IDTACe Regional Syllabus
IDTAC-ER DANCING COMPETITION RULES:
REGISTRATION PROCEDURES
A1. Entries for dancing competitions are confined to pupils of accredited Irish Dancing teachers who are
registered with An Coimisiún le Rinci Gaelacha, and any additional regional bodies as required (based on
residency). There are no such requirements for entries in art, music, soda bread etc.
A2. In the case of all solo and team competitions at all levels, the age of a competitor on the 1st of
January in the year in which the competition is held will determine the right of entry. For the purposes of
this rule, a competitor whose birthday occurs on the 1st of January shall be deemed to be under the age
attained on that date.
A3. All dancers must compete in their own age group. Exceptions may be made to compete in a higher
age group (specials, team events) but it is never permissible to compete in a lower age group. Proof of
age may be requested in order to participate. Falsification of documents will result in disqualification from
said event, with possible additional repercussions.
A4. Individuals holding TCRG, ADCRG, BG, SDCRG or TMRF status are not eligible to participate in any
dance events.
A5. Dancers undertaking a six-month re-styling period are not permitted to participate. It is the
responsibility of the dancer/legal guardian to ensure eligibility by confirming with the dancer’s teacher(s).
A6. Grade-level dancers may not also compete in Preliminary or Open Championship level events and
vice-versa, but may compete in team events, plus supplemental competitions corresponding to their level
A7. The Feis Committee has the right to reject any entry for cause, to cancel all or part of the feis and/or
to limit, merge or split competitions. The Feis Committee has the right to approve or deny requests for
changes to entries on the day of the feis and/or to charge processing fees for same. The decision of the
feis committee shall be final in all such matters.
A8. The Feis Committee (and any organization affiliated with same including, but not limited to the
IDTAC-ER), will not be held responsible for personal injury, property loss/damage or any other incident as
a result of participating in the event.
A9. Participants and/or their families who do not wish for their child’s name to appear on published
registration lists must contact the Feis Committee to make such arrangements. The Feis Committee must
honour all requests received within a reasonable time frame prior to the commencement of the feis. It is
the responsibility of the person making the request to ensure it has been successfully carried out.
A10. Feis Committees must ensure that all necessary steps to protect identification data of the
participants are taken by the registration/tabulation company.
COMPETITION MERGERS & SPLITS
B1. All competitions need five or more participants to warrant achievements to count toward
advancement of levels, so competitions may need to be combined to facilitate this process. See
DEFINITION OF LEVELS for more information on advancing levels.
B2. Merging of competitions occurs ONLY with the next higher age group and never with a lower age
group. A competition with a satisfactory number of entries may not be merged in order to make the next
highest age group have enough participants to “count”.
B3. Double-age groups cannot be merged with another double-age group; therefore, only two single- age
groups may be combined.
B4. It is also not permitted to merge three single-age groups, however, permission from the Regional
Director may be requested for the oldest age groups of a particular level.
B5. Splitting of grade-level competitions must occur at 15 entries. Splitting of Preliminary and Open
Championship competitions must occur at 25 entries. In all cases, double-age competitions shall be split
to single age groups, while single-age group competitions shall be split at random into two groups.
B6. Competitions not reaching the threshold noted above may not be split.
B7. Open Championship Under 9 may NOT be combined with Under 11, unless there is only one entry,
in which case it must be combined with Under 11 to provide some competition for the Under 9 dancer.
B8. Entries received after splits/mergers have been approved by the Feis Liaison and published by the
Feis Committee shall not require further adjustments (effective Jan 1 2017).
ADJUDICATORS/MUSICIANS
C1. Only persons currently registered with ADCRG certification from An Coimisiún le Rinci Gaelacha can
adjudicate dancing competitions. Feis Committees must ensure that adjudicators are current with CLRG
mandates related to Vetting and Child Protection Course certification before being contracted.
C2. Adjudicators must declare any potential adjudication conflicts when contracted. It is the shared
responsibility of the adjudicator and the Feis Committee to ensure that the adjudicator is assigned only to
competitions without adjudication conflicts.
C3. Adjudicators and musicians shall be paid fees at current IDTANA rates, payable in US Dollars or, at
the discretion of the Feis Committee, the Canadian Dollar equivalent using the exchange rate of the most
recent business day prior to the commencement of the event.
C4. In matters pertaining to adjudication, the decision of the adjudicators is final.
C5. Adjudicators are responsible for ensuring the tempos played by the musician meet the requirements
of this syllabus, therefore, Feis Committees are required to provide all engaged adjudications with
syllabus requirements such as: the rules, lengths of dances and speed requirements.
C6. Feis Committees are requested to list adjudicators on their syllabus. If adjudicators are not listed on
the syllabus, they must be posted on the Feis website/social media a minimum of 30 days prior to
registration closing for the Feis. Adjudicators names should not be removed once registration closes.
C7. At least three adjudicators must be utilized for Preliminary and Open Championship competitions to
serve as a set panel. Should a feis committee wish to offer an alternate format of judging, such as rotating
panels, permission must be granted from the Regional Director. Such requests must be made in writing to
the Regional Director a minimum of one (1) month in advance of the anticipated publication date of the
syllabus.
C8. Live music played by accomplished feis musicians is required for every competitor.
DEFINITION OF LEVELS
D1. Beginner Grade: A Beginner is a competitor who has not yet taken a full year of Irish Dance lessons
from a registered teacher, thereby giving Beginners a full year with such status. A Beginner must move
into the Advanced Beginner category the following year. See COSTUME RULES for more information.
D2. Advanced Beginner Grade: An Advanced Beginner dancer has at least one year’s experience in Irish
dancing, and no longer competes at the Beginner level. At this level, dancers begin to compete hard shoe
dances (at traditional speeds), including the Traditional Set Dance called St. Patrick’s Day. See
ADVANCEMENT OF LEVELS and COSTUME RULES for more information.
D3. Novice Grade: A Novice dancer is someone who has won the necessary medals in Advanced
Beginner in some or all of the required dances. It is possible to participate in more than one level,
however not for the same dance. At the Novice level, the speed for soft shoe dances is slower than in
Advanced Beginner, and there is a choice of speed for hard shoe dances. Additionally, dancers can
choose from the list of seven Traditional Set Dances to expand their knowledge. See ADVANCEMENT
OF LEVELS and COSTUME RULES for more information.
D4. Prizewinner Grade: A Prizewinner dancer is someone who has won the necessary medals in Novice
in some or all of the required dances, meaning it is possible to participate in both levels, however not for
the same dance. At this level, the dancer typically focuses on the four main solo dances (reel, slip jig,
treble jig and hornpipe) and may start to learn a set dance at contemporary speed in addition to traditional
speed set dances. There is no mandate that a dancer MUST advance to Preliminary Championship after
achieving the required wins. The time to advance is at the discretion of the dancer’s teacher. See
ADVANCEMENT OF LEVELS and COSTUME RULES for more information.
D5. Preliminary Championship: Dancers who have successfully graduated from the grade levels shall
advance to Preliminary Championship. This level may not be skipped over in favour of advancing straight
to Open Championship. At this level, dancers choose one soft shoe dance and one hard shoe dance to
compete in a single competition before three adjudicators on a larger stage. The length of the dances is
longer than in the grade levels. Overall placements are awarded based on combined scores from all
adjudicators. See ADVANCEMENT OF LEVELS and COSTUME RULES for more information.
D6. Open Championship: Dancers who have successfully met the advancement requirements for
Preliminary Championship shall register for Open Championship. The Open Championship format is
similar to that of Preliminary Championship; however, three dances are performed in Open
Championship. Dancers who have not placed in Open Championship for a period of two years may return
to Preliminary Championship (excluding dancers who have placed first, second or third over any period of time). Dancers availing of this opportunity will have to win their way back into Open Championship. See
ADVANCEMENT OF LEVELS and COSTUME RULES for more information.
D7. Competitions for Adult dancers are to be offered at 4 levels: Adult Beginner/Advanced Beginner,
Adult Novice/Prizewinner, Adult Championship, and Advanced Adult Championship. In each instance, an
Adult Dancer must be at least 18 years of age or older. An Adult Beginner/Advanced Beginner must
never have competed as a juvenile and may compete in hard shoe dances at traditional speeds only. An
Adult Novice/Prizewinner dancer must not have competed as a juvenile during the previous five (5) years
and must be offered a choice of speed for hard shoe dances (Treble Jig and Hornpipe), along with the full
list of Traditional Set Dances. An Adult Championship dancer must not have competed as a juvenile
during the previous five (5) years and must be offered a choice of the full list of Traditional Set Dances. A
Contemporary Set Dance competition may not be offered at any level. An Advanced Adult Championship
dancer is an adult dancer who has previously placed in the top three of a Preliminary Championship or
competed in Open Championship levels in the youth/& over levels regardless of when the competitor was
active. Once a dancer begins competing in Advanced Adult, they may not return to youth/& over.
D8. Dancers who are eligible to compete as Adult Beginner/Advanced Beginner, Adult
Novice/Prizewinner, or Adult Championship under Rule D7 may choose to compete in the non-Adult 99
age groups for Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Novice, Prizewinner, Preliminary Championships or Open
Championships, per the qualifying rules for those levels, but may not return to Adult Beginner/Advanced
Beginner, Adult Novice/Prizewinner, or Adult Championship for a period of five (5) years.
ADVANCEMENT OF LEVELS
E1. At least five (5) participants (not entries) are required for advancement to the next higher level.
E2. For Advanced Beginner, a first/second/third will warrant advancement to the Novice level.
E3. For the Novice and Prizewinner levels, only a first-place warrants advancement.
E4. Dancers who win a first place in at least one Prizewinner soft shoe (Reel or Slip Jig) plus one
Prizewinner hard shoe (Treble Jig or Hornpipe) will be eligible to advance to Preliminary Championships.
E5. Dancers who win first place in two eligible Preliminary Championship competitions (with five
competitors or more) in the same calendar year must advance to Open Championship in the following
year. However, if the second win is achieved in a different calendar year, then the dancer must advance
to Open Championship at their next competition. If their next competition is to be held on the same
weekend as that second win, then they shall not be required to advance levels until the following
weekend.
E6. Placing in a regional or national Oireachtas does not affect one’s status as feiseanna.
E7. For Adult competitions, advancement to be at teacher’s discretion.
DANCING RULES
F1. Any unauthorized visible or audible coaching (by a parent, teacher or anyone else) to a dancer who is
competing on stage, may disqualify that dancer from that competition. The Feis Committee is encouraged
to provide a knowledgeable volunteer to assist beginners (and other less experienced dancers) with
coaching to know when to start dancing. However, once the dancer commences, no more
counting/coaching will be permitted.
F2. No block/“en Pointe”/toe-walking movements, stationary or moving, are allowed to be performed for
dancers competing up to and including the under 12 age group, in any level. After September 1 of each
year an exception is made for those dancers who are 11 years of age and competing in the under 12 age
group.
F3. All dancers up to and including U9 in any level may not compete a Set Dance at contemporary speed.
Participants in Open Championship shall dance their Traditional Set Dance on stage one-at-a-time,
whereas participants in grade-level competitions and in Preliminary Championships shall dance their
Traditional Set Dance two (or three)-at-a time, at the discretion of the Feis Committee (and subject to the
rules governing stage sizes).
F4. Dancers finishing ahead of the required part of music and/or not completing the required number of
steps shall be deemed to have not completed the dance and will be marked accordingly.
F5. Stages for grade level and team competitions must be at least 20’ wide x 16’ deep, and in order to run
competitions three-at-a-time, stages must be at least 24’ wide x 20’ deep.
F6. Stages for Preliminary and Open Championship competitions must be at least 24’ wide x 20’ deep,
and in order to run competitions three-at-a-time, stages must be at least 32’ wide x 24’ deep.
F7. Stages may not be either on bare concrete or cement, or with rolled out flooring overtop.
F8. Awards should be a minimum of 40%, based on the number of participants. Feis Committees are
encouraged to ensure that situations are avoided where, due to ties or otherwise, one dancer is left out of
a result, and that all Beginner level participants receive at least one award.
F9. Teachers or team captains are responsible to ensure that their teams are complete and in position
when the competition is announced. Team competitors may compete in the next higher age group but
never in a lower age group. A competitor may compete in no more than two different age groups for any
one category (4- hand, 8-hand, etc.)
F10. Competitions may be closed at the discretion off the Feis Committee if there are no competitors at
the assigned stage ready to compete when the competition is scheduled or announced. Dancers involved
in stage conflicts should notify (or send a representative to notify) the stage manager for each stage so an
accommodation can be made.
COSTUME RULES
G1. The costume for Beginner and Advanced Beginner level dancers may consist only of a skirt and
blouse/leotard (or shirt and trousers for boys) or an official school costume. Solo costumes are not
permitted at these levels.
G2. Novice, Prizewinner, Preliminary Championship and Open Championship level dancers are permitted
to choose a “solo” costume, subject to the current directives of CLRG, but may also wear a School
Costume. Costumes must adhere to modesty and decency in terms of length, fit and fabric.
G3. Shorts or any other unconventional dresses/costumes are strictly prohibited, unless expressly
permitted under these rules or the rules of a special category (e.g., charity treble reel).
G4. Where costumes are deemed to be too short, an adjudicator may insist that tights of a denier not less
than 70 must be worn by the dancer. The adjudicator shall notify the Stage Manager or Feis Committee
representative in a discreet manner, who in turn must handle the situation tactfully
G5. All dancers aged 14 and older competing in what is commonly referred to as “all-black” or “black-out”
attire (irrespective of the actual colour of the outfit) must wear tights of a denier not less than 70.
G6. Makeup (including facial tanner) is not permitted on dancers in Beginner and Advanced Beginner
levels, up to and including the under 12 age group.
G7. Makeup (including facial tanner) is prohibited on dancers in Novice, Prizewinner, Preliminary
Championships and Open Championships up to and including the under 10 age group.
G8. Dancers using artificial carriage aids will be subject to disqualification from that particular competition.
Medically prescribed aids (proof of which may be required) will exempt dancers from this rule.
G9. Dancers must wear an official competitor’s number when performing in all competitions. The use of
reflective plastic number covers is discouraged because it can be difficult for adjudicators to see the
number in certain lighting conditions.
G10. All dancers (solo and teams) must be in full costume and Irish dance shoes for award presentations.
FEIS GUIDELINES
H1. No one other than the Feis Committee may approach an adjudicator during the competition day, and
no one may approach an adjudicator while dancers are performing.
H2. Feiseanna must read the statement “No one other than the Feis Committee may approach an
adjudicator during the competition day, and no one may approach an adjudicator while dancers are
performing”, once in the morning (recommended after anthems are performed), and once after lunch
H3. Adjudicators can keep stationary (pens, paper, calculator, etc.) on the table. All other items should be
under the table/in a purse while competitions are in progress.
H4. Adjudicators must not use cell phones, smart watches, or other transmitting devices while at the
judge’s table.
H5. TCRG who are practicing judging must not practice adjudicating any competitions (meaning individual
competitions, not the entire event) where their own dancers are entered.
H6. Only committee members and volunteers are allowed in tabulation.
OTHER
J1. If a rule is not specifically listed in the feis syllabus, the rules of the Eastern Canada Regional Syllabus
shall preside.
J2. A competitor may be disqualified for any of the following reasons: a) Unbecoming conduct. b) Failure
to report on time to compete. (Penalty: disqualification from said event) c) Falsification of age or other
important facts – i.e., teaching, award winning, competing under another competitor’s name or number,
etc.
J3. In consideration of safety and in fairness to dancers performing at a Feis, photography of any kind
which has the capability of capturing a dancer's image while in motion is strictly forbidden. A Feis may
elect to allow in motion photography for publicity purposes, but the pictures are considered the sole
property of the Feis and solely for Feis use only; these are not be used for personal gain through commercial use or sale, and under no circumstances can they be published on any website or other
areas, without the express written permission of the persons involved. Additionally, a professional
photographer may be formally contracted by a Feis to capture non-motion photographs, such as portrait
photography, awards ceremonies, etc. and/or in motion photography provided it is taken at a vendor
station or suitable location: (a) away from the dancing stages and, (b) requested by a consenting parent,
guardian, or dancer (over the age of 18).
END