Feis Levels:

First Feis – Dancers who are competing for the first time. They will typically dance the “Light Jig” and “Reel”

Beginner 1 – Dancers who have already competed in First Feis. They will typically dance the Light Jig, Reel, and Slip Jig. Dancers may stay in this level up to one year before advancing to Beginner 2.

Beginner 2 – In addition to their 3 soft shoe dances, they will now have the opportunity to compete their hard shoe dances (traditional Treble Jig and Hornpipe). They must place 1st, 2nd or 3rd in each dance to advance to Novice.

Novice – Dancers will compete all of their soft and hard shoe dances and must place 1st in each of them to advance to Prizewinner. They may have the opportunity to compete in “Ceili” or “Traditional Set” at the Mid-America Oireachtas at this level.

Prizewinner – Dancers will compete in all of their soft and hard shoe dances and must place 1st in each of them to advance to PC. They may have the opportunity to compete in “Solos” at the Mid-America Oireachtas at this level.

Preliminary Championship (PC) – Dancers will compete 3 steps of one soft shoe dance, 3 steps of one hard shoe dance, and at some feiseanna, a non-traditional set dance (check the syllabus). Dancers must place 1st overall three times to advance to Championship. They may have the opportunity to compete in “Solos” at the Mid-America Oireachtas at this level.

Championship (OC) – Dancers will compete 3 steps of soft shoe, 3 steps of hard shoe, and a non-traditional set dance. This is the highest level of competition which automatically qualifies you to compete in solos at the NAIDC (North American Irish Dance Championships) each year.

*If you place out of a level, you have the option to move up at your next feis or wait until January of the following year. Always ask your teacher before changing levels.

Feis Numbering System:

1st Digit = Level

First feis = 1  Beginner 1 = 2  Beginner 2 = 3  Novice = 4  Prizewinner = 5  PC = 6  Championship =7

2nd Digit = Age group

Your dancer’s age group is determined by how old they were on January 1st of that year. If your dancer was 7 on Jan 1st, they will compete in the under 8 age group for that entire year (even after their birthday passes). Every January, your dancer will move up to the next age group.

3rd digit (letters) = Dance

LJ = Light Jig  RL = Reel  SJ = Slip Jig  TJ = Treble Jig  HP = Hornpipe  TS = Traditional Set  SD = Set Dance

Example: If your dancer is in the under 8 age group dancing Light Jig and Reel at their first feis, they will compete in 108LJ and 108RL

Major Competitions:

Mid-America Oireachtas - The Midwest Regional Championships take place once per year over Thanksgiving weekend. Teacher discretion determines if a dancer is able to compete in Traditional Set or Ceili. Dancers have the opportunity to qualify to compete in Solos once they’ve reached the Prizewinner, PC, and Championship levels. Talk to your teacher about your dancer’s goals and how they can qualify!

North American Irish Dance Championships- The National Championships take place one per year in North America around 4th of July. Dancers must be in the Championships level or qualify at the Mid-America Oireachtas (in solos) to compete.

All-Ireland and World Championships- These competitions take place once per year, typically in Ireland. However, the 2026 World Championships will be held right here in Schaumburg, IL March 29th- April 5th! Championship level dancers have the opportunity to qualify at the Mid-America Oireachtas and/or the NAIDC.