Congratulations

Congratulations the newest teacher in the Southern Region: Stephen Scariff, TCRG, with the Scariff School in Tampa.

Congratulations to our Southern Region Dancers

Congratulations to all of the dancers who represented the Southern Region at the 2008 North American Irish Dance Championships. Special congratulations to the Watters School for winning the Dance Drama competition.

Announced at the NAIDCs are the winners of the 2008 IDTANA Scholarship competition. Recipients from the Southern Region include:

• Shannon Cantwell, Drake School of Irish Dance - Shannon is enrolled at Furman University and is majoring in Economics and Public Policy.


• Shannon Kelly, Hibernia School of Irish Dance - Shannon plans to attend the University of Notre Dame and major in biochemistry.


• Haley Close, McTeggart School of Irish Dance - Haley plans to attend the College of Wooster and major in sociology and anthropology.


• Lindsey McMahon, Beaton School of Irish Dance - Linsdey plans to attend Lebanon Valley College and major in biology and physical therapy.

More information on the IDTANA Scholarship program is available on the main Southern Region website.

Good Luck at the North American Championships!

Best wishes for safe travels and good dancing to all of the Southern Region dancers, teams, teachers and families heading to Nashville for the North American Irish Dance Championships!

Dance your best!

Congratulations!

From the Regional Director:

Congratulations to Southern Region member Russell Beaton, TCRG/ADCRG on his election as Vice President of An Coimisuin le Rince Gaelacha, an executive board position. In addition, he was elected to An Choiste Faire, which places him on the Oireachtas Rince Na Cruinne committee.

This is a great achievement for Russell, who is also an examiner with An Coimisuin and, with assistance from others in the D.C. area, will be chairing the upcoming teachers' exams this October. We are proud of his most recent achievements and honored that he is a member of our region.

Broadway Bound!

Congratulations to 5-time Southern Region Champion, our current Boys U13 title holder, David Bologna from the Inishfree School in Texas on being cast as Michael in the Broadway production of Billy Elliott. According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

He will be part of the New York cast of The London smash-hit musical "Billy Elliot" when it opens at the Imperial Theatre in the fall. And Bologna has snagged a feature role, no less, playing Michael, Billy's best friend. Previews will begin in October, with opening night scheduled for Nov. 13.

David joins several other Irish dancers in the cast. For more on the show, visit the Billy Elliott on Broadway website.

Tights Ruling for Dancer 19&Over Rescinded

The Southern Region received the following notification from Michael Mullane, ADCRG, President of the IDTANA:

To registered teachers and dancers:

At the An Coimisiun le Rince Gaelacha's AGM meeting held in Dublin on May 18, 2008, a motion was proposed by the Irish Dance Teacher's Association of North America to rescind the "tights rule" that was to become  effective January 1, 2009 for all dancers aged 19 and older. 

After a full discussion, it was voted upon and approved that the rule be rescinded effective immediately.  

It should also be noted that An Coimisiun, through its appointed Costume Committee, will continue to monitor and pursue the enforcement of required costume lengths at all Feiseanna and Major Competitions.

In Memoriam

A wake will be held on will be held for Brian Ellis on Friday, May 9th from 2:00-4:00pm and 6:00-8:00pm at the Chambers Funeral Home, 29150 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted, OH, 44070, ph: 440-777-4066. Our thoughts and prayers are will the Ellis family.

Overflow Hotel Information

An overflow hotel is now open for booking for the Southern Region Oireachtas 2008. The International Plaza Resort and Spa is located at 10100 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32821.

Call 1 800 327 0363 for reservations and ask for the Irish Dance Teacher’s rate of $129. To book online, please go to http://www.intlplazaresort.com/accommodations.html - the Promotion/Group code is: ID1208. You will NOT be asked for a deposit at the time of booking.

The IDTANA- Southern Region will provide a complimentary shuttle that will bring you from the overflow hotel to the host hotel in the morning and return in the evening when results start.

More information on the overflow hotel has been posted on our Venue page. Follow this link to the Venue page.

Overflow Hotel Secured for 2008 Oireachtas

The following is from the 2008 Southern Region Oireachtas co-chair:

The Oireachtas 2008 committee is pleased to announce that we have secured an overflow hotel for those attending the Southern Region Oireachtas in Orlando, Florida, who were unable to book a room in the host hotel. The rate will be $129 per night, you will not be asked for a deposit at the time of booking.

We will provide a free shuttle that will bring you from the overflow hotel to the host hotel in the mornings, and bring you back, once the results begin in the evenings, if you choose not to drive/rent a car.

The hotel location and reservation information will be announced this coming Monday, May 5th, at which time, reservations will open. You will be able to book by phone OR we will have a direct link through this site.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Myra Watters, ADCRG, Southern Region Oireachtas 2008 co-chair

2009 Worlds Hotel Bookings Open

An Coimisuin has posted a list of official Worlds 2009 hotels in the Philadelphia area. Bookings begin on April 28, 2008 and rates run from $153 to $160/night with a non-refundable deposit.

For information, please visit the CLRG website's 2009 Accommodations page.

Teacher Certification Exams

As announced on clrg.ie, the Southern Region is tentatively scheduled to host teacher certification exams (TMRF, TCRG & ADCRG) October 2 - 5. More information will be posted on the main Southern Region site as it becomes available.

Best Wishes

With the Oireachtas Rince Na Cruinne kicking off today in Belfast, we send our best wishes to all of the dancers representing the Southern Region onstage this week!

Travel safe, dance well and have a great time!

To keep up to date on how our dancers are doing, be sure to check out the live commentary page on CLRG's website for comments, pictures and results.

From the Co-Chair....

Thank you to everyone for your overwhelming response to the release of the Oireachtas hotel rooms for 2008. We had a few teething problems this morning, primarily due to the unprecedented demand for rooms beyond the Oireachtas dates. (I guess we always knew there was a little magic in Orlando!) But we are working with the hotel to secure blocks of rooms on those days. Priority will be given to those who are waitlisted with the hotel already. Thank you for your patience and your support. We look forward to welcoming you to the "City Beautiful."

-- Myra Watters, Oireachtas Co-chair

Update on SRO Rates for extended days

Based on conversations with the JW Marriott this morning (Friday, 2/22), additional rooms have now been released for days extending outside of the Oireachtas dates of December 5 - 8. There is limited availability of these additional room dates, so if you need additional room nights, please book promptly.

Teachers: Reservations for teachers will be opening shortly. Please see the members' section for details on room rates and the reservation code. The hotel will be ready to accept teacher's reservations via phone later today. There are no online reservations available for teachers.

Room Reservations - extended days

We are aware that some Os participants have tried to book rooms at the SRO rate within our extended window of December 2nd to 11th without success. As posted on the Southern Region message board Friday morning:

I will discuss this with the hotel tomorrow and get it fixed, the rate should extend 3 days either side. - SRO Co-chair Myra Watters, ADCRG

Updates will be posted as soon as we can confirm that the hotel has made the appropriate changes.

Also, a note from the webmaster: Thank you to those who have emailed to let us know about the reservation process. It's because of your help that we've been able to try to make the process better. Your assistance is appreciated!