About Irish Dance
Levels
There are primarily 6 levels of Irish dance in the United States. These levels consist of Beginner 1, Beginner 2, Novice, Prizewinner, Preliminary Champion, and Open Champion.
Beginner 1:
A dancer who has just started Irish Dance will usually start in this level. You can move out of Beginner 1 if you place 1st,2nd, or 3rd at an Irish dance competition or feis (pronounced Feis).
Beginner 2:
After a dancer places 1,2,or 3rd at a feis, he/she will advance into the Beginner 2 level. To move to the next level, you must place either 1st or 2nd in a Beginner 2 competition at a feis to move to the Novice catagory.
Novice:
A dancer is usually considered a Novice dancer when he/she has placed 1st or 2nd in 4 or more of their dances. Usually when they have achieved Novice level in 4 of their dances they can usually invest in solo costume (read below).
Prizwinner:
A dancer becomes a Prizewinner after placing 1st in their Novice competition.
Preliminary Championships:
A dancer achieves prelim level when all of their dances are in Prizewinner and they place 1st in their Slip Jig, Reel, Treble Jig, and Hornpipe.
Feisanna
Feisanna is the plural for feis (pronounced FESH). A feis is an Irish Dance Competition where dancers from different dance schools compete. For a complete list of the feisanna in North America, visit the NAFC Website.
Costumes
An Irish dancer typically starts out using a School Costume which usually consists of the school's colors. Also, before a school costume can be obtained, a dancer usually will wear a white shirt with a colar and black on the bottom.
After a dancer achieves Novice level in at least 4 of his/ her dances, they may usually invest in a solo costume. The solo costume policy varies from school to school, so make sure to check with your dance school before you buy a solo costume. A solo dress may be in any colors the competitor chooses. For a dancers first solo dress, you will usually purchase the dress used from another dancer. You can find used solo dresses at feisanna, online or from another dancer at your dance school. After a dancer achieves championship level the dancer may choose to have a dress custom made for them. These dresses are quite expensive.