Please note: The school requirements are not the same as the North American Feis Commission. The McElligott School has chosen to set standards higher for progression through the levels. This is primarily due to the high standards of dancing in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Always remember, it is not uncommon to stay in any level for multiple years. Patience and dedication are the keys to advancement.
Heather must approve every level advancement. Please provide Heather with a “marks” sheet after every feis. She keeps track of your placement to confirm proper advancement. Depending on the feis, marks sheets may be picked up by the dancer from the feis committee on the day of the feis, or they may be emailed to you. It is the dancer’s responsibility to obtain the marks sheets. If emailed, please forward the email to Heather. If you have a hard copy, please make a copy to give to Heather at the studio.
BEGINNER
After a year, beginning in the next January a Beginner dancer will progress to Advanced Beginner.
ADVANCED BEGINNER, NOVICE, PRIZEWINNER
There must be five or more dancers in a competition for it to count. The dancer must place first to move a dance to the next level. Individual dances may be at different levels. For example, a dancer’s reel may be in Novice while his or her hornpipe may be in Prizewinner.
PRELIMINARY CHAMPIONSHIP
When a dancer has won one Prizewinner soft shoe dance and one Prizewinner hard shoe dance, they will be eligible to move into Preliminary Championships once the dancer discusses with Heather their readiness to move into Preliminary Championships. There must be five or more dancers in a competition for it to count.
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
A dancer must place first in Preliminary Championship three times before moving to Open Championship. There must be five or more dancers in a competition for it to count.