Irish Dance will never be the same again!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Feis Piles at the Old Dominion Feis (Warning some pictures may not be suitable for young children)
Ok, be honest…
How many of you are reading this because the title implied that some pictures might be age inappropriate?
I’ll try not to disappoint.
So, if you’re a typical Feis mom, you have probably participated in the ancient tradition of “Feis Camping” at one time or another. You arrive at a Feis, gear in hand, and select an appropriate area to spread out all your “Feis Stuff” in the form of a semi-permanent “base camp” from which you and/or your family make forays throughout the day. You’ve packed a delicious and nutritious lunch, brought along some chairs, a library book to pass the time and have carefully laid out your “Perfect Feis Campground” as depicted below.
Note the tastefully arrayed chair formation of this classic, “Martha Stewart Style” Feis Camp. The fashionable bags and ribbon-festooned cases storing the Feis paraphernalia, all within hands-reach are simply exquisite! The library book, fuzzy green Feis slippers and awards display creates a nice “homey” feel which is only accentuated by the patriotic American flag afghan. The close proximity to the vending machine is quite a bonus!
But alas and alack! This is not a typical Feis Camp.
Within 30 minutes of arriving at a Feis, even the most sophisticated attempts at organization degenerate into a scene not unlike the debris field of the Titanic…
It’s no longer a Feis Camp…..
It’s a Feis Pile!
At this point, you are probably asking, “Why is this idiot taking pictures of Feis Piles?”
One hundred years from now there will be thousands of pictures of wigs, dresses, and dancers taken during Feis award ceremonies in hundreds of books depicting the history of Irish Dance.
None of which will capture the true “flavor” of the Feis.
Yes, I’ve taken upon myself to depict the unseemly underbelly of Feiseanna, if for no other reason than to serve as a warning to future generations.
That and because the stage managers once again kicked me out of the hall for taking pictures of dancers “whilst in motion”.
But I digress.
The above photo depicts the nesting ground of a rather large flock of dancers who I observed periodically swooping in and out of their chosen Feis habitat to participate in competitions, award ceremonies and the occasional feeding foray. The vertical steps no doubt suggest a sophisticated pecking order of some type with the higher placed dancers awarded the more prominent seating arrangements.
Ok, I’m going off topic a bit here, but a Feis mom graciously gave me permission to photograph her daughter’s penguin slippers in exchange for a MoonPie.
Sometimes I’m amazed at what Feis moms will do for a MoonPie.
So, what is the difference between a Feis Camp and a Feis Pile?
Organization!
A Feis Camp is a structured area usually defined by a circle of chairs and/or blanket in which Feis related materials are stored for easy access and retrieval throughout the day.
This is a Feis Camp (the outdoor variety)
This is a Feis Pile. Note the colored bottles of various and dubious nutritional value strewn about, the large camera bag, the box of MoonPies, the…uh… oops! Never mind, let’s move on to our next picture of a…
Duct Tape Poopy!
Yes you can’t walk around a Feis any more without stepping in duct tape poopy! Folks, if you are going to bring duct tape to a Feis, please clean up after yourself!
Towards the end of the Feis I stumbled on a young dancer who appeared to be collecting duct tape poopies. When I tried to thank her for the humanitarian service she was performing, she enlightened me to the fact that duct tape poopies command a rather high price on eBay.
"People will buy anything if you put the right spin on it!"
My apologies for digressing again. Here are a couple few more pictures of my favorite Feis Piles.
Ok mom, we’re not buying it. No self respecting Irish Dancer would be caught dead reading an Algebra book at a Feis! Nice try though!
The use of a garbage can as a dress holder might have it drawbacks. Especially when my daughter tries to discard her left-over nachos and cheese and falls short.
Hallway Feis Piles are still very popular…
As are stairway Feis Piles…
Then there are the “Designer Feis Piles”. If you look closely you’ll note the trophy is even color-coordinated.
Remember that delicious and nutricious lunch you packed?
Now I ask you after looking at that Coke can, just how far did these folks drive to get here?
The “Gated Feis Pile”. This Feis pile comes with a drop down security screen that protects the Feis Pile from roving camera documentary types.
The “Subterranean Homesick Blues” Feis Pile.
How many of you are reading this because the title implied that some pictures might be age inappropriate?
I’ll try not to disappoint.
So, if you’re a typical Feis mom, you have probably participated in the ancient tradition of “Feis Camping” at one time or another. You arrive at a Feis, gear in hand, and select an appropriate area to spread out all your “Feis Stuff” in the form of a semi-permanent “base camp” from which you and/or your family make forays throughout the day. You’ve packed a delicious and nutritious lunch, brought along some chairs, a library book to pass the time and have carefully laid out your “Perfect Feis Campground” as depicted below.
Note the tastefully arrayed chair formation of this classic, “Martha Stewart Style” Feis Camp. The fashionable bags and ribbon-festooned cases storing the Feis paraphernalia, all within hands-reach are simply exquisite! The library book, fuzzy green Feis slippers and awards display creates a nice “homey” feel which is only accentuated by the patriotic American flag afghan. The close proximity to the vending machine is quite a bonus!
But alas and alack! This is not a typical Feis Camp.
Within 30 minutes of arriving at a Feis, even the most sophisticated attempts at organization degenerate into a scene not unlike the debris field of the Titanic…
It’s no longer a Feis Camp…..
It’s a Feis Pile!
At this point, you are probably asking, “Why is this idiot taking pictures of Feis Piles?”
One hundred years from now there will be thousands of pictures of wigs, dresses, and dancers taken during Feis award ceremonies in hundreds of books depicting the history of Irish Dance.
None of which will capture the true “flavor” of the Feis.
Yes, I’ve taken upon myself to depict the unseemly underbelly of Feiseanna, if for no other reason than to serve as a warning to future generations.
That and because the stage managers once again kicked me out of the hall for taking pictures of dancers “whilst in motion”.
But I digress.
The above photo depicts the nesting ground of a rather large flock of dancers who I observed periodically swooping in and out of their chosen Feis habitat to participate in competitions, award ceremonies and the occasional feeding foray. The vertical steps no doubt suggest a sophisticated pecking order of some type with the higher placed dancers awarded the more prominent seating arrangements.Ok, I’m going off topic a bit here, but a Feis mom graciously gave me permission to photograph her daughter’s penguin slippers in exchange for a MoonPie. Sometimes I’m amazed at what Feis moms will do for a MoonPie.
So, what is the difference between a Feis Camp and a Feis Pile?
Organization!
A Feis Camp is a structured area usually defined by a circle of chairs and/or blanket in which Feis related materials are stored for easy access and retrieval throughout the day.
This is a Feis Camp (the outdoor variety)This is a Feis Pile. Note the colored bottles of various and dubious nutritional value strewn about, the large camera bag, the box of MoonPies, the…uh… oops! Never mind, let’s move on to our next picture of a…Duct Tape Poopy!Yes you can’t walk around a Feis any more without stepping in duct tape poopy! Folks, if you are going to bring duct tape to a Feis, please clean up after yourself!
Towards the end of the Feis I stumbled on a young dancer who appeared to be collecting duct tape poopies. When I tried to thank her for the humanitarian service she was performing, she enlightened me to the fact that duct tape poopies command a rather high price on eBay."People will buy anything if you put the right spin on it!"
My apologies for digressing again. Here are a couple few more pictures of my favorite Feis Piles.
Ok mom, we’re not buying it. No self respecting Irish Dancer would be caught dead reading an Algebra book at a Feis! Nice try though!The use of a garbage can as a dress holder might have it drawbacks. Especially when my daughter tries to discard her left-over nachos and cheese and falls short.Hallway Feis Piles are still very popular…As are stairway Feis Piles…Then there are the “Designer Feis Piles”. If you look closely you’ll note the trophy is even color-coordinated.Remember that delicious and nutricious lunch you packed? 
Now I ask you after looking at that Coke can, just how far did these folks drive to get here?The “Gated Feis Pile”. This Feis pile comes with a drop down security screen that protects the Feis Pile from roving camera documentary types.The “Subterranean Homesick Blues” Feis Pile.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Irish Music 101 – The Bodhrán.
A couple three years back my wife and daughter, both gifted musicians, took it upon themselves to introduce me to the art of playing a musical instrument.
Knowing I lacked any identifiable skills or talent in that arena and being at a loss for what to give me for Christmas, they carried out the ancient family tradition of the “two-fur” solving both problems by buying me a bodhrán.
It’s still sitting up in the hall closet with my collection of ugly ties and “misfit” sweaters.
For the uninitiated, a bodhrán, pronounced bow-rawn, is an Irish drum made from the skin of a goat (plural “goats”, collective noun “herd”). For those of you who have never heard one, I have an incredible repertoire of goat jokes, but alas, because of an extremely convoluted court order, this is not a goat article.
It’s a bodhrán article.
Now there are still some folks who believe that my previously published instructions on building your own homemade bodhrán were somewhat insensitive:
“Step One: First you get a goat drunk…”
But let me assure you, I am extremely sympathetic to the plight of the professional bodhrán player or bodhránist (plural “bodhránaí”, collective noun “infestation”). Indeed, I have several close friends who are accomplished bodhránists.
Why just the other night I was at the local pub with my friend, Brian the bodhrán player. We were imbibing in a few stoutly beverages when Brian suddenly jumped up remembering he had left his bodhrán in the front seat of an unlocked vehicle outside. We rushed out to the street and opened his car door, but alas, we were too late! There were two more bodhráns in the back seat!
On a more scholarly note, the word bodhrán is believed by some to be a derivative of the Irish word, bodhar, meaning deaf. Bodhar was later introduced into the English language as the word bother, meaning to annoy. It is no small stretch then to realize that, if it hadn’t been for the bodhrán, many folks now question whether Winnie the Pooh would ever had made the top ten list without his classic retort, “Oh Bother!”
I think ‘professional” bodhrán players sometime get bad publicity because there are a lot of well meaning folks that lack musical talent (along with the drive, ambition, time, and motivation to develop it) who still want to participate in the experience of playing in a live band.
When we were young, we simply coughed up twenty five cents for a kazoo and immediately became accomplished, if not annoying, musicians. On yet another scholarly note, under the Hornbostel-Sachs system for categorizing musical instruments, the kazoo is classified as a “membraphone” and as such, a close relative of the bodhrán. This would explain the modern day disclosure label on kazoos which states, “Note: No goats were harmed in the manufacture of this product”. In response to this many bodhrán makers are now offering bodhráns made from synthetic goats.
Alas, there is no “Bodhrán Hero” video game for the Xbox 360, so many of these modern day “wannabe” pub musicians seek fame and stardom by unwrapping a bodhrán from its shipping box, smacking the drum head a few times, and rushing down to the nearest session to join in.
So, at the risk of being permanently banned by the CCE (an Association of Irish Musicians, pronounced “Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann”), over the next several months, I am going to try and raise the bar for these less-than-accomplished bodhránaí with a series of short lessons in advanced bodhrán techniques.
Bodhrán 301 – Advanced Techniques: The Drum Roll
The drum roll is standard fair for many percussive instruments and, when properly executed on a bodhrán it can be a real crowd pleaser!
Steps:
1. Remove the bodhrán from its shipping box.
2. Carefully place the bodhrán on its side rim on the floor
3. Gently shove the bodhrán forward towards any empty space (see pictures).
If performed properly, the bodhrán will roll forward convincingly for several feet or until it hits an obstacle.
As you can tell, the “Bodhrán Drum Roll” can be a real show stopper! Once the basic drum roll is mastered, you can advance to more difficult playing surfaces such as stair wells and city streets.
Knowing I lacked any identifiable skills or talent in that arena and being at a loss for what to give me for Christmas, they carried out the ancient family tradition of the “two-fur” solving both problems by buying me a bodhrán.
It’s still sitting up in the hall closet with my collection of ugly ties and “misfit” sweaters.
For the uninitiated, a bodhrán, pronounced bow-rawn, is an Irish drum made from the skin of a goat (plural “goats”, collective noun “herd”). For those of you who have never heard one, I have an incredible repertoire of goat jokes, but alas, because of an extremely convoluted court order, this is not a goat article.
It’s a bodhrán article.
Now there are still some folks who believe that my previously published instructions on building your own homemade bodhrán were somewhat insensitive:
“Step One: First you get a goat drunk…”
But let me assure you, I am extremely sympathetic to the plight of the professional bodhrán player or bodhránist (plural “bodhránaí”, collective noun “infestation”). Indeed, I have several close friends who are accomplished bodhránists.
Why just the other night I was at the local pub with my friend, Brian the bodhrán player. We were imbibing in a few stoutly beverages when Brian suddenly jumped up remembering he had left his bodhrán in the front seat of an unlocked vehicle outside. We rushed out to the street and opened his car door, but alas, we were too late! There were two more bodhráns in the back seat!
On a more scholarly note, the word bodhrán is believed by some to be a derivative of the Irish word, bodhar, meaning deaf. Bodhar was later introduced into the English language as the word bother, meaning to annoy. It is no small stretch then to realize that, if it hadn’t been for the bodhrán, many folks now question whether Winnie the Pooh would ever had made the top ten list without his classic retort, “Oh Bother!”
I think ‘professional” bodhrán players sometime get bad publicity because there are a lot of well meaning folks that lack musical talent (along with the drive, ambition, time, and motivation to develop it) who still want to participate in the experience of playing in a live band.
When we were young, we simply coughed up twenty five cents for a kazoo and immediately became accomplished, if not annoying, musicians. On yet another scholarly note, under the Hornbostel-Sachs system for categorizing musical instruments, the kazoo is classified as a “membraphone” and as such, a close relative of the bodhrán. This would explain the modern day disclosure label on kazoos which states, “Note: No goats were harmed in the manufacture of this product”. In response to this many bodhrán makers are now offering bodhráns made from synthetic goats.
Alas, there is no “Bodhrán Hero” video game for the Xbox 360, so many of these modern day “wannabe” pub musicians seek fame and stardom by unwrapping a bodhrán from its shipping box, smacking the drum head a few times, and rushing down to the nearest session to join in.
So, at the risk of being permanently banned by the CCE (an Association of Irish Musicians, pronounced “Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann”), over the next several months, I am going to try and raise the bar for these less-than-accomplished bodhránaí with a series of short lessons in advanced bodhrán techniques.
Bodhrán 301 – Advanced Techniques: The Drum Roll
The drum roll is standard fair for many percussive instruments and, when properly executed on a bodhrán it can be a real crowd pleaser!
Steps:
1. Remove the bodhrán from its shipping box.
2. Carefully place the bodhrán on its side rim on the floor
3. Gently shove the bodhrán forward towards any empty space (see pictures).
If performed properly, the bodhrán will roll forward convincingly for several feet or until it hits an obstacle.
As you can tell, the “Bodhrán Drum Roll” can be a real show stopper! Once the basic drum roll is mastered, you can advance to more difficult playing surfaces such as stair wells and city streets.
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