I chose to do Irish Dancing because it is fun. I have done Irish Dancing since I was six which means I have done it for four years. As my teacher encourages me and all my friends to do our best at our Feiss. The last Feis I went to was a few weeks ago. I was standing in line then I walked up the stairs and smiled and waited until it was my turn. The music started. I counted to five in my head, pointed my toe and then I counted to three in my head which meant I had to start dancing.

My first dance was called The Reel, this is a simple dance that you learn first. The second dance was called The Light Jig. This is a very elegant dance. Next was The Hop Jig this was a very jumpy dance. Fourthly, I danced to The Slip Jig which is a slow dance. Then it was The Heavy Jig which is a loud, fast dance. Finally I had to do St Patrick's Day. This is like the Heavy Jig because you do it in heavy shoes.

Heavy shoes are shoes that you wear for heavy dances such as The Heavy Jig, The Hornpipe and St Patrick's day. You wear Light shoes for all the other dances such as The Reel and The Light Jig. You can do things such as cuts, hops, hop backs and also bicycle jumps. You do a cut by lifting your leg up to your hip. You do a hop back by bringing your leg behind you.

At Feiss for The Reel there is a place for all competitors but in the light jig and all the other dances there is only about ten - twelve places for each group. As well as that there are three groups and they are called: Novice, Primary and Intermediate. At a Feis you have to wear a fancy, sparkly, colourful dress with some nice, thick socks. Some people wear a curly wig. These can be either black, brown or blond and if you want, you can just put a bun in your hair. Or you can wear a leotard and a plain black skirt.

  Illustrated by Miss Creative