Competition Rules
1 General
1.1 Feiseanna are open to ALL dancers from ALL organisations in the world. Dancers can also be independent, i.e. do not have to be part of an organisation or dance school.
1.2 In matters pertaining to dance the adjudicators' decision is final.
1.3 If someone wants to object to an adjudicator's decision the objection has to be presented in writing on the day of the feis together with a fee of 50 €. If the objection is upheld, the fee will be returned; if not, the fee will be retained by WIDA.
1.4 Musicians employed by the Feis Committee will be solely under the direction and management of the Feis Committee on the day of the feis.
1.5 WIDA reserves the right to refuse an entry.
1.6 Feis entries once paid are non-refundable (for example in the cases of non-attendance, injury, etc.), irrespective of whether the entry deadline has passed. Refunds will only be issued in the case that WIDA or the Feis host cancels an event.
2 Conduct at feis
2.1 No smoking (including vaping), drinking of alcohol or use of any illegal substances in the dancing hall.
2.2 No use of hairspray in the dancing hall because of possible allergic reactions.
2.3 The use of flash, videos, digital or motion picture cameras is prohibited except during award presentations, introduction and breaks (Official event photographers and press registered with WIDA are exempt from this restriction). This is in accordance with child protection laws and prevents misuse. Anyone found to be photographing/filming dancing/dancers during competition will be asked to delete the footage and leave the venue. If required the Feis Committee will further escalate to the relevant authorities.
2.4 During competitions adjudicators, musicians and tabulators may not be approached by anyone except by the Feis Committee.
2.5 Teachers, parents or instructors are not allowed to give instruction or direction to dancers while they are competing. Teachers not complying with this rule may be asked by the Feis Committee to leave the hall.
2.6 Only competitors in the current event and the Feis Committee are allowed side stage during a competition.
2.7 WIDA operates a policy of appropriate attire for dancers in the dance venue when not in dance costume. This is for the protection of all dancers. WIDA appropriate is, a T-shirt covering midriff and leggings/jog pants/ shorts to mid thigh. Dance exercise wear is acceptable while practicing only. Changing rooms should be used for changing in and out of costume and not in the dance hall. Dancers should not sit in unzipped costumes during rounds of competition.
Competitions
3 General
3.1 Jump-2-3 competition is open for dancers of any age. Dancers are required to dance 16 jump-2-3s or 16 hop-1-2-3s (promenade step) and can also compete in the beginner reel section. Once dancers compete in a another solo/premiership, they are no longer eligible for the Jump-2-3 competition.
3.2 Awards will be determined in proportion to the number of competitors.
3.3 Dancers must be in FULL dancing costume including dance shoes when receiving awards. Dancers who are not in full dancing costume will not be allowed to accept an award.
3.4 Dancers and teams must dance in numerical order. Dancers who arrive at the stage late and join the end of the line or who are not standing in correct numerical order may not be allowed to dance.
3.5 If a dancer fails to start at the correct time after the introduction is played, OR if a dancer stops and does not continue, then this dancer cannot score more than 1 point.
3.6 Any dancer who does a false / early start will be awarded only one point for the round. A false / early start is defined as moving the back foot away from the usual standing position before the actual start of the step. As long as the ball of the back foot stays on the ground, the dancer may go up on toes. A point of the front foot is allowed, as well as a cut or similar movement. Examples for common movements that will be penalised, amongst others: taking a step before beginning the dance, doing an extra jump etc.
3.7 The Step should be the same on both right and left foot. Anything that will not be done on the left foot should not be done on the right foot of the start.
3.8 In the case of doubt and/or complaints/objections lodged via the official procedure, adjudicators of Oireachtasai will be able to consult official WIDA videos of competitions for clarification purposes (where available). Official videos are currently taken at the International and World Championships. For events where no official videos are made, dancers may be asked to re-dance to clarify potential rule-breaking queries. The official video only will be considered evidence of rule breaking.
3.9 A dancer will be penalised for “barging” / intentional bumping (i.e., awarded 1 point only for that round). In the case of accidental barging (particularly on small stages at local feiseanna), penalties will be at the Adjudicator’s discretion.
3.10 After having achieved the second part of the TCRG exam, teachers are no longer allowed to participate in solo competitions or solo championships but may still participate in team competitions. On completion of TCRG part 4, teachers are no longer allowed to participate in either solo or team competitions or championships. Teachers who have completed the TMRF exam only are still allowed to participate in any competitions.
4 Pick-up system
4.1 In the Solo Competitions dancers will dance 32 bars of each dance (excepting the Traditional Set). The dancers will be in a line on stage and they will come forward two at a time to dance their steps. There will be no break in the music between each two dancers.
5 MOVING UP Grades
5.1 Beginner, Primary and Intermediate Competitions are open to those dancers who have not moved up from that respective grade in that dance for any organisation.
5.2 Dancers may participate additionally in one grade up per dance at a feis in the same age group. E. g. Beginner and Primary for the Reel under 25.
5.3 (effective since 1st January, 2024) In Beginner competitions where there are 5 or more participants, dancers who place 1st must move up to Primary.
5.4 (effective since 1st January, 2024) In Primary competitions where there are 5 or more participants, dancers who place 1st must move up to Intermediate.
5.5 In Intermediate competitions where there are 5 or more participants, dancers who place 1st must move up to Open.
5.6 In Beginner, Primary and Intermediate: If there are fewer than 5 dancers, dancers may qualify to move up at their teacher’s discretion but may not drop down again. WIDA reserves the right to merge age groups to form qualifying competitions.
5.7 In the competitions Under 5 and below there is no grading i.e., dancers in those competitions cannot move up. However, a dancer aged Under 5 can move up if they dance in a competition Under 6 or above.
5.8 Dancers may not move back down grades - once a dancer has moved up a grade, they must compete at the new grade from that point forward. This applies whether they have moved up a grade in conjunction with the above rules, or whether a teacher has moved a dancer up a grade at their discretion & applies to both individual dances and premierships/championships. The only scenarios in which a dancer may dance the lower grade again after qualifying up to the next grade are:
5.8.1 (effective from 1st January 2024) Where the dancer moves up a level and is competing again within 4 week period, they can re-dance the current level at that next competition only if they have already entered and paid for it. Any further competitions (even if entered), the organiser must be informed of change of grade.
5.8.2 Where dancers have had a break from competing for a period of ten years or more, a dancer may start competing again from beginner level.
6 Céilí
6.1 All official Céilí Dances as described in the book "Ár Rinci Fóirne" or otherwise accepted by WIDA (e.g. Tara Reel) can be entered for the Céilí Competitions. At Oireachtasai the Céilí dances that can be entered are determined by the syllabus of the respective event.
6.2 Céilí teams may only have 50% of the team from another age group & ID may be checked at major competitions. In all age groups except U12 (U11) and O30 (U29), a maximum of 2 of the 4 permitted dancers from another age group may be from an older age group with a maximum of 2 from a younger age group. Céilí teams in the U12 (U11) age group at the event may have up to 50% of the team from an older age group, while teams in the O30 (U29) age category may have 50% from a younger age group. At a major event a team with the same set-up may only enter in one Céilí competition
6.2.1 U12 (U11) ceili teams: Minimum of 50% of team must be U12 (U11). The remaining 50% of the team may be older. For example, in a ceili team of 8 dancers, this means that a minimum of 4 dancers must be the correct age for the U12 (U11) age group and a maximum of 4 dancers may be older.
6.2.2 U17 (U16) ceili teams: Minimum of 50% of team must be the correct age for the U17(U16) age group. A maximum of 25% of the team may be older and a maximum of 25% of the team may be younger. This means that in a ceili team of 8 dancers, a minimum of 4 dancers must be the correct age for the U17 (U16) age group, a maximum of 2 dancers may be older and a maximum of 2 dancers may be younger.
6.2.3 U30 (U29) ceili teams: Minimum of 50% of team must be the correct age for the U30 (U29) age group. A maximum of 25% of the team may be older and a maximum of 25% of the team may be younger. This means that in a ceili team of 8 dancers, a minimum of 4 dancers must be the correct age for the U30 (U29) age group, a maximum of 2 dancers may be older and a maximum of 2 dancers may be younger.
6.2.4 Senior ceili teams: Minimum of 50% of team must be Senior. The remaining 50% of the team may be younger. For example, in a ceili team of 8 dancers, this means that a minimum of 4 dancers must be the correct age for the Senior age group and a maximum of 4 dancers may be younger.
6.3 In Céilí dances teams must dance either basic jump over 2,3s for the dance or a combination of promenade step and jump back 2,3s. Teams must not combine Jump over 2,3s with promenade step or jump back 2,3s. Teams that fail to follow this rule will be placed at the bottom of a result.
6.4 Each time a movement starting with Promenade step begins, it should be started with the right foot.
6.5 Each dancer is only allowed to be part of one team within a given age group. Dancing for several teams in different age groups is allowed.
6.6 Length of the dances:
All progressive dances (e.g. Fairy Reel): once through
Cross Reel, Duke Reel, 8-Hand Jig, 8-Hand Reel, High Cauled Cap, Morris Reel, 16-Hand Reel, St. Patrick’s Day, Trip to the Cottage, Tara Reel: up to and including 1st Tops doing 1st figure
Gates of Derry: up to and including the Gates (16 bars) after the Telescope
Glencar Reel: once through
Lannigan’s Ball: once through
Sweets of May: up to and including See Saw
Three Tunes: up to and including Hook and Chain
4-Hand Reel (First 96 bars) and Humours of Bandon (First 96 bars) as described in the Ceili Book, Ar Rince Foirne.
6.7 Recommendation on embellishments: Embellishments are defined as additions to ceili dances that are not included in the ceili book/annotation. In general, it is advised that everything that is included in the ceili book/annotation be included in the dance, while anything not included in the ceili book/annotation may be considered an embellishment. Movements that are in the ceili book/annotation but are not more closely specified (e.g., where footwork is not specified/hand counts, etc.) are open to individual interpretation.
6.8 Ceili dance speeds are:
Reels 113
Jigs 116
Fairy reel 113 or 121
Gates of Derry 121
7 Figure (2-, 3-, 4-Hand)
7.1 The age groups will be determined by entry numbers. As a guide, please assume that the ceili age groups will be used (i.e., U12, U17, U30 & O30), but WIDA reserves the right to change or merge age groups depending on entries.
7.1.1 4 hands: 3 team members must be in the correct age group (based on the age groups above)
7.1.2 3 hands: 2 team members must be in the correct age group (based on the age groups above)
7.1.3 2 hands: If the 2 team members are from different age groups then they dance in the age group of the oldest dancer.
7.2 2-Hands and 3-Hands must be 48 bars in length except beginner 2 & 3 hands - 32bars. (See 7.10 below)
7.3 4-Hands must be 96 bars in length
7.4 Each dancer is only allowed to be part of one team (2-, 3-, 4-Hands) within a given age group. Dancing for several teams in different age groups is allowed. given that age requirements are met.
7.5 4-Hand Figures can either be traditional book dances or individually choreographed dances.
7.6 Traditional as well as modern footwork may be used in 2- and 3- hands. 4-hands must use traditional footwork only i.e., any footwork found in the ceilis in the ceili book/annotation.
7.7 (effective since 1st January 2024) Failure to do traditional footwork will result in the team not finishing in the top 5 places.
7.8 Figures (=2-, 3-, 4-hands) can only be danced to Reel music, the exceptions are traditional Céilí dances that are danced as a 4-hand (e. g. Humours of Bandon)
7.9 Figures must be done in soft shoes. Dancing a figure dance in hard shoes will result in immediate disqualification.
7.10 Beginner 2 and 3 hands are to be held after the beginner premierships section. All dancers in the team must be eligible to dance in a beginner premiership. Costumes for this section are as per the beginner costume Rules. Length of these 2 & 3 hands is 32 bars.
8 Figure Choreography
8.1 Figure Choreographies are free Céilí choreographies. Traditional céilí footwork has to be used, no modern steps. Own music or music by the feis musician but only instrumental (no words, no voices) music may be used. The following types of music may be used:
Traditional Irish Music
Music originated from an Irish Dance album (produced by Irish dance musicians)
Traditional Music with Modern Influences (i.e.: Techno Beats, Folk, Celtic, Celtic Fusion music etc.).
8.2 Minimum of 10, maximum of 16 dancers. Minimum of 3 and a half minutes and a maximum of 5 minutes for the performance.
8.3 Political and religious intonations, overtones, practices or bias towards or against any political or religious belief in any manner is strictly prohibited at all WIDA events. This includes themes for show championships and figure choreographies.
9 Show Championships
9.1 Minimum of 10, maximum of 20 dancers. Minimum of 3 and a half minutes and a maximum of 6 minutes for the performance.
9.2 Any storyline but only instrumental music (no words, no voices) is allowed. The dancing must only be Irish dancing. Dance must occupy a majority of the performance time.
9.3 Any team or dancer who does not follow the footstep and music requirements of their respective competitions may be penalised or disqualified. The adjudicators of these competitions will be made aware of the rules regarding step and music requirements and the committee reserve the right to make the adjudicators aware of any infractions that may have been missed.
9.4 All members of a show team must be on stage from the start and no member can leave the stage during the performance. For any member of the team to do so means the team cannot finish in the top three of the result. Scenery screens can be put on stage which can be used for costume changes during the performance of the show but they must be of a mobile, temporary and lightweight nature.
9.5 Political and religious intonations, overtones, practices or bias towards or against any political or religious belief in any manner is strictly prohibited at all WIDA events. This includes themes for show championships and figure choreographies.
9.6 To enter a Show team in the World Championships a team must also enter a team in an 8-hand Ceili Championship(any age group) in the same World Championship year.
10 Premiership / Championship Rules
10.1 Dancers may only participate in one premiership at a feis (exception: Oireachtasai - participation in one Premiership and Open Championship is allowed at Oireachtasai).
10.2 Dancers may only participate in Premiership or Open Championship if they danced at least 2 solos in the grade competitions (except Oireachtasai without Open Grade competitions). The 16 bar treble reel in the open section of local feiseanna will not count towards this solo.
11 Premierships
11.1 Participants in the Beginners and Primary Premierships have to dance the Reel and the Light Jig.
11.2 Participants in the Intermediate Premiership in age groups younger than U12 (e.g. U11 and below) have to dance a Reel and either a Light Jig or a Treble Jig. Dancers in age groups U12 and over must dance Reel and Treble jig in Intermediate Premiership.
11.3 The scores on both dances will be combined to an overall score. The winner will be awarded a trophy (instead of a medal as in the single competitions).
11.4 The youngest age group in the Premiership is Under 6.
11.5 The following three dances determine which grade premiership a dancer may enter:
Reel
Light Jig
Treble Jig
11.6 Beginner Premiership is for dancers who are in beginner for 2 or 3 of the above dances.
11.7 Primary Premiership is for dancers who are in primary for 2 or 3 of the above dances.
11.8 Intermediate Premiership is for dancers who are in Intermediate for 2 or 3 of the above dances. A dancer moves from Intermediate Premiership to Preliminary Championship when they have won 4 dances in Intermediate, 2 of which must be hardshoe dances.
11.9 If a dancer is in 3 different grades for the listed dances then they enter the premiership of the middle grade. Example:
Beginner – Treble Jig, Primary – Light Jig, Open – Reel: Premiership – Primary
11.10 Premiership winners now qualify to the next grade for the two dances of the Premiership. The reel and light jig in the Beginner and Primary Premiership, the reel and light jig OR treble jig in Intermediate Premiership. There must be 5 participants in the competition.
12 Preliminary Championships
12.1 Participants in the Preliminary Championships have to dance either a Reel (48 bars) or Slip Jig (40 bars) and either a Treble Jig (48 bars) or Hornpipe (40 bars). For dancers over 25 each dance is reduced by 8 bars.
12.2 Preliminary Championships take place at Local Feiseanna only - not at Regional/National or International Events.
Please note that dancers progress from Intermediate Premiership into Preliminary Championship when they have a total of 4 dances in Open, two of which must be hardshoe dances. A dancer who has not yet reached this qualification may continue to dance Intermediate Premiership until they have done so. Dancers only become eligible for the Open Championships at local Feiseanna when they have won 2 Preliminary Championships in which there have been a minimum of 3 participants.
13 Open Championships
13.1 Participants in Championships at local feiseanna have to dance either a Reel (48 bars) or Slip Jig (40 bars) and either a Treble Jig (48 bars) or Hornpipe (40 bars) (for dancers over 25 each dance is reduced by 8 bars) and if required a third round (Modern Set). This will be at the judges’ discretion. If there are 10 or more dancers in the championship a recall of 50 % “plus 1” of the dancers is advised. The dancers with the highest scores in the first two rounds will then be recalled to dance a Modern Set.
13.2 The heavy round of Jig or Hornpipe may be replaced with the Modern Set. So all dancers dance a light round and Modern Set only. Dancers must be aware of this when entering the Feis not announced on the Feis day.
13.3 10 dancers = 6 recalls, 11 dancers = 6 recalls
13.4 Any dancer who has won an Open Championship including a Soft- and a Heavy round at any time with a minimum of 3 participants is ineligible to dance Preliminary Championship. Thus, when a dancer wins an Open Championship (provided that the above requirements are met), they may only dance Open Championships from this point onwards.
13.5 Open Championship is for dancers who have won 2 Preliminary Championships or have won an Open Championship at any time with a minimum of 3 participants. (Exception: Regional/National or International Events – any capable dancer may enter the Open Championship). Upon winning an Open Championship (including at oireachtasai/international events), dancers will automatically move into open for all dances that were previously in other levels prior to the championship. This renders dancers who have won an open championship under the aforementioned conditions ineligible to dance solos in any grades other than open. Exception: Dancers in the younger age groups who only dance softshoe in a championship. In this case, the dancer would move into open for softshoe dances only and not for hardshoe.
Oireachtasai
14 Regional Oireachtasi
14.1 (Effective since 1st January, 2024) To be eligible to compete at regional Oireachtasi in dancers must compete in at least one regular local feis in their region of residence in the 12 months since the previous Oireachtas of that region. An Oireachtas cannot be used as meeting this requirement. Dancers must compete in 2 solos & a Championship or Premiership at a Local Feis in their region to qualify to dance in an Open Championship at an Oireachtas. Grade feiseanna at Worlds, All Irelands & Oireachtasai are not Local Feiseanna.
14.2 Dancers must dance a championship or a premiership and a minimum of two solos at the local feis. Toe pointing will not be accepted as part of the qualification process, dancers must actually dance at the local feis.
14.3 WIDA registered dancers who are unable to compete on the day of a qualifying Oireachtas due to extenuating circumstances (e.g. injury) may apply for an exemption to compete at the World Championships. Teachers are to contact the Feis Committee (widafeiscommittee@gmail.com) for the exemption form.
14.4 Dancers must compete in a championship or a premiership and if available at least two solos (not all Oireachtas events have individual solos) at the qualifying Oireachtas event to be eligible to participate in the World Championships.
15 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
15.1 If a dancer wishes to participate in the World championships as a solo dancer in 2024 they must compete as a solo dancer in their regional LIVE oireachtas of 2023. If they are unable to participate in their own regional LIVE Oireachtas they may participate in another regional LIVE oireachtas. Dancers may only compete in ONE Live Oireachtas each year.
15.2 Dancers who reside in a region that does not host a LIVE regional Oireachtas may qualify for the World Championships of 2024 by participating in a digital qualifying event in 2023. This option is NOT open to dancers who reside in a region that hosts a LIVE regional Oireachtas.
16 Steps in Solo Competitions
16.1 Dancers must when doing steps do right and left for the entire step. A dancer may be disqualified if they start a step with the left and switch back to the right foot after the first bar. This means that all lead rounds must be danced on the right and left feet (see below). Set dance steps must also be completed on the right and left foot. A dancer may be asked by an adjudicator to dance their step again to confirm that they have complied with this ruling.
16.2 Failure to follow this in competition will make the dancer ineligible to finish in the top three of a solo or championship result. Light Jig, Beginners Reel and Beginners Slip Jig are exempt from this rule.
17 Speed
Mandatory speeds for each dance/level should be taken from the table above. Dancers in beginners competitions have to dance to beginners speed.
17.1 Participants in primary competitions can choose either beginners or open speed for the Treble Jig and the Hornpipe.
17.2 Variations may occur on the day of the Feis. Neither musicians nor the Feis Committee can be held liable for variations in speed.
18 Costume Rules
18.1 A dancer may be allowed to re-dance if a Costume malfunction occurs as long as the dancer waits for the adjudicator to ring the bell. If a dancer stops dancing due to a costume malfunction without the adjudicator's permission, the dancer will be disqualified from the competition.
18.2 Dancers in breach of these rules will not be able to place in the top 3 of a result.
18.3 The following rules apply to registered affiliates of WIDA and their dance companies and members thereof:
18.3.1 Class dresses should be more basic in style compared to solo dresses, if unsure please contact your regional coordinator before purchasing class dresses.
18.3.2 Traditional celtic design be incorporated in costumes (STRONGLY recommended)
18.4 Dance Shoes.
Soft shoes: All black pumps, ballet and boys style shoes. Black laces only, no sparkle*
Hard Shoes: All Black. White strap allowed. No buckles or sparkle.*
*Except show teams
19 Transfer Rules
19.1 The policy of the World Irish Dance Association (W.I.D.A.) in regard to the transfer of students between schools is as follows:
19.1.1 When a student leaves one school to move to another it is the responsibility of both the student and the new teacher to inform the former teacher in writing (by letter or e-mail - texts/sms are not acceptable) of the change in situation.
19.1.2 It is recommended that the transferring student and new teacher keep printed copies of all communications in relation to transfers with dates attached.
19.1.3 There is no period of refrainment (ban) from competition when a student moves to a new school.
19.1.4 A student who moves from one school to another may not compete using the steps danced at the former school (except traditional set dances). They may only compete when they are able to dance the steps of the new school.
19.1.5 It is the policy of W.I.D.A. that the student is the person who has the choice of teacher and school. Therefore, when a student decides to leave a school, the teacher has no cause to complain or object.
19.1.6 It is the policy of WIDA that a student may only be registered, compete, or participate in lessons/classes with one school at a time.
19.1.7 Dancers who transfer to another school may not dance or teach any material they learned at their previous school in their new school (except traditional sets) regardless of the organisation from which they have transferred, unless the express permission of the former teacher is provided in writing. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disqualification of all affected dancers from competition. The steps danced by a student in their new school must be visually different from those of their former school. If required a comparison may be requested by the former teacher to address any concerns that may be raised (the comparison will be adjudicated by a panel of independent W.I.D.A. teachers). WIDA does not, however, enforce a competition ban on dancers who have transferred to a different school.