Our annual Showcase is Saturday May 19th beginning at 5:30pm. This year we will be holding our event at East Catholic High School in Manchester, CT. Each year our Showcase features all of our classes and dancers as well as scholarship and award winners to recognize each dancer's achievements and growth throughout the year.
Tickets go on sale tonight at 8pm - we have two ticket types, Gold and Standard.
Gold ticket holders will be admitted beginning at 4pm for a pre-show reception and early seating in the auditorium. There is no assigned seating, so gold ticket holders will have early access and first dibs on seats. Standard ticket holders will be admitted beginning at 5pm to select from remaining seats. There are no bad views in this large auditorium and there are only 150 gold ticket available. Both ticket types will have access to our post-show reception, our raffle baskets, and an amazing show!
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Thank you to everyone who spent St Patrick's Day with us at any point during the months of February and March! We performed at over 40 events and appearances, bringing smiles, steps, and Irish culture to thousands of people this season. Here are some of our favorite photos from this month, captured by dance parent Melissa Carter. Bookings for 2019 will be open soon - make sure to snag your spot ASAP! Our season of performing and sharing Irish music and dance with the masses began the last weekend of February but the main attractions are just around the corner! Many of our events are private, but we've compiled a list of public events that anyone can attend! Some of these events do require reservations or tickets, so please check with the hosting venue for more information. Farmington Library - Registration required NBMAA Museum After Dark - Tickets Required See you soon at one of our events! Happy St Patrick's Day!
From November 17 - 19, droves of New England’s best Irish dancers descended upon the Connecticut Convention Center in Downtown Hartford for the annual regional championships. A home game for SRL, our 29 dancers who reached our qualification standards competed for placements across three divisions - traditional set, solo championships, and teams. Beginning with our traditional sets, SRL had many first time competitors competing in this division designed to give intermediate dancers the opportunity to test their skills against others from the New England states. We are proud to say that of our 16 traditional set competitors, 11 of them placed in the top 50% to appear at the awards ceremony. Of those 11 dancers, here are their results: Gabby G - 3rd place Isabella R - 4th place Lilly B - 6th place Ciara D - 7th place Cara Maye W - 9th place Ellie D - 9th place Paige M - 10th place Audrey M - 14th place Jane C - 15th place Mairi C - 19th place Cassidy T - 19th place In the solo championships, dancers from the two championship levels - preliminary and open - compete for placements in the top 50%, berths to the North American Irish Dance Championships, and later qualification to the World Championships. SRL had 9 solo championship competitors with 4 earning the honor of a recall and competing in the third round of competition. Three were awarded on stage: Colleen W placing 19th and qualifying for NAIDC 2018 Emma M placing 41st Kayla P placing 48th Tara L, Lindsey H, and Rebecca K are pre-qualified for NAIDC 2018 in Orlando, FL On Sunday, our 3 four-hand teams competed as well as our eight-hand. This was our first big team year after sending a pilot team in 2016. With stiff teams competition in the New England Region, we are thrilled that our Girls U12 team placed 14th! Well done to Bella J, Colleen W, Irelyn L, and Audrey M for their excellent teamwork and beautiful dancing. Our youngest four-hand was just one place away from making the 50% cut and our mixed four-hand was just three places away. Our eight-hand kept pace with the best of them and made SRL proud. We have several dancers right in the mix to qualify for the NAIDC 2018 and we’re looking forward to our upcoming winter feis season! With the New England Oireachtas coming to Hartford, this provides an opportunity for our dancers to have their local friends and family come see them compete without having to drive for hours round trip. I’m sure your favorite dancer would love your support, but here are a few things to keep in mind:
If you’re new to Irish dance checking out the Oireachtas, it can be overwhelming. Keep in mind that this is the top percentage of dancers in our region and it takes time and hard work to reach this point. At SRL, dancers are not required to compete so if this is too much you’ll never have to step foot into this little world again - you can enjoy performing and learning in class without stepping foot into the competition world. Did you know SRL offers yoga? That's right, certified LivFree yoga instructor Colleen Macsuga teaches Vinyasa yoga here at our studio. A popular program with parents, students, and the public, Colleen guides everyone through a practice that is suitable for their level. If you're a beginner, Colleen will make sure you have the foundations down while being encouraged and uplifted - this is absolutely a #judgementfreezone. If you're an improver or a veteran yogi, Colleen will modify for you to ensure your practice is appropriately challenging.
Yoga is on Wednesdays from 7:30-8:30pm from Wednesday November 1 through December 20. Classes are drop in, however you must register to appear on our class roster. Create an account and then log-in to select "Yoga for All" from the yoga tab. Once you've registered, you'll store the card of your choice on file so we can auto-debit it after only classes you've attended. Come see us on Wednesday with a mat and comfortable clothing. SRL Studio is located at 400 Chapel Road 1A, South Windsor CT 06074. The 2017 New England Oireachtas (or Irish dance championship) is coming to our home city of Hartford from November 17-19th. Over the Oireachtas weekend, competitors from all six New England states will gather to compete for titles and placements in three main disciplines - solo championships, traditional set, and ceili.
Our solo championship competitors will be vying for positions within the top 50% to earn placements and medals at the evening award ceremony. From there, competitors will also look to earn berths to the 2018 North American Championships in Orlando, FL and/or the 2018 World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. Our solo championship representatives are Colleen Williams of Amston, CT & Isabella Jensen of Somers, CT in the Girls Under 11 category, Emma Feeley of Springfield, MA, Emily Messier of Glastonbury, CT, Emma Magnani of Springfield, CT, Kayla Purcell of Hebron, CT, and Mackenzie Richards of East Longmeadow, MA in the Girls Under 14 category, Tara Lynch of Cheshire, CT in the Girls Under 17 category, Lindsey Hoffman of Columbia, CT in the Girls Under 18 category, and Rebecca Kall of Farmington, CT in the Ladies Under 22 category. Lynch, Hoffman, and Kall are already pre-qualified to attend the 2018 North American Championships. Our traditional set dancers are preparing to compete in the solo championship category in the future by showing mastery of their technique, timing, and musicality in one of the seven traditional set dances. These dances stem from the dance masters that would travel from village to village or county to county in Ireland teaching steps to men, women, and children. Various versions were passed on and preserved and are still prominent in the dance tradition today. Representing SRL in various age groups include Isabella Robinson, Jane Carty, Nora Carty, Mairi Carchrie-Leigh, and Irelyn Lash, all of South Windsor, CT, Cara Williams of Amston, CT, Ciara Doyle and Abby Quinby of Windsor, CT, Audrey Miner of Tolland, CT, Paige Miele of Westfield, MA, Katelyn Hall of Manchester, CT, Cassidy Thompsen of Ellington, CT, Lilly Bluestein of Broad Brook, CT, Ellie Diver and Gabby Gorman both of Farmington, CT, and Kelly Beyus of Harwinton, CT. In the ceili category, dancers compete on teams of 4, 8, 16, or in Dance Drama. The 4 and 8 hand ceilis are another passed down, traditional aspect of Irish dance. A book of 30 dances must be mastered as part of the teacher certification process and features in the competitive repertoire to preserve historic pieces of Irish dance. The 16 hands and Dance Drama competitions represent the more modern interpretations of Irish dance with new, innovative, teacher generated choreography. SRL has three four-hand ceilis; our U8s featuring Isabella Robinson, Jane Carty, Nora Carty, and Cara Williams, our U10s featuring Michael Jensen, Mairi Carchrie-Leigh, Ciara Doyle, and Angelina Mundo, and our U12s featuring Isabella Jensen, Colleen Williams, Irelyn Lash, and Audrey Miner. SRL also has a eight-hand ceili in the Under 15 section featuring Gabby Gorman, Kayla Purcell, Emily Messier, Lilly Bluestein, Ellie Diver, Paige Miele, Cassidy Thompsen, and Mary Gombos. Competitions will be held at the Connecticut Convention Center all day November 17, 18, and 19. Admission is free for spectators and we would love your support! Back to school is coming! Along with the paperwork, getting those back to school supplies, and the settling those first day of school jitters, it’s time to start thinking about after school activities! Most parents want to expose their children to a variety of activities while they’re young to see what their natural talents may be, allow them to experience different communities, and fill up that after school time while the homework load is light.
If you’re considering Irish dance as an activity this year, you’re probably also weighing up the risk of your picky, finicky, young one rejecting your choice. It's a common predicament, kids really can be so fickle when it comes to activities. To help with your decision, here are some popular archetypes of kids who end up loving Irish dance:
Do you know someone who fits into one of these categories? Send them this article and see if Irish dance is an activity they'd consider for this year! SRL qualified four dancers to compete at the 2017 North American Championships in New Orleans, Louisiana from July 4 - July 9. To qualify for the North American Championships dancers must advance to the top competitive level of Irish dance, "Open Championships," or place highly enough at the regional qualifying event. Our 2017 North American Championship qualifiers were: Rebecca Kall (Farmington) in Ladies U22, Lindsey Hoffman (Columbia) in Ladies U18, Tara Lynch (Cheshire) in Girls U17, and Colleen Williams (Hebron) in Girls U11. Our qualifiers trained tirelessly through the spring and early summer to put their best foot forward on stage. They made our entire school so proud and the experience gained by our qualifiers has benefited both their personal growth and the growth of their classmates who hope to qualify themselves this November.
Channel 3 News was there to catch all the action on Friday for SRL's performance at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. Passengers arriving and departing from Bradley were treated to Irish dancing in Terminal A!
Check out the live video here: https://www.facebook.com/WFSB3/videos/10155105753414197/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE Practice is an integral part of ensuring continuous, steady progress for dancers at any level. Almost all dancers know they should practice, some actually do it, but many struggle with how to practice effectively. Whether you’re a new beginner or a seasoned champion, here are some ways to maximize your practice time:
SRL students have access to practice sheet templates and practice journal templates in our member’s area. Make sure you’re using them each week to be the best dancer YOU can be! Have you heard the news?
From now until St Patrick's Day, SRL is including a chance to win 2 RT tickets to Dublin on Aer Lingus with every car magnet purchased from our online store! The winner (to be drawn 3/18) and a guest of their choice will receive 2 economy tickets to fly from Bradley to Dublin and back to be used on dates of their choice (some blackout dates apply). If Dublin isn't your destination du jour, you can add a ticket to almost any destination in Europe for a nominal fee. The same applies stateside if Bradley isn't your local airport; you can add a connecting flight on partner airline JetBlue to make your dream vacation to Dublin a reality! How do you enter? Visit our online store and purchase your desired quantity of magnets (each magnet purchased = 1 ticket into the draw). We can mail them to you or have your favorite SRL dancer deliver it to you by indicating their name in the notes section. By placing your order, we will have all the contact information we need to notify you should you be drawn as our lucky winner! Dancers, do you want to impress your teacher(s), make steady progress, or become the best you can be? Here's 5 ways you can make your teachers say WOW!
Do you want to help your tot become more confident, coordinated, and social in just 30 days? Irish dancing is a great solution for some of these worries parents frequently have about their preschoolers! Whether your dancer is already a social butterfly or stuck to you like glue, activities that are structured as formal classes can help your youngling develop the social skills they need to tackle longer preschool days like a pro! Through structured classes, dancers learn how to respect their teacher, interact with their classmates, and behave in ways that get them noticed in a positive light. The physical component of class puts your dancers through their paces to develop their balance, strength, flexibility, and coordinating the right and left sides of the body. And don’t forget the brain - Irish dancing is just as much of a work out for the brain! Dancers develop their pattern recognition and memories just by learning simple steps as well as improving their musicality, understanding of rhythm and timing, and the mind-body connection within us all. The upbeat and energetic nature of Irish dancing keeps classes fun and exciting even when there’s all this learning going on! Dancers feed off this energy from week to week and improve quickly, giving them increased confidence and sense of accomplishment. This 3-5 age group soak up knowledge like sponges, are generally fearless, and love to move, making them the perfect age to start an activity like Irish dancing. At SRL, our pre-beginner program is open to ages 3-5 in 30 minute classes. Dancers work through exercises to increase their physical coordination, balance, and strength as well as learn the basics of the reel and light jig. At the end of each class, we end with a cool down stretch to help calm their energy levels and work on flexibility. Our pre-beginners get to participate in our end of year recital, a milestone that even the shyest student can accomplish by the spring! If you’re interested in helping your child grow more confident, coordinated, and sociable, email SRL today to come in for a free trial class! Upon reading the title you're probably thinking one of three things:
Adults CAN take up Irish dancing even as a 20, 30, 40, 50-something, or beyond! Even studios with competitive programs for children can have recreational programs for adults too! Irish dancing is such a great form of exercise (with adults burning up to 400 calories an hour!) that is also enjoyable and socialable. Why let the kids have all the fun?! At SRL, our adult program is made up of students who are first time learners, "boomerangs" who danced as children, and even moms of former/current Irish dancers. These men and women range from 20 somethings to over 60, so there's room for anyone of any age to learn. Classes consist of a mixture of styles including solo step dancing, ceili and set dancing (group dances), as well as old style sean-nos dancing so you're guaranteed to find something you love and never get bored. If you decide through your journey that you wish to pursue Irish dancing at a deeper or competitive level, we have programs for that too! Ready to try it yet? Come along for a free trial class and see for yourself! Our adult classes are on Tuesdays in Farmington from 8-9pm and Thursdays in South Windsor from 8-9pm. Hope to see you soon! The 2016 New England Oireachtas was held in Providence, RI from November 18-20 so New England's top dancers across three divisions could go head to head. SRL took 13 dancers and 1 team after many months of preparation, hard work, and sacrifice. Our dancers brought their best to the stage from our little first timers to our championship veterans. We had 4/5 soloists make the cut for top 50% of their age group with 3 qualifiying to the North American Championship to be held over the July 4th holiday in New Orleans, Louisiana! Our traditional set squad consisted of almost exclusively first timers to the Oireachtas stage and their performances made us so proud! We had 3 dancers make the final cut for awards on stage with some fantastic results! Our final division of competitors was our first ever ceili team! Our girls 4-Hand are the trailblazers for our school's ceili/teams program that will only grow from here. Teams are such an important part of Irish dancing and we hope to have all dancers experience this side of dancing in the coming years. Our team did not make the cut for awards, but they were pretty close to the recall line for a team that has only been together for a short time. Well done girls! Next year the Oireachtas comes to our home city of Hartford! We plan to include even more first timers and teams to allow our hardworking dancers to opportunity to compete in front of a home crowd.
Our annual summer camp was Olympic themed this year, with dancers placed on teams and competing for points awarded for good sportsmanship, effort, enthusiasm, and challenge wins. Dancers worked on their dancing technique and skills, learned new steps, and participated in yoga, nutrition, and speed masterclasses. At the end of the week, dancers nominated others for individual awards such as Best Effort, Most Spirited, and Best Overall Performance. We also presented the winners of the team challenge. Camp is every July and August with day camp options for returning students and evening options for new beginners! Save our 2017 dates - July 24-28 and August 7-11!
During the month of March, SRL dancers performed all around CT at different events, schools, libraries, media outlets, and even your local Whole Foods Market! Among our favorites this year were NBC Connecticut on the morning of the Hartford St Patrick's Day Parade, on the ice at the Hartford Wolfpack game, on CT Style at their New Haven studio, and at Bradley International Airport as part of their Aer Lingus service to Dublin campaign. The New England Oireachtas is the regional championships for dancers living in the six New England states. It serves as a ranking competition for dancers in all categories and for dancers who place highly enough to earn places in the 2016 North American Championships and 2016 World Championships. Dancers can compete in one of two divisions - traditional set or solo championships. In the traditional set division, dancers in the intermediate levels compete one round on stage to gain experience on the large stage to compete at the championship levels in the future. SRL sent three traditional set dancers to the 2015 New England Oireachtas. All three placed in the top 50% of their competition to earn awards on stage. In the 17&Over age group, Siobhan Delorey of Falmouth, MA/Springfield MA placed 6th. In the Under 11 age group, Lilly Bluestein of Broad Brook earned 26th place. In the Under 9 age group, Colleen Williams of Hebron danced her way to the top of the podium earning first place! In the solo division, where national and world qualifying places are up for grabs, dancers compete two rounds before a final cut is made to determine the final places. All three SRL dancers recalled to the final round and were eligible for awards (in most competitions, this includes the top 50% of competitors). In the Under 19 age group, Rebecca Kall of Farmington, CT recalled and ranked 9th to earn a berth to the North American Championships in Orlando, FL this July. In the Under 16 age group, Lindsey Hoffman of Columbia, CT placed 38th and will join Rebecca at the North American Championships. In the Under 15 age group, Tara Lynch placed 45th and is eager to join Kall & Hoffman in Orlando.
In May, SRL held our first spring Showcase at the Irish American Home Society in Glastonbury, CT. The Showcase included performances by all SRL dancers, dinner & dessert for our families and friends, some ceili dancing, and fabulous raffle prizes donated by sponsors in our local community and the Irish dance community. The Showcase also served as a major fundraising event for the SRL Parent's Association which supports our dancers by providing stipends for costumes, competition, travel, and equipment. We are already looking forward to next year's event! After the Showcase, dancers finished the final classes of the year before a well earned summer break. For some of our dancers, these classes were the final push before departing for the North American Irish Dance Championships held in Providence, Rhode Island. The NAIDC is an international major competition that serves as a qualifier for the World Championships in 2016. Dancers compete against the best from the USA, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, UK, Australia, and further afield for qualifying positions. Two SRL dancers represented us at the 2015 NAIDC, Brigid Cazzetta and Lindsey Hoffman. Brigid placed 16th and qualified for the World Championships and Lindsey danced beautifully at her first major debut. We are so proud of them and can't wait to see how Team SRL does at the upcoming New England Oireachtas in November. St. Patrick's Day is our Superbowl of performances! We perform at dozens of locations around Central CT for various audiences to spread our love of Irish dance with our community. A very special performance this year was at Bradley International Airport where dancers performed for arriving and departing passengers and handed out green carnations in the spirit of the day. There to catch all of the action was FOX CT News, the Hartford Courant, and Channel 3. In case you missed it, here are some of our media features:
FOX CT News: http://foxct.com/2015/03/17/on-st-patricks-day-bradley-airport-steps-up-for-the-irish/ HARTFORD COURANT: For some December is a time to start winding down in time for Christmas, but at SRL we were busy spreading some holiday cheer! Dancers performed at Waxy O'Connor's Restaurant & Pub in Plainville for the launch of weekly Irish nights, held on Tuesday evenings. For many dancers at our Farmington location this was their first ever public performance; while there were confessions of a few nervous butterflies prior to the show all the dancers came off stage buzzing with excitement, adrenaline, and pride! Next we headed to the Avon Public Library where we performed a holiday themed finale after a great showcase of talent from our smallest to tallest dancers. We had a large group of dancers performing and their performance skills & confidence continue to grow with each new experience dancing in front of an audience!
We have added a class for new beginners on Fridays from 6:00-7:00pm! This class will begin following our Winter Break and run through June 26. To request more information or register, please contact Courtney at Scoil Rince Luimni.
Dancers at Scoil Rince Luimni have been off to a fabulous start to their 2014-15 year! Here are some highlights from the first 12 weeks of classes: First Feis:SRL is so proud of our beginners who danced at their first competitions this fall. Each dancer who danced in the Beginner category this fall won all of their dances for a total of seven firsts over three competitions. We can't wait for the rest of our beginners to dance at their first competitions this winter. Sporting the red, white, & Black:We were all very excited to receive our new SRL merchandise this fall! Students proudly sport their red, white, and black in class and around town in a selection of tops, jackets, & hoodies! Performances:Performance is an integral part of the student experience at Scoil Rince Luimni. Students gain experience and confidence while giving back to their local communities when performing at events, demonstrations, and festivals. If you want to catch our next performance, get on our email list for all of our upcoming appearances!
Summer is over, kids are back in school, and now we're back to dance! The 2014-15 season of Irish dance classes at Scoil Rince Luimni has officially begun! Last week SRL welcomed new students and caught up with returning students to kick off the new year. The year is still young and SRL will allow open enrollment for any of the beginner classes offered in Farmington or South Windsor until we're full. Free trial classes are offered in both locations to new beginners, but please email or call to arrange your trial class prior to your arrival. Prospective students can request an information pack at any time, no strings attached.
SRL hopes to see you soon! |
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