Flying Irish
Frequently Asked Questions
What does my child/dance student need to start Irish Dance?
Class attire is Flying Irish black shorts and Flying Irish green tee shirt, poodle socks (girls) or white athletic socks (boys) and soft shoes (black leather ballet slippers for Little Leprechauns, ghillies for girls, black leather jazz shoes for boys). Adults may wear fitted black leggings instead of the shorts.
Once your student has tried a few Irish Dance classes, you will want to order a team jacket from Optimum Sport. Team jackets are required for dancers to wear when arriving at events, and are used as parade attire. For our beginner dancers, the jacket, along with long black leggings & a green hair bow, is their show attire for the year-end Hooley.
How are shoes fitted?
Irish Dance shoes must be fitted to the dancers' feet, flush to the ends of their toes. Room to grow in shoes presents a safety hazard and means that our teachers can't see if a dancer is doing their movements correctly.
When will my child/dance student need a team costume?
Dancers, ages 6 & up, who have been accepted into the Flying Irish Dance Troupe or will be attending competitions will need to order the Flying Irish team costumes from Prime Dress Designs during our school ordering period. See the "team costumes" page for more info.
Are those super fancy costumes required?
Solo, or one-of-a-kind, costumes, are for top level competitive dancers. At the Flying Irish, we only require those costumes for dancers competing overseas. These costumes are works of art and are priced accordingly. All solo costumes, or costume designs, must be approved by our teachers prior to purchasing.
Are competitions required?
Competition is a historical part of the Irish Dance experience. While we encourage all of our dancers to participate in feiseanna, we understand that some dancers may not be ready for competition or find the prospect overly stressful. We let our dancers know that we encourage competition as a means to challenge themselves, learn to encourage & support their teammates and as a way to put class comments & corrections into context. We do not focus on attending competitions just to beat others. Some of our programs may require competitive experience.
When can my dancer participate in performances?
All of our dancers can march in parades with our group. Our year-end Hooley is held to celebrate what all of our dancers have learned throughout the year and to honor those dancers who have been with us for 5, 10, 15 (or more!) years. To join The Flying Irish Dance Troupe, a dancer must have completed the previous year's classes (held from Sept - June) at the Beginner level or above, must have danced in the previous year's Hooley and must walk in the 2027 St. Patrick's Day parade. These dancers must be practicing regularly at home and must master the material for each routine to be selected to perform in that routine.
