Feis Louisiane and Lagniappe 2004

by Thomas Miner Editor Hornpipe Magazine

Laissez les bons temps rouler

While the rest of the country was hunkered down in teeth chattering cold a soft rain fell on a balmy 70 degree crescent city where the Feis Louisiane and Lagniappe resumed after a one year hiatus. It is indisputably one of the BEST feiseanna in North America. Lagniappe is one of those twisted American-French-Creole words that mean something given in good measure--a little extra and that is exactly what you get. Every year on Martin Luther King Holiday weekend in January Ms. Mary Ann (Mary Ann McGrath Swaim,TCRG of the New Orleans School of Irish Dance) rolls out the red carpet.This year it was held at the Double Tree Hotel in downtown New Orleans minutes walking distance from the vieux carre also know as the French Quarter. Where else would you get a room in the French Quarter for $89 a night?

The dance competitions were held on two floors one located on the 16th floor with windows overlooking the city. Between dances one could watch lazy gulls fly above the busy Mississippi River where tugs pushed river barges endlessly.

The feis itself is not unlike any other except for when the awards are given and everyone that has attended this feis knows what excitement there is in the Mardi Gras tradition of throwing beads. You may say to yourself what is this all about and how can there be so much excitement over throwing beads. After eight hours of listening to King of the Fairies over and over again and during the mind-numbing lull when we all stand around waiting for results Ms,Mary Ann pulls out her bags, and I mean bags of beads, stuffed dolls, and silly hats. She and the other volunteers tease the crowd before throwing the keepsakes to a wave of reaching arms. Now if you think this is just for kids, believe me, there was not a soul in that room that wasn't standing on a chair or jumping up and down screaming "over here," "throw it to me." Everyone was wearing beads and the room was bedlam. It took a good ten minutes for Ms. Mary Ann to calm the crowd down to a respectable silence before awards could be given. Just as quickly as there was the frenzy for the beads there was calm.

Vice President of North America Una Ellis was this years Big Chief (another Mardi Gras tradition.) The Big Chief Award is given to a candidate that has contributed to the growth and preservation of Irish dance in North America. Ms Ellis has been a teacher and adjudicator for over 40 years. She was instrumental in organizing the IDTNA, the first regional director of the Southern Region and directed the most successful North American Nationals Championship (2003) ever. Presenting her the award was Russell Beaton ADCRG, the new Southern Region Director. The other adjudicators were IDTANA president, Dennis Dennehy ADCRG and Neill Reagan ADCRG of  San Antonio. Dennis Dennehy was acknowledged for his first exercise as an examiner.

The feis may have ended but the lagniappe was just beginning. The traditional feis ceili was held at O'Flaherty's on Toulouse Street in the Quarter. The affable and very entertaining Noel Reid called the ceili dances offering  the stage to singers and musicians alike to join in the fun. Dancing and singing went on into the early morning hours and continued on for those brave hearts wandering out into the labyrinth of pubs and shops.If that did not interest you then there were casinos to pass the time.

The next morning if you were not getting beignets and coffee at Cafe DuMonde then you were at one of the workshops; adult treble reel, grade exams, tin whistle workshop, NAFC question and answer forum and other dance workshops. Workshops were over early enough to take in shopping, a carriage ride tour, a trolley ride to the garden district or simply sunning in the 70 degree weather.

Prelim, open,adult dancers and feis dads, if there was ever a feis to go to this is the one!