Changes to 2010 DF

[AAIDT Admin]

It has been a great year for DF and the Championship is shaping up to be a great event. As we are at the end of our prime it is hard to judge whether the increase in DF interest is a beginning or an end of a trend. We plan to make DF available again in 2010 but want to receive some feedback. Below I have outlined some changes that should improve the process.

1. DF Registration and Vids will be due at the same time. This will allow us to expedite adjudication and return on awards. We are thinking that mid-month would be the best time so that we can have a DF wrapped up by months end and then begin fresh the following month. This would avoid current confusion about which two months go together.

2. We are separating out Ceili. Rather than run DF over 2 months we will alternate between a Solo month and a Ceili month. January Solo, Feb Ceili etc. Currently, Ceili is taking a back seat to Solo and this is not fair to the die-hard Ceili participants, who are in the minority.
We want to give Ceili its due credit. A small fee (a few dollars) per dancer, per set, will allow us to ribbon each Ceili member AND provide a School certificate. Currently we do not award the teams. Just the schools. You can still record your Ceili entries when you do your Solos. you just have to register separately during the Ceili window. We will run a Ceili Champ in 2010 if there is interest.

3. So far there will not be a solo fee increase in 2010 but to match an increase in the cost of our award supplies we must limit solo entries to 3 dances and still give only 1 ribbon when a competitor competes alone. Alternately, we can charge an extra $1.50 in 2010 and award every win. Discuss.

4. We know mistakes are only human but we have endured quite a few of them over the past few DF seasons. The hardest to handle are the financial ones. People don't care WHY DF gets backed-up, It just reflects poorly on our organization when it does.

To avoid further banking problems we are encouraging everyone to embrace the Paypal system for all 2010 registrations. I understand that some of you are not yet Paypal savy but by the same token you probably take credit cards in your studio right? So why should'nt AAIDT? Even public utilities have begun to accept Paypal payments so, why not take the plunge now and get used to it. Unfortunately, Paypal is becoming part of life just like email.

Finally, dont be shy if you are not planning to do DF in 2010. Knowing where we stand will help us to make better decisions.

Please use this topic to make suggestions.

Thanks

[Jaime Knaub]

The Distance Feis concept is a wonderful one. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to participate with our students, many of whom would not be able to travel to feiseanna. We would very much like to see the DF continue, and grow.

1. Having the registrations and entries due at the same time is a good idea. Less time for things to go wrong on any end.

2. Separating out the Ceili and Solo sounds fine. A January Solo competition would be difficult on the heels of the Dec. DF, and the holiday break. This would also put Solos in March, which is a huge performance month for most schools. Solo competitions on the even months, and Ceili competitions on the odd months would be our preference.

3. Awarding one ribbon, or multiples, is fine with us. We would be happy either way.

4. We do not take credit cards at our school, or use Paypal for any school matters.

Perhaps more people might respond if the forum were passworded for viewing by members only. Maybe members' concerns and discussions would be better served in a members-only forum, rather than on a public page. Just a thought :)

We would very much like to see the organization grow to include more schools, and definitely more competitive students!

Jaime & Kimberly
Kellyn Celtic Arts

[AAIDT Admin]

We have had a secure member forum for several years and it was not very popular for many reasons. The short answer is that its not a matter of privacy. There is simply a lack of member interest in using the forum.

Thanks for your feedback.

Perhaps more people might respond if the forum were passworded for viewing by members only. Maybe members' concerns and discussions would be better served in a members-only forum, rather than on a public page. Just a thought :)

We would very much like to see the organization grow to include more schools, and definitely more competitive students!

Jaime & Kimberly
Kellyn Celtic Arts

[Colleen Beirne]

Hi,

We also enjoy the option of a distance feis, since we have participated in 3 live feisanna more people are warming up to the idea and competition in general. While we are definitely interested in continuing to participate in 2010, we can't guarantee participation in every one. We also have a heavy performing schedule which is multiplied in March.

We like the idea of Registration and videos being due at the same time. We would also be interested in sending entries and videos digitally. It cuts down on costs, labor and lateness (due to honest mistakes)... and it's environmentally friendly ;). However, we would prefer to send a check vs paypal.

We support the idea of charging 1.50 more for the extra awards so that each place in each dance is rewarded.

Congratulations to everyone who participated in DF5!! It looks like it was a success overall!
Colleen and Grainne

[Mrs. Randazzo]

Hello, I'm pretty new here so was hesitant to write but thought it was important to tell you how appreciative I am that DF exists. We have always known about the feisanna and my sister's children all participate in the "big one" but, for reasons that would take a whole other post, have never participated in one ourselves. We are so thankful that we finally have the opportunity to compete.

1. This is fine with us and I think I actually submitted it like that for the last DF.

2. Would really appreciate this since it gives us time to focus on both separately.

3. The price per dancer is my only concern and why I'm having a difficult time convincing the parents to sign their children up for the DF. I have a suggestion but if I'm the only teacher here that is struggling in this regard, I will just keep trying to convince them.

4. I think the paypal idea is a good one. For those concerned, you don't need to set up an account with paypal in order to make a payment. It takes about one minute to complete and from what I've read, it's safer to make a payment online than to send it by regular mail. Yes, I know that last one is debatable, but it's what I read.

Thank you again!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Randazzo

[AAIDT Admin]

1. Registration and Videos will be due by the 15th of each month.

2. We will alternate months between Ceili and Solo. January, March, May, July, Sept, Nov, will be Ceili Months, the others will be Solo months. There will be a Ceili registration fee that will allow us to award every competitor in every Ceili. (Something we do not currently do) and we will hold a separate annual Ceili and Show Championship. The Ceili fee will be $5.00 per competitor for the first Ceili and $2.00 per competitor for each additional Ceili.

3. There will be no fee increase for solo entries. Dances will be limited to 3 per feis and only a single COMPETITOR ribbon will be issued for sweeps of categories due to lone entry; although the Adjudicator may award per feis based on availability of materials and specific circumstances.

4. We will continue to take check payments while making a Paypal option available, particularly where entries are up against a deadline.

On another note we are actively seeking schools to host Feisanna. It is not necessary to host in your home town. Any school devoted to travel may host anywhere they like. I live in a perfect place to hold one and could help a school bring it to Lancaster. We have a family oriented theme park right across the street from the hotel where the feis could happen. And its a touristy area with lots of family activities like a steam railroad and Amish farm attractions, and the nations largest collection of outlet stores.

Since I no longer have a school I can not leverage a feis on my own.

Looking forward to 2010.