Monday, June 28, 1999
Dancing, fun draw Irish to downtown celebration
BY DANA DiFILIPPO
The Cincinnati Enquirer
They hung in a row, drawing as many longing gazes from the young girls who crowded around as a Hanson brother would.
“Hair extensions. Instant transformation. Not wigs,” wig-saleswoman Ramona Schmitt said sternly, as she plucked a tangle of brown curls from the row and anchored it above Kristen Hutchens' ponytail.
“I look different,” the 10-year-old Allen Park, Mich., girl gushed breathlessly, before gazing imploringly at her mother. “We'd never have to roll my hair again. No more hair spray. I wouldn't have to sleep in rollers.”
The newest rage among Irish dancers was evident at the 16th annual Cincinnati Feis, held Sunday at the Albert B. Sabin Cincinnati Convention Center, downtown.
Nearly 900 dancers from as far as Canada and Florida came to the Feis, or festival, to show off their skills at dancing, music-making and other traditional Irish arts. The Cincinnati Irish Cultural Society coordinated the event.
Synthetic corkscrew curls, bouncing and thick, hung from many competitors' heads, as dancers tried to make themselves look as Irish as possible.
Ms. Schmitt, a wig distributor from Oregon, brought wigs in 31 colors. Her booth, which sat among others hawking everything from T-shirts to soda-bread, was among the busiest.
All the other traditional elements of a Feis were there too — ornate Celtic designs on dresses, beaded headbands and crowns, soft and hard dancing shoes and accordion music.
Dancers kicked their legs in all directions, while arms stayed straight at the dancers' sides. For many, the competition was the culmination of months of daily practice.
“It's not hard once you break your shoes in,” said Erin Flannery, 9, of Mason.
Kayleen Duffy, 9, and Farley Fitzgerald, 8, both of Hyde Park, agreed that Irish dancing is more fun — and boasts better outfits — than ballet and other dance forms. “I hate leotards,” Kayleen said with a grimace.
For Mary, Molly and Maggie Behan of Anderson Township, the Feis was a family affair. Mary Behan and her two preteen daughters competed in a parent-child contest Sunday morning.
“My oldest daughter is 12, and in another two years, she's not going to want to do anything with me anymore,” Mrs. Behan said, laughing. “So I'm doing everything with her that I can now.”
Husband Pat Behan watched them dance from a folding chair nearby.
“I like potatoes. I drink beer. But I don't dance,” he said with a belly laugh.
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