Category: news

Featured, news, Upcoming Events

Irish Dance workshops at De Betovering festival

chairdeksid

Come and try some Irish Dancing during ‘The Enchantment’ Festival in the autumn break! Irish Dancing became known in the Netherlands after the Riverdance show during the Eurovision Songfestival in 1994, but Irish Dancing itself goes back many centuries and can be done in many different forms and styles. Most important is the footwork, which is often amazingly fast. And at the same time you have to try and keep your upper body and arms straight! During this workshop you’ll be introduced to a number of styles with the so-called ‘soft shoe’ and ‘hard shoe (a kind of tap dance shoe), there will be demo’s and you’ll get a chance to learn a few basic dance steps yourself. Please check the programme at www.debetovering.nl and register for one of the Irish Dance workshops (on 23 or 24 October 2019) below.

Featured, news, Performances

St Patrick Day 2019

chairdeksid

From our smallest Beginners to our World Qualifiers, team Kilkenny brought the house down with their performance at the St. Patrick’s Day Festival on the Grote Markt in The Hague. It’s wonderful to see The Hague embracing the Irish culture, and it is a highlight for both dancers and teachers every year.

Thanks to the Irish Club Netherlands and the Grote Markt for organzing and hosting such a fantastic event. We are already looking forward to next year’s performance.

news

Feel@Home

chairdeksid

On Sunday the 3rd of February a diverse group of Kilkenny Dancers -ranging from our youngest beginners to some of our Open Championship dancers- demonstrated their Irish dancing skills to the visitors of the Feel At Home Fair in the City Hall of The Hague. They started with an a capella hard shoe routine, followed by jigs, reels and traditional set dances, giving the international audience a good insight into the different flavors and various techniques of Irish dance.

Our new beginners


Attended Feis, Competitions, news

European Mainland and Asian Irish Dancing Championships 2018 – Amsterdam Schiphol

chairdeksid

On a wet winter weekend in December, Amsterdam Schiphol came alive to the sound of taps and beats, as the best Irish dancers in Europe and Asia gathered to compete in the Mainland European and Asian Irish Dance Championships.   We could not have asked for more to have this wonderful event on our own door-step. For the Kilkenny Dancers, this certainly proved to be a ‘Home Game’, as the results include two European Champions, two European Trophy Winners and seven World qualifiers!

Seven World Qualifiers:

  • Esther van der Burg has prolongated her title of European Champion ‘Senior Ladies over 22’
  • Sandun Verschoor placed 2nd in the category ‘Senior Men over 22’
  • Kyra Kyle came 2nd in the category ‘Ladies Under 19″
  • Bradley Buijs placed 2nd in the category ‘Under 15 Boys’
  • Jessica Morris came 4th in the category ‘Under 13 Girls’
  • Cillian McCann came 2nd in the category ‘Under 12 Boys’
  • Sorcha Hogan is now European Champion ‘Under 10 Girls’

European Trophy Competitions:

  • Orla Buijs placed 2nd in the European Trophy Under 18
  • Cliodhna Harkin: 1st place in European Trophy Under 12
  • Rosa Waters: 1st place in European Trophy Under 10

  • Ineke Uitterhoeve placed 2nd in the adult championship under 35.

It was also a fantastic first-outing for the Kilkenny team-dancers, who won medal after medal for their 8-, 4-, and 2-hand reels.   

All in all, it was a perfect end to the year for all the dancers and a reflection of all their hard work and determination.  

The parade of champions can be seen here

Featured, news, Upcoming Events

Irish Dance workshops at De Betovering festival

chairdeksid

Irish Dance workshops will be given as part of the Enchantment (De Betovering), the international children’s art festival taking place during the autumn break. Please check the programme at www.debetovering.nl and register for one of the Irish Dance workshops (on 24 or 25 October 2018) below

Attended Feis, Competitions, news

World Irish Dancing Championships 2018 – Glasgow, Scotland

chairdeksid

It was a happy moment for the Kilkenny School of Irish Dance when our very own Esther van der Burg became the first woman in ‘Mainland Europe and Asia’ to become a World Irish Dance medalist. When Esther took to the floor in Glasgow in the category ladies 21-23 years, she wow-ed the judges, just as she has been wow-ing us here in Netherlands for many years.   

But there is more great news from Glasgow – not just one World medalist, but two!  Fellow Kilkenny dancer, Sandun Verschoor danced his way to the finals of  the mens over 22 years.   

Esther is now 13th best dancer in the entire world and Sandun is 7th.  

Their teachers, fellow dancers and Kilkenny friends could not be prouder.

We’ll have to keep a close eye on those Kilkenny world qualifiers following in their footsteps – Jessica, Bradley, Mia, Amy and Kyra.

Attended Feis, Competitions, news

European Championship Gdynia

chairdeksid

In the weekend from 3rd to 5th November, the 12th Mainland European Irish Dancing Championships was held.

The successful event, organised by the ISTA School Poland started on Friday 3th of November, with the opening ceremony, during which a number of the schools from Europe, Asia and the Middle East showcased their talents.

On Saturday and Sunday, it was competition time, with the European Championships and the European Trophy.

 

Saturday was an early start (8am) for the under 7s, 8s and 9s.
Rosa Waters taking part in her first ever Championship came 8th in the under 8s category, she did herself and the school proud.

Next up on the program was the first of the Qualifying Championship, for the age groups under 10 to under 15.

In a very tough competition Jessica Morris ended up 6th, just missing a qualification medal for the age group 11 -12.

As often is the case at Irish Dance competitions the times in the schedule are not always

 

 

s