I also was afraid of how we would deal with winning and not winning. Or one winning and the other one not. While there were some tense moments after each dance, we got through the Feis with minimal tears and jealousy. In the end, they were happy for what they did win, happy for each other and (I believe) humbled because there were many dancers who left that day with no awards or trophies.
They competed very well and I am so proud of them. They each competed in 7 dances and one of them was a hardshoe dance that they have been working very hard on. Below are their placements.
Casey:
Light Jig- 1st place
Single Jig- 3rd place
Reel- 4th place
Chloe:
3 Hand Figure- 3rd place
Reel-2nd place
Double Jig (hardshoe)- 3rd place
Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy!!
Chloe making a funny face before the competition began.
Casey waiting for someone to tie his tie. Luckily, Dan Crawford was standing nearby and came to our rescue. Thanks Dan!! :)
I'm trying to fix Chloe's wig. She was very nervous for her first Feis. She had a mini-meltdown because of her wig. Her wig is tight each time we put it on, but that day she was crying and complaining. No matter what I did she would fuss more. I just had to fix it the best I could and leave it at that.
Chloe and her curls before the big finale....hardshoe!! She was showing me how she was going to smile for the judges. Silly girl!
Gamma (my mom), Casey & Chloe waiting for the hardshoe dance to begin. They were competing in the Double Jig or sometimes called the Treble Jig.
Nana's Claddagh brooch.
Nana's Irish Claddagh brooch with 3 pearls and Conamarra marble; Chloe loved wearing these.
One last thing. I'm standing in a very crowded hotel ballroom waiting patiently for my children to begin their dance....I think it was the Single Jig. Next to me were three teenagers who were not dancing....possibly siblings or friends of another dancer. They were talking about seeing a mother get upset with her daughter for not being "solid or tight". In other words, the girl was not dancing as well as her mother wanted her to. They continued to talk about this situation for a few minutes and then one of the boys said, "The Feismom's are so funny." and the girl next to him played out a scene that resembled what I had been doing all morning. Standing in the back and when my children would catch my eye, I'd stand up straight, arms straight down, tighten my neck, look forward and smile broadly. The teenagers laughed a little and suddenly I felt very self-conscious, but then I started to BEAM! I AM A FEISMOM! I need a bumper sticker that says,
"Feismom Driving. Watch your posture and please smile!"
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