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ABOUT THE COMPANY
The Milwaukee Irish Dance Company (MIDC) was founded in 2014 as a way to bring more performance opportunities to adult Irish dancers in the Milwaukee area. We believe once a dancer, always a dancer.
MIDC offers weekly performance based choreography classes and performance opportunities for dancers 18+.
Our Story
Elyse Transon grew up Irish dancing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin before starting her career as a professional Irish dancer.
"When I was at home in Wisconsin in between tours, I missed dancing - a lot. I missed having an Irish dance community.
Sure, I could go to Danceworks and take a hip hop class or a ballet class but that didn't exist for Irish dance. I missed Irish dancing. I wanted to Irish dance but my options were to either join a class of beginner adults or a class of teenagers training for their next competition. I didn't fit into either of those classes. I felt like there wasn't a place for me.
Irish dance was such a big part of my life growing up and it made me sad to think that if I stopped touring there wouldn't be opportunities to continue dancing, training and performing. I wanted to create a space for people like me."
And with that, Elyse formed the Milwaukee Irish Dance Company (MIDC), an inclusive adult performance company that welcomes anyone with an Irish dance background and provides opportunities for adults to continue Irish dancing and performing well into their adult lives.
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What is a Feis?A feis (pronounced FESH) is an Irish dancing competition, which often incorporates other aspects of Irish culture, like music, art, and baking competitions. Many are sponsored by Irish Dance schools or Irish cultural groups.
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How do I know if my child is ready to compete at a feis?The easiest answer is to ask Elyse and your dancer. They will be able to tell you if your dancer is ready for (and interested in) competing, and which dances he or she should do. Most beginner dancers will start with the Jig (“Light Jig”) and then move on to the Reel. Girls then add the Slip Jig. Once kids are in hard shoe, a Hornpipe, Treble Jig or Traditional Set dance (usually the dance “St. Patrick’s Day”) is added next. For a feis, your dancer will choose 2 steps of a dance and perform them in front of judges (adjudicators). The dancers generally perform 2 or 3 at a time. Remember, each dance school has different steps for each dance, so the dances will all look different between the different academies competing. Each feis will look a little different depending on who is running it and especially now with COVID-19 protocols. Dancers may dance one at a time now or two at a time with a line down the stage. Each feis will put out their own syllabus which will outline their feis rules and COVID safety protocols.
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How do I find out about feisanna (plural of feis)?Feiseanna are held all over the world, all year round. Most of the Midwest feiseanna register through www.feisworx.com or quickfeis.com, but you can find the schedule for every North American Feis for a given year at www.love2feis.com.
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How do I register for a feis?The vast majority of feis will register either through feisworx.com, quickfeis.com, or efeis.com. You can set up a personal account on the websites, and then view the feiseanna for which registration is currently open. The websites will also guide you through the payment process. Most feiseanna also offer a website and a contact person for additional information.
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What does my dancer wear?That is a GREAT question! Unless otherwise specified in the feis syllabus, your dancer will start out with a ‘school costume’. Each dance school has a distinct costume that usually incorporates their logo and colors. You may see sparkly, colorful dresses during a feis or in videos online - these are called solo costumes. A dancer must reach a certain level of competition to qualify to wear a solo costume. Each dress is unique to the individual dancer. Female dancers also wear wigs! Traditionally, dancers put on their ‘Sunday best’ to go to competitions and would curl their hair. Wigs make it easier for the hair to look fresh all competition long and saves the headache of sleeping in curlers! Here is a further breakdown: costume FAQs.
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Now I’ve registered, what do I do next?About a week before the feis, the stage assignments or schedule will be posted online. Print it out and highlight your dancer’s dances. (See more information under “Stage Assignments” below). Find out when you are able to pick up your registration materials- they are frequently available the evening before the feis. Stop at the registration desk, give your name, and you will be given 2 cards. One is your guide to which dances you registered for, and the other is your dancer’s number. Do not lose the number! Punch a couple of holes into it, and pass a string through it. Your dancer needs to wear this around his or her waist while competing.
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What is camping?Post COVID when feiseanna return to normal you may see signs for “camping”. Some feiseanna allow “camping.” This means that you can spread out a blanket on the floor, add a couple of folding chairs, and make a spot for yourself to hang out for the day. Camping can often become very crowded and frequently is only allowed in certain areas of the venue. Pay close attention to the restrictions for any particular feis.
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How do I know when my child’s competition will start?Check the stage assignments. They give the order of dances for each particular stage. A very loose rule of thumb is that it takes one hour for one hundred dancers to compete in soft shoe. At the stage, there will be a board which shows which dance is ongoing (Now), and which is coming up (Next).
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How do I read the stage assignments?Usually, the stage numbers are listed along the top of the page. Most stages are arranged by age, so your dancer will most likely be on the same stage for all of their dances. Each dance is assigned a number and letter combination depending on the age and level of the dancers involved. When you register, these numbers are provided to you. For example: U12 First Feis Light Jig is 112LJ U12 Beginner Light Jig is 212LJ U12 Advanced Beginner Light Jig is 312LJ, and U12 Novice Light Jig is 412LJ If the competition number has an A, B, or C after it, that means that there are so many dancers in the competition that it was separated into smaller groups. The numbers listed in parentheses after the dance number show how many competitors there are in that particular dance.
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We’ve arrived at the stage, what now?Get yourself settled in and finalize your dancer’s costume. Tie on their number. Check the Now and Next board. Standing by the board will be someone with a book or clipboard. When your dancer’s competition number appears under “Next,” send them forward to the check-in area (next to the board). Your dancer needs to show their number to the check-in person, and then have a seat and wait. The stage monitor will send all of the competitors forward at the appropriate time to line up for their competition. Never take a video of dancers at a feis, never speak to the judges, and never shout out or clap during the dances. This will not be viewed favorably.
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My dancer just finished, what do we do now?Congratulate your child on a job well done! A short while after the competition, results with places will be posted online on the same website that you registered on. If your child appears on the list - congratulations! If your child doesn’t see their name, reassure them of their beautiful dancing, and don’t despair- everyone has been there! If your dancer did place, move to the awards table. Here, your dancer will show their dancer number and be given their award- perhaps a ribbon or a medal. Most feiseanna have vendors to add ribbons, trophies, or engraving to medals if you desire.
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How can I get feedback on my child’s performance?Many feiseanna offer “personal results”. Either at the time of registration or after the feis, go back to the website where you registered initially. Log in with your information and see if “Personal Results” are offered (sometimes you must pay a fee for them). Here you can catch a glimpse of the adjudicators’ impressions of your dancer, as well as getting their numerical scores, and the scores of the dancers who placed in the competition. If personal results are not offered, ask Elyse or Mary. The TCRG’s are typically able to log in and see results and scores, even if they are not offered to the public.
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Anything else?Remember the purpose of Irish Dance is for enjoyment for both the dancers and the audience alike. Try to celebrate your child’s achievement, without diminishing that of others. Genuinely congratulate your friends on their own feis, treat your competitors with respect, and honor the school with your behavior. Our school is one of camaraderie and friendship, and we take pride in the talents of all of our dancers, regardless of numbers on a results board.
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What does my dancer wear?That is a GREAT question! The short answer: your dancer will start out with a ‘school costume’. Each dance school has a distinct costume that usually incorporates their logo and colors. You may see sparkly, colorful dresses during a feis or in videos online - these are called solo costumes. A dancer must reach a certain level of competition to qualify to wear a solo costume. Each dress or vest is unique to the individual dancer. Female dancers also wear wigs! Traditionally, dancers put on their ‘Sunday best’ to go to competitions and would curl their hair. Wigs make it easier for the hair to look fresh all competition long and saves the headache of sleeping in curlers! But let’s get to the long answer! Let’s start with shoes.
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Where can I find shoes?Dancers start in soft shoes - they can also commonly be called ghillies, light shoes, or pumps. These are similar to ballet slippers. After a year or so of dancing, they will add on hard shoes which resemble tap shoes. There are a number of different brands. Amazon or non-Irish dance retailers will sell knock-off Irish dance shoes. We do not recommend these! What we do recommend is purchasing your shoes from a store that specializes in Irish dance shoes. Each brand will fit each foot slightly differently. We love the shop: Gibson Irish Dance Imports. They are great at working with you to find a shoe that will fit well for your dancer.
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Can I find used shoes anywhere?As a school, we take shoe donations. We sell them at $20 per pair of soft shoes and $50 per pair of hard shoes. The proceeds from the used shoe sales go to offset the cost of the studio recital. You can also look on our “insider” website to see if another family sells any used items.
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What are these white socks? What the heck is sock glue?!Poodle socks! We use the ‘ultra low’ version from Antonio Pacelli found here. To keep socks from rolling down, you will see dancers put sock glue around the top of the sock to keep it in place: Sock Glue for Irish Dance Poodle Socks – Antonio Pacelli.
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Where do I get a school costume?For our female dancers, Milwaukee Academy school dresses are made by Malley Sport in Dublin. They are breathable and washable! We put in orders for costumes twice a year. If you miss the order, that’s okay! Your dancer can wear a black long sleeve leotard and black skater skirt in the interim. Be sure to purchase a pair of dance shorts such as these Girls Dance Shorts - Child Shorts | Theatricals N5505C | DiscountDance.com to wear under the dress. For our male dancers, our school costume is black dress pants -we recommend male figure skating pants as they are the most stretchy- black socks, a white button-down dress shirt, and a yellow tie - Yellow necktie Yellow regular necktie made from natural | Etsy.
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How do I get the hair that curly?With a wig! We use a Michaela wig from Antonio Pacelli. Miss Elyse has a color swatch in the office so when you are ready to purchase a wig, let Miss Elyse know and she will tell you what swatch to order! Dancers under 12 years old will use the medium length wig with a white bow. Dancers over 12 years old will use the full length wig with a beaded white headband. The headbands and the bows can be purchased at the studio.
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How do I earn a solo costume?Once a dancer earns first place in novice, they qualify for a solo costume! These are personalized for each dancer but must be approved by Miss Elyse. We use Simply Prime Solo - Prime Dress Designs for a dressmaker. They have a wide range of options for a variety of price ranges. At this stage, dancers can also choose a different style of wig for their solo competitions. Miss Elyse or Miss Mary will work with each individual dancer to complete their look!
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Anything else?If you have any questions, reach out to Miss Elyse or Miss Mary!
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