What’s a Feis?

Have You Heard of Feis? If not, this is the place to be!

Feis (pronounced “fesh”) is an Irish festival where culture meets art, dance, and music. Feiseanna (“fesh-onna”, plural of feis) give opportunities to dancers to compete with each other at the same age and level of experience. Here at Harp Studios, we try to make these competitions exciting and enjoyable both for the dancers and for their families!

How did it start?
Feis originally began as a gathering for storytellers, both of grand adventures and of genealogy. It grew to include competitions such as racing and feats of strength. At some point, art in all forms were included, and dance competitions became prevalent.

What is Feis now?
In modern times, feisanna is centered on Irish dance competitions, rather than the grand
festivals that would take over an entire village in its days of old. Schools of Irish dancers come
together to show how much they’ve learned and win awards for their hard work. They dance the basic dances – Reel, Light Jig, Slip Jig, Single Jig, Treble Jig, Hornpipe and Traditional or contemporary set.

Why do we participate?
Because it’s so much fun! Dancers get to dress in costume and dance in front of friends and family, as well as judges that fairly assess skill level. Dancers can make new friends and learn from each competition. Even if they don’t win a big award, they’ll still gain skills and knowledge from each feis. This helps them in their growth as dancers and performers and builds character!

-Written By BYU Dance Intern at Harp, Paige McNamara