| Friday, March 17, 2006 |
Another St. Patrick's Day... Irish Dance "March Madness" at its finest. This year, the Culkin School had three "traveling troupes" out and about performing at elementary schools, businesses, church facilities and pubs. To top it off, all the troupes met up for a headline performance at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Millennium Stage. This is just a glimpse at the day for Troupe #1, who was guided through the day by Nicki Elliott, TCRG. Thanks to our parents and dancers who have provided these photos. |
| ST. MARY'S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL |
OUR DAY BEGAN at St. Mary's Elementary School in Rockville where we were joined by some of our students who attend the school. The school staff and students were a great audience for this first performance of the day. When not onstage, our dancers had the chance to watch the show.
Backstage, our championship level dancers helped keep the show running.
Above, Nicki and the dancers from the St. Mary's show. |
| KAISER PERMANENTE |
AFTER ST. MARY'S most of the troupe carpooled over to Kaiser Permamente in Rockville where, for the third year in a row, we've provided the entertainment for their annual St. Patrick's Day celebration.
Irish dancers arriving en masse is always a sight to behold.
While we were waiting in the lobby, the fire alarm sounded and within a minute or two, people started heading out of their offices right towards us.
Fortunately, it was a false alarm. Once the alarm was cleared, we headed up to our performance space where we had about 30 minutes to spare before the show.
Too bad we can't dance in these glasses!
One of the great things about traveling together on St. Patrick's Day is getting to meet so many of the dancers you don't normally see in classes. Here, one of our beginners chats with some of our senior level champions.
With so many shows, getting into and out of dresses becomes part of the routine. Thankfully, everyone is willing to help each other out.
We ended up getting a stage (Thanks Bret!) about 5 minutes before the show, so some of the dancers took to taping it into place. Once again, duct tape to the rescue!
The crew from the Kaiser Permanente show with Nicki. School photographer Bret J. was there and we'll link to his gallery when it's posted.
After the show, time for a quick lunch before heading on to the next performance. |
| FOUR GREEN FIELDS |
TIME FOR A DRINK? Not for our dancers. Our next stop took us to Four Green Fields, an Irish pub in Washington, DC. (until recently, the pub was known as Ireland's Four Provinces).
Now wait a minute... we said no drinking for the dancers. Not to worry -- this was a staged photo and dad was standing right out of frame. In fact, it's his Guiness.
Of course the craziness of the pub scene on St. Pat's was a sight to behold for many of our dancers. One was even overhead saying "I'm never going to go to a bar like this." Who says dancing in pubs can't be educational!
Of course the challenge of dancing in bars on St. Pat's is finding space and a dry floor. You'll also notice the costume change -- no solos in here! The show was a hit with the crowd, who cheered us on as we snaked through them on the way out of the pub. |
| THE KENNEDY CENTER'S MILLENNIUM STAGE |
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST. The final stop for the troupe was the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Arriving at 4:00 p.m. for or 6:00 p.m. show, we quickly shifted from "pub mode" to "show mode." You can view the Millennim Stage performance online on the Kennedy Center's website. Follow this link (you'll need RealPlayer to view the show.) |
