crane Library Production Unit, recording narrations of textbooks for visually impaired students. She was also employed for four years by UBC as a notetaker for students with disabilities, and worked at the circulation desk of Koerner Library in 2012-2014.

Last year Hanna became involved in UBC’s Arts Internship program. She interned with the Richmond Museum in Spring 2013, and then returned as a volunteer during this school year, contributing 400+ hours of service to the museum. She also served as a UBC Arts Internship Ambassador in 2013-2014, promoting the program and interviewing students for subsequent intakes. In April 2012 Hanna was one of ten Vimy Prize alumni (a national history scholarship she received in 2008) sponsored to volunteer for a week in France with Veterans Affairs Canada, assisting with events for the 95th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge.

This year Hanna began a volunteer research internship with a UBC History professor, which also resulted in concurrent employment as a research assistant by a second History professor. Her paper ‘Mourning, Memory, and Material Culture: Colonial Commemoration of the Missing on the Great War’s Western Front’ was recently selected for publication in Atlas, UBC’s Undergraduate History Journal. She presented this paper at two UBC undergraduate conferences in Spring 2014, and recently was thrilled to be accepted to present her paper at an international WWI conference in Lake Louise in September 2014.

Study Abroad Experience
In 2011 Hanna studied in Britain at the Bader International Study Centre, Herstmonceux Castle (the UK campus of Queens University). In Summer 2012 she returned to Herstmonceux for an Archaeology Field School. This led to an offer of a summer internship position in 2013, acting as Archaeology Field School Assistant, Archival Intern, Assistant Organizer of the Canada Abroad conference, and Academic Travel Intern, during which she co-led students on trips to visit international organizations in Geneva and The Hague.

Awards and Scholarships
* Master's Scholarship for International Students, University of Leicester (2014)
* First Prize Winner, Pat McAndless Award for Excellence (2014 and 2013)
* UBC Golden Key International Honour Society New Inductee Scholarship (2011)
* UBC Trek Excellence Scholarship for Returning Students (2010)
* IDTANA (Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America) Scholarship (2010)
* UBC Major Entrance Scholarship (2009)
* UBC President’s Entrance Scholarship (2009)

Future Plans
Hanna received four admission offers for Masters programs in England, including from the University of Oxford. She has accepted the offer from the University of Leicester to pursue her Masters in Museum Studies beginning in September 2014. This summer she is working full-time as a Collections Technician at the Richmond Museum, and part-time as a research assistant for two UBC History professors.

Congratulations Hanna!

Left: Hanna and Nora (age 7-1999)
Middle: Writing dock show plans with Kali (2007)
Right: At the Steveston docks (2004)

Hanna - with Nora in 2011 (left) and Kali in 2003 (top right)

Hanna and Kali with Natalie MacMaster in Oregon (2003)

Congratulations to Michael: UBC Grad!

Michael with parents Suzanne and John, and sister Lisa

Michael on Convocation Day - May 22

Hanna and Michael on their Convocation Day

Congratulations to NPIDA's 2014 university grads, Kali M (Kwantlen), Michael Y (UBC) and Hanna S (UBC)! These are three of NPIDA's most senior dancers, with Kali and Michael retiring in recent years and Hanna still actively dancing. Please see yesterday's post directly below regarding Kali's grad and tomorrow for Hanna's. Today we congratulate Michael.

MICHAEL
Michael started dancing with NPIDA at age 11 in 2002. He moved quickly to Open Championships and was a World Qualifier multiple times. At the North American Championships Michael placed 13th (Ottawa 2007), 14th (Nashville 2008), 17th (Orlando 2010) and 14th (Nashville 2011), and he also placed at the World Championships twice: 16th (Philadelphia 2009) and 18th (Glasgow 2010).

Michael was the Western Canadian Champion in both 2010 and 2012. He was also an Assistant Teacher for NPIDA Richmond for several years. Along with his sister Lisa, he was a dancer in the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. In 2011, he was cast to dance in a television ad for a local credit union.

Michael graduated from UBC on May 22 with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography (Environment and Sustainability).

School Involvement, Co-op, and Volunteer Service
Michael completed a Co-op term at UBC in Fall 2012, working as a Student Development Assistant for the Faculty of Arts. His main responsibility was to organize events and leadership initiatives that supported the learning of students in the Faculty of Arts.

Michael served as the Vice President External of the Chinese Varsity Club, the largest social club at UBC. He was also the Alumni and Development Coordinator for the UBC Student Leadership Conference, which is the largest student-run conference in North America. His main duties were working with sponsors and incorporating UBC alumni into the conference.

Michael also held a part time job with UBC Orientations, working in a team to recruit, interview and train student leaders for UBC's Orientation events.

Study Abroad Experience
Michael attended the National University of Singapore during the Winter 2013 term. He took three courses while living on campus, and also enjoyed the opportunity to travel to Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Australia.

Awards and Scholarships
* Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America Scholarship (2009)
* UBC Major Entrance Scholarship and President’s Entrance Scholarship (2009)

Future Plans
Michael will be travelling in Southeast Asia again this summer. In September he will be starting a 2-year full-time Diploma in Architecture at BCIT.

Congratulations Michael!

 

Michael at Van Eire 2009, Victoria 2011 and NAN's 2011

Left: Michael with Kali and Hanna in 2007
Right: Michael - 2012 Western Canadian Champion

Michael with Nora and Courtney and Mom Suzanne
Oireachtas 2012



Congratulations to Kali: Kwantlen Grad!

 

Kali on her Convocation Day - May 29/14

Kali with her parents Pat and Sherri

Kali with her boyfriend Sean (left) and brother Taylor (right)

Congratulations to NPIDA's 2014 university grads, Kali M (Kwantlen), Michael Y (UBC) and Hanna S (UBC)! These are three of NPIDA's most senior dancers, with Kali and Michael retiring in recent years and Hanna still actively dancing. Today we congratulate Kali - please check back over the next couple of days for separate grad posts about Michael and Hanna.

KALI
Kali started dancing with NPIDA in 1999 at age 11 and quickly advanced to Open Championships. She is a 3-time World qualifier, competing at Worlds in Glasgow (2007), Belfast (2008) and Philadelphia (2009). She was a long-standing member of Eire Born and served as a team captain for many years.

At age 14 Kali was one of five NPIDA dancers selected to travel to Switzerland for two weeks to perform at EXPO 2002 along with Hanna, Natalie, Kelly and Coco. She also performed and taught in New York in 2007 and 2009 with a small group of senior NPIDA dancers at charity events organized by Coco. Kali greatly enjoyed performing with fiddler Natalie MacMaster on numerous occasions throughout BC, Alberta, Washington and Oregon; most recently in April 2013. She designed the artwork and logo on the Eire Born van!

Kali graduated last week from Kwantlen with a Bachelor of Design in Graphic Design for Marketing.

School Involvement and Mentorship
After 4 years of hard work and determination Kali completed her Bachelor degree this spring. Prior to entering the Graphic Design for Marketing program, she completed her 1 year Certificate in Interdisciplinary Design Studies at Kwantlen, where she discovered which path in design she wanted to pursue.

In the Spring of 2012, Kali took part in a design challenge to design, fabricate, and install a window display at Lululemon. Her team was picked by a panel of judges and their design was featured at Lululemon in Oakridge Mall. The concept was to create an interactive display with shoppers, promoting different kinds of yoga practices.
 
From her experiences working with clients, Kali also completed a 2-month mentorship program at Carter Hales Design Lab in Vancouver during her last semester of 4th year. She was able to shadow industry professionals and participate in their studio work and environment.

Future Plans
Kali is currently working with the Program Director of Camp Goodtimes, designing and marketing a piece of recognition to all of their generous corporate sponsors. She hopes to continue practicing her passion for graphic design and marketing and get started in her career!

Congratulations Kali!

Kali - with Natalie MacMaster (middle) and Hanna (top right)

Left: Kali with dad Pat on Canada Day 2007;
Middle: Kali at a 2010 Olympics performance
Right: With Hanna at a Natalie MacMaster show (2003)

Kali - with Michael (2008) and Hanna (2007)

Dress For Sale (#2014-8) *PRICE REDUCED*

Information about this dress from the owner:

 

Age Range: approximately 13-15 years

Dress length (neck to bottom of skirt): 33 ½”

 

PRICE REDUCED TO $500.

 

Please contact Margaret at margaretATdamelahamid.ca (please replace AT with @).

Cheryl's POD Feis Photos: Sunday

U-12 First Feis Reel Trophy Winners
Naomi: 4th and Jacquie: 8th

12+ First Feis Reel Trophy Winner
Left: Wendy. Right: Wendy and her family

Addison, Leia, Yuli and Naomi

 

Beginner/Advanced Beginner Reel Trophy Winners
Left (U-7): Leia: 2nd, Zoe: 3rd, Malia: 5th
Right (U-8): Yuli: 1st

Beginner/Advanced Beginner Trophy Winners
Left: Holly: 4th in U-12 Beginner/Advanced Beginner Treble Reel
Right: U-9 Beginner/Advanced Beginner Light Jig Trophy Winners
Zoe: 6th, Ciara: 7th, Lucy: 9th and Justine: 11th

U-12 Novice/Prizewinner Light Jig Trophy Winners
Esther: 5th, Lauren: 2nd, Aidan: 7th and Claire: 13th

12+ Novice/Prizewinner Light Jig Trophy Winners
Rowan: 10th, Aki: 6th, Alexis: 5th and Reese: 7th

Novice/Prizewinner Treble Jig Trophy Winners
Avery: 1st in U-8, Aki: 2nd in U-14, Alexis: 4th in U-15,
Delaney: 2nd in U-15, and Rowan: 4th in 15+

Cameron

Many thanks to Cheryl for these photos taken last Sunday at the POD Feis in Surrey. These are some but not all of the NPIDA Pre-Beginner to Prizewinner trophy winners on Sunday. Thank you Cheryl for all the help with names and some of these collages!

Please note that Cheryl's POD Feis photos from both Saturday and Sunday are now posted on her website; click HERE.