Feis, an Irish Sport

FEIS, An Irish Sport Competition

Falls Church, Virginia, June 16, 2007. Today marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of Maple School of Irish Dancing. Bill and Marnie took time off their busy schedule to sit down with BristowEnews.com regarding to the hosting of the Old Dominion FEIS, an Irish dancing competition they have sponsored for the past six years. The Old Dominion FEIS came about because Bill and Marnie felt the need to help dancers gauge themselves and in doing so created this yearly event. For our readers out there, Bill Maple is the 1982 North America Irish Champion and twice a World Champion. He has competed in a number of international events around the world. Both couples are proud of their achievements and accomplishments.

According to Bill, today's event drew in roughly 750 - 800 competitors from all the Northeastern region of the country including Connecticut ,Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and contestants as far away as Singapore. A number large of Irish dancers from Prince William County including the Bristow participated in the FEIS. The competition ranged from Beginners, Advanced Beginners, Novice, Prizewinner, and all the way to Preliminary Championship and Championship level. Although Irish dancing is considered a sport in native Ireland it is not widely known in the United States. In fact, the first thing people associate Irish dancing with is the River Dance. According to Bill, since the River Dance show took off a decade ago, the D.C. and the Northern Virginia area has been a "hot bed" for Irish dancing.

The unique aspect of the school according to Bill and Marnie is that the school is very competitive; both teachers are experience Irish dancing champions. In addition, the school can help aspiring and seasoned Irish dancers honed in their skills and help dancers developed confidence and gain poise. The Maple School of Irish Dancing provides individual and group Irish dancing lessons. Their classes are held weekly in the city of Falls Church, Vienna, Mclean, Ashburn, and coming soon to Haymarket, Virginia. For addition information, visit their web site at http://www.mapleirishdance.com.

To download this article in portable document format (PDF) click 2007 Old Dominion FEIS.

To preview additional photos taken from the 2007 Old Dominion FEIS visit the Photo Gallery Section of BristowEnews.com or simply click here.

 

Date Published: 2007-06-20 06:00:00

Section: Sports, Photos: Maple School,