The Rhythm of Ireland School of Irish Dance

ROI Blog

2009 St. Patrick's Day Parade - All Rhythm of Ireland dancers are encouraged to walk & dance or ride in our little Irish castle float on Saturday, March 14th. Parade starts at 10am. Participants should be in full costume, outside of Northside Middle School on Granby St. Norfolk by 9:15am. ROI is in section 1 Position 33. We're near the beginning of the parade! Parade Transportation - Buses will be provided before the parade (7am - 9:40am)for those who want to park at Ocean View Elementary (near the end of the parade route) and take a bus to the line-up area. You can catch the bus at Ocean View Elementary. THERE WILL BE NO POST PARADE BUSSING BACK TO THE LINE-UP AREA Parents can walk in the parade behind the dancers but you must have a ROI Sweatshirt on to stay uniform. More inf. at norfolkparade.com   Congradulations! - Ashlyn H. our newest Performing Company member. click to enlarge   Virginia Beach Town Center Holiday Parade - All ROI Students are welcomed to participate on Saturday November 29 at 5pm. Formation will be in the parking lot at the corner of Main Street and Constitution Drive. Special performance by the Rhythm of Ireland Performing Company on the Town Center Plaza. After parade festivities also include the grand illumination of a 30' Christmas tree. Santa Claus is expected to be there too! Join us after the festivities at Keagan's Restaurant for an Irish ceili & Booster Club membership drive & elections. Hors d oeuvres provided by the ROI Booster Club.   Recital Wristbands - Our 11th Annual school recital is Sunday June 1st, 2008 at Lake Taylor High School. Recital wristbands are $10. The last day to purchase them is Tuesday May 27, 2008. The wristbands will be mailed to you. Please get your wristbands before the dress rehearsal on Friday May 30th, 2008. Wristbands will be $12 the day of the recital, so get them now! We will not be selling the wristbands on dress rehearsal night to avoid delays.   Coming Soon! College students class for past Irish dancers to brush up on steps, rekindle old friendships, get some exercise & have a little fun! Email Debbie roischool@cox.net   Virginia International Tattoo - ROI is honored to have 24 dancer performing & representing Ireland this year. ROI's family & friends can purchase group discounted tickets. If you did not receive an email to order, please contact Alex Wibe now. \ wibeac@hotmail.com   ROI Annual Recital is Sunday June 1st, 2pm at Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk. Rhythm of Ireland Feis is October 18-19, 2008 at the Williamsburg Marriott. The Recital (2007) DVDs are In at the Virginia Beach Studio   The Brannock Shoe Device for UK Sizes - We now have two shoe devices for UK shoe sizing, one adult and one child. If you want to know your UK shoe size let Mike know and he will check your size.   Antonio Pacelli - We are happy to announce that we are a retailer for Antonio Pacelli Irish Dancewear & Accessories. Catalogues will be coming soon for the lobbies. We will start building a supply of items to keep on hand and we are going to try to place an order each month on a regular basis for those who want something special. If you already know that you want something let me know or email at mikebristol2002@yahoo.com   Performing Company Auditions - There will be auditions for the Performing Company Saturday May 5th, 2007 at 7pm. This will be held at the Virginia Beach Studio. Auditions are open to any ROI student 9 years old or younger. Must have the black mermaid school costume or having it made, 18 months Irish dance experience and attending a minimum of 2-3 competitions per year.   Spring Break Up Date for Classes - There will be no 4pm class on Monday April 9th due to not enough students coming in. Also Tuesday April 10th 4:30pm class will be at 5:30pm combined with the 5:30pm class.   ROI Recital Tickets - Tickets to the ROI Recital are now available for advance purchase only! They are on sale now from April 1, 2007 until May 15, 2007 ONLY. There will not be any tickets sold at the door so please be sure to get your order in on soon. Tickets will cost $10.00 and you can drop your payment off in the tuition slot at the studio or mail your payment in. Please make sure you indicate the students name and number of tickets with your payment and make sure your email address is up to date or you can use the order form button that can be found at the end that can be printed and attached with your payment. Upon receiving your payment you will get a receipt emailed to you. Then approximately 14 days before dress rehearsal your tickets will be mailed to you. Dancers in the recital will not need a ticket but everyone else attending the recital will. If there are any questions or concerns email me at mikebristol2002@yahoo.com     March 17th 2007 - Saturday There will be no classes due to everyone will be at the Parade.   40th Annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade- For Parade route and information on parking go to www.norfolkparade.com/map.htm ROI is in section 3 position 138. We will meet in front of Northside Middle School and be there NO LATER than 9:30pm.   ROI Warm-up Suits - (ORDER HAS BEEN PLACED) Samples for sizing and order forms are now at the studio.   Selling Your Solo Dress? - Solo dresses are selling on ebay every day along with soft and hard shoes and so on. This is a place to reach out to a bigger group of people and a better chance of getting more money for your dress. If you need someone to sell it for you along with the research, professional photographs, shipping when it sell and collecting payment so you get paid. Then email Mike at mikebristol2002@yahoo.com If you have other things you would like to sell let me know! Also visit my store on ebay at iSell It All For You   School Sweatshirt -(CLOSED ORDER HAS BEEN PLACED) We are now taking orders for School Sweatshirts. This sweatshirt will be a new color, Black! Everyone (including parents) will need a school sweatshirt when marching along in the St. Patrick's day Parade on March 17th 2007. Everyone needs the sweatshirt for uniformity. You will still be able to use the green ROI sweatshirt and you can use the Black warm-up suits. The Deadline for ordering is February 18th, 2007 at 9pm. Payment must be included with the filled out order form and must be in before the deadline. There will not be any extra sweatshirts ordered so make sure to get your order in soon. To get an order form click on the button.   Saturday December 2  - There will be no Saturday 10:30am New Beginner Class on this date only, due to the Oireachtas in Crystal City. This class can be made up at Wed. 5pm class.   ROI Student/Parent Handbooks - Are now available in pdf. format in COLOR that can be emailed to you. If you want the November addition just email Mike at mikebristol2002@yahoo.com   Performing Company - Congratulations Brianna U. from the ROI Yorktown school for making the ROI Performing Company Brianna has gone on to win multiple 1st place awards during the 2006 Feis season.   ROI Booster Club Meetings - The Booster Club Officers will be meeting on Sunday October 8th at 2:00 p.m. In the ROI Studio. A Meeting for all General Members will be Sunday October 15th at 2:00 p.m. Please plan to join us for Information pertaining to the Feis, Booster Club Membership and much more! If you are interested in volunteering or have questions pertaining to the Feis, please contact Jaime Ball, Volunteer Coordinator at jamieball@cox.net and Alex Wibe, Feis Chair at wibeAC@netscape.net

Thank you to all our parade participants, we had a ball! Pictures will be on the Photo Gallery soon!

Neptune Festival Grand Parade - All ROI dancers are encouraged to walk in the Grand Parade on Saturday September 30th. Come out for a great day & show your support of Irish Dance

• The parade starts at 11:30am but participants should arrive NO LATER than 30 minutes ahead of time.

• The ROI unit number is 052. Our assembly area is Atlantic Ave - East side & 15th Street.

• The parade route is from Atlantic Ave. & 16th Street north to 33rd Street & Atlantic Ave.

• The parade ends at approx. 1:00pm.

• Parking inf. is forth-coming & will be posted here.

• Dancers will wear any white Rhythm of Ireland tee-shirt. (available at the studio, more inf. below). Black shorts, skirt or skort. White poodle socks for females & black Ked type sneakers or black dance sneakers. Do not wear your dance shoes. Irish dance wigs may be worn if you have one.

• Some students will wear their Irish dance costumes but you will be notified.

• Any parent walking along side of our unit MUST have an ROI tee-shirt to keep uniformity.

• Additional inf. on http://www.neptunefestival.com/boardwalk_info.htm

Irish Fiddle Class - started Wednesday September 6th at 6pm. Some experience needed. $60 per month. Classes are 1 hour.

Class Enrollment - New & returning students, please register for Fall classes now.                                                                   To register for classes print out registration form on left, fill out all fields & mail to 524 Harton Circle Virginia Beach, VA 23452.  (You cannot submit the form online) Please mail your form now to guarantee placement .

ROI Tee-Shirts - The ever popular "Got Rhythm" tee-shirts with The Rhythm of Ireland name & logo on the back, will be for sale the beginning of September, after classes start. Kids sizes $12. Adult sizes $15. Supplies are limited

Fiddle Classes - Starts in September and will be every Wednesday at 6pm. Open to the public. Some experience needed. Use registration form on left.

Delaware Feis - Register now for the Delaware Feis in Wilmington. It's not on efeis. Go to http://www.irishde.org/

Rhythm of Ireland Feis - Register on www.efeis.com

August Schedule -  The studio will be closed from August 22 - September 4, 2006 for maintenance & holidays.  Classes on Tuesday August 22 - Saturday August 26 are entitled to be made up in another class at any time in August.  

Class Change - There is no class on Saturday July 22, 2006 at 9am & 10am ONLY. The 9am class should be made up on either Monday at 6pm, Tuesday at 4:30pm or Wednesday at 6pm. The missed 10am class should be made up the same day at the 10:30am class.

Fall Registration - Enrollment for fall classes starts July 22, 2006 and goes through August 19, 2006.. Please watch for the ROI newsletter for more information. The fall schedule will be on the "available classes" page shortly. Please check back soon. New & transferring students email the director at roischool@cox.net

Fiddle Classes - Irish fiddle class starts in August with Richard Rigg. Email roischool@cox.net for details! Open to the public.

4th of July - There are no classes on Tuesday July 4th.

Annual Performing Company Pool Party -  Performing Company members and their families are invited to Cheryl's house on Saturday July 15th, 2006 at 4pm for a cook-out and pool party. Email Debbie for directions (1/2 mile away from studio). Rain date is Sunday July 16th.

Neptune Festival Grand Parade - All ROI students, mark your calendars now for Saturday September 30th at 11am to march in the annual grand parade at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. No classes so we can all participate! 

New An Coimisuin Rule - Toe Walks, the Under 12’s will be allowed to do toe walks from September first each year. This would mean that this age group is not allowed to do toe walks for the North American Championships, but would be allowed to do toe walks for the Oireachtas. It was decided that since the dancing year begins Sept. 1^st that this made sense. This will be posted on the commission web site July 1,2006.

Newest ROI Performing Company Member - Congratulations! LeAnne W. just qualified for the performing company!

Bodhrán Workshop - Deadline approaching, please enroll now. Irish Bodhrán classes July 10, 11 & 12, 2006 by Towson University in Maryland World Music professor. Go to Workshops page on left for more information. 

Make-up Class - There will be a make-up class for the Saturday 1:30pm prizewinner/champ. class due to performances and competitions on Thursday June 29th from 6pm-8pm.

Year Round Dance School - ROI's school year is based on 48 weeks of Irish dance classes. We take some time off in December and August. We do not take summer months off because we believe in continual instruction for optimum results. Our monthly fee is based on this and is similar to installments rather than a monthly payment.                                                       Everyone receives 48 classes per year, whether there are 3 classes in a month or 5 classes in a month.                                 ROI does not charge extra when there are 5 weeks in a month.

Great job! - ROI dancers did fantastic at the Old Dominion Feis. Send your feis pictures to Debbie to put on the school website.  

Colin Dunne Workshop in DC Area - Dancer and choreographer Colin Dunne, former principal dancer with Riverdance - the
Show and 9-Time World Champion Irish step dancer, returns to North America for another teaching tour this summer! (For those of you who participated in his workshops in 2004, you know they are well worth the money!
Colin is not only a fabulous dancer - but it turns out he is equally as good of a teacher!) Since the Intermediate/Advanced Workshop has reached maximum capacity in Reston, we are adding a 2nd Int/Adv Workshop (details below). The workshop will be limited to 20 dancers, and registration will be taken on a FIRST COME-FIRST SERVE basis.
To secure your place in the workshop, send the attached REGISTRATION FORM and a CHECK for $150, made payable to COLIN DUNNE WORKSHOPS, to:

Catherine Sherer Bishop 4538 Kings Hwy Jackson, MS 39206
CONTACT CSBISHOP@HINDSCC.EDU FOR REGISTRATION FORM
Once your registration has been received, you will receive a confirmation via e-mail. Please make sure that you can receive mail from the following address: csbishop@hindscc.edu

ROI has a graduating senior! Congratulations Sean

Congratulations ROI Competitors! - Fantastic job by all the ROI dancers at the Comhaltas Feis in Emmitsburg, MD. and to our record number of 1st place winners!

Recital 2006DVD's - now at the ROI studio.

LifeTouch - pictures will be mailed individually.

Summer Dance Program - We are now taking registration for beginner children, girls & boys ages 5-12 who would like to try our 6 week session. The camp will be held on Wednesdays from 11am - 12:30pm, July 12-August 16, 2006. Please contact the director for more information and to visit our studio. More info on "Available Class" page. Use Registration form on left to enroll, write in "Summer Camp" on the form and mail to address on form with $10 deposit. 6 week session is $100. Camp fills quickly so please register early.

Fiddle Lessons - Enroll now! You DO NOT have to be an ROI student. Classes taught by feis musician and orchestra director Richard Rigg. Email the director at roischool@cox.net

Rhythm of Ireland Costumes - In following with the School policy, second year students should plan now to order the green velvet school costume. The costume is used in the St. Patrick's Day Parade, School Recital and Competitions, and does not change from year to year. Tammy Hawkins is the school seamstress and will make the beautiful embroidered green velvet skirt, lined in gold satin. Tammy Hawkins 479-1906. The green velvet leotard for 2nd year students can be purchased at Jete Dance Wear on 4668 Pembroke Blvd. in Virginia Beach.

McAteer Workshop DVD's - DVD's are available of each workshop for ROI students only. If you took the workshop the cost is $10. If you did not take the workshop the cost is $18. This is an excellent learning tool. Use the printed envelopes in the lobby that say McAteer Workshop.

Making Class Changes - The ROI School policy is that any & all changes that you make in regards to classes MUST be on the correct form & 15 days in advance. The Add/Drop form is in the ROI lobby and is used for adding classes or dropping classes and any other changes to classes. Although Debbie, our Director and TCRG for the school appreciates when parents tell her the changes verbally or by email...changes still MUST be on the correct form so Mike Bristol receives that information. A hand written note is also acceptable but the correct forms are preferred.

New revised Student/Parent Handbooks - The new handbooks will be given out the first weeks of classes. Please be sure to read them for the new changes. This will avoid the many emails and phone calls the ROI office receives at the beginning of the year, many of your questions are in the book.

More costume inf. 

All Students - After many requests, ROI will be adding a matching head piece to the school costume. All students will need to order one. One size fits all. The cost is $11.00.

First Year Students - Students wear the basic school costume which is a black pleated skirt, black leotard, gold satin cape, cummbund and head piece.

Cape, cummbund and head piece are ordered through Tammy Hawkins.

Black Pleated Skirt - French Toast

Black scoop neck, LONG sleeved leotard - Jete

Jete - 757-499-9184 Don't forget to let them know you are with ROI for your 15% discount.

North American Championships - Congratulations to the 12 dancers representing The Rhythm of Ireland in Nashville, TN. 2005 Your hard work and dedication to Irish dance shows every time we watch you dance. We are so proud of all of you! The Performing Company danced for many audiences. 100% of all money raised from performances was used to help with part of the travel expenses for our deserving and talented dancers.

Click to see the 2005 Choreography Team

Enrollment Form & Handbook - Must be filled out and signed before any class is taken. The enrollment form is located in the back of the Student/Parent Handbook.

Add/Drop Forms - Please use this form for ANY changes in class(es). Dropping Classes requires a 15 day notice. You can use this form also. It's located in the back of the Student/Parent Handbook or in the studio and downloadable under Registration/Forms.Add_Drop_Form

Toddler Dance - Look for our toddler dance class for ages 2 - 4 years old on Wednesdays at 6-6:30pm for 30 minutes. Cost is $25.00 per month.

Congratulations - ROI's own Doug Westfall passes his TCRG Exam in Los Angeles, CA!