INSIDE THIS WEEKS TRINITY TIMES:

-Outreach day!

-All Scots 2017

-Thank You!

-Open House

-Parades!

-Oireachtas Tryouts

-Referral Card/ New Parent Role

-Galway Races

-Office Info

Trinity Times Welcome To The Trinity Times!

Outreach Day!!! Thank you everyone who participated last weekend for our Outreach Day! These are just a few of the many photos and posts we received on Facebook!

“As a young dance teacher in the early 80's I established outreach day because I wanted to make my father

proud. My father would be pleased with the devotion all of you have towards elevating one life, let alone thou-

sands. Enjoy sharing your little miracles with folks who deserve them. It doesn't get much better.”

-Mark Howard

“So proud of the dancers today. Not just my dancer, although I am infinitely proud of Tayler Sain but ALL of

the Trinity Irish dancers. Today I saw what I've seen so many times before, over the years. Dancers dancing

their hearts out, smiling, dancing through the nerves. I saw the audience smiling, cheering, clapping, even

tearing up. The joy our dancers bring to the communities on outreach day is just one of the many reasons I am

so happy and proud to be part of Trinity. Thank you Mark Howard Natalie Sliwinski Howard Agnes Howard,

all of the wonderful teachers, show captains, staff,Trinity Booster Club, fellow parents, and of course, all of the

dancers.Thank you!” -Christine Sain

March 3rd, 2017

Congratulations to all of our All Scotland Dancers!!

A heart felt congratulations to all of our

dancers who competed overseas in

Glasgow, Scotland at the All Scotland

Championships! We are so proud to

have had the following dancers repre-

sent Team Trinity!

Aidan Baumann– U9 Boys

Julia Watychowicz– U9 Girls

Kyleigh Wiken– U10 Girls

Ashton Baumann- U11 Boys

Ryan Peter– U13 Boys

Nieve Howard– U10 Girls

Claire Kennison– U10 Girls

A special congrats to

Ashton Baumann for placing 1st in the U11

Boys Championship!

A Huge Thank You to our Amazing Seamstresses!

Thank you to the Schaefer Family for your amazing diligence and hard work! You have

made our dancers look absolutely spectacular and we thank you for all of the late nights

and months of work it took to create these great looks! From the bottom of our hearts

THANK YOU!

Just look at how happy you have made our dancers!

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Worlds Team Auction!

Are you looking for an opportunity

to get some wonderful items and

experience unique opportunities in

the area at a great price? Make sure

to check out the on line auction

sponsored by the U13 Worlds

Team. From trips to the Shedd

Aquarium and Cubs tickets to

Coolsculpting and one on one train-

ing opportunities with a licensed

physical therapist, this auction will

have something for everyone. It

will only be open March 7-16, so

make sure to bid early and often so

not to miss out.

Thank you in advance for support-

ing the Worlds team!!

St. Pats Parades!! FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN: ALL children 12 years old or younger must be accompanied by a parent, an older sibling, or other responsible adult on the parade route. Trinity cannot take responsibility for unattended children. Please make provisions for dropping off at the beginning of the parade and/or picking up at the end of the parade. We want this to be a fun and safe event for everyone.

Trinity Parade Uniform

2017 St. Patrick’s Day Parades

We march in rain or shine! Please be prepared for di-verse weather conditions. You do not need to be in-volved in TPT to partici-pate in parades! All Trinity Dancers involved in TBC, as well as parents, sib-lings, and friends are wel-come to participate!

Cold Weather Parade Attire

Parades are outside and weather can be unpredict-able. Here are the ac-ceptable items to wear with your costume to stay warm!

Trinity Fleece or plain black fleece

Plain black turtleneck underneath your cos-tume.

Plain black gloves.

Girls: Plain black ear warmer. Boys: Plain black ear warmers or a plain black hat.

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Parade State Date Meet Time Parade Kick Off

Elmhurst IL March 4 11:45 Meet at 855 Spring Road

12:00pm

Country-side

IL March 5 12:00

Kensington Ave close to 61st Street.

*If you are dropping off your danc-er, please do so at 59th St. and

Kensington. Access will be limited and this is a designated drop off

location

1:00

Palatine IL March 11

10:00 11:00am

Chicago Downtown

IL March 11

11:00 12:00pm

Chicago South Side

IL March 12

11:00 12:00pm

Chicago Northwest

Side

IL March 12

11:00 12:00pm

Milwaukee WI March 11

12:00 12:00pm

Madison WI March 12

12:30 1:30pm

Costume

Your Trinity school costume

or

If you do not have a costume, you need to wear black pants and Trinity fleece or plain black fleece

Hair

Pre-Beginner Girls: hair natural, hair half-up. pre-beginner bow

Beginner & Up Girls: wig, poodle headband

Boys: N/A

Footwear

Girls: poodle socks, plain black or white gym shoes

Boys: plain black or white gym shoes

If you are walking in a parade, please wear:

1. Black pants (any type).

2. Trinity Black fleece or a plain black jacket/fleece.

Attention Milwaukee Students!! The Third Ward Stu-dio will be donating ALL lost and found items left at the studio on the 6th of March. Please pick up any items that you wish to keep!

Spring Feis Figures! Be on the lookout

for Team Trinity:

Spring Feis

Figures program letters,

arriving in your

email. Registration will

open when the program

letter email is sent.

OIREACHTAS TEAM TRYOUTS!

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Its that time of year again! Getting ready for our favorite competition in the Mid-West!

1st Round of Tryouts - Saturday, May 13th / Illinois & Wisconsin dancers on the

same day

Illinois Dancers / Elmhurst Studios

U15/O15 9-10:30am

U12 10:30-12pm

U10 12-1:30pm

U8 1-2pm

Wisconsin Dancers - Third Ward Studios

U8 3-4pm

U10 3:30-5pm

U12 4:30-6pm

U15/O15 5:30-7pm

2nd Round of Tryouts (Callbacks) - Saturday, May 20th / Illinois & Wisconsin

dancers on the same day

Illinois & Wisconsin Dancers / Oak Grove School - 1700 O'Plaine Rd, Libertyville, IL 60048

U8 11:30-12:30pm

U10 12:30-2pm

U12 2-3:30pm

U15/Senior 3:30-5pm

Who is eligible for the Oireachtas Team Trinity tryout?

PERFORMANCE AND CONDITIONING CLASS - U14 and older are eligible to tryout if you

were on a 2016 Oireachtas team, or by invitation from your weekly teacher.

ACCELERATED SERIES – All ages and levels are required to tryout for Team Trinity.

CORE SERIES – (The below age groups are as of January 1st, 2017).

PRE-BEGINNER: Dancers at this age and level would naturally not yet possess the skills neces-

sary for this level of team dancing. Please look forward to this opportunity in the future!

BEGINNER: Dancers at this level are still very new to the skill set necessary for this level of team

dancing, however there may be a handful of students that teachers feel are able at this time. You

have to be invited by your teacher in order to tryout.

BEGINNER 2: Any dancer U13 and younger is eligible to tryout.

NOVICE/PRIZEWINNER/PC: Any dancer U13 and younger is eligible to tryout. U14 and

older are eligible to tryout if you were on a 2016 Oireachtas team, or by invitation from your weekly

teacher.

Questions about info below: Email Anne Blume (anne.blume.trinity@gmail.com)

New Role for TPT Parents!

CROWD SURFER

Last week at our Outreach Shows we had a light bulb go off! The

audience wants to talk to us. Us – the Trinity Parents! They want to

ask questions, confirm things they heard the MC say, tell us how

amazing our children are and let us know they know

MARK HOWARD!

Based on that observation, we realized we are missing a huge op-

portunity to share the love we have for Trinity and recruit new

families. So we came up with this idea of CROWD SURFERS. We

are asking the MCs at each show to identify 2 or 3 Trinity parents

who can stick around for 5 or 10 minutes after the performance to

mingle with the audience.

While we are asking the MCs to identify Crowd Surfers at each

show, wouldn’t it be wonderful if you just went up to the MC and

offered to play that role? Stay tuned to your emails for the FAQ and

Instructions document!

Introducing the new referral card!

We have a new referral card! We will be giving these to all of our families ASAP. These new referral cards allow you to give half the ticket with basic Trinity information to the potential new family and keep half the ticket with the potential family’s email address or phone number. The old referral cards are ok to continue to use if you still have some. There is also a “referred by” line on both halves of the ticket so YOUR FAMILY gets rewarded, in line with our Referral Program!

You can send a pic of your half of the Takeaway Ticket with potential new family’s email address/contact info to Cynthia Oblein via FB Messenger, email at Cynthia.oblein.trinity@gmail.com or text to Cynthia at

262-705-1465

“Galway Races” is a four-part narrative about 48 hours during the 1994 World Irish Dance Championships

when all seemed lost for Trinity Academy of Irish Dance’s Under 13 Figure Choreography team. Central to the

story is Trinity Team Director Anne Bloom, who is now coaching Trinity’s Under 13 Figure Choreography team

bound for the 2017 World Irish Dance Championships in Dublin, and Trinity Instructor Katie Hughes whose

spirit and dedication during the 1994 competition, and beyond, inspired an annual award for Trinity dancers.

GALWAY RACES

7

The sun is setting in Dublin as Amy Campbell scans a hotel hall full of little girls. Amy is just 24 and coaching her

first team competitions in the 1994 World Irish Dance Championships. Earlier in the day, one of Trinity’s dancers,

Anne McCarthy, sprained her ankle during her solo competition. Now Amy faces the biggest challenge of her young

coaching career and a long night ahead of her. She must prepare another dancer to master Anne’s position for the

next morning’s Ceili and, even more daunting, she must re-arrange dancers in Trinity’s promising figure choreogra-

phy dance called “Galway Races,” for tomorrow evening’s competition, which is just 24 hours from now. It is an

unimaginable, next-to-impossible task for both dancers and coach. Amy immediately taps 11-year-old Katie Hughes

as Anne’s replacement. Katie, the best dancer of her age in Trinity, once had been on the Ceili team but after she

suffered an injury, Katie’s doctors and coaches advised her to reduce the wear and tear on her feet and focus on

preparing for her solo competition and the choreography dance. “You know how to do this,” Amy tells Katie. “Just

get out on the floor and do what you know.” But Amy clearly understands the test ahead. Katie now has to learn

Anne’s position in a matter of hours. She and seven other dancers will compete against teams that have been danc-

ing together for years, not months – or, as it seems to have turned out for Trinity, mere hours. Katie, who’s a slight

girl with a big smile, has stood out as a stellar Irish dancer for several years. She also has been wracked by various

foot injuries. Now Katie must pick up Anne’s spot and learn to dance two Ceilis in the event that the team gets re-

called. Then – if there’s time – she must try to learn a new position on her choreography team. Anne resolves to stay

positive for her team and particularly for her new friend, Katie. Anne, who’s from Wisconsin, and Katie, who’s from

the South Side of Chicago, have grown closer through the months of practice, carpools and sleepovers. “This is

amazing that you’re stepping in at the last second,” Anne tells Katie. “You’re going to do great.” Katie, who’s typical-

ly one to crack a joke easily, responds stoically as other teammates gather to also encourage her. Amy works fervent-

ly through the night with Katie and the team. Anne sits nearby, doing what she can to help the team perfect the

uniformity of movement and precision that’s expected in this dance. It is a dance steeped in Irish tradition and life;

not just part of competitions but a stable of weddings and parties. Trinity’s competitors may look similar enough off

the dance floor but once the ghillies are laced, it’s like when American gymnasts face their peers from Romania or

U.S. marathoners line up against Kenyans. The yanks don’t have a chance. Only after Amy is somewhat satisfied

with the look of the Ceili can she turn to the figure choreography. It is well past 9 p.m. Figure choreography teams

are made up of 16 dancers and generally have one or two alternate dancers. This year, the alternate is Ashley Casey

from Western Springs, a girl who has practiced with the team from the beginning but does not anticipate that she

actually will compete. Now, late on this Sunday night, Amy determines that Ashley will step into Katie’s position,

which is a spot she has practiced, and for Katie to take Annie’s spot. The name of the dance is Galway Races, created

by Trinity’s Mark Howard with help from British Choreographer Richard Griffin. Katie Hughes at her first World

Irish Dance Championship solo competition in Dublin in 1994 at age 11. Despite many injuries and a diagnosis of

scoliosis, Katie remained a top world contender until she retired in 2004 after ranking 5th on the world stage. Their

work together marks the first time that a European and an American choreographer have collaborated on an entry

for the World Championships. The partnership has created a bit of a buzz because Richard also is coaching a com-

peting team in the same age group and category. But both men put the art form above all else and have relished

their work together. Richard flew into Chicago twice and worked with Mark to help his creation of Galway Races, a

dance that varies from all other choreography in its speed and formations. The dancers start in two straight drill

lines and girls break off in twos with leaps that are meant to represent horses shooting out of the starting gate. Mark

is coaching the older Trinity teams and has given Amy this younger team to perfect “Galway Races.” She has worked

tirelessly for months to put into motion what Mark had created. Days earlier, Richard had visited the hotel in Dublin

where the team was staying and, in a small breakfast room, watched in amazement and delight as the team prac-

ticed “Galway Races.” This Trinity team would be soon competing against a couple dozen other teams, including

Richard’s team. “I’ll have some explaining to do at home,” Richard joked. “I might be sleeping on the couch.” Back

in this very same hotel breakfast room, on this late Sunday night, no such certainty exists. McCarthy’s fellow team

parents strive to stay positive but they know that everything has changed in the past 24 hours. Most have spent

years working to get their daughters to this moment in Irish Dance. Most recently, they’ve dedicated the past few

months and lots of money to drive their girls to practices in union halls, Moose lodges and churches in and around

Milwaukee and Chicago, then to fly them to Ireland. Now, parents gather outside the practice room in the hotel

restaurant and pub. Everyone feels sorry for Anne but fear her injury means the team has already lost any chance of

even placing in the figure choreography competition. No one voices this concern; they don’t have to. Amy focuses on

the choreography, knowing that she can’t remove the tension and unease among dancers and parents. She moves

her dancers around like puzzle pieces, and breaks down each section of the dance for Katie and Ashley. The team

works though the evening, finally stopping around 1 a.m. when Mark calls it a night. They will all be up again in a

few short hours, sometime around 5:30 a.m., to prepare for the morning Ceili. Finally, alone in her hotel room, the

usually calm and confident Katie breaks down in tears as her mother, Kathy Hughes, sets out to roll her hair. Kathy

has never seen her daughter so rattled. “What if I can’t pull it off,” Katie cries. “I’m so scared. I don’t want to mess

up. Everyone is counting on me.” Kathy Hughes, like Amy and Mark and the other adults, knows the challenge that’s

ahead. She admits nothing. “You can do it, Katie,” Kathy says calmly. Then in a firmer voice, “If Amy and Mark say

you can do it, then you can do it!” Katie kneels beside the bed as her mother works on her hair. She soon falls asleep,

still kneeling against the mattress. Her mother continues rolling her little girl’s thick blonde hair and prays there’s

some truth to all her brash talk and bravado. ….

To Be Continued March 15th……….

Part Two: Katie Steps Up

Katie Hughes at her first

World Irish Dance Champion-

ship solo competition in Dub-

lin in 1994 at age 11. Despite

many injuries and a diagnosis

of scoliosis, Katie remained a

top world contender until she

retired in 2004 after ranking

5th on the world stage.

Her hair set in pink sponge curlers,

Katie Hughes, 11, falls asleep ex-

hausted with her buddy "Ozgood J.

Z'Beard" after staying up past 1 a.m.

to prepare for the next day's Ceili

and choreography competitions in

the 1994 World Irish Dance Cham-

pionships in Dublin. (Photo by

Kathy Hughes)

MEET THE OFFICE! BETWEEN CLASS ENROLLMENT, SHOW SCHEDULES, MEMBERSHIP DUES, DRESS FITTINGS, AND EVERY

OTHER ASPECT OF TRINITY, THERE ARE BOUND TO BE SOME QUESTIONS. HERE IS A LITTLE WHO'S WHO

IN THE OFFICE TO HELP GET YOUR QUESTIONS TO THE RIGHT PERSON.

The Trinity Elmhurst Office is Open Monday-Friday from 9a-5p

The phone number for the Office is:

630-415-3382

Natalie Howard is the director of the Trinity Academ y of Ir ish Dance.

natalie@trinityirishdance.com

Maggie Doyle is the Perform ance Manager. Send her any of your TPT, Ensem ble or Trinity Ir ish Dance Com pany questions.

maggie@trinityirishdance.com

Sarah Russell is our Booking Manager. If you have any questions about booking a show , she can help you.

sarah@trinityirishdance.com

Alicia Murphy is our Program Adm inistrator .You can contact Alicia for class registration help, questions about program m ing,

and class changes (transferring locations, signed up for a wrong class/level, etc.).

alicia@trinityirishdance.com

For help with anything regarding Trinity Wear, you can contact Alicia at trinity.dance.wear@gmail.com

Anne Leonard is the Trinity Booster Club Manager. She is here to help w ith any and all Booster Club related

questions.

anne@trinityirishdance.com

Casey Carroll is the Trinity Booster Club Com m unications Coordinator . Send her any questions about your TBC m em bership

dues, TBC website questions, dress questions, and TBC events like Winter Weekend.

casey@trinityirishdance.com

Limited Office Hours:

Ian Dolby handles all billing inquires

ian@trinityirishdance.com

Cynthia Oblein New Enrollm ent Coordinator cynthia@trinityirishdance.com Kim Niewiedzial New Enrollm ent Coordinator kimandsteven@comcast.net

Your teachers are also a great resource. You can reach them by Trinity email. Every Trinity teacher's email is their first-

name.lastname.trinity@gmail.com

Michaela Donohue is the Academ y Manager

michaela.donohue.trinity@gmail.com

Deirdre Vrbancic is the Associate Director , covering the IL Core Program and all of the Accelerated Program s. deirdre.vrbancic.trinity@gmail.com

Anne Blume is the Associate Director , covering the W I Core Program and the Team Program . anne.blume.trinity@gmail.com