Big Week Alert! Dayton Celtic Fest, Practices, and Performance Details ��☘️

Shelagh Mcgovern

Dear McGovern Families,

It’s here—Dayton Celtic Festival week! This is one of our most exciting times of the year, and we’re so thrilled to see our dancers take the stage and represent McGovern Irish Dance with pride and energy.  Make sure you are sharing out our social media posts about the performances, take lots of pictures before during and after the festival and tag @mcgovernirishdance, @unitedirishofdaytn, @daytoncelticfestival, @friendsoftheirish

Here's everything you need to know for the week ahead—plus a few extras!

🗓 Weekly Schedule: July 21–27

The full schedule is posted in our Weekly Update, which has just been refreshed for the week. Be sure to check it here:
👉 www.mcgoverndance.org/weekly-update

Key Highlights:

  • Monday: All classes run 5:45–7:00 PM

  • Tuesday: Full schedule by age & level (starting at 4:30 PM)

  • Wednesday & Thursday: Performer practice 5:45–7:45 PM

  • Saturday: No regular classes—festival performances only

👚 Practice Dress Code

During performer practices (Wed/Thurs), dancers should wear:

  • Black leggings or shorts

  • McGovern white & pink practice shirt

  • OR a pink/black McGovern logo tee

  • OR a plain all-black or all-white shirt

✨ Let’s keep it crisp, clean, and unified!

👶 Jump’n Jig & young beginners are welcome at practices (not required) and can plan to stay for just the first 30–40 minutes.

📸 Parent Volunteer Shout-Out!

Calling all phone photographers! 📱

We’d LOVE some parent volunteers to pop into practices and snap a few candid pics or videos—group shots, giggles, action shots—whatever you can get! No pro camera needed, bonus points if you have really good one though, lol.

If you’re able to help, even just once, please let me know!

📢 Help Us Spread the Word – Open Houses Coming Up!
With so many eyes on our dancers this weekend, it’s the perfect time to help new families discover McGovern Irish Dance and Jump’n Jig! Please take a moment to check out the details about our upcoming Open Houses so you can confidently share info with friends, family, or anyone who stops you at the festival asking how to join. We’ll be offering free trial classes at each Open House, and it's a great opportunity for new dancers to get a feel for the fun.

💗 I’m also looking for a few parents to help work our little info table next to the Emerald Isle stage—before, during, and after each of our performances. It’s a low-key way to help promote the studio and answer simple questions (don’t worry, we’ll have handouts!). If you’re available for even one show, please let me know!

Let’s make this weekend not only a celebration of dance—but a chance to grow our amazing community! 💃🕺✨

🎤 Dayton Celtic Festival Performances

All performances will be at the Emerald Isle Stage. Here’s the schedule:

  • Friday, July 25
    ⏰ 7:00–7:30 PM | DARBT (Dressed & Ready By): 6:30 PM

  • Saturday, July 26
    ⏰ 4:40–5:10 PM | DARBT: 4:10 PM
    ❌ NO CLASSES THIS DAY

  • Sunday, July 27
    ⏰ 12:00–12:30 PM | DARBT: 11:30 AM

👕 What to Wear:

Ladies:

  • Black embroidered skirt

  • Grace in Motion t-shirt

  • Poodle socks

  • Hair in 2 French braids (adults may vary)

  • Both soft & hard shoes

Gents:

  • Black trousers or kilt

  • Black socks

  • Grace in Motion t-shirt

  • Both shoes

Jump’n Jig dancers:
Wear anything pink, white, and black—fun and fabulous!

🎶 Bonus Performance Opportunity: Father Son and Friends

I’d love to have some Performance Team dancers (especially those who know treble reel steps) perform during:

  • Saturday, July 26
    ⏰ 8:00-9:15pm Father Son and Friends (ASL)  and/or

  • Sunday July 27
    ⏰ 2:50-4:20 Father Son and Friends (ASL) 
    🎤 Emerald Isle Stage

Let me know if your dancer is available!

🔔 Stay in the Loop!

There may be last-minute performer needs for extra promo events during the weekend. Be sure to keep an eye on:

  • Email

  • Text messages

  • The Parents Facebook Group

If something comes up, we’ll send it out right away—we truly appreciate your flexibility and support!

We are so proud of everything your dancers have accomplished this season, and we can’t wait to see them shine this weekend! Thanks for being part of our incredible McGovern community—let’s make this week unforgettable 💖☘️

See you at the studio and at the stage,
Shelagh McGovern, TMCRN
McGovern Irish Dance
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.mcgoverndance.org