First of all, THANK YOU to everyone who danced for us during this past week. From the parades to the many shows, the Culkin School dancers were spectacular! And many thanks to the parents who made that participation possible!
Now... on to this week! Due to the Spring Rummage Sale at Hughes, we need to shift things around a bit:
Thursday Hughes Dancers: your classes will be at St Pauls in Kensington; class times do not change
Thurdsay St Paul's Dancers: Your classes will be at St Catherine Laboure Chuch. The Church is located at 11801 Claridge Road, Wheaton, MD 20902. Class times will not change. Here is a link to the church's website: http://www.sclchurch.org/ Classes will be held in the BASEMENT OF THE OLD CHURCH. Look for a sign! (and if you are wondering why this switch for you - it's a class size/flooring issue!)
Saturday Hughes Dancers: Your classes are moved to Sunday. Class times are:
1-2:30pm is the 10-11:30 class
2:30-3:30pm is the figures class (normally 11:30-12:30pm)
3:30-6:30 all champs (so both the 12:30 & 2:30 classes)
Join us or watch us TONIGHT at the Kennedy Center!
St. Patrick's season is in full swing and tonight is the big show at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. Join us at 6 p.m. EDT in Washington, D.C. -OR- LIVE on the Internet!
Are you ready for the Culkin School's version of Irish Dance March Madness? It's on its way, with the kickoff starting this week and shifting into high gear next weekend with the Gaithersburg and DC parades.
The Culkin School marches in two parades, the Gaithersburg parade (3/13) and the DC parade (3/14). Download and information sheet below and
1) Sign up in class if you plan to attend the parade 2) Parents sign up to volunteer to help with the parades 3) Buy a Culkin crew-neck sweatshirt if you need one to wear in the parade! (The parade uniform is the Culkin sweatshirt, a white turtleneck, black pants and sneakers)
Also, be sure to check for the latest events on our calendar page. You can also download the spring calendar distributed in class for information on make-up classes and other important dates.
Get an early start to your St. Patrick's Day with a free performance by the Culkin School at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, March 16th.
Our 6 p.m. show is part of the Millennium Stage Series. And if you can't make it in person, you can watch it LIVE online.
It is hard to think about summer when spring isn't even here yet, but our summer camp offerings at Glen Echo Park are now open for registration! We will be offering 3 different programs at Glen Echo, and their descriptions and links to the registration page are found below. We will also have camps this summer at Hughes UMC in Silver Spring; fliers regarding those camps will be distributed in classes in mid-February, and will be available on our website at www.culkinschool.com. We hope you can join us for one of these summer dance opportunities!
Selling: Clean out those closets and drawers! You may bring your items for sale to the dress exchange, or to class the week of the sale. REMEMBER, it's important that your information is clearly marked, otherwise we cannot guarantee that you will receive the correct $ for your sale. Please label your item for sale with your name and phone number, your dancer's name and the class they are in, the item and the sale price. Please include a self addressed stamped envelope to hold the money due you for your sale. What can you sell? Gently used Culkin gear, Beginner Costumes, skirts, CDs and other dance related items.
BUYING:
New Culkin Gear: t-shirts, shorts, sweatshirts! Remember March Madness and parades are just around the corner.....Get your sweatshirts now!!
Shoes (to buy or sell) : there will be tables with hard and soft shoes for sale
IF you are interested in selling......place your shoes in a gallon size zip lock bag with an index card containing your name, contact information, telephone number and the sale price of the shoes. You may want to tag each shoe so that your shoes and information stay together.
New Beginner costumes, skirts, shawls , and tights: available for sale
Culkin Dresses We are so fortunate that BJ Mason and Alison Mrohs can come and help us that day. There will be used dresses to try on.
Solo Dresses: if you have a solo dress for sale you may want to check the "dance again" web site, www.dance-again.com to get an idea of pricing your dress.
Miscellaneous gear: wigs, CDs, DVDs, used Culkin gear and beginner costumes...
Bake sale items: what's a gathering without food? Please bake or donate something for the bake sale table.
Volunteer: Help us set up (1-1:30 p.m.), clean up (4:30-5 pm) or staff a table (anytime in the middle). Bake something for the bakesale! email me at johnandmaryomalley@yahoo.com to volunteer
SHOPPERS!!! Don’t forget bring small $ bills for the bake sale items and your checkbook with plenty of checks for other items like shoes, dresses, and gear
Registration Open for Adult Spring Semester Classes
Just a reminder that the fall/winter term for the Culkin School adult classes wraps up at the end of January. Registration for all classes is open now for the Spring term, which begins the first week of February.
Each year, the Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance offers introductory "mini-mesters" to new students. These courses are a great introduction to Irish dancing for you and your child. The "mini-mesters" fill up fast and are a lot of fun.
If you know any boy or girl, 5-years-old or older, who is interested in trying Irish Dance on for size, please be sure to tell them about these classes. Concepts covered include beginner reel and jig steps and a fun introduction to ceili dances. No special shoes are required for this class.
Kensington Mini-mester: This session will be held at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 10401 Armory Avenue, Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:15 pm beginning April 15 to June 10. (9 weeks, $90) ~ No classes April 9 or 16, 2009
The first day of the new year... and 50 days until the ceili club competition in Killarney at All Irelands. And we're hoping you might be able to help us get there.
To help defray some of the cost of sending our ladies to the All Irelands, the Culkin Adult Irish Dancers have created a 2010 calendar and notecards available for purchase online. $5 from the sale of each calendar will help us get to Killarney and back.
Best part is that you get something too -- beautiful photography, together with inspiring dance quotes to get you through the year. And while the Culkin ladies were the models, it's great for all ages of dancers!
Congratulations to our World Qualifiers and Oireachtas Champions!
Belated congratulations to all the Culkin School dancers who represented us at the 2009 Southern Region Oireachtas in Dallas, Texas in December.
Among our solo and team dancers, we're honored to have a number of World Qualifiers and another regional championship title. Moira R, Samantha D, Margot W, Matthew L and Patrick A all qualified for the 2010 World Championships. And the Ladies 4-Hand, made up this year of Tammy L, Kate P, Lynne H and Angela H, won their 6th straight championship title. A number of other dancers qualified for the 2010 North American Championships in Orlando this coming July.
Nothing like starting out the dance year with a bang! After the jump are 4 upcoming performances we hope will fit into your schedule. Please follow the link to the Yahoo! Group database to sign your dancer up for the shows. If you are having issues with Yahoo! (a few of you are, however, we've had many new Culkin families sign up in the last week, so thank you!), please email Nicki at nicki ~at~ culkinschool.com (replace the ~at~ with @) directly. If you are unsure of which troupe you are in, below is a description of material your dancer needs to have mastered for each troupe. Sean & Nicki will update the class assignments on the web in the next few weeks.
Did you know you can find us on Facebook and Twitter?
Keep up with the Culkin School online using today's technology. We have a new Twitter feed -- follow us @culkinschool and become a fan of our Facebook page.
Congratulations are in order for a couple of Culkin School dancers:
Moira R received her second 1st place in Preliminary Championships at the Delaware Feis, which qualifies her for Open Championships. Way to go, Moira!
Lynne H has been announced as the winner of the 2009 Peggy O'Neill Cup, which goes to the adult dancer receiving the highest number of points at the Nation's Capital Feis. Congratulations, Lynne!
Congratulations are in order for a very talented group of adult dancers who traveled to Nashville this weekend. The Adult Ladies jig team placed 1st in their competition, winning the national championship title.
Seventeen of our adult dancers went to Nashville for the competition, including Alexandra W, Amy T-W, Bonnie Z, Catherine M, Debbie K, Ellen B, Erica B, Erin S, Julie D, KC F, Lynne H, Melissa de B, Mo M, Pam L, Shaneene L, Shauna L and Tammy L.
Members of the championship team included Alexandra, Amy, Debbie, Erin, Julie, KC, Melissa and Tammy.
Congrats to all of our adult dancers on representing the school so well! Hard work and perseverance pays off!
Congratulations to Matthew L who recently won his final 1st place at the Celtic Fling Feis nd qualified for Preliminary Championships. Good luck to you Matthew and keep up the hard work!
With the end of the school year, we want to congratulate all of our graduating seniors! The Class of 2009 is the largest we've graduated and while we are thrilled that you've reached your senior year and will be heading off to college this fall, know that we will miss those of you heading out of state and out of classes!
Registration is now open for the Culkin School Adult Irish dance summer classes. Included is a new summer "mini-mester" for adult students interested in trying out Irish dance, soft shoe review for current student and a hard shoe intensive.Register through the Glen Echo Park website.
Back by popular demand! Summer classes for new and current students are just around the corner and registration is now available. Classes will be held at the Culkin School's Hughes location in Silver Spring and at Glen Echo Park in Bethesda.
Congratulations to Margot W who travelled to the Raleigh Feis and got her 2nd first at the Preliminary level. She is now an OPEN Champion, the highest level possible for an Irish dancer. Way to go!!!!!!!
Each year the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America provides an opportunity for college-age Irish dancers to apply for merit-based scholarships to assist with college tuition.
Two types of scholarship awards are given:
- At least three scholarships for college-bound high school seniors graduating in Spring 2009
- At least one scholarship for a student enrolled in a four-year undergraduate college program who will be still be enrolled during the 09-10 school year.
Scholarship amounts will be determined later. Winners will be announced at the 2009 North American Championships in Nashville, Tennessee in July 2009. The deadline for application is March 27, 2009. Follow this link to download an application.
Get an early start to your St. Patrick's Day with a free performance by the Culkin School at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, March 16th.
Congratulations are in order for a very talented group of adult dancers who traveled to Nashville this weekend. The Adult Ladies jig team placed 1st in their competition, winning the national championship title.
