I hope everyone had a great holiday season.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time spending Christmas with my husband’s family followed by New Year’s celebrations with my family.  The time just flies by so quickly and, however rushed the visits may be, it’s still great to see everyone and it makes me very thankful for all the great people in my life.

Getting back to dance is also very exciting to me!  I love the thought of starting fresh – a clean calendar full of blank pages, just waiting to be filled with future events, classes, vacations, competitions ….ok, so my calendar is actually filling up really fast!  So, to keep it stream lined, I’m scheduling time for “one thing”.  Rather than making a large New Year’s resolution that I’ll probably drop in a few weeks when I’m feeling like that calendar is taking over or when I’m just plain tired,  I’m planning just one thing to change.  That’s only ONE THING to aim for every week!  So… 

What is your “one thing” for Irish Dance in 2012?  It could be anything!  Maybe you aim to practice just one more time a week than you did before.  Or attend one more feis than you did last year.  Or do just one more stretchy ab in class than you did the last time (advanced girls, I know you love those!).  It’s just one thing!  Regardless of whether it makes you a World Champion, you can accomplish that one thing, push yourself a little harder and become a better, stronger dancer in the end.

I’ve enjoyed watching everyone advance and grow as dancers over the past year and I cannot wait to see how amazing you will be in 2012.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It’s been a busy month for everyone in KC Irish Dance!  There have been performances non-stop for Driscoll School dancers and Rince Revolution – a good trend!  Check out photos from the past month on the KC Irish Dance facebook page!

If you’ve missed us, you can still catch us this weekend at the Weston Irish Festival.  The festival runs all weekend.  Both groups will be performing on the dance stage at 5:40PM on Saturday, Oct 15th.  Hope to see you there!

COSTUME RENTAL forms are available and can be found at this link – COSTUME RENTAL AGREEMENT  If you are unable to open this, please let me know and I can email a version.  Rental agreements and fees are due by Sept 30th for costumes that have already been distributed this year and will be good for one year.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Sept 17th is Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day!  Yes, only six more months to plan for the big day!  But you don’t have to wait to celebrate – come on out to the Royals game this Saturday and catch some of our youngest performers at the pre-game festivities!  The fun starts at 4pm and the game starts around 6.

Sept 18th is Open House at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts!  There will be performances throughout the day from dancers, musicians and singers from the local art scene.  Stop by and check out this amazing new facility and all the great performances!  Performance lineup

DSID and Rincé had a GREAT time at the KC Irish Fest and Feis, which was a fitting way to close the summer!  Please check out our new KC Irish Dance facebook page (and tell all your friends to friend us, too!) for photos and videos from the fun weekend!  I will tell you, I’ve had so many positive comments on the dancing, stage pressence and professionalism of our dancers that I could not be prouder to work with such an amazing group.  But, these kids don’t take a break!  Check out the info below for upcoming performances and new classes starting soon!

More dancing on the horizon! 

Sept 10th – This weekend is Dance in the Park – check out Rincé Revolution performing a few dances at this FREE, family friendly event!  Rincé performs around 7 .  Arrive early and bring a blanket and a picnic – there are some great dance groups performing, so you’ll want to stick around!

Roanoke Park is located near 39th and Roanoke, just west of Southwest Trafficway near Browne’s and just north of Westport. 

Sept 30th – Discover the World, Ireland – Another FREE event featuring the DSID dancers!  There will also be book signings by Pat O’Neil, author of From the Bottom Up: The Story of the Irish in Kansas City and music by Dog Tree.  The entertainment begins at 7PM.  While the event is free, attendees are being asked to RSVP so they can get a head count – 816-604-2200

Enrollment is still open for the following classes:

Beginner Child – Saturday, Noon – 1PM 

68’s Inside Sports in Lenexa – Session begins Sept 10^th – Enroll through www.68sinsidesports.com, click on Camps & Clinics, scroll down for Irish dance (about half way through the page) – $45 per month

Beginner Youth and Adult – Tuesday, 7-8PM

KC Ballet School – Session begins Sept 13^th - Enroll through KC Ballet at 813-931-2299 – $80 for 8 weeks

Beginner Child, Thursday, 5:45 – 6:45PM

Irish Center at Union Station – Session begins Sept 29^th - Email driscolldancers@gmail.com for registration – Tuition $45 per month

Beginner Adult – Saturday, 9-10AM

Irish Center at Union Station – Session begins Oct 1 – Email driscolldancers@gmail.com for Registration – Tuition $45 per month

I can’t wait to see everyone at the KC Irish Fest and at the KC Feis!  I am so proud of the long hours and hard work that all of my dancers have put towards this weekend!

If you’re looking for us this weekend to come check out the dancing or if you’re a dancer looking for additional info on where to be and when, check out the time line below!

Also, remind your friends that enrollment is starting for the fall!  Check out the Classes page for additional information!  Feel free to share this video to encourage enrollment and also share some great Irish dancing from World Dance Day at the KC Ballet School.  http://youtu.be/AExIrFn7-c0

Saturday, Sept 3

 8:30 – KC Feis

 4:30 – 5:15 – Children’s Stage

• Arrive at the Children’s Stage 30 minutes prior to performance
• All dancers from DSID are invited to attend!  Attire is casual – DSID t-shirts and black shorts or skirts or what they wore to the feis.

 6:15 – Irish Dance Flashmob

• Please meet in front of Crown Center and be ready to join in the fun!

 Sunday, Sept 4

 2:00 – 3:30 – Miller Lite Stage

Arrive 1 hour prior to performance!

We will meet near the skate rental room at the Ice Terrace

DSID parents – please be ready to meet your dancers side stage immediately upon completion of their performance – thanks!

 4:15 – 5:15 – Children’s Stage

• Arrive at the Children’s Stage 30 minutes prior to performance
• All dancers from DSID are invited to attend!  Attire is casual – DSID t-shirts and black shorts or skirts or what they wore to the earlier performance.

All School class Monday, August 29^th – 6-8PM at the Irish Museum.

This will be the only regularly scheduled class for this week.  There will be no regular class Thursday, Sept 1^st.

We will go through all dances for the KC Feis in the feis format – this is a MUST for dancers attending the feis and great practice for those who plan to attend feisanna later this year.

Costumes for feis dancers will be distributed at the Aug 29^th practice.  If you will not be able to attend, please notify Bridgid ASAP.

T-Shirt orders will also be distributed on the 29^th.

There will be no class Sept 1^st or Sept 5^th – regular classes will resume Thursday, Sept 8^th.

Costumes

Costume rental fees will be due at your dancer’s first class back after Labor Day.  Rental fees are $50 for velvet dresses and $25 for beginner costumes.  Additional details will be distributed with the costumes.

BLOG

There’s been an issue with the blog this week!  It’s being worked out and notification will be sent when it’s back in order.  Reminder – subscribe when it’s accessible again, if you have not done so already!  Updates and Calendar info are posted there (when it works!!).

TUITION

Please make all checks payable to KC Irish Dance.  If you are paying cash, please put in an envelope or include a note with your dancer’s name and the amount paid. Thank you!

As you’re going to class at the Irish Museum, you might notice our new neighbors just to the west of Union Station – The Kansas City Ballet!  They have been working hard to renovate one of the existing buildings in the downtown area to accommodate 7 beautiful new practice studios, meeting space and more!

August 22 – September 2  To welcome the community to the Todd Bolender Center, they are hosting a series of events over the next few weeks.  They are offering free classes!  These range from ballet and tap to yoga and pilates (the pilates reformer classes run anywhere from $25-$70 normally – this is a great chance to check this out!!).  Classes range for all ages and abilities – there something for the entire family!

http://www.kcballet.org/support/capcampaign/freeclasses.html

August 28th  World Dance Day at the Bolender Center – there will be classes on traditional dance from China, India and even….YES, Irish!!!  Dancers from Rincé Revolution will be hosting a class – come support them and check out a new form of dance, while you’re there!

Additionally, I’m happy to be one of the new members in the KC Ballet family!  I’ll be teaching an intro level Irish dance class for teens and adults starting Tuesdays in September.  Please share this info with any friends or family who might be considering starting Irish dance this fall.

See you all dancing, soon!

Apparently my email efforts were a fail because I had a dozen or so kicked back to me!  Hoping to have more success with the blog!  As you can guess by the subject of this blog, there’s lots going on related to the KC Feis and the KC Irish Fest!

THANK YOU again to everyone who came out to help shoot our Video Postcard to the Irish Fest!  You all made it very fun and I can’t wait to see how it turns out once it’s all put together!  I’ll keep you posted when it’s set up and released to the public.

If you’ve been approved to sign up for the Feis and you still need assistance getting registered, please contact Colleen H. or Maureen T.  Their contact info was sent out on the First Feis email or you can contact me and I can pass it along.

T-Shirt orders was the subject of my failed email – I’m attempting to do a google doc since I think the attachment was part of the issue.  Let me know if this link is successful!  If you need a different format, let me know.  Please have your order and payment submitted by Aug 20th to have it prior to the Feis/Fest weekend.  I’m checking on the cost for polos and tanks – if you want one, let me know and I’ll get the price sheet updated.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqtKSQt1oM9rdEh3Wi1jcmk5MWNyVU5pRURtVVNUbWc&hl=en_US

Finally – a rough schedule for the week of the Feis-tival!

Monday – Aug 29th – All School Class!  6-8PM   We will go through all the dances in a feis style format so that all dancers and parents are familiar.  This will be the final regular class before the competition and festival.

Saturday – Sept 3rd – KANSAS CITY FEIS!  There is also a performance opportunity in the Children’s Area scheduled for 4:30PM.  If anyone was able to attend last year, you know that this is a very fun and casual performance.  Dancers of all levels are welcome, especially our younger dancers who aren’t quite ready for the feis or the big stage at the festival.  There is also audience participation, so let your friends with kids know about this great opportunity to check out some Irish dance steps!

Sunday – Sept 4th – DSID dancers and Rince Revolution will be performing on the Miller Light Stage at the KCIF from 2-3:30PM.  This is very exciting that we get to perform on such a great stage – invite your friends and family to check it out!

That’s all for now!  But I’m sure I’ll have more for you, soon!