Beginner Info

Where to Start?

Click Here for History of our School
Click Here for our Teacher Bio
Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions (including the basics, dance levels, the difference between the reel, hornpipe, and jigs, etc)

Classes

We have several different beginner classes at Aniar Academy. Please make sure to check with your teacher and the current schedule of classes to see which beginner class you can attend.

What to Wear to Dance Class

General dance attire for students is shirt/tank top with shorts. Capris and skorts are also allowed. Skirts are fine, as long as the dancer is wearing kick pants or shorts underneath her skirt. Dance clothing cannot be baggy, loose, or restrict dancers movement in any way. Ghillies (soft shoes) and hard shoes must be worn at all time in dance class with socks. If a dancer is first starting out then socks, ballet shoes, or jazz shoes are just fine until appropriate dance shoes can be purchased. Hair should be pulled back, away from the dancers face.

Please see our used/new items to find shoes that are available for sale right here in the school!

Visit our Links Page for list of vendors that sell dance shoes.

Also make sure that dancers come to class with water or gatorade, band aids, and snacks for after class.

Preparing For Your First Feis

Signing Up

  • Check with your teacher to see when your dancer is ready to attend their first feis.
  • Check the Feis Schedule to see local and available competitions
  • Register online at either www.feisworx.com or www.feisinfo.com (Most competitions you will sign up thru FeisWorx. Check the Feis Schedule and syllabus for that particular feis)
  • Make sure to choose "First Feis" or "Pre-Feis" as your dance category!
  • If you have any questions about how to sign up for your first feis please contact us at danceirish@aniaracademy.com


Outfits, Hair, and More

  • Make sure you print out the First Feis Checklist below
  • You will need to either purchase or rent a beginner outfit. Please see the Outfits Page
  • For the younger beginners make up is frowned upon and is against the rules. Girls under 13 can wear faint blush and lip gloss.
  • No wigs are needed. Girls hair can be styled nicely with natural curls. Just pull some hair back out of your dancer's face with a nice clip, headband, or scrunchie.
  • Boys hair needs to be styled nice and neat.

First Feis Checklist

Click below for a printable list of things you will need for any show or feis!
Feis Checklist PDF format
Feis Checklist Word format

What are all those Gaelic words and dance terms?

In Irish dance you are going to hear a lot of new dance terms and Irish Gaelic words. Here are the most commonly used ones that you will learn:

Feis: means festival, or more commonly known now as "competition." It is pronounced like "fesh"

Feiseanna: the plural form of feis. It is pronounced like "fesh-nuh." Most people say "feises" (feshes) though. ^_^

Ghillies: Girls soft shoes. Pronounced "gill-ees"

Oireachtas: A major competition event in which champions compete against each other Regionally, Nationally, and in some cases at Worlds. It is pronounced "O-rock-tus"

Rince: means "dance" in Irish Gaelic. It is pronounced "reen-kah"

Hard Shoe: hard shoes are the shoes that dancers wear to beat out noise. Not to be confused with tap shoes! Hard shoes do not have metal taps on them. They are made of fiberglass!

Double Jig: The double jig is the same thing as the Treble Jig.