three-at-a-time?

[dancermom]

Will dancers go three-at-a-time for Beginner-OPW? We were thinking of
doing this feis, then were reminded that this was done in the past.
Since the numbers are relatively low this year, can you please consider
switching to two-at-a-time? It is so much harder for the judges to get
it right when they have to watch three instead of two, and so hard
(especially for the older, more advanced dancers who have been told
that they need to move more) to navigate the small stages. It really
doesn't take much longer to go through a group at two-at-a-time; most
of the time loss is in lining up the groups, so the extra few minutes
to have a couple more pairs of dancers has little impact. Thanks.

[Entry Secretary]

I can't honestly give an answer as this probably won't be decided until
the scheduling is done. A couple points though, you mentioned the
"older, more advanced dancers", the older, more advanced dancers will
dance two at a time, three at a time is not allowed for the older
dancers. Three-at-a time stages are much larger for the younger
dancers at our Feis, I have heard of problems at some Feiseanna that do
the three at a time on smaller stages. The other point you made on
time is that it doesn't only save a few minutes, last year if we had
done the two at a time for the younger dancers it would have added over
two hours to the over all time of the Feis.

[dancermom]

I guess it depends on what you mean by "older" - my U11 daughter is 5
feet tall and most OPW dancers' steps use a lot of stage because
they're getting ready for PC. But the real issue is the judging. It's
hard enough for a judge to really watch two dancers for the short time
they're up there, especially if they're trying to write comments; add
another dancer and the quality of judging plummets. This is not a
criticism of the judges, no one can watch three dancers at once. Yes,
they do three-at-a-time at Oireachtas, but there are also three judges
watching.

[Ghillies]

I completely understand the concern you have regarding the the three at
a time rule for dancers under 14. This has made things very difficult
and dangerous for dancers on the stage. As you noted, especially for
the the girls in Open and up. I am sure that the Judges aren't
thrilled with the idea just as we parents aren't. But here are few
things to note. First, this rule was developed because of the number of
kids competing at Feis. Groups that had 20 to 30+ kids was dragging
Feis' into the wee hours of closing. This was an attempt to shorten the
time for judges to have to sit through hours of judging causing them,
(I think) to loose their edge. Second, this isn't an individual Feis
decision but rather a decision by Feis Commission. Feis committees are
to follow the rule but I believe have some flexibility to make a change
on the day of Feis. I have attended many Feis where the size of the
stage and the danger factor for kids have put the judges in the
position of changing the rule for the day. Most especially for the
soft shoe which causes most concerns. Third, though the preliminary
stages have three judges and three dancers, don't be fooled by the
difficulty of the judging. This has actually been, in my opinion worse
for the kids. Preliminary have to make every effort they can to get in
front of each judge. Doing that and getting around two other girls has
caused many falls and crashes on stage. They have to learn a whole new
part of stratedy in their dancing. The judges have less time to spend
on evaluating the dancer therefore having less of an opinion on their
dancing ability. Which brings me to, I hope you don't decide to not
come to the Detroit Feis because of the dance stage size. Please know
that the Detroit Feis has the largest stages of any Feis I have
attended. They have the space in the facility to make them large.
Stages under Prelim are just shy of Oireachtas stage sizes. This is a
huge plus in having to deal with the three at a time rule. There is
nothing worse than attending a Feis that has 12 x 16 stages (Akron
being one of the worst) and having to dance 3 at a time. It is a joke.
But the Detroit Feis is no where near that small, theirs are more like
16x 24 and Oireachtas size.
Out of this issue are some great lessons for your daughter to learn.
Most important is strategy. We have had to work with our daughter to
help her evaluate every stage and judge before she goes out and dances.
She needs to know where her steps lead her and what she will do should
she come in contact with another dancer. It happens....even with two
on the stage. We have had to remind her that this is a competition and
though she needs to command the stage, she also needs to respect others
who are on it. Difficult concept, but she has learned to do it well.
It is a mind set they have to get use to until they change the rule
back or they turn 14. So we have choose to deal with it as part of her
competing.
Hope this helps you a bit. Remember that it is always in the best
interest of the dancer to try and put a positive spin on the situation
rather than dwell on what can not always be changed. Use it as a tool
to make them a better dancer. It doesn't have to be a crutch. Cheers
and Good Luck!

[Linda D.]

You have several good points. I however agree that dancing three at a
time is dangerous. I can see it for the beginner through novice,
but when the girls get into open Idon't like it. I have seen all three
girls converge on the same spot in the middle of the stage. I have
seen three girls doing kicks or clicks and getting the feet tangled
together. Some of the worst injuries and the most injuries I have seen
are when they dance three at a time. There have been several
feisianna we have not gone to because of this and if my daughter were
not moving to the under 14 next yr I'm sure that would continue to
influence our decision. Fortunitly after her first yr danceing under
this rule at Detroit the judges have changed it for her group the day
of comp. Not all feisianna are so accommidating though.