Competition is an extensive part of most Irish dancers' lives. While not every dancer chooses to participate, it is still a very important part of the culture.
1.) The Feis
2.) Levels
3.) First Feis Basics
4.) First Feis Run-Through
5.) The Oireachtas
6.) What to Watch Out For
1.) The Feis
You’ve probably noticed this word by now and are wondering exactly what it means and how to say it.
A feis (pronounced “fesh”) is Irish Gaelic for “festival”. To put it simply, a feis is an Irish dancing competition. A true feis, however, must always have other competitions going on aside from dancing. Commonly, they will include soda bread competitions, art competitions and vocal or instrumental music competitions. Originally, beer-making and animal judging were also a part of the event. (The plural of feis is feiseanna, pronounced “fesh-AWN-na”.) Basically, they are explosions of Irish culture.
If a feis hasn’t got the other elements aside from dancing, the event is called a feile (pronounced “FAY-la” or “FAY-lay”). In some committees, the amount of adjudicators determine what is a feis and what is a feile. Usually, three judges qualifies an event as a feis, but this is not common with An Coimisiun, the largest of the three main governing bodies.
Feis season is generally considered summer through autumn, when most of the oireachtasi start (don’t get overwhelmed—I’ll explain what an oireachtas is later). Many are held out-of-doors on covered stages with live accordion, fiddle or whistle-players. Some are held indoors, such as in hotel ballrooms, gymnasiums and auditoriums.
In a feis, competitions are divided by age and level, sometimes by sex (if there are many competitors). Depending on the country and organization the feis is associated with, the levels may change. There are generally four or five, with some places in the US and Canada adding Pre-Beginner and Advanced Beginner.
How you place in each dance determines what level you will be in. Unlike many competitive events, Irish dancers can be in several levels at once, but cannot progress past the level before championship (generally) until all dances are caught up and qualified.
For example (and I am going to use the NAFC levels for this: Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Novice, Prizewinner, Preliminary Championships and Open Championships):
You begin with all dances in Beginner. Placing first, second or third will move you up. So if you placed first in your reel, third in your light jig and fifth in your slip jig, you would move up in your reel and light jig, meaning that those two dances are now Advanced Beginner and the rest are still in Beginner. Once you hit Prizewinner, you must level your dances off and place high enough in the ones that qualify in order to move up.
Championship competitions are very tricky, so I won’t explain them here.
The procedure for competition is simple! You line up, and the dancers go down the line two at a time (sometimes three and sometimes one), dancing two full steps (meaning, right and left foot of two steps). Once finished, you point your foot and bow to the adjudicator, then go back in line. When every dancer has had their turn and the adjudicator is finished marking scores, he or she will nod and you will bow to them and to the musician, then walk off the stage in line.
Some feiseanna also include team dancing competitions or may even have a very fun and relaxed ceili (basically a giant dance party) before or after the festivities.
One of the best parts of a feis are the vendors! Many businesses that are almost impossible to buy from in person during regular dancing season are there with shoes, dresses, socks, wigs, sock glue, shirts, elastics, jewelry and much, much more. Beware the prices, however, as they can soar.
2.) Levels
Levels define a competitive dancer, but there are many different names for essentially the same four or five levels. These depend on the organization and the country. Below, I have listed all that I know of:
North America (NAFC):
To Move Up: From Beginner to Prizewinner, you need at least five competitors in each competition to move up. If there is at least fifteen competitors, you can move up with a 4th place. If there is a minimum of thirty competitors, you can move up with a 6th place.
(From an article in "Everything Irish.")
In the solo dancing events, the children compete in one of five levels, depending upon their abilities as evidenced by awards won at earlier competitions. Within each of these five levels competitions are further broken down into age brackets. The score is from an independent, certified judge's evaluation of the dancer's Timing (rhythm), Carriage (how they hold themselves), Construction of Steps (complexity), and Execution (presentation). The five levels of solo competition follow.
Beginner level is open to boys and girls who have never competed before or hadn't won a first, second, or third place at a feis. The dancers must perform a jig which is set in 6/8 time and/or a reel, which is set in 2/4 or 4/4 time. They wear soft shoes which are similar to ballet slippers. Although the children appear on stage in twos, they do not necessarily dance in unison nor do they compete solely against each other.
Beginner competitions are broken into Beginner and Advanced Beginner.
The Novice level is for boys or girls who have placed first, second, or third as a beginner in that particular dance (reel or jig). Two more dances (a slip jig and a hornpipe) are added to this class for the girls, while only a hornpipe is added to the boys competition (the slip jig is a ladies-only dance). The hornpipe, like the reel, is set in 2/4 or 4/4 time, however dancers wear hard shoes made in part with fiberglass in order to display the rhythmic sounds using the toes, heels, and balls of the feet. The slip jig, set in the unusual and unique-to-Irish-dance 9/8 time, is performed in soft shoes and is perhaps the most graceful of the step dances; consisting of light hopping and sliding actions. At the novice level of jig competition, it's normally an option for the dancer to perform in either soft shoes (light jig) or hard shoes (treble jig).
The Prizewinner (sometimes simply called Open) level is a step up for boys and girls who no longer qualify as a beginner or novice dancer. A set dance is added to the competition at this level (now up to five for girls and four for boys). A set dance is "set" to certain music and carries the name of the tune to which it is choreographed, such as The Blackthorn Stick, The Hunt, or The Three Sea Captains. This is performed in hard shoes and at the dancer's own chosen speed. Set dances should always reflect the rhythm of the music in the movement of the feet.
The last two categories are Championship level groups, saved for only the more seriously competitive and talented dancers. It is not unusual for a champion level dancer to devote 1000+ hours a year to Irish dancing if you add up the time spent on formal lessons, home practice, performances, and competing at feiseanna (plural of feis). Normally, depending on the talent level and quality of teachers, champion level dancers make up only about 10-15% of the total active student dancers in any given area.
The Preliminary Championship level is for those who have placed first at the prizewinner (open) level in both a soft shoe (reel, slip jig) and a hard shoe (hornpipe, treble jig, set dance) at a previous feis. This is normally the only level of competition where boys and girls dance in the same events. Dancers must perform one soft shoe dance and one set dance in hard shoes.
The Open Championship level, the most advanced of solo competition, is for those who had previously won two first place awards in the Preliminary level.
England & Ireland (An Coimisiun):
Beginner (also, Bun) - The very first level, all dancers must begin in this level. Dancers must win a first, second or third to move up to the Primary level.
Primary (also, Tús) - The first level where dancers may compete in all the dances. Dancers must win a first place against five other dancers to be able to move up to the next level in that dance.
Intermediate (also, Mean) - Dancers must place first against five other dancers to move from Intermediate into Open. Intermediate dancers may compete in the Premiere Competition/Championship if they wish.
Open (also, Ard) - This is the highest level. Dancers compete in solos, plus a championship or premiere competition. If a dancer wins a Championship judged by three or more adjudicators they may not move down to Intermediate. Dancers who have not won such a competition may move back to Intermediate at the start of each year.
Australia (AIDA):
Beginner - The level for dancers performing beginner standard steps. If a dancer wins against 8 or more dancers they must move up to Primary, although a teacher may choose to move a dancer up if the feel their standard is good enough, or they are learning more advanced steps.
Primary - Dancers may now perform more advanced steps in this level. A dancer must win against 8 or more dancers to move up to the next level.
Elementary - A new level that was introduced in 2000 to fill the gap in the standard between Primary and Intermediate. A dancer who wins against 8 or more dancers must move up level.
Intermediate - The second highest/hardest level. A dancer who wins against 8 or more other dancers moves up to Open.
Open - The highest level of competition. Dancers now compete in Premierships and Championships.
UK and Ireland (An Comhdhail):
Beginners A - This level is the easiest, specifically for beginner dancers. Dancers who win a 1st in this level can then move up to Beginners B.
Beginners B - The second level, for those who have been dancing a longer, and have moved onto more complex steps. A dancer who wins 1st place in this level then moves up to Pre-Open.
Pre-Open - For dancers who are more skilled, and have won a first in Beginners B.
Open - This level is open to dancers from all levels, but is dominated by Championship dancers who have moved up to this level is by winning first in all other levels.
UK and Ireland (CRN):
Bun Grád - Beginner Grade. Also, level one.
Ullmhúchán Grád - Preparatory Grade. Also, level two.
Mean Grád - Middle Grade. Also, level three.
Ard Grád - Principal Grade. Also, level four.
Craobh Grád - Championship Grade, Also, level five.
3.) First Feis Basics
The very first feis is both an exciting and terrifying time in any dancer’s career. When I began, I had researched until I was buried in almost two hundred pages of information, and none of it ever helped me conquer the questions I had about competitions! So, that’s what this section is for.
1.) Why isn’t my teacher letting me compete?
Only your teacher really knows the answer, but there are many factors you can look at to figure it out yourself:How long have you been dancing? A month or two of experience isn’t going to be enough to back you up at a feis. Six months is a good amount of time for most beginners, so check back when you hit that mark. How well are you dancing or concentrating on your dances? Are you taking your lessons seriously or simply going to socialize and goof off? Are you fumbling with the steps and not practicing at home? Many teachers will let less-capable students compete, but only if they are dedicating themselves during class and want to be better. If you’re not progressing because you won’t practice or you aren’t paying attention, you won’t be competing any time soon. How well are you dancing? This may be cruel, but if you are trying and can barely manage a whip, your chances of competing are very slim. How a school’s students place at feiseanna reflects on the teacher’s capability, so he or she won’t send unprepared dancers to represent them—that isn’t fair to anyone, dancer or teacher. A sad reality for some dancers is that their dance teacher is not certified. A non-certified teacher cannot let his or her students compete. There are no exceptions to this rule, so if you and your peers want to move forward, you’ll need to find a new school or push your teacher to take the TCRG exam. Another reality many students face is a school with certification but no desire to have any of its students compete. They may make exceptions for the curious student, of course. Some schools, such as mine, are located far from most feiseanna, making it difficult for anyone to compete more than a handful of times a year. If you aren’t near any competitions, your teacher may not mention them and that could be the reason. If it is, you can always sign up for one and travel—ask your teacher.
2.) My teacher has given me the option of going to a feis—what do I do?
First of all, why ask me? Ask your teacher! He or she will provide forms to fill out and send in. All feiseanna have fees, usually a set cost per dance and sometimes a fee for many competitors from one family. Your teacher will tell you how it all works.
After the technical aspects, it’s up to you to start practicing! Nothing feels worse than being unprepared on the day of the competition. If a majority of students in your class are going to a feis, your teacher will likely work with you to find your faults and fix them, but it’s up to you to memorize your steps!
It’s not uncommon, even for championship dancers, to fall or forget steps; it happens to the best of us. But to prevent the worst case scenario, stretch and dance as much as you can in the weeks leading up to the feis! Work on crossing your feet and turning them out, as well as pointing your toes and kicking your bum. You want to stand out, to be powerful when you take to the stage.
But never, ever forget your upper body! Posture and placement of arms is just as important as the placement of the feet. A hunched over dancer with amazing steps and perfect execution will likely be marked down behind a dancer with perfect posture and mediocre steps. Judges look at the entire package, not just your feet.
3.) What do I need to bring?
In short: a lot. It depends on the feis that you are going to, to be perfectly honest. Most are in hotel ballrooms over two days on a weekend, but there are many exceptions and each one requires additional supplies. No one ever said Irish step dance was cheap or easy.The Basic, Bare Bones Feis List:
Registration information (if you need it—often, you won’t) Costume/costume bag (include all the pieces) Shoes (soft and/or hard) Socks/sock glue (or tights) Water bottle (always filled!) Money Duct or electrical tape (for shoes) Hairspray (both for hair and for shoes!) Safety pins (for your number if you haven’t got a card) Number card Scissors Curlers and/or wig Snack Change of clothing Bobby pins/hair ties/comb or brush Deodorant First Aid (include Band Aids/plasters, ace bandages or pain medication) Black shoe polish or black nail polish (for touching up your shoes) PURELY OPTIONAL, but good nonetheless, practice music and a CD or MP3 player to listen. Those items should always be with you at every feis. Now, to get specific:
The Outdoor Feis
In addition to the items above, you’ll want to include the following things:Camping stool – do not sit back in a regular chair or the dress will wrinkle. Camping stools help hold the shape of the dress and keep it clean. Mini fan – because some locations get exceptionally warm, especially in the summer, it is important to keep cool in any way you can. Small cooler w/ snacks - to keep your water cold and your energy high, always bring a small day cooler and fill it with energy bars, light sandwiches, fruit and extra water. Sunblock - when I went to my first official outdoor feis, I came back with horrible sunburns on my legs and face—don’t let that happen to you! Even though the stages were covered, I spent more time outside of them than under them. Many feiseanna will probably extend overnight, especially if they are in large cities or indoors. Because of this, there are many tips that should always be remembered so you don’t find yourself buying out the vendors in a panic:
4.) Is there any other way I can prepare ahead of time, aside from practicing?First, take into consideration just how you’re getting to your destination!
Flying: Absolutely, under any circumstance, take your dress and other expensive dance items with you on the plane. Do not check your costume or your shoes! While you can buy new poodle socks at the feis, it’s difficult to dance in new shoes and heartbreaking (not to mention wallet-breaking) to lose a costume. Check with the airline on their policy for clothes. Some have places you can hang items, especially for businessmen traveling with suits.
Driving: A long drive to a feis means a long, irritating wait. All of my feiseanna (save for one where, yes, we flew) required a five hour or more drive to get to. A long car ride cramps up the body, so it’s a good idea to stretch after arriving, so your body is ready for the competition, even if it’s a day later. Make sure your garment bag is hung up or laid flat. Keep your dance things in their own bag, away from usual overnight necessities—this keeps confusion at a minimum.
Nap if you can and snack on light foods if you have nerves. If you have curlers in, leave them in! The extra time in the car will make the curls extra bouncy. But if you’re running late or have to compete soon after arriving, take them out before you get to the hotel—no more than an hour, though. You don’t want them to fall.
The Hotel: Many hotels offer “feis rates”—discounted rooms for those attending the competition. Most teachers will inform their students if they are aware of this, so it’s up to you to find out! The feis is usually held in the ballrooms with vendors in their own area or along the halls. Every layout is different, but it is always important to keep track of your stuff!
Overnight Tips: When it comes right down to it, girls who compete over different days have it a bit rough. If you are curling your hair, touching up said curls becomes a chore you don’t want to pursue, which is why most dancers break down and buy a wig. I’d recommend that. But if you are curling, sleep in a hairnet! Always, always sleep in a hairnet. It may feel disgusting to have layers of gel and spray in your hair for up to three or more days, but unless you can re-curl, that is the nature of the beast.
Yes, actually. Eating healthy is another important, yet overlooked aspect for pre-competition preparation. Ditch candy bars and, especially, carbonated drinks. Drink milk or water or juice instead and pack in the carbs the day before! Muffins, pasta, bread, don’t be afraid! You’ll work it all off in competition.
If you get a blister or a cut on your feet due to the extra practicing or bad ill-fitting shoes, don’t panic! Air it out for a night to help it heal, then cover it with a thick bandage or two and medical tape on the day of competition. Then, once the first day is over, air out the cut again, put a healing lotion on it, and the next day repeat the bandage process.
To prevent blisters altogether, wear thick socks and comfortable shoes. Extra practice will obviously cause irritation, so place moleskin over areas of high contact (thus, likely areas for blisters to form).
Clip your nails! There is nothing more brutal than having your palm impaled on long nails during team dances or cracking a toenail during a hit or toestand.
Look over your costumes; make sure they are all in one piece and well-pressed. As I said before, adjudicators look at the entire package, not just the dancing, so you want to look well put-together and clean.Put your costume in a garment bag or a large trash bag with a hole at the top for a hanger to go through. If it’s long enough, tie the end. If not, make sure it covers the entire skirt or trouser legs. No sense getting any part of the costume dirty. If you have a dress bag with pockets, and you are female, put your crown/tiara/headband and bloomers in those pockets. If you are a boy, put your shirt or tie or cummerbund (or any other part of your costume) together, as well. As always, make sure nothing is wrinkled. If there is a chance something will, bring an iron or ask if the hotel or location you are going to will have one. When you receive your number, it is better to purchase a number card than to pin it on. Number cards are plastic rectangles that you slide your number into. A ribbon or string ties through holes punched in the plastic and ties around your waist. Most feiseanna will have them for sale at one or more vendors. Buy one! If you have to pin, use safety pins and pin at the waist of the dress, making sure there will be no visible holes when the pins are removed. Polish your shoes. Scuffed and rough-looking shoes will not get you any high marks at a competition. Visible duct tape looks sloppy and is frowned upon. Black electrical tape is the best for the tips, and black polish will take care of the scuffmarks. Even softshoes can take a bit of polish, so don’t hesitate. Remember to tuck all laces in—if you have hardshoes, wearing black elastics helps keep them looking neat and also secures them to your feet. If your shoes will barely make it past the feis, or you need a new sizes, buy them there! I don’t recommend competing in brand new shoes, but if it’s a desperate situation, new shoes are better than no shoes at all. The night before, take a warm bath and pamper your feet! Massage the arches and apply lotion to your legs. They deserve a reward, after all! Go over the steps in your head. Review trouble spots until you have it down (it’s best for your nerves to know you can handle the difficult steps before the day of the feis). Curl your hair then if you don’t use a wig and attempt to sleep. Soft Spike Curlers are the best for this! This may seem like a lot, and for beginners it is, but remember, the most important thing is to have fun. As you progress and attend more and more competitions, you will fall naturally into the routines set here and the only work will be executing the steps properly and keeping a smile on your face as you do it.
4.) First Feis Run-Through
The one thing I wanted more than any advice was what to expect at my first feis. What to do and how to do it. The things that, really, you can only learn by experience! So what I am about to offer is not universal feis advice of a universal feis experience. Every competition is different and every school has a different policy for practice and arrival. It’s always safest to move forward on your own.
Despite what anyone may tell you, removing curlers five hours early is not the end of the world and will not cause a freakish hair mishap. As long as you used enough spray and good enough curlers, of course. But my thin hair can’t hold perfect curls for longer than an hour, so when I removed mine spike curlers on the evening of figure dances (before practice began), I thought they would fall. But they didn’t. However, I knew someone who could not hold a curl even if they used an entire jar of gel and several bags of spike curlers, so don’t take my experience for it. Form your own!
Change into your dress before your competition. Wear a tank top underneath so you can unzip the top of the dress between dances in order to keep cool. Put your number on and fix your hair and make up (don’t wear too much). You can put your shoes on before you dance, so there is no need to wear them right away. Bring your dance bag.
When you arrive at the hall or the ballroom or wherever the feis is being held, you will be given a book of competition numbers and corresponding stages and the competitors in each competition. The back of your number card may also have your dances and stages printed on it in order. Always double check the stages to see if your dances are still there and haven’t been moved. Listen to any announcements. Chances are, things will stay as planned, with one exception…
Feiseanna are notorious for running behind. Sometimes they run early, but a feis running on time is as rare as a plane arriving on time, so do not rely on the schedules they give you! Always go down an hour earlier than your first dance to see how things are moving along to and to check the progress of the dances before yours. Most of this will make sense when you are actually there, but on the wall behind a competition is usually a row or two or three or four or five of numbers. Those numbers are competitions at that stage. Your competition numbers will be at their assigned stages.
With an hour to kill, stretch. Make sure you aren’t going to wrinkle your dress, but sit on the floor somewhere clean and stretch, stretch, stretch. Do a small warm up and run-through of the dances, browse the vendors, and wait.
Here’s a tip: watch the competitions before yours, if there are any. You’ll see exactly what is expected of you in a way far better than a few paragraphs on a website.
Before dancing, double or triple-knot your shoes and tuck the laces in. Have a parent, teacher or friend look you over for anything out-of-place and go line up along the side of the stage with the other dancers (really, line up where you see your fellow competitors mingling before the dance).
Something that worried me was knowing when my competition was up. You will know! They will most likely announce it and even call for absent dancers once everyone is lined up. What you do when your competition is announced is to go the side of the stage (the dance before yours will probably be finishing up so don’t go onto the stage yet) and find the person with the clip board (or they will find you). Get your name checked off and wait until you are cleared to walk onto the stage.
You will line up at the back, single file, facing the adjudicator’s table in front. No two dancers from the same school are ever allowed to stand together in line—this prevents the adjudicator from judging the same steps at the same time.
Once you are in line and standing in fifth position, do not talk, fidget or fix your hair or your shoes or your dress. The competition has begun! You can double-check that your number is okay, but otherwise, make sure your primping is already finished. You will likely be marked down for obnoxious or distracting behavior in line.
The dancing will start from the adjudicator’s left, two at a time, and they will indicate when you are to step out. Stepping out was the part that made me nervous—knowing when to start if I wasn’t first or second in line was hard to remember. It requires you to listen closely to the music and to pay attention. If both you and the person next to you aren’t listening, you’ll both be late.
On the last bar of the second step, walk out. Stand near the back, in front of the dancers, with your foot pointed and ready for action. When the bar of music ends and begins again, start dancing! Once finished, bow to the adjudicator and walk back to the spot in line that you were in before. Make sure your number is still visible by discretely looking down at it, and stand in fifth position again.
Sometimes adjudicators aren’t clear about how they want you to walk out, and some may make you wait—but he or she will indicate this and you will not be marked down for attempting to start or any other mistake as a result of confusion. Beginner dancers will sometimes receive two claps before they start, and if you aren’t prepared for it, it can be a bit distracting.
When everyone has danced, the adjudicator will finish scoring and then indicate when he or she wants you to leave. When they do, bow to the adjudicator then to the musician and walk off single file.
REMEMBER, messing up is totally natural and happens to everyone. It happened to me, in fact. A lot. And not just at my first feis.
Obviously, lining up differs for figure dancing and trophy dances, but your teacher will instruct you how the former works, and the latter merely requires everyone to line up in a U-shape, with each person dancing solo from the adjudicator’s left. One full step is all you usually dance.
Once every dance is over, it’s a good idea to check the awards room or the area they have designated for receiving your awards. There will be scoreboards up or some form of notification, and each competition will be listed with the top dancers’ numbers below. If you see yours, go to the table where they are handing out the awards and go to the appropriate area (some competitions divide things up by odd numbers and even numbers). They will likely have you sign for your award, so give them the competition number and your number (make sure it’s with you) and they will give you the medal.
Trophy dances are usually announced and handed out on stage after most of the competitions have ended.
Once you have your awards (or maybe you didn’t luck out this time), congratulate yourself for surviving your first feis! Here’s to many more.
5.) The Oireachtas
An oireachtas (pronounced “oh-ROCK-tus”) is an Irish dance competition/championship that is held annually in various designated regions. For example, the Western Regional Oireachtas serves the west coast of the United States.
The oireachtas is something that only championship-level dancers can attend and compete in. There are solo dances, figure dances and sometimes dance dramas (a story told through dance). Scoring in the top ten generally qualifies you for Nationals and Worlds, but it depends on how many dancers there are in your competition, so something as select as the top four is possible.
Oireachtasi (plural for oireachtas, pronounced “oh-ROCK-tah-shy”) divides competitors up by gender, something that regular feiseanna do not. They usually take place over an entire weekend at a large hotel in a big city where dancers from all over the region fly, drive or walk to.
The World Championships (Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne, pronounced “oh-ROCK-tus rin-ka na crin(ya)’) is the ultimate goal for many dancers. It takes place around Easter in Ireland (though it has taken place in Scotland before) and lasts for over a week. Like the oireachtas, Worlds competitions are set up differently than a normal feis:
Dancers are divided by gender and age. The softshoe round is first for all ages and genders, thus it takes a very long time to finish. Girls dance a reel or slip jig, boys dance a reel. They go two at a time, but generally do not line up on stage, so the music starts over for each competing dancer. Two full steps are usually danced (sometimes more) and multiple adjudicators are used at once.
Then, the hardshoe round begins. Either a hornpipe or treble jig is danced, and each dancer can specify the speed. One this is finished, the scores are tallied and added and if a dancer makes it in the top 50% of his or her group, they recall.
For the recall, dancers do a solo set dance. From there, the winners are chosen.
There are many other championships, such as the All Irelands, but for US dancers, qualifying at your own regional oireachtas is the best way to get there.
6.) What to Watch Out For
What if you fall down? Or your shoe breaks or you forget a step or you miss your time to step out? Generally, and this sometimes varies, dancers who fall and recover can still place in the top three. Dancers who fall and do not finish, or are unable to finish, cannot place higher than fourth. If a shoe breaks, the dancer is usually allowed to step aside and dance again at the end once they are able to. If steps are forgotten, there's nothing that can be done. If a dancer misses his or her time to step out, they are usually able to go on the next round, or at the end (though if they simply do not start dancing when they are already out, that's a bigger mistake and often doesn't allow for another chance).
Falls happen, mistakes happen. If you end on the wrong foot, the adjudicator won't necessarily know that you are off, as some steps do end on the opposite foot. If you flub during your dance, doing one move instead of another, don't stop! Only your teacher and classmates will notice. Steps vary too much for any adjudicator to know them all, and only visible mistakes, such as tripping or pausing or attempting a move, such as a hop, and executing it incorrectly, will cost you points (though, sometimes, not at all).
An important rule to remember for spectators is that you are not allowed to videotape the competition. Because each school has unique choreography for many of their dances, especially championship steps, filming any of the dancing is strictly prohibited, in order to prevent steps from being copied by other schools. You will be asked to stop if you are caught. Still photographs are perfectly fine, but usually flash is not allowed.
(Official feis or championship committee members are allowed to film portions of the competition, however.)
As with any competitive sport, not everything goes smoothly, or even fairly, and there are many dance schools out there breeding for one purpose: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. These feis-oriented schools often employ many different tactics to ensure gold at various competitions, and some of these can be almost cruel to those with whom they are sharing the stage. Don't believe it? I'll share a little story:
It was the Novice reel competition at one of my last feiseanna. I desperately wanted to get my last two softshoe dances (the ones that matter in the long run) into Prizewinner, which my hardshoe was almost all qualified for. Stepping out onto the stage, I felt nervous but confident, as always—I just didn't expect to have my hopes of winning, or even placing, dashed before I even started to dance.
As the two dancers in front of us stopped and walked back, I stepped out and--found myself most impertinently blocked. Unable to move forward, which my first step required, because the dancer was walking back and standing right in front of me. Of course she noticed, but didn't so much as frightfully decide which way to step. She just kept walking until she had to avoid me to get back in line. By then, the music was off and I had to fumble for my place, and no one let me start over.
Whether it was intentional or not, the bad does happen. Some dancers are trained by their teachers that anything you can possibly do to win, or at least eliminate competitors, is perfectly acceptable as long as you aren't caught. Or even cheating. That's right—blocking dancers isn't considered cheating. Most of the blocking happens on stage between the two competitors dancing at the time, and is the most common strategy that teachers use.
Blocking a dancer is when one competitor makes absolutely certain he or she dances in front of the other person for as much of the dance as their own steps will allow. Doing this supposedly makes the adjudicator only pay attention to the dancer in front, and makes it virtually impossible for the steps of the other dancer to be seen, let alone judged. This can be fairly obnoxious and obvious, in fact, and may even throw off the dancer being blocked, causing them to mess up. Watch any championship competition, or any higher level competition, and you will see at least one or two dancers executing this common, if inappropriate, behavior.