The Feis Report

So, Saturday I attended my first feis in roughly 3 years after retiring from competition (and eventually dance class) in order to concentrate on those dreaded GCSEs/A Levels. I wasn't competing on this occasion, lack of a dress and the interference of my uni exams put paid to that idea, but I did go to support the younger girls of my school and act as their big sister for the day. So I travelled just a little way from home to the An Comdhail Surrey Open Championships, not quite knowing what to expect on the day; I'd never gone purely as a helper before. All I can say is that I had a blast! I loved being back in that competition atmosphere; the music, the bustle, the occasionally funny things that other dancers did on stage (take, for example, one particularly cute 6 year old who stopped in the middle of her dance having forgotten her step and started slapping her head saying "URRGH. What is it?") and the great feeling of camaraderie you get within your school. I truly believe that feis, which I am told means something equivalent to "gathering" in English, really does encourage that spirit of togetherness and community within schools as everyone supports one another and cheers each other on. I am happy to say that another reason for it being such a great day was that our girls came first and second in the championship! So I shall say a big congratulations to Tabitha and Scarlett here.

However, feiseanna can be daunting. There's the pressure of getting the steps right, not tripping, not letting anything fall off your costume, not bumping into anyone and the battle to place the best that you can. It's not surprising that it can often be difficult to deal with nerves and to warm up effectively whilst not overstraining yourself, as IDMer Dancing Gal pointed out to me. Unfortunately, there's no set rule for how to deal with stage fright. My best suggestions to calm yourself down are to take a deep breath, try to focus and if you're feeling up to it try to chat with the girls around you; if they're friendly and you get a nice little (quiet) conversation going you'll soon forget you had nerves at all! You could also try a herbal remedy called Rescue Remedy, which helps calm nerves and give an overall sense of tranquillity, made from completely natural plant extracts. It's not harmful, trusted by many and it could really help you to focus before you go on stage, just give it 30 minutes or so to work beforehand.

The next issue is that of warm ups. Obviously you don't want to put too much strain on yourself; you want to be fresh for your competition and full of energy. I would usually start off with a few stretches before putting my costume on so that my muscles are nice and stretched out, then do a few jumps etc. before putting on a pair of legwarmers. Once I'm ready and my dance is going to be called soon I'd get someone to watch out for when they call the competition, then step outside (or if there's a practice area go there) and run the steps of that dance slowly. So as not to overtire myself I try to be as precise as possible but perhaps not jump quite as high, running one step then taking a break, a sip of water and maybe a bite of an energy bar before running the next one. This keeps the warm up calm, ensures you don't overwork yourself but also makes certain that you'll be ready to give your all once out there on stage. A technique which I hope to use myself at my first feis I'll actually be competing in next month! Wish me luck,  Rince-followers...