Foy School of Irish Dance, Des Moines Satellite Location

The Booster club is now on facebook...

2012-01-26T17:04:00.001-06:00

Keep up to date on Iowa Irish Inc. new and events.
You can reserve Hooley tickets on our facebook page!
"Like" the the Iowa Irish Inc. Page at:
http://www.facebook.com/IowaIrishInc

Preliminary Hooley Info

2012-01-17T16:17:00.001-06:00

An email went out with links to confirming Hooley Participation and Costume Status.

Please respond BY JAN 22nd.

General Information

2:30 Show

7:00 Show

Tickets

Hooley tix are now on sale! They will be available at classes and workshops.

For more info or to reserve tickets contact: hooleytickets@gmail.com

$10.00 adults

$5.00 child/student (if they need a seat, they need a ticket)

Volunteers

We rely on volunteer support to make this event happen!

Volunteer signups will be at upcoming workshops and classes.

Bonus....Volunteers get a free ticket to the opposite show time!

Practice

Attendance at weekly classes between now and the Hooley is important.

In the next two weeks "spots" for each number will be assigned.

It is important for your dancer to be at class.

ADDITIONAL REHEARSALS

In addition to weekly classes there will be 2 extra practices the week of the Hooley.

Thursday- Everyone at Police Rec in Pleasant Hill

5:30-7:30 ish

First year dancers should be done by 6:30 if they would like to stay and watch that is fine but they will need to be well-behaved :)

Older dancers should expect to stay until things look "ready"

Address of Building ( It is "behind" the whitewater university water park)

The P.A.R.C. Recreation Center
5374 NE 12th Ave
Pleasant Hill, IA 50317

Friday- 4:30- 7:30 (ish)Rehearsal at Historical Building Run through

No Need to wear costumes----they will need to have dance shoes and socks

We will run through the 2nd 1/2 of the show first so that the little ones can leave.

Older dancers should expect to stay until things look "ready"

Historical Building -600 East Locust- in the East Village

Upcoming Celtic Music Association Concerts

2012-01-11T00:02:00.001-06:00

The Celtic Music Association of Des Moines is continuing its 20th season with the Cottars appearing this coming Saturday, January 14 at 8 PM at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 2926 Beaver in Des Moines. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at Holy Trinity, Cooney's tavern, Cooper's on Fifth in West Des Moines, Up Tempo Music, A Celtic Tradition, Scott's Shoppe in Valley Junction, Red Truck tickets or at the door.

Other upcoming shows...

Solas, at Hoyt Sherman on Saturday, February 18.

March 10, the Makem and Spain Brothers at Holy Trinity.

Barnes and Noble Event = Success!!!

2012-01-10T23:56:00.001-06:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Barnes and Noble Holiday Fundraiser! Our final dollar amount raised was over 950.00! WOW!

Welcome Back...Classes start this week!

2012-01-10T17:46:00.002-06:00

Don’t Forget to check used shoe supply this week if you are in need of new shoes

Tuition is Due This Week

Please make sure to RSVP to the Evite sent last week for the Friends and Family Event
Sunday 2:00p-4:00p
Godfathers Pizza

5919 Ashworth Road in West Des Moines.

Just south of the new Mercy West and Methodist West Hospitals, east of St. Francis and northeast of Jordan Creek Mall.

The Shoe Vendor will be there.
This would also be a great time to purchase poodle socks etc.

Hooley Planning Meeting This Thursday
7:00p at Panera on 50th in West Des Moines. All are welcome!

Try on your costumes
As the Hooley and St. Patrick's Day draw near...
Please pull out your dancer's costumes and have them TR

Friendly Reminder...Try on your costumes

2012-01-09T15:20:00.002-06:00

As the Hooley and St. Patrick's Day draw near... please pull out your dancer's costumes and have them TRY IT ON! Better to have a month to hunt down a bigger dress than find out the week of the Hooley

For beginners I will pull out the costume bins at classes this week. We can talk about specifics.

A Note from Geraldine

2012-01-08T22:10:00.002-06:00

JANUARY

Congratulations to the dancers who attended the Decmeber feiseanna!!

Good luck to the dancers attending the January feiseanna—New Orleans, Wisconsin Winterfeis and ICHC Feis.

The following feiseanna are open for registration.
At www.feisworx.com:
Wisconsin Winterfeis, Milwaukee, WI Jan 21
King O'Sullivan Winter Feis Atlanta, GA Jan 21
ICHC Feis Milwaukee, WI Jan 22
Mall of America Feis Minneapolis, MN Feb 4-5
St Louis Irish Arts Feis St Louis, MO Feb18
Lavin Cassidy Feis Lake Geneva, WI Mar 3

Don't forget to change age and levels when registering for feiseanna after January 1.

Attention Dancers:

The Winter Hooley is being held in Des Moines on Saturday, Feb 25. This is a major fundraiser for the Two Rivers Feile and it is also the kick off to the St Patrick's Day season in Des Moines and we wish them success.

Our St Patrick's Day season will be here before you know it, so just a few reminders---
Dancers will not be allowed to perform without shoes.
Dancers must confirm their attendance at an event. No unconfirmed attendees will be allowed to perform.
Not all performances are open to all dancers, for a variety of reasons.
All dancers will have an opportunity to perform at least once during the St Patrick's Day season.

Happy New Year to everyone!

Holiday Break Dance Classes

2011-12-15T15:17:00.002-06:00

We are officially on Holiday Break.... Happy Holidays!

Regular weekly classes will resume Jan 10/11

Feis Prep Classes

If your dancer is feising BEFORE the end of this calendar year...
I will host a prep class on Tuesday December 20th at 7:15pm

If your dancer(s) plans to feis BEFORE St. Patrick's Day ...
I will do a prep class on Tuesday December 27th Time yet to be determined.

Watch email for sign up information.

Java Joes

2011-12-15T15:15:00.002-06:00

Dancers from our Tuesday and Late Wednesday classes will be performing this Sunday December 18th at 9:30am at Java Joes coffee house downtown DesMoines. Come and enjoy some great dancing!
Hope to see you there!

2012 Important Dates

2011-12-15T15:12:00.001-06:00

January
Jan10/11 Session 3 Begins Tuition Due
Jan 15 Irish Inc. Family Event
Godfathers Pizza on 60th & Ashworth from 2-4pm
Please make sure to RSVP once online invites go out
Shoe vendor from Chicago will be there
Jan 21 Wisconsin Winter feis- Milwaukee
Jan 22 ICHC Feis-Milwaukee
Jan 28-29 Marianne Workshops

February
Feb 4/5 Mall of America Feis- Minneapolis
Feb 24 Hooley Dress Rehearsal
(Mandatory for those participating) Time TBA
Feb 25 Hooley Iowa State Historical Building
2:30p and 7:00 Performances
Feb 28/29 NO Classes

March
March 3rd Lavin Cassidy Feis- Lake Geneva, WI
March 17th St. Patrick’s Day!
March 20/21 No Classes
March 24-25 Geraldine Workshops
March 27/28 No Classes

April
April 3/4 Session 4 Begins Tuition Due

May
May 15/16 Last week of classes

June
June 27 iwine -Jasper Winery!

August
Aug 4th Two Rivers Feile

Barnes and Noble

2011-12-10T19:47:00.001-06:00

Still have some shopping to do before the Holidays?

Books and Music make great gifts... and Barnes and Noble is a great place to get them in the next couple of days!

Iowa Irish Inc. has partnered with Barnes an Noble to raise funds for our Feis in August. 10% of online sales today though December 14th using the bookfair ID 10611416 will go towards our annual feis.
Please pass along to your friends and family.

Barnes and Noble Fundraiser
to benefit The Two Rivers Feile and Iowa Irish Inc.
Bookfair ID# 10611416
December 9th- 14th

THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the event at the West Moines Store yesterday...I have heard lots of compliments about our dancers and families. Thank you for being awesome!

Congratulations!

2011-11-26T22:01:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to all of our Oireachtas dancers. You did a great job and should be proud of yourselves.

Special congratulations to our Des Moines award winners--
Rachal Barnes, Kaitley Peterson and Emi Smith.

Reminder....No classes this week

2011-11-22T20:53:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving and Good luck to all of our Oireachtas dancers!

United Way

2011-11-05T22:10:00.000-05:00

We have had some questions from parents about eligibility for United Way and the answer is YES, we are eligible to receive your United Way Donor Directed contribution from your campaign at work. For more info or questions contact Angela Lawler at cag3doc@pol.net.

Thanks for asking....every little bit helps!

T-shirt/ Short Reorder available

2011-10-25T07:54:00.002-05:00

Back by popular demand! For those of you requested to submit and order after the due date---We will do a re order.

ORDERS NEED TO BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL BY NOV 2nd.

Please send orders by e-mail.

You will still have to give payment to your teacher.

Checks should be made payable to: Iowa Irish Inc

Please bring payment and order forms to class or email orders to foywear@gmail.com

For email orders be sure to include the following--
Contact Info
Name
E-Mail
Phone
Location
Order Info
Item (Shirt or Shorts)
Quantity
Sizing (Youth or Adult)
Size (YS, YM, YL, AS, AM, AL, AXL, A2XL)

Reminder... No Classes this week!

2011-10-25T07:53:00.001-05:00

We will not have class October 25th or 26th. See you next week!

October- Note from Geraldine

2011-10-05T15:50:00.000-05:00

OCTOBER

Congratulations to the dancers who attended the September feiseanna!!

Good luck to the dancers attending the October feiseanna—Pat Roche and Halloween Feis.

Congratulations to our dancers who have qualified for the 2011 Mid-America Oireachtas.

The following feiseanna are open for registration at: www.efeis.com
Halloween Feis October 29, McCook, IL
Chicago Autumn Feis November 5, Lynwood, IL
Prairie State Feis November 6 Lynwood, IL

I suggest the Halloween Feis. McCook is just south of Brookfield Zoo. No Irish dance dresses are needed for this feis. Everyone (well almost everyone) wears a Halloween costume, including the judges!

Remember you must be attending classes and current on all class fees in order to be able to compete at a feis or represent our school at Oireachtas.

The new t-shirts are available for order. Order forms are available on the website. Orders are due October 11. Pick-up will be the week of October 24.
NOTE TO OIREACHTAS DANCERS:
There will be additional Oireachtas FoyWear available for order shortly.

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!

Online Registration

2011-09-20T21:16:00.002-05:00

We are piloting an online registration application for upcoming events.

This afternoon all 2nd year and above dancers should have received at least one email with a link where you are able to register for upcoming workshops with Marianne.

You may have received multiple emails with links if your dancer(s) is eligible for multiple classes.

After following the link you will have the choice of "attending" or "not attending" Please respond via the link by Wednesday September 28th.

I will be looking for feedback on this process as I explore online registration options for other upcoming events.

If you did not receive an email about a particular class and think you should have please get in contact with Kelly.

Marianne Workshop Schedule

Saturday October 1st

2:00 Intro to Slow Hard shoe

3:00 Open Soft

4:00 Open Hard

6:30 Ceili

Sunday October 2nd

9:30 Oireachtas Prep

Mark your calendars...

2011-09-17T16:35:00.002-05:00

September

Session 1 begins September 12th

24^th The Minnesota Feis

October

1^st-2^nd Marianne workshops

3^rd Booster Club meeting 6:30pm

8^th Pat Roche Feis- Chicago

22^nd -23^rd Geraldine workshops

25^th and 26^th NO CLASSES (Kelly is out of town)

November

Session 2 begins Nov 1st

5^th Chicago Autumn Feis

6^th Prairie State Feis- Lynnwood, IL

19^th-20^th Geraldine Workshops

No class week of Thanksgiving

25^th-27^th Oireachtas- Chicago

December

5th Booster Club Meeting/Elections/ Shoe Vendor 6:30pm

Last week of classes December 12^th

16^th Barnes and Noble Scholarship Date

Happy Holidays!

2012

Session 3 begins Jan 10th

February 25^th- Hooley tentative

March 17^th- St. Patrick’s Day!

Session 4 begins March 27^th

August 4^th Two Rivers Féile

Welcome ... and Welcome Back!

2011-09-17T16:29:00.002-05:00

I enjoyed our first week of classes...seeing smiles I had not seen in a while and meeting our newest dancers and families!

A couple of odds and ends...

The Booster Club has sent out all tax donation thank you's that they have on record. If you or someone you know did not receive one and you should have please let us us know so we can get that taken care of promptly.

I am going to explore some online sign up options for visiting instructor workshops, performances etc. If you have any suggestions of free web applications I should take a look at please send them my way.

A note from Geraldine...

2011-09-05T21:03:00.000-05:00

SEPTEMBER

Welcome to all new dancers and welcome back to all returning dancers.
Congratulations to the dancers who attended the August feisanna.

Special congratulations to our "first feisers": Jenna Brady,
Pilar Fisher, Brenna Halsted, Delaney Kuhns, Hallie Madigan,
Danielle Stacy, Sarah Schott, and Lucy Virnig.

Extra special congratulations to Jon Alexander on qualifying as a solo competitor at the 2011 Mid-America Irish Dance Championships to be held in Chicago November 25-27.

Good luck to the dancers attending the September feisanna-Kansas City, Rock River Valley, Michigan, Baltimore and Minnesota.

The following feisanna are open for registration:
At www.feisworx.com
Michigan Feis September 17, Muskegon, MI
Minnesota Feis September 24, St Paul, MN
Pat Roche Feis October 7-8, Rosemont, IL

At www.efeis.com
Halloween Feis October 29, McCook, IL
Chicago Autumn Feis November 5, Lynwood, IL
Prairie State Feis November 6 Lynwood, IL

Remember you must be attending classes and current on all class fees in order to be able to compete at a feis.

Finally, Best wishes to retired dancer and SFX assistant teacher Erin Howard on her upcoming wedding. Congratulations Erin and Dave!!

Photos from our Feis- Check them out!

2011-08-21T22:44:00.000-05:00

http://www.markpetersonphotography.com/proofs/index.php?p=tworivers

Parents of dancers who posed for portraits in thevendor booth are being emailed a passcode for their own private proofing gallery.

2011-2012 Class Information

2011-08-14T23:01:00.003-05:00

Session 1 begins September 12th

Session 2 begins Nov 1st (No class week of Thanksgiving and ends Week before Christmas)

Session 3 begins Jan10th

Session 4 begins March 27th

Location: Grace Ballet and Gymnastics Studio located at 6564 NW 6th Dr. Des Moines, IA 50313

Cost: $85.00 Soft $125.00 soft and hard/session.

4 sessions per school year each session runs 6-8weeks (Fall Sessions are shorter than spring sessions due to fall/winter holidays and I build in an extra week in winter session 3 in case we have to cancel class for weather--other wise everyone gets a bonus class!).  

Class times have been posted on the Irish Inc site and have also been posted at summer sessions. Please let Kelly know if you have questions about class times.

Upcoming feiseanna

2011-08-13T23:09:00.003-05:00

Registration is open on Feisworx for the following upcoming feisanna

Kansas City Feis (Sep 3, Kansas City, MO) - Registration closes on Friday (Aug 19th)-- Kelly Plans to attend this feis.
Rock River Valley Feis (Sep 10, Loves Park,IL) - formerly Iowa State Feis - new location!!!
The Minnesota Feis (Sep 24, St. Paul, MN)
Chicago Pat Roche Feis (Oct 8-9, Chicago, IL)

Registration is Open on efeis for the following upcoming feiseanna

* St. Louis Feis (Sept 10)

* Chicago Autumn Feis ( Nov 5)

* Prairie State Feis - Lynnwood, IL ( Nov 6)

IF your dancer would like to do figure dances at any of the upcoming feiseanna---Please send Kelly an email so that she can put together teams.

MINI MINI Session this week!

2011-08-13T23:04:00.003-05:00

I look forward to seeing many of you this week : )

We will have classes on Monday and Wednesday this week.

Aug 15 & 17

4:00-4:45 Soft Shoe1 Beginner

4:45-5:30 Hard Shoe1 Beginner and Advance Beginner

5:30-6:15 Soft Shoe2 Beginner and Advance Beginner

6:15-7:00 Hard Shoe2 Advance Beginner and Novice

7:00-7:45 Soft Shoe3 Novice and Open

7:45-8:15 Hard Shoe3 Novice and Open

GREAT Event!

2011-08-07T22:35:00.002-05:00

I have heard so many great comments about our feis. THANK YOU all for a great day! With out all of the hard work and time of our families we would not be able to host such a great event. Congrats to all of our dancers---you did great!

Dance bag check please!

2011-07-29T08:57:00.004-05:00

A few dance shoes did not make it home from the dance studio during the last mini session, Geraldine's and Marianne's workshops. Please check your bags to make sure you have ALL of your shoes. In addition to missing shoes...One dancer had 2 left soft shoes at classes this week so I am guessing there is a dancer out there with 2 right shoes :)

Please also check that dancers have put their name in their shoes so we can easily track down owners in the future. This is a good reminder for dancers to keep their belongings organized in the provided bins at the studio and not leave shoes out and about during shoes changes etc. between classes.

Irish Dance Shopping....

2011-07-19T12:32:00.001-05:00

For those of you thinking about a new wig, shoes or socks, or maybe even a dress, we'll have vendors at our feis to cover all of those needs. Of particular note, our Chicago dressmaker for our blue and gold school dresses will be at our feis. Brenda Banach of 'reel couture, irish dance dresses and vests' not only makes solo dresses, she also makes both the beginner (a-line dress) and advanced (pleats) dresses for our school.

As our school grows in Des Moines, so does our need for school dresses. Ellen McBride wanted me to pass along that our supply of used school dresses is limited, so this may be a good opportunity to meet Brenda based on your dancer's need. Check our feis website, www.tworiversfeile.com under Vendors for more information about our vendors. Ellen can also be contacted with questions about availability of used dresses and shoes or you can always check our bulletin board at the studio.

Figures have been added and entries have been checked!

2011-07-07T23:33:00.002-05:00

Figures have been added for our Des Moines Feis. Figure teams will be available at upcoming classes.

I have also reviewed all Des Moines registrations and have made necessary changes. You can consider your registrations approved.

If a figure (2 or 3 hand reel) has been added for your dancer or if I made changes to your registration you should have received an email from feisworx.

ALL entry fees must be paid online at feisworx by NEXT FRIDAY JULY 15th to avoid a late fee.

I have gotten some questions about the "Trophy Specials" and who can do which ones. Trophy specials are optional dances so if you did not register for them I did NOT add them to your registration. Feel free to add any of them that your dancer is eligible for before July 15th.

Eligibility:

EVERYONE can do the Single Jig Special-

This dance will be danced in memory of Colman Cleary, the father of three Irish dancers from Des Moines, Iowa. All proceeds from this year’s dance will be directed to a charity in memory of Colman.

If you know St. Patrick's Day Traditional Set (hard shoe dance) you may do the St. Patrick's Day special in honor of Geraldine's mom Sally Foy. All proceeds from this dance will be directed to the Irish Inc. scholarship fund.

Treble Reel Trophy Special- if you are Novice qualified in all Hard shoe dances ( HP, TJ and SPD)

Non Traditional Set- if you have at least one prizewinner qualification and have attended all of the required workshops.

Change of Plans!

2011-07-01T23:57:00.002-05:00

There is a change of plans for the Mini Session in July. Please check your email for details.

July 19, 20, 21

4:00-4:45 Soft Shoe1 Beginner

4:45-5:30 Hard Shoe1 Beginner and Advance Beginner

5:30-6:15 Soft Shoe2 Beginner and Advance Beginner

6:15-7:00 Hard Shoe2 Advance Beginner and Novice

7:00-7:45 Soft Shoe3 Novice and Open

7:45-8:30 Hard Shoe3 Novice and Open

July 19 & 20

Class with Kelly- Same times as mini sessions

July 21

Class with Geraldine- Same times as mini sessions

July 22^nd

3 Sea Captains class 11a-12:30p (Must know 3 Sea Captains Non Trad Set )

Additional Feis prep for open/novice dancers 1:30p-3:00p (must be qualified in Novice in majority of dances)

Two RIvers Feile--will be here before we know it!

2011-07-01T16:15:00.003-05:00

The Countdown is on! 36 days! whoo-hoo!

If you have not registered please do so by THIS SUNDAY JULY 3rd if you want to be considered for figure dances. I will be working on teams next week and you will be notified by feisworx if/when a figure is added for your dancer. I will also do a final review of entires at this point in time and make any additions or corrections. You will need to log back on and pay for additional dances by July 15th in order to avoid a late fee.

If your dancer has a school costume and does NOT want to do figures please let me know by Sunday July 3rd.

Please let me know if you would like to be more involved as the date gets closer....there is lots of work to be done!

Upcoming July Dance Events

2011-07-01T16:11:00.002-05:00

July 13 9:00a-10:30a Daytime Drop in- Please let Kelly know if you plan to attend

July 19-20-21 Mini session

July 26-27-28 Marianne Workshops- Signups will be at drop in and mini session-if you will not be at either of those and need to sign up please email Kelly

Fall Class Lists

2011-07-01T15:54:00.003-05:00

Fall Class Lists have been finalized and will be posted shortly on the Irish Inc. Website in the members only section.

ALL classes will be at Grace Ballet Studio.

Classes will start the week after Labor Day.

Do you miss me?

2011-06-20T21:49:00.002-05:00

It was a big week for Irish dancing last week!

Congratulations for all of our dancers who participated in the Twin Cities Feile-- I love watching you on stage!

A HUGE thank you for everyone who participated in one way shape or form in our IWine event. Over $4,200---WOW!

47 days until our feis! Please get registered on www.feisworx.com.

Big Week for Irish Dance...

2011-06-10T16:28:00.003-05:00

Did you think it was possible for me to see you 6 days in a row??? this week it is!

Mini Session Monday Tuesday Wednesday - Grace Studio

Thursday June 16th

2:30-4:00p Geraldine feis prep class

for those who are attending upcoming feiseanna- Grace Studio

Please RSVP to Kelly by email if you dancer(s) plans to attend. Priority will be given to dancers attending the MN feis. Cost is $25 made payable to Irish Inc.

6:00-9:00 I-Wine- Des Moines Police and Rec Building in Pleasant Hill

Friday June 17th

9:00-10:00a- Geraldine Non Trad Set Class- By Invite only- Grace Studio

Saturday June 18th

MN Feis---Good Luck!

A Note from Geraldine

2011-06-09T11:13:00.001-05:00

JUNE

Congratulations to the dancers who attended the May feisanna.

Good luck to the dancers attending the June feisanna—Detroit, Indianapolis, Mullane-Healy, Twin Cities, Dayton and Cincinnati.

Feis registration info can be found on the Feis Information page of the website and/or at the website for theNorth American Feis Commission, www.northamericanfeiscommission.net/.

Registration for all feisanna is mostly through feisworx or efeis now. Note: The Saline, MI Feis listed on efeis is NOT sanctioned by the Irish Dancing Commission or NAFC, therefore dancers are not eligible to compete. DO NOT register for this feis as you will not be able to participate.

Remember you must be attending classes and current on all class fees in order to be able to compete at a feis.

We will be hosting the 2nd Two Rivers Feile in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, August 6. As you can imagine there are huge costs involved with this type of undertaking and Iowa Irish Inc has worked diligently to raise money and were awarded an arts grant from the state of Iowa to offset some of these expenses. Congratulations to the committee.

I am looking forward to seeing many of the Des Moines families at the IWine event next week. The IWine event is a fundraiser for our feis.

SAVE THE DATE:
August 6 Two Rivers Feile

Congratulations to the class of 2011:
Hannah Barnes, Margaret Cosgrove, Lizzie Daly, Claire Eide, Dana Gertsen, Sam Hamilton,Cecelia McGinn, Blair O'Neill and
Hannah Trueman.

Best wishes to retired dancer Kira Carey on her recent marriage.

Please remember the Byrne, Conlan, and Hunter families in your prayers. Meghan's grandmother , Morgan's grandfather and Shannon's father passed away recently.

Finally, Happy Father's Day to all our dads!

Des Moines Feis is OPEN

2011-05-27T21:23:00.001-05:00

The Des Moines Feis is FINALLY open on Feisworx! YAY!

It is time to get into high gear for the second Two Rivers Feile on August 6th.

Many thanks to the many folks who are already hard at work in one way or another to make this event happen!

What now? ...

Get Registered!

www.feisworx.com

Please get registered as soon as possible.

I will be checking in with folks who are not registered in the next week or so.

I Wine June 16th

2011-05-26T22:54:00.002-05:00

Make sure this is on your June Calendar!

Toast the luck of the Irish and the joys of Celtic heritage with a

glass of...wine.

Iowa Irish Inc. has partnered with Iowa wineries to offer a tasting to benefit the Two Rivers Féile

We we hope all adults plan to attend this fun wine-tasting, which includes some delicious treats and a silent auction with an eclectic array of items for everyone.

Thursday, June 16^th, 6-9p

Police Athletic and Recreation Center (PARC)

5374 N.E. 12th Avenue Pleasant Hill, Iowa

Last year, those attending enjoyed this evening in a relaxed and fun atmosphere with tasty wine selections and yummy treats!

Tickets are $15 at the door, or you can purchase tickets at:

Amici’s (downtown Des Moines )

A Celtic Tradition ( Windsor Heights )

Grounds for Celebration (Beaverdale).

Tickets will also be for sale during mini sessions.

Thank you for all of your enthusiasm and support of Irish Dance and Two Rivers Feile!

iWineinfo@yahoo.com

Happy Summer!

2011-05-24T17:27:00.004-05:00

I can't believe how quickly this year flew by....it's summer!

See up to date Summer Schedule below.

Registration for our feis (August 6th) will be opening in the next couple of days. I will send out an email when feisworx goes live...EXCITING! Information about volunteer options will be released in the next couple of weeks.

Daytime drop ins

We talked earlier about scheduling a couple of daytime drop in's for folks who could not make mini sessions because of dates/ evening times or wanted a little extra practice. The first day time drop in will be July 13th from 9-10:30a at the studio. Please send me an email if you plan to attend. This time slot will be for all ages all levels. We will see how it goes and if successful, I will plan for additional time slots.

Fall Classes

I plan to have class lists finalized by July 1st. If you need to know what class your dancer will most likely be in prior to July 1 let me know. I have a pretty good feeling about where everyone is going to be. I want to wait until after the MN Feis to confirm placements.

Mini Sessions

Current mini session class lists will be posted soon on the members only section of the booster club website. You can double check dates you signed up for and class times there.

Cost for mini sessions are $30.00 for Soft only $45.00 for Soft and Hard and $65. for Soft, Hard and Non Trad Set.

A reminder that if you sign up for a mini session and later have a conflict, please notify Kelly at least 2 days in advance so she can fill the spot. "No Shows" will be responsible for tuition and will not be able to participate in future mini sessions or classes until payment has been received.

Summer Schedule

May

Mini Session 31/June 1, 2

June

Mini Session 13/14/15

I Wine 16th

MN Feis 18th

July

Daytime drop in 13th 9-10:30a Grace Studio

Mini Session 19/20/21

Visiting Teacher Workshops (More info to come soon) 28/29/30

August

Two Rivers Feile! 6th

Mini session 15 & 17

Just in case you missed it in Geraldine's note..

2011-05-04T21:31:00.000-05:00

The Saline, MI Feis listed on efeis is NOT sanctioned by the Irish Dancing Commission or NAFC, therefore dancers are not eligible to compete.

DO NOT register for this feis as you will not be able to participate.

A Note from Geraldine...

2011-05-04T21:29:00.001-05:00

APRIL

Congratulations to the dancers who attended the April feiseanna.

Good luck to the dancers attending the May feiseanna—Chicago.

Feis registration info can be found on the Feis Information page of the website and/or at the website for the North American Feis Commission, www.northamericanfeiscommission.net/.

Registration for all feiseanna is mostly through feisworx or efeis now. Note: The Saline, MI Feis listed on efeis is NOT sanctioned by the Irish Dancing Commission or NAFC, therefore dancers are not eligible to compete. DO NOT register for this feis as you will not be able to participate.

Remember you must be attending classes and current on all class fees in order to be able to compete at a feis.

We will be hosting the 2nd Two Rivers Feile in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, August 6. As you can imagine there are huge costs involved with this type of undertaking and Iowa Irish Inc has worked diligently to raise money and were awarded an arts grant from the state of Iowa to offset some of these expenses. Congratulations to the committee.

Iowa Irish Inc is holding a feis fundraiser in Des Moines on Thursday, June 16. This fundraiser is a wine tasting event.

SAVE THE DATES:
August 6 Two Rivers Feile

God bless all our dancers making their First Communion this month.

Finally, Happy Mother's Day to all our moms!

Figures for MN Feis

2011-05-04T14:00:00.002-05:00

I encourage the participation in figure dances... it is a great way to start the day and warm up mentally to be at a feis. I also believe that they build team spirit which is important as our girls navigate through competitive settings.

I know we have a good size group of dancers who are planning on going to MN for the feis in June. While registration officially closes June 4th, if you would like your dancer(s) to be considered for a figure team please have the registered by May 15th. This will give me enough time to build teams etc. Dancers who participate in figures must have a school costume.

If your dancer is not interested in participating in figures please send me an email so I do not put them on a team.

Upcoming Feiseanna

2011-04-28T21:50:00.002-05:00

I have been getting a lot of questions about future feiseanna. Here is what is coming up...

Current Mid-America Region Feiseanna open on Feisworx:

Cleveland Feis (May 29, Cleveland, OH)
Twin Cities Feile (Jun 17-18, St Paul, MN)
Great Lakes Feis (Aug 21, Lansing, MI

More Feiseanna are coming soon to feisworx. Watch for:

Colorado Irish Festival Feis (Jul 9-10, Littleton, CO)
Badger State Feis (Jul 16, Milwaukee, WI)
Cream City Feis (Jul 17, Milwaukee, WI)
Two Rivers Feile (Aug 6, Des Moines, IA)
The Minnesota Feis (Sep 24, St. Paul, MN)

You can also check http://www.efeis.com/ for additional listings (tend to be more eastern locations indiana, ohio, etc.)

Mini Session Information

2011-04-28T21:45:00.001-05:00

Thank you to the handful of people that provided feedback on timing of the mini sessions! Responses were mixed which I expected based on the range of ages we have and the work schedules of our families. I will offer a couple of options. There will be the regular mini sessions which will be held late afternoon/early evening as done in previous years and then I will do a few "Daytime drop ins" and see how that goes. If they are well attended then I will add more. I will schedule the drop ins in the next couple of weeks.

Mini Sessions

May 31/June 1, 2

June 13/14/15

July 19/20/21

Aug 15 & 17 (Cost will be less since only 2 days)

Class Times:

4:00-4:45 Soft Shoe1 Beginner

4:45-5:30 Hard Shoe1 Beginner and Advance Beginner

5:30-6:15 Soft Shoe2 Beginner and Advance Beginner

6:15-7:00 Hard Shoe2 Advance Beginner and Novice

7:00-7:45 Soft Shoe3 Novice and Open

7:45-8:15 Hard Shoe3 Novice and Open

8:15-9:00 Non trad Set---Must have attended Geraldine’s Non Trad Set Workshop.

Cost:

$30.00 soft only

$45.00 soft and hard

$65 soft, hard and Non Trad Set

Location:

Grace Ballet Studio

6564 NW 6th Dr.

Des Moines, IA 50313

Notes:

Class sizes are limited to 12 dancers.

Email Kelly to reserve your spot. Please include date of mini session and which class you would like to attend… example: “June 21st Mini session Hard Shoe1 and Soft Shoe2” .

This schedule allows for some flexibility and choice of class times. If you have a schedule conflict dancers may always choose to “dance down” levels. Classes may be combined if there is low registration.

In the past we often have had wait lists for mini sessions. If you sign up for a mini session and later decide you are not going to participate, please notify Kelly 2 days in advance so she can fill the spot. Class lists will be posted on the Irish Inc Members only site.

"No Shows" will be responsible for tuition and will not be able to participate in future mini sessions or classes until payment for missed mini session has been received.

upcoming workshops

2011-04-20T15:35:00.002-05:00

Friday April 29th

6:30-8:00p studio

Traditional set workshop

Saturday April 30th

9:00a-10:00a Grace Church

Ceili Under 12

10:00a-11:00a Grace Church

Parent Child Ceili

11:00-Noon Grace Church

Ceili Over 12

Noon-1:00p Grace Church

Technique Class

3:30-5:00 Studio

Feis Prep

5:00-6:30 Studio

Traditional Set

Looking way ahead....

2011-04-12T14:04:00.002-05:00

I know it is only April and September seems WAY off in the distance... but I have been thinking about Quinn's fall schedule and she is only 2; so I understand the need to get dates on calendars!

Because feis standings drive class lists, I am not ready to finalize the schedule just yet as I know there are some popular feiseanna coming up. I am happy to share what I anticipate the fall scheduling to be. I can tell you what I am looking at for times but I won't know for sure until early Summer when I see summer participation and how feis placements look after a few of these Spring/Summer Feiseanna.

Classes in the Fall will be on Tuesday and Wednesday and the will be at the studio.

Tuesday 6:30-8:00p

Wednesday 4:30-9:00p

What I know for sure:

Wednesday

4:30-5:15p Brand new beginners

5:15-6:00p beginner 1 (those who are first feis this year)

7:30-9:00p Novice/Open Dancers (Currently have class at 7:15-8:45 this year)

I will wait to see about the other 2 classes (Advance Beginner and Novice mixes) until I see how their placements look.

The bigger of the 2 classes will most likely be on Wednesday 6:00-7:30 and the other will be on Tuesday from 6:30-8:00. This decision will be based on class size.

With the remodel of Grace studio they are able to accommodate all of our classes for the upcoming year. This is going to be especially great for all of our hard shoe dancers to have "real" studio flooring. I am also looking forward to having everything in one place.

I have come to realize there is no perfect schedule when we are dealing with 50+ families so I need go with what works for scheduling. I am understanding of families' busy schedules and realize this may not work for some individuals.

Summer Mini Sessions

2011-04-11T22:16:00.003-05:00

Summer is around the corner (YES!) Spring Session ends the week of May 15th

Tentative Mini Session Dates to date:

May 31/June 1, 2

June 13/14/15

July 19/20/21

Aug 15 & 17

We may add some classes as needed depending on numbers going to specific feiseanna.

The Booster club survey includes a question about time of day preferences for the mini sessions....please take a minute to provide input!

Times and sign ups will be available after Easter.

A note from Geraldine...

2011-04-11T22:13:00.002-05:00

APRIL
Congratulations to the dancers who participated in the St Patrick's Day season performances. You all did a great job!

Congratulations to the dancers who attended the March feisanna. Special congratulations to our "first feisers", Margaret Kolada, Ellie Kroeger, Nora Paul and Catherine Power.

Good luck to the dancers attending the April. feisanna—Milwaukee Spring, Denver, Buckeye State, and Las Vegas.

Summer Feising—The summer feis season is about to begin. Please check the website for feisanna in our area and for your guide to a successful feisanna practice stategy and mental preparation hints.

We will be hosting the 2nd Two Rivers Feile in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, August 6. As you can imagine there are huge costs involved with this type of undertaking and Iowa Irish Inc has worked diligently to raise money and were awarded an arts grant from the state of Iowa to offset some of these expenses. Congratulations to the committee.

Iowa Irish Inc is holding a feis fundraiser in Des Moines on Thursday, June 16. This fundraiser is a wine tasting event. This is also the Thursday before the Minnesota Feile, so I am offering the following suggestion—attend the wine tasting fundraiser in Des Moines on Thursday evening , (an alternate event will be planned for dancers), continue on to the Minnesota Feile scheduled for Minneapolis/St Paul on Saturday, June 18. Minneapolis is approx 3 1/2 hrs from Des Moines and has several great attractions, most notably the Mall of America!

SAVE THE DATES:

August 6 Two Rivers Feile

Happy Easter Everyone!

Reminder...No classes this week!

2011-04-03T21:30:00.000-05:00

I am out of town for work this week...see everyone next week!

Did you know we have dancers with juvenile arthritis?....Let's support them!

2011-03-30T13:34:00.003-05:00

Two of our beginner level dancers dance their little legs off despite their diagnosis of juvenile arthritis.

Every year, people across the nation join together to help the Arthritis Foundation find a cure for arthritis. This year, we're doing it again!

Delaney (one of our dancers) invites you to join her in celebrating the future at the 2011 Des Moines Arthritis Walk! With your help, it will be a future free from arthritis pain.

You can make a difference in 2 ways:

- Able to walk with us on May 14, in Des Moines at Principal Park 9 am? Click here to Join Team Doodle

- Click on Team Doodle Donation Page to make a donation

Whether you choose to offer a gift of time, or money, your help has a significant impact on the lives of millions affected by this disease.

We've all heard about the disease, but most of us don't know that there are 100 forms of arthritis, or that nearly 300,000 children live with arthritis pain every day.

2011 Feis Planning is now in high gear!

2011-03-27T21:09:00.002-05:00

With St. Patrick's Day behind us we are now looking forward to August 6th 2011...the second annual Two Rivers Feile! Please make sure it is on your calendars!

Kelly is wondering if any of our families have any travel agent connections? We need to find a friendly and reliable agent to work with this year to book all of our VIP (adjudicators and musicians) travel.

Please send her an email with contact information if you have any ideas. Thanks!

SCHEDULE CHANGE FOR WEEKEND WORKSHOPS

2011-03-24T14:11:00.001-05:00

Saturday March 26th

1:30-2:30 at the CHURCH

Soft Shoe

Beginner and Beginner 2

Classes:

Tuesday 5:45

Thursday 5:45

4:30-6:00p

Open Class (must be qualified in at least one Open/Prizewinner dance) No changes -it will be at the studio.

Sunday March 27th

Location: Remodeled Grace Ballet Studio in Saylorville

(this is a DIFFERENT location from Geraldine’s February workshops- same place as our summer mini sessions and current Wednesday classes)

6564 Northwest 6th Drive Des Moines, IA 50313

8:45-9:45a Hard Shoe (Traditional Speeds)

Classes:

Tuesday 7:15

Wednesday 5:45

9:45-10:45a Soft Shoe

Classes:

Tuesday 6:30

Wednesday 6:30

Wednesday 8:00

10:45-11:45a Hard Shoe (Slow Speeds)

Classes:

Wednesday 7:15

Spring Schedule

2011-03-22T22:03:00.001-05:00

Session 4

March

29/30/31 *

April

NO CLASS 5/6/7

12/13/14*

19/20 (No Thursday Class)

26/27/28

Workshops April30-May1

May

3/4/5

10/11/12*

17/18/19

* Indicates introductory hard shoe classes. Classes will begin directly following soft shoe classes.

Upcoming Feiseanna- Please let your teacher know if you will be attending

MILWAUKEE SPRING FEIS MILWAUKEE, WI APRIL 2

www.feisworx.com

BUCKEYE STATE FEIS COLUMBUS, OH APRIL 16

www.feisworx.com

FEILE DENVER APRIL 10

www.feisworx.com

LITTLE ROCK FEIS LITTLE ROCK, AK APRIL 29-30

www.feisworx.com

Terrific St. Patrick's Day Season!

2011-03-18T13:39:00.003-05:00

Great job to all of our dancers! Thank you to all of our volunteers who made things run smoothly, I really appreciate it!

Reminder: No classes next week; See you the week of the 28th.

Do you want a Foy Hooded Sweatshirt?

2011-03-16T14:00:00.002-05:00

One of our Chicago Locations is ordering Foy Hooded Sweatshirts. Ordering information is available on the School website (www.foyirishdancers.com).

Please EMAIL your order to KELLY by THURSDAY MARCH 24th. We will submit an order for all Des Moines Dancers. Payment will be due at Geraldine's Classes on the 26/27th. If you are unable to attend Geraldine's classes you may mail KELLY a check to give to Geraldine.

Checks can be made out to Saint Andrew School with Foy Wear in the memo.

March 17th Details

2011-03-15T08:37:00.002-05:00

The BIG day is near! I hope you and your dancers are excited!

We are #3 in the parade line up.

Our staging spot is 15th Street and Locust Street downtown.
Please arrive between 11:00-11:15a.
The parade begins at noon.

We walk rain or shine....let's hope the luck of the Irish keeps us dry! (the good news is there doesn't look like there will be snow this year!)

The dancers will be practicing during staging for the day's shows.
If you are not walking in the parade with us, please plan to meet your dancer at the Historical Building about 1:00p to get them ready for the 1:45 show. If your dancer is not walking in the parade, they need to be dressed and ready by 1:15 at the historical building.

Dancers should drop off costumes and shoes to the Historical Building between 10:30 and 11:00 am. There will be parent volunteers there to help coordinate the process.

Each dancer will be assigned a buddy to walk with---we will do a combination of walking and dancing.

Only dancers and parent volunteers (parent volunteers may bring their other children---but they will be walking with the parents not the dancers) will be walking with the group. We can't be responsible for keeping track of friends, siblings etc. You can still walk with us if you did not sign up with classes.

Dancers may wear festive "accessories" for the parade but will need to look like Irish Dancers when they get on stage. So no glitter in hair or visible temporary tattoos please!

With a chance of rain in the forecast, I would suggest against wigs in the parade :) Please wear sneakers.

We will be allowed to throw candy and beads etc. this year in the parade. The Booster Club will be providing a supply to throw and families are invited to bring additional supplies to add to the stash!

Our group will walk directly from the end of the parade route (Embassy Suites) to the Historical Building. Parents should plan on meeting us there to get your dancer ready for the next event!

Historical Building Shows
We will be dancing two times: 1:45p and 2:30p.
Please choose one of the shows to attend so there is room for the "general public" to see our fancy footwork also!
The First Show will include ALL Dancers. The 1:45 show will highlight Wednesday dancers and the 2:30 will highlight Tuesday/ Thursday dancers.

Embassy Suites
Wednesday dancers will leave the Historical Building early to get to Embassy Suites for the next show.
If Tuesday dancers would like to zip over to Embassy Suites to watch the show they are more then welcome to do so following the second Historical Building show.

General Notes
If you are sick or can not make performance that you have signed up for, you need to call Kelly on her cell phone.
Everyone should have polished dance shoes and pressed costumes
Hair should be pulled out of face.
Wigs should be securely fastened.
Shoes should be tied in double knots.

Performance Costume Options:
Black skirt, white peter pan shirt, poodle socks, dance shoes
School Dress (all black) black tights, dance shoes
School Dress (Black and Blue), poodle socks, dance shoes
Solo dresses

I could really still use a couple of dancers for our Scottish Rite Show tomorrow

2011-03-11T15:37:00.003-06:00

Saturday March 12th

Scottish Rite Retirement Center

2909 Woodland Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50312-3884

show 2:30p

dressed and ready 2:10p

Please send me an email if you are available :)

Shoe Vendor Update

2011-03-06T22:30:00.001-06:00

The Shoe Vendor will be at Classes this Tuesday at Grace Church (3700 Cottage grove DSM) from 5:45-8:00.

Fantastic Show!!!

2011-02-27T15:29:00.002-06:00

THANK YOU everyone for a great show last night. I heard so many compliments!

March Calendar

2011-02-27T15:26:00.001-06:00

Week of March 1^st---NO Classes!

Week of March 7^th--- Regular Classes

March 12^th

2:30p Scottish Rite Park Retirement Center- ALL

5:30p Private Party Elks Lodge- By Invitation

6:30p Grace United Methodist St. Patrick’s Day Dinner- Wednesday

March 15^th

Noon Westminster Presbyterian Women Club Luncheon –Wednesday

5:30p Private Party – Polk County Convention Center- By Invitation

March 16^th

10:00a Ramsey Village Retirement Center- All

4:30p Walnut Ridge Retirement Center – All

6:30p Cova Cabanna (old Ingersoll Theatre) Dinner Entertainment-By Invitation

March 17^th

Noon Parade -All ( Staging 11:00a)

1:45p State of Iowa Historical Building- All

2:30p State of Iowa Historical Building- All

3:30p Friendly Sons Celebration Embassy Suites Wednesday

7:30p House of Bricks with the band Vandon Arms- By Invitation

Week of March 21^st- NO Classes!

March 26 & 27 Workshops

Week of March 28^th Session 4 begins

Hooley Practice Schedule

2011-02-16T15:47:00.002-06:00

I have gotten a few questions about practice this up coming week.

Dancers should be practicing their steps on their own and should show up to practices ready to dance their little hearts out!

HOOLEY WEEK SCHEDULE
Tuesday- Regular class times
(Advanced beginners will practice soft ONLY but have class for the full 1.5 hours)

Wednesday- Wednesday Dancers all come at 5:45-8:45 HARDSHOE ONLY

Thursday- Everyone at Police Rec in Pleasant Hill 5:30-7:30 ish SOFT ONLY

First year dancers should be done by 6:30 if they would like to stay and watch that is fine but they will need to be well-behaved :)

The Shoe vendor from Chicago will be here with shoes and other "essentials"

Address of Building ( It is "behind" the whitewater university water park)

The P.A.R.C. Recreation Center
5374 NE 12th Ave
Pleasant Hill, IA 50317

Friday- 4:30- 6:30 (ish)Rehearsal at Historical Building Run through -

Historical Building -600 East Locust- in the East Village

No Need to wear costumes----they will need to have shoes and socks

We will run through the 2nd 1/2 of the show first so that the little ones can leave. Older dancers should expect to stay until things look "ready"

Saturday- HOOLEY ...yay!

Dancers should arrive at 1:00p and will need to be READY to go through final lineups at 1:30p

The first show is at 2:30pm

Dancers should arrive back at the Historical Building by 5:45 and Be READY by 6:00p

Families are responsible for their own children between performances.

Shoe Vendor is Coming!

2011-02-13T22:32:00.002-06:00

Our shoe vendor will be at Hooley Practice next Thursday the 24th at the Police Rec Building. Even if you did not sign up for shoes, they will be bringing multiple styles and sizes. This is a good opportunity to get fitted for shoes. Also if you missed the poodle sock order or need items like sock glue, dance music practice cds you are in luck!

A Note From Geraldine...

2011-02-13T22:29:00.001-06:00

FEBRUARY
Congratulations to all the dancers attended the January feiseanna. Results can be found on the Feis Results page of the website.

Good luck to the dancers attending the February feiseanna—North Coast Feis, SLIA, St Louis Winter Feis and Feis na Tara.

The following feiseanna are open for registration:
At www.feisworx.com--
Lavin Cassidy Feis Mar 5 Lake Geneva, WI
Registration closes February 18.

Remember when registering for feiseanna for 2011 be sure to change your age and dance levels where necessary.

I know the weather is cold, but all dancers should be wearing shorts or footless leggings at class. Short s and/or leggings, poodle socks and shoes should always be in your dance bag and your dance bag should always be at class with you.

PERFORMANCE NOTES:
No dancer will be allowed to perform without shoes. If you do not have Irish dance shoes, black ballet shoes are acceptable.

No dancer will be allowed to perform at a performance they have not signed up for. DO NOT show up at a performance if you have not told your teacher you will be attending.

Please keep in mind that not all dancers are eligible for all performances. There are a variety of reasons for this.

Don't forget about Gaelic Park's annual essay contest. This year's topic is "My Hero". There are two categories-6th-8th grade and high school. Rules and entry forms can be found on Gaelic Park's website:www.chicagogaelicpark.org

Happy Valentine's Day!

Classes CANCELLED- Wednesday Feb 2

2011-02-01T22:23:00.001-06:00

We will not have classes Wednesday evening...stay home and warm!

See email that was sent this eveing with announcements/reminders for the week.

Classes CANCELLED- Tuesday Feb 1

2011-02-01T08:52:00.002-06:00

We will not have classes this evening...stay home and warm!

I will send out an email later today with announcements/reminders for the week.

Foy Family Social

2011-01-30T20:12:00.004-06:00

Saturday, February 5^th

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Christopher’s Restaurant in Beaverdale (next to Holy Trinity)

Celtic Music Association Concert, 8:00 at Holy Trinity

If your attendance plans have changed since sign-ups in class, please let Emily Piper(emily@ialobbyresources.com) know no later than Wednesday evening. She must give a final count to Christopher’s on Thursday morning. While this event is free to those in attendance (except for the cash bar), Irish Inc does incur a charge per person for the appetizers.

If you are interested in the CMA concert that night, please purchase your tickets in advance at classes this week. Tickets will be available at the door but you will pay more.

This will be a fun night and a great opportunity to meet all the new families. Door prizes will be given to all families in attendance and every dancer in attendance gets to pick an item from the Irish Inc inventory of their choosing. Heavy appetizers will be provided. If you want additional food, a waitress will be available to take your order at your own cost.

We look forward to a fun time!

Hooley Show Time and Tickets!

2011-01-26T15:39:00.002-06:00

Our dancers are hard at work preparing for a fantastic show... I am looking forward to a great event! Show times for this Year's Hooley will be 2:30pm and 7:00pm.

Tickets will be available for sale starting at classes next week.

Thank you to the planning committee for all of your time and energy!

Update on Grace Studio

2011-01-26T15:00:00.003-06:00

I know that many of you have been asking about The Grace Studio that we use for Wednesday night classes and workshops and how they are recovering from the fire.

I wanted to provide you with an update. The studio is getting a total remodel and is on schedule to be completed after Spring Break. As a part of the remodel they are going to completely reconfigure the space. They will have 2 studio spaces, 2 bathrooms, a new parking/ traffic flow , you will enter through a new doors, both studios will have viewing windows....and many more updates (along with the most important....all new electrical!) I am excited about the updates and capacity for additional use. I look forward to enjoying the updated space! As we get closer to moving back in, I will provide you with specific policy changes (traffic flow/ parking etc.). Stay tuned!

Hooley Planning Meeting POSTPONED!

2011-01-17T16:16:00.001-06:00

Let's stay off the icy roads!

The Hooley Planning Meeting is rescheduled for Thursday night at 7 at the Westown Panera. Liz Brennan will be at dance on Wednesday night if anyone would prefer to chat about the Hooley on Wednesday.

Feb. 5th Family Social Details!

2011-01-17T16:14:00.002-06:00

February 5th is just around the corner and we hope you are making plans to
attend the Foy Family Social event and the Celtic Music Association Concert.

Start the evening at Christopher's Restaurant in Beaverdale from 5:30 - 7:30
p.m. All Foy Families are invited to attend this free and fun event in
Christopher's back room. Sponsors and major contributors to last year's Two
Rivers Feile will also be invited. Iowa Irish Inc will provide heavy
appetizers and a cash bar will be available. Door prizes will be drawn
throughout the evening for all those in attendance.

Next, walk next door to Holy Trinity to show your support for Celtic Music
and attend a concert by Vishtens. Tickets are $18/advance and $20 at the
door. Kathleen Gradoville is working to arrange a group of tables for Foy
families and we will have more information about purchasing tickets for
the concert at classes this week.

For purposes of a food count, signup sheets are available at class and we
ask that you indicate if you plan to attend and how many will attend with
you. Again, there is no charge for this event (except your adult beverages)
and we hope that you and your family will attend.

Friendly Reminder...Try on your costumes

2011-01-12T22:07:00.004-06:00

Dates for Your “Irish” Calendar

2011-01-11T12:40:00.003-06:00

Friday & Saturday January 28th & 29th
Riverdance is at the Civic Center!
Anyone affiliated with our dance school may buy a ticket at $29.50 for the opening night performance (1/28 7:30p)

There is no group ticket sale minimum and you can order tickets at this rate directly from the ticket office. You will need to mention this promotion and let them know that you are affiliated with the Foy School of Irish Dance.
ticket office at: 515-246-2369

Sunday January 30th
St. Augustin School Open House
Performance: Noon
Dressed and Ready: 11:30am
Soft and hard shoe
The girls do not have to be from St. Augustin to dance at the open house. :)
Eligibility: Beginner 2 and Above
Sign ups at classes

Saturday February 5th
Family social event
Early evening
Christopher’s Restaurant Beaverdale
Please sign up at classes so we have a head count.

Celtic Music Association Concert
Holy Trinity Parish Center
8:00pm

Sunday February 6th
Workshops

9:00-10:00a Soft Shoe
Tuesday 6:30

10:00-11:00 Hard Shoe
(Traditional Speeds)
Tuesday 7:15
Wednesday 5:45

11:00-12:00 Soft Shoe
Wednesday 6:30
Wednesday 8:00

12:00-1:00 Hard Shoe
(Slow Speeds)
Wednesday 7:15

Lunch Break

2:00-3:00 Soft Shoe
Beginner and Beginner 2
Tuesday 5:45
Thursday 5:45

Friday February 18
Sacred Heart Brownies Event
7:30- 8:30p
Brief show and then teach a few steps
Will need a few advanced Dancers to perform and assist.

HOOLEY WEEK SCHEDULE
Tuesday- Regular class times
(Advanced beginners will practice soft ONLY but have class for the full 1.5 hours)
Wednesday- Wednesday Dancers all come at 5:45-8:45 HARDSHOE ONLY
Thursday- Everyone at Police Rec in Pleasant Hill 5:30-7:30 ish SOFT ONLY (first year dancers should be done by 6:30)
Friday- Rehearsal at Historical Building Run through Early Evening
Saturday- HOOLEY!

Friday February 25
Gaelic Storm (http://www.gaelicstorm.com/) will be at the Val Air Ballroom doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm.
Tickets are $25 at the box office. (We will NOT be performing with them during this tour stop)

Saturday February 26th
Hooley!
State of Iowa Historical Building

Saturday August 6th
Two Rivers Feile

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-20T13:36:00.003-06:00

Happy Holidays to all of our dancers and families!

Classes will resume The Week of January 4th.

Please make sure to mark your 2011 calendars

Saturday Feb 5th for our family event at Christopher's in Beaverdale. More information will be available after the holiday break.

Saturday Feb 26th for our annual "Hooley" Performance at the State of Iowa Historical Building.Dancers who are not able to participate should notify Kelly as soon as possible as she is already working on the line ups and program.

A reminder to Wednesday dancers...
Temporary Studio Location is 1810 SW White Birch Circle, Suite 10 Ankeny

Still need a holiday gift for your dancer??

2010-12-20T13:30:00.002-06:00

River dance is coming to Des Moines!

With the Holiday break it may be a little hectic to coordinate a group block so instead, I have been in contact with the ticket office and they have offered our dancers and families a "promotion" for the Riverdance opening-night performance.

Anyone affiliated with our dance school may buy a ticket at $29.50.

There is no group ticket sale minimum and you can order tickets at this rate directly from the ticket office. You will need to mention this promotion and let them know that you are affiliated with the Foy School of Irish Dance.

Riverdance, 1/28, 7:30pm

$29.50

Anyone interested can call: 515-246-2369

For more information, go to: http://www.civiccenter.org/events/riverdance_291.php

Dancers needed!

2010-12-14T13:06:00.003-06:00

We have 2 upcoming shows that we need dancers for! Please check your calendars and sign up at classes this week.

Java Joes Dec 19th 4:30 pm Wednesday Dancers

ImaginEVE Dec 31 3:30 and 5:00p All 2nd year dancers and above

A Few Updates:

2010-12-06T22:50:00.003-06:00

We still need volunteers for the Barnes and Noble event this Friday. Please look for sign ups this week at classes.

All Dancers are invited to participate in a service Project on Saturday Dec 11th. The girls will be making fleece tie blankets for the House of Mercy. Find out more information and sign ups at classes this week.

Need stocking stuffers? Irish Inc. gear will be for sale at classes this week.

Reminder Wednesday Dancers: We will be meeting at Grace CHURCH for the next 2 Wednesdays.

Upcoming Performances
December 13th Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Holiday event---by invitation
December 19th 4:30pm Java Joes-Wednesday Dancers---sign ups will be at classes
December 31st 3:30 & 5:30 ImaginEve at Hy Vee Hall- Open to all 2nd year dancers and above---sign ups will be at classes
Jan 30th St. Augustin Open house- Details will be announced at a later date

Dates to Remember
Feb 5th Family Social hosted by the Booster club
Feb 26th Annual Hooley at the State Historical Building
March 17th St. Patrick's Day
August 6th Two Rivers Feile

Congratulations!!!

2010-11-28T19:42:00.002-06:00

Great Job to all of the Foy Dancers who competed in this year's Oireachtas!

We should be so proud of the Des Moines Dancers that recalled:
Rachal Barnes
Emi Smith
Madeline Wisco
Anne Gradoville
Annie Lawler

Your hard work paid off!

Special Congratulations to Rachal Barnes on her 5th place Award. Well Done!

Oireachtas...Congrats and Good Luck!

2010-11-26T21:04:00.003-06:00

Congratulations to the Friday Foy Dancers who ALL recalled!
Special congratulations to Des Moines Dancer Rachal Barnes who placed 5th overall in her age group...way to go!!

Good luck to all Foy Dancers especially Des Moines Dancers Annie, Anne, Madeline and Emi who compete tomorrow!

Reminder...No classes this week!

2010-11-23T08:57:00.001-06:00

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

A note from Geraldine...

2010-11-14T21:05:00.002-06:00

NOVEMBER
Congratulations to the dancers who attended the October feisanna. You did a great job!

Special congratulations to our "First Feisers": Danielle Folan, Kathleen Gorman, Elizabeth Hamerlinck, Maeve Kennedy, Abbey McBride, Maggie Merck, Caroline Nee, Ellen Nee, Stella Pry-Brown,
Aidan Reilly, Ciera Reilly, Colleen Richardson, Jo Schierloh,
Emma Thompson, Bella Tobin, Molli Tyska, Bridget Vitu, Kayleigh Vitu, and Olivia Webb.

Good luck to the dancers attending the November feisanna—Chicago Autumn and Atlanta.

Don't forget to send photos of the Halloween Feis.

Dancers who borrowed dresses for the feis season should return them immediately after their last feis.

Special good luck wishes to our dancers competing at the 2010 Mid-America Oireachtas: Jon Alexander,Hannah Barnes, Rachal Barnes, Meghan Byrne, Claire Eide, Dana Gertsen, Anne Gradoville, Claire Hengesbaugh, Annie Lawler,Jamie McCarthy, Emi Smith,& Madeline Wisco.

We send our sympathy to the Cleary family of Des Moines . Dr Cleary passed away suddenly. Please keep them in your prayers at this difficult time.

Congratulations to retired dancer Norah Jennings Tucker and her husband Jeff on the arrival of John Patrick! Congratulations also to Grandma & Grandpa Jennings, Aunties Marianne and Katie and Uncle Marty!

Congratulations to retired dancer Erin Howard on her engagement!

Finally,
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Reminder...no Classes next week!

2010-10-23T20:33:00.001-05:00

I will be out of town next week for work...so we will not have classes.

I had a few questions about the year's schedule See below.

Session 1
Weeks of September 13, 20, 27 October 4, 11, 18, NO CLASS October 25
Session 2
Weeks of November 1, 8, 15, NO CLASS THANKSGIVING WEEK, 29 December 6, 13
Session 3
Weeks of January 10, 17, 24, 31 February 7, 14, 21 (Alternate schedule with Hooley practices)
Session 4
Weeks of February 28 March 7, 29
NO CLASSES WEEK OF St. Patty's Day but lots o' dancing!
NO CLASS Week after (March 21-24th and April 4-7)
April 11, 18, 25 May 2
Note: I am going to be be an Aunt of twin boys out in San Francisco in February--- We may skip town to meet them sometime late spring ...classes will just extend later into May.

Other Important dates to get on the calendar
Marianne's workshops November 13/14
Scottish Rite Performance November 21st 2:30pm
Orieachtas November 26, 27, 28
Hooley February 26th (Rehersal schedule will be released in January. We usually have practice, Wed, Thurs and Friday of that week)
St. Patrick's Day March 17th We are BUSY that whole week!
Two Rivers Feile August 6th

Geraldine Classes

2010-10-08T22:00:00.002-05:00

Attention Thursday night dancers...In case you missed the announemnt at classes this week. Your dancers should plan to attend the 9:30-11a class at Grace Studio on SUNDAY. This is a time and date change from the previous post. This change has been made to accomodate the many schedule conflicts with the Sat pm. class that was origionally scheduled. ALL Other classes will take place at posted time.
Thanks and let Kelly know if you have any questions.

A note from Geraldine...

2010-10-08T21:58:00.001-05:00

OCTOBER
Congratulations to the dancers who attended the September feisanna. You did a great job!

Special congratulations to our "First Feisers"--Shaye Coughlin and Kate Saunders.

Good luck to the dancers attending the October feisanna--Atlanta, Pat Roche & Halloween.

The following feisanna are open for registration:
Halloween Feis (Oct 30, McCook), Chicago Autumn Feis(Nov 6, Lynwood),
Feis Atlanta (Nov 19-20, Atlanta). All registration is at www.efeis.com

Looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend!

Happy Halloween Everyone!!

Congratulations!

2010-09-23T21:20:00.004-05:00

Congratulations to the Des Moines Dancers who have qualified to compete at the 2010 Mid America Oireachtas!

Rachal Barnes
Anne Gradoville
Claire Eide
Annie Lawler
Jamie McCarthy
Emi Smith
Madeline Wisco

Upcoming workshops

2010-09-23T21:18:00.002-05:00

Please see below for details on upcoming workshops. Times have been tweaked slightly so please make note.

Geraldine
October 9th and 10th

Oct 9th Grace CHURCH
2:30-3:15 Brand New Beginner (Tuesday 5:45 class)
3:30-4:30 Beginner1 (Thursday class)

October 10th Grace BALLET STUDIO
9:30-11:00 Advanced Beginner Tuesday 6:30 class)
Noon-1:00 Advanced Beginner/Novice Hard shoe (first wednesday Hard shoe class)
1:00-2:00 Wednesday Soft shoe
2:00-3:00 Novice/Open hard shoe (second Wednesday hard shoe class)
3:15-4:15 Bonus Oireachtas Class (those planning on attending Oireachtas)

Marianne
November 13th and 14th
November 13th Grace CHURCH
12:30-1:30p Ceili Under 10
1:30-2:30 Ceili Over 10
2:30-3:30 Beginner1 (Thursday class)

November 14th Grace BALLET STUDIO
9:00-10:30 Advanced Beginner Tuesday 6:30 class)
11:15-12:15 Advanced Beginner/Novice Hard shoe (first wednesday Hard shoe class)
12:15-1:15 Wednesday Soft shoe
1:15-2:15 Novice/Open hard shoe (second Wednesday hard shoe class)
2:30-3:30 Bonus Open Class (dancer must have at least one Open level qualification)

Reminder- Irish Inc. Meeting

2010-09-19T22:09:00.002-05:00

Irish Inc. Meeting will be this Tuesday at 6:30p at Grace Church. Please plan to attend. The group has a lot to talk about including a 2011 Two Rivers Feile?!?!

It is time to get back into the swing of things!

2010-09-13T21:25:00.002-05:00

Hard to beleive we are ready to start up weekly classes again! Session 1 begins this week. I am excited to welcome a DOZEN new families to our group!

Class Times
Tuesday- Grace CHURCH
5:45-6:30
6:30-8:00

Wednesday- Grace STUDIO
5:45; 6:30; 7:15; 8:00

Thursday- Grace CHURCH
5:45-6:30

Fee information:
Tuition
(checks paid to Des Moines Irish Dancers)
$80.00 for soft only
$120.00 for soft and hard
(20% discount on additional sibling tuition)

Annual Registration Fee
$25.00 per child (up to $75.00)
(checks paid to Iowa Irish Inc.)

See you soon!

Calling all Wednesday Dancers...

2010-08-31T10:45:00.002-05:00

Sunday September 12th
Ancient Order of Hibernian Event
St. Patrick's Settlement Church, Cumming
1:00ishp practice
2:00p performance

Please send Kelly an email if you are able to attend

Photos from the Feis

2010-08-18T16:23:00.002-05:00

Our webmaster is looking for some great photos of from the feis--- If you have any to share please send them to Ronda at mccarthy@mchsi.com

Cleaning out closets before school starts???

2010-08-17T17:27:00.002-05:00

Reminder to check your closets, bags, etc. for used shoes or dresses you may want to sell. During the first couple weeks of fall classes, the new folks are especially interested in used soft shoes. So, if you have used soft shoes you want to put up for sale, this would be a great time. You can bring items to class or you can contact Ellen McBride our used gear coordinator.
Ellen's email is: joeellen673@yahoo.com

Note to Dancers attending the KC Feis

2010-08-17T16:47:00.003-05:00

The Breandán De Gallaí Irish Dance classes being hosted by the KC Irish Festival (not the Feis!)have not been sanctioned by An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha. Because the association rule will be upheld if you attend, our dancers may NOT participate. (For newer families---there are all kinds of rules that go along with being a part of an accredited school. These workshops could compromise the ability of adjudicators at a feis to adjudicate competitions that contain Foy dancers.) There is no discussion about this. Our dancers will NOT be attending these workshops.

A note from Geraldine....

2010-08-10T12:53:00.002-05:00

AUGUST
Congratulations to the dancers who attended the July feiseanna. You did a great job!

Congratulations to Jon on his recall and placement at the North American National Championships in Orlando.

Good luck to the dancers attending the August feiseanna--Two Rivers, Milwaukee, McMenamin, Great Lakes and St Louis Gateway.

The following fall feiseanna are now open for registration.

At www.feisworx.com: St Louis Gateway (Aug 28, St Louis), Kansas City (Sept 4, Kansas City), Graham Academy (Sept 11, St Louis), Michigan (Muskegon, Sept 18),Minnesota, (St Paul/Minneapolis Sept 25), Feis na Tara (Atlanta, Oct 1-2).

At www.efeis.com: Chicago Autumn Feis (Nov 6, Lynwood).

Registration for the Pat Roche Feis and the Halloween Feis will be opening soon.

Please check feisworx and efeis for the registration openings of these feiseanna.

As you know my mother and I have had a difficult few months. I thank you all for your support during that time. She wants to go to Ireland, she hasn't been in six years (which for her is a long time) because of my father's frail health, wish us safe travels!

Enjoy the rest of the summer, stay cool and I'll see you when I get back from Ireland!

On to the next thing!

2010-08-10T12:15:00.002-05:00

Now that OUR feis is over and I can sleep again at night, We need to start to think about other upcoming feiseanna and fall classes.

Kansas City and The Minnesota Feis are both open on Feisworx.

Kansas City Feis September 4th
Kansas City Registration closes THIS Saturday August 14th. Please go in an regsiter so that I can confim and check your registrations. I do plan to attend this feis.

The Minnesota feis September 25th
The MN Feis Registration closes September 7th. Please go in an regsiter so that I can confim and check your registrations. At thi point in time I am unsure if I am going to attend this feis.

NOW the question is ... when will prep classes be?

Answer
August 18 & 25 at Grace Studio
$10 for Softshoe only
$15 for Soft and Hard
5:45-6:30 Beginner Soft
6:30-8:00 Advanced beginner and above

Please email me if you would like to attend these prep classes. IF you are NOT attending either the MN or the KC Feis and would like to attend please also let me know that. Those who are attending upcoming comps will receive preference for class sign ups.

Reminder Regular class sessions begin the week of Septemeber 13th and class lists and times are posted on the Irish Inc website on the families only page.

I am in the midst of putting together our new beginner class and should be communicating with families sometime this week. Get ready to welcome some new cuties!

Note from Geraldine

2010-08-09T22:50:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of the first
Two Rivers Feile!! It was a great day and whether your contribution was big or small, monentary or manual, long term or short term it is greatly appreciated.

Special thanks to our retired and semi-retired dancers. It was good to have you back on the dancing scene again!!! You made great stage managers and captains.

See you all next year in Des Moines!

GREAT FEIS!

2010-08-08T17:39:00.003-05:00

Thank you to EVERYONE for all of your hard work to make our first feis a success!!! I have heard so many positive comments. WOW! Make sure to go onto feisworx and fill out the feis feedback survey and take notes for next year(?!?) while it is still fresh in your mind!
Also.. PLEASE SEND PHOTOS I would love to sit back and enjoy at it from a different point of view!

401

2010-08-01T12:28:00.002-05:00

401 is the magic number!!!

In less than a week we will be hosting 401 dancers and their families from across the country at our First Feis! Things are coming together and I am getting SO excited for the big day!

THANK YOU to everyone for all of your help planning, organizing, sponsoring, volunteering, gathering materials, fundraising, registring, and the list goes on and on!

It is going to be a great day!!!

Fall Class Lists

2010-08-01T11:50:00.002-05:00

As I said a few weeks ago...the FEIS has taken over my life! Emails will go out today to all waitlisted families surveying continued interest. They will need to email me back and from those replies the beginner class will be built for the fall.

The class lists for current dancers have been posted (or will be really soon) to the Families page of the Irish Inc. website.

Classes will begin the Week of September 13th.

As few notes....
We have added a Thursday class! We are running into bedtime problems...while I don't mind teaching into the night we can't have 6yr olds up and at dance until 9:00pm! SO for now the Thursday class will run from 5:45-6:30. Once that class is ready for Hard Shoe, the class time will be extended to 7:15.

In order to move out of the Beginner 1 Class, dancers need to master 2 steps of Jig, Reel, Single Jig to move from Beginner class

In order to begin hard shoe dancers need to have mastered 2 steps if the Jig, Reel, Single Jig and Slip Jig

In order to move to Novice Classes dancers need to be qualified to Novice in over more than half of their dances. They must be qualified in at least one of both hard and soft shoe.

For Novice/open dancers: I am flexible on the soft shoe class times. I tried to place you with carpool pals to the best of my memory. If you want to be in a different class please send me an email AFTER the feis. I will make as many changes as needed as long as we end up with fairly even class sizes. Dancers should attend the hard shoe class where they are placed.

Yay for Lexi!!!

2010-07-26T23:23:00.002-05:00

See excerpt for Lexi's blog. We are so happy that your surgery and recovery has been successful! You are so strong!

Today I finally straightened my knee! And I had my FINAL Clinic, so the news was great... I AM GOING HOME! I should be back in Iowa by Friday! Then I just have to do PT three times a week and keep working on flexibility and strength and I should be back to normal in.... well, a while. So, apart from the staggering amount of TV watched, I managed to do a lot, mostly that half of me grew 2 inches. While I have missed Iowa and everyone there, I am really happy that I got to have this (thankfully) once in a lifetime summer, and that I got to share it with my mom.

YAY Lexi!!!!

Fall Classes Update

2010-07-22T12:19:00.002-05:00

In the midst of the craziness of feis planning the fall is right around the corner!
I hope to have class lists posted by August 1st. I will let you know when they are complete and posted.
In the process of creating current dancer classes, I have been working on getting things together for our new dancers and families. An email will go out to those who are on the wait list surveying their continued interest. From their responses, classes will be built.
The names of waitlisted dancers has been(or will be really soon) posted on the members only page of the website. Please check it to make sure those you think are on the list indeed are. Please let me know if there is anything I need to know about waitlisted dancers as we move forward on building classes.

If you have a friend or family member on the wait list you can let them know that I hope to have things out to them by August 1st also.

Feis Count Down--- 16 days!

2010-07-22T09:43:00.002-05:00

16 Days to the big day...
A huge thank you to everyone for all of your hard work! It is appreciated.
It is going to be a great event for our school and the Irish community of Des Moines.