The argument about distance and cost always -- Irish Dancing Topics

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Date Posted: Wednesday, July 13, 07:17:09am
Author: exukmum
Subject: The argument about distance and cost always
In reply to: Aine 's message, "A ferry or a plane from Ireland to the UK is much much less expensive and time consuming...." on Saturday, July 09, 10:59:59am

gets put forward but it doesn't compare because the NA's have a fundamentally different attitude towards it compared to UK and Irish people.

A two hour plane flight or car drive plus the cost of hotels etc to go to a feis, even a major, is not regarded as a normal thing like it is in NA. The average family can't or won't pay for it, even if their dancer is very good. They stick to local feiseanna and go to one of the majors if they can.

I live in NA now and am amazed at the amounts of money people are willing to pay out for their kids to dance and the distances they are prepared to travel to an everyday feis. Driving 4 hours to a feis is no big deal here. Where I come from a two hour drive is considered too long for most people. Having to pay out for a hotel for a regular feis is also rare, so they want to be able to travel to the feis and back home in one day and they just wouldn't consider driving 6 to 8 hours, like NA's do. My UK friends think I'm out of my mind when I tell them I'm going to a feis that's a 4 hour drive and that I'll be staying in a hotel overnight. I would never have dreamed of doing that back home.

One of the reasons that there aren't that many overseas dancers at NAN's is that overseas teachers only ever ask their very top dancers to go, and many of those won't because their parents can't afford the costs.

My experience here in NA is that it seems to be the goal of every parent that their dancer go to a major, here or overseas, even when they are not a top winning dancer, who, realistically, are the only ones who may have a chance to recall and/or place. Dancers overseas go to majors because they are ready for it and there is an expectation that they will do well, to justify the costs of getting them there.

Majors aren't considered an opportunity for a holiday, or just for the experience like they are here. I wasn't at NAN's this year but NA friends who went, and who have high placing dancers, have said that quite a few of the dancers there were very clearly not really good enough to be at a national competition, but their teachers enter them anyway and their parents are willing to pay for it.

Overseas there a dancers who are amazing who never go to majors because of money factors or because their families don't travel from their home towns. They win at the local feiseanna and they're happy with that. There seems to be much more of a competitive streak in NA and parents seem to be willing to pay out and do whatever it takes to help their kids reach the top.

Well I've rambled on enough but the point I'm basically trying to make is that I don't believe you can compare the two countries because attitudes and cultures are so different.

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