What Judges Look For!

Sharon Whelan MacSweeney ADCRG, BG of the Whelan Academy of Irish Dance 

Offers Important Advice to Dancers. *Partial reprint of our article - read more in our July/August issue

What big competitions have you judged?

I have judged the Australian Nationals, New Zealand Nationals, many North American qualifiers along with judging in Ireland and England.

Each of these competitions filled me with great pride because when my parents immigrated from Ireland and registered my sisters and I at dance lessons, little did they know that it would be such a worldwide phenomenon.

It is a joy watch to watch dancers from all over the world perform a dance form that I love so much. I am very lucky to be such an active adjudicator and to judge throughout the United States on a regular basis.

Dancers often ask how adjudicators handle common blunders such as trips, slips and falls. Do you mark down dancers for these issues?

All three of these can be quite different. You need to be able to evaluate the situation quickly and determine what the cause was. Sometimes it is as easy as a slippery part of the floor but other times it can be caused by over dancing or aggressive dancing. A sign of a good dancer is one that can continue their performance and overcome a slip or a knock from another dancer.