AN COIMISIÚN LE RINCÍ GAELACHA

 

NEWSLETTER 3/2010

 

Introduction

 

As we move inexorably towards Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne 2010, may I, on behalf of An Coimisiun wish all teachers and their students the very best in theor endeavours.  If you are planning to join us for the 40th World Championships in Glasgow I hope you will find it fulfilling, and that you, your dancers, and all our patrons will enjoy the event we have planned for you.

 

Programme/Journal Advertising

 

At this stage we have finalized our timetable and our main  Programme/Journal.  Supplies of the journal will be limited in order to avoid a repetition of the very expensive waste of resources incurred in previous years.  To our advertisers we extend a grateful thanks for their continued support. 

 

Teachers, so that you and your students are aware of all we have planned to celebrate the 40th anniversary event the following paragraphs are offered as a guide.

 

Reception

 

A Civic Reception will take place at the City Chambers in Glasgow on Saturday March 27 at 5.30 p.m.  Unfortunately, due to considerations of space attendance at this reception will be confined to members of An Coimisiun and the local Scottish Committee and one guest each.  NB Members of An Coimisiun comprises those persons elected or nominated to serve on the governing body of our organization.

 

However,we are pleased to announce that all persons registered with An Coimisiun and their partners/spouses, as well as members of An Coimisiun and the Local Scottish Committee, are cordially invited to our 40th Anniversary Reception  which will be hosted by An Coimisiun in the Thistle Hotel at 7.30 p.m on the same evening, Saturday March 27th.  We hope to see as many of you as possible at this reception, which will be our way of welcoming you to Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne 2010.  Attendees at this occasion will be presented with a special memento of the occasion.  We regret that it will not be possible to provide these mementos to those who do not attend the function.

 

Timetable/Schedule

 

The competitions will kick off at 8 a.m. sharp on Sunday March 28th, so be warned that if your competition is timed to commence at 8 a.m. on that or subsequent days, it will commence sharp at that time.  The fully timed schedule for the week is now available on our website www.clrg.ie.  A great deal of care has gone into producing a schedule to which we will be able to adhere.

 

Official Opening

 

 At approximately  5 p.m. on the first day we will be featuring a very special Opening Ceremony.  Following the spectacular Opening Ceremony in Philadelphia in 2009, Glasgow has much to live up to, but I am assured it will be worthy of the title.  However, be assured that while the quality of the opening will not be in question, the process will be timed so as not to interfere with the smooth running of the competitions.

 

Festival Club

 

We hope that you will join us at the Festival Club which will open nightly from Monday March 29th in the Burns Suite of the Thistle Hotel.  You must be wearing your wrist band for the appropriate day in order to gain admission.  A cash buffet and bar will be available.

 

Fringe Activities

 

The Scottish Local Committee have planned an extensive programme of fringe cultural activities throughout the week of the World Championships.  Full details of these and other activities will be posted on our website.

 

Senior Dance Drama Night

 

Friday night will once again be the night we host the Senior Dance Drama Championship.  This year, by kind permission of Michael Flatley and Unicorn Productions, the Senior Dance Drama night will feature a troupe from the hit show Lord of the Dance, who will perform selected numbers from the show.  The Royal Concert Hall Box Office has begun to offer tickets for sale for this show at the low price of £12.  Due to the expected demand for tickets, all seats will be sold, so please note that NO tickets will be reserved for teachers and members of An Coimisiun.  Please note also that, in preparation for the Dance Drama Championship, the main auditorium will be cleared following the completion of the Ladies Figure Choreography Championship, and results of this competition will be given in the Strathclyde Auditorium.

 

Rubies and Rhinestones Ball

    

The highlight of the week – that is apart from what is the raison d’etre for our presence in Glasgow in the first place at this time, i.e the wonderful spectacle of the performances of some of the greatest exponents of Irish Dancing taking place on the stages of the Royal Concert Hall – will be our Rubies and Rhinestones Ball at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow on Saturday April 3rd.  This old historic building will be a fitting backdrop to what we hope will be a very special occasion indeed.  If you have not already booked your ticket for this event, I regret to say that it is unlikely that you will be in a position to join us there.  This very special night, which will include the handing over of the Gold Trophy symbplising the World Championships to the Mayor of South County Dublin, has been carefully designed by Michelle Greene TCRG, and not even her local committee colleagues know the details.  So just come along and expect to be surprised.

 

Photographs of past World Championships

 

The local Scottish Committee, and Michelle Greene in particular, have been assembling a book of photographs to represen the past forty years of the World Championships, which will be unveiled at the Ruby and Rhinestones Ball.  Many people have expressed interest in purchasing a copy of this book.  Unfortunately, as the assembly of the book of photographs is still a work in progress, there will be only one book of photographs, and producing copies will not be an option.  However, by the magic of modern technology, it will be possible to produce a CD of the photographs, which will be offered for sale at a cost of £10 per copy.

 

Child Protection

 

An Coimisiun has taken this issue very seriously in recent years and is currently commencing the process of ensuring that all professionals registered with the organisation are properly vetted.  The Royal Concert Hall management have a similar policy and they have notified us of that UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES will they tolerate dressing or undressing of children or adults in the auditoria.  Adequate changing facilities will be available for the purpose, and persons refusing to comply with the instructions of the stewards will be asked to leave.

 

Coaching

 

Teachers are reminded that coaching from the body either auditorium  will not be allowed.  This practice has reached epidemic proportions in recent years, with dancers being given mixed messages owing to the number of parents and teachers engaging in the practice.  As soon as a dancer walks on stage he/she is expected to perform without assistance.  It is particularly disturbing and confusing when there are two or three dancers on stage.  Once again, persons refusing to comply with the legitimate instructions of stewards will be asked to leave.

 

Stewarding

 

May we earnestly request that all patrons, whether teacher, adjudicator, dancer, parent, or other audience member, comply with the legitimate requests and instructions of the stewards.  You may find it a nuisance to have to show your wrist band or other form of identification every time you enter an auditorium, but please be advised that stewards employed by the Royal Concert Hall will have been instructed to look for identification on every occasion.

 

Closing Ceremony

 

On the final day of the Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne 2010, in advance of the final presentations, we hope to present a spectacular celebrating forty years of World Champions.  As part of this celebration we would like to invite as many past World Champions, particularly the ladies and men who graced our stages as Senior Ladies and Mens Champions, to be present for this special occasion.  Please note the following important points:

 

*   In view of financial constraints, An Coimisiun is unable to offer any contribution towards travel by former World Championship winners. 

*   Invitations have been sent to former Senior Men and Senior Ladies World Champions to participate in the actual stage presentation. 

*   Due to limitations of space, while the presence of World winners in other categories will be greatly appreciated, for reasons of space it would be impossible to invite them to come on stage.

 

Spomsorship

 

Although the Programme/Journal has already been printed, it is still open to Regions, Regional Councils, Teachers Associations, or, indeed, individuals to avail of Competition or Trophy Sponsorship opportunities.  We were greatly indebted to those generous bodies and individuals who sponsored competitions and/or trophies in 2009.  This sponsorship contributed greatly to the financial well-being of the World Championships and enabled An Coimisiun to avoid the serious loss which might otherwise have been occurred by such an ambitious project.  With the budget for Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne set to exceed €1m this year, were it not for the generous funding provided by See Glasgow and the financial assistance provided by our sponsors and advertisers, we would not be in a position to mount a spectacle worthy of the title 40th World Irish Dancing Championships.  Sponsors of Competitions will be publicly acknowledged and invited to present awards on a designated competition.  The following is a list of all relevant costs:

 

Competition Sponsorship

 

Option  1: 

 

Bronze Package – to include:

                                                                                               

·          Complimentary VIP Passes to the event

                         on the Day of Championship

·          Advert in the Dance Drama Booklet and

                         on Live Commentary Website

·          Complimentary Programme                              £750 or €900 ($1,250)

(Drama Book Adverticing cut-off Mar 24)

 

Option 2

 

Sponsorship of Competition only                                            £500 or €600 ($850)

 

Sponsors of Competitions will be introduced on stage and invited to present awards.  A list of competitions already sponsored and competitions available for sponsored is also attached.

 

 

Trophy Sponsorship

 

In 2009 An Coimisiun purchased Second and Third Place Trophies to match the magnificent First Place Trophies sponsored by Michael Flatley and first presented when Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne was last held in Glasgow.  This development was enabled by the generous sponsorship of a number of Regional Councils, Regions and individuals.  An Coimisiun is in the process of arranging suitable engraving on these trophies to record this sponsorship.  As of now there remains a number of such trophies which are still available for sponsorship.  If you or your organisation would like to support An Coimisiun by offering to sponsor one of the remaining trophies, such sponsorship will be graciously received and acknowledged by arranging the appropriate engraving on the trophy of your choice, and posting the list of sponsors on our new website..  The rates for this sponsorship this year are as follows:

 

Second Place Trophies:                                 £750 or €900 ($1,250)

Third Place Trophies:                     £650 or €800 ($1,000)

 

(Please Note: All above currency conversions are approximate)

  

A list of trophies already sponsored as well as the list of available competitions is available here.

A list of competitions available for sponsorship is available here.

 

Seamus O’Se

Public Relations Officer

March 2010.