Tamasine's blog..

... our DOTM from DECEMBER 2007... Aislinn Ryan. On Friday night Aislinn was crowned as the New Zealand Rose of Tralee and will represent NZ in the grand finals in Tralee in Ireland in August.

FOr those who want to know a bit more about this amazing festival here is what the festival organizers have to say about it all. "The Rose of Tralee International Festival celebrates 49 years of continuous festival in 2008, and is one of Ireland’s longest running festivals. It is based around the selection of the Rose of Tralee, an international event that encompasses young women of Irish descent from Ireland and around the world.

Every year more than 30 International Roses come to Tralee, supported by friends and family. The five-day Festival comprises Rose Selection, family carnival, fashion show and live concerts, in addition to welcoming visitors and delegates from regions worldwide represented by each Rose. During this time the town’s streets are transformed into a feast of parades, music, circus, funfair, markets and live performance."

riverdance's last ever UK tour!It's great news...Riverdance is back on tour in the UK in 2009. However IDM have just had the official word that this will be the LAST EVER UK tour of the show!

The Riverdance Farewell Tour will visit fourteen cities across the UK from January 2009 . This is the last chance for UK audiences to see the show rightly described by the Irish Times as “The Original...The Best”, tickets are on sale from 9am on 6 June 2008 and can be purchased by phone on 0844 576 5483 or online at www.livenation.co.uk.

Composed by Bill Whelan, Produced by Moya Doherty and Directed by John McColgan, the full-length show opened in February 1995 in the Point Theatre, Dublin and The Farewell Tour will be the eighth time that Riverdance has performed across the UK where it has been experienced by over 2.7 million people in well over 1000 performances in 18 cities and the show has lost none of its magic. The worldwide TV audience for Riverdance is in excess of 2 billion people.

Riverdance has received rave reviews across the world but perhaps the simplicity of The Guardian’s verdict sums it up: “Dance does not often get so good.” Riverdance is a celebration of Irish dance and culture, presented with sophistication and vibrancy.” The Hollywood Reporter acclaimed, “the sort of spectacle and experience that comes along once in a lifetime.”

This series of dates in 2009 represent the chance for UK Riverdance fans old and new to experience a truly phenomenal piece of theatrical entertainment. Don’t miss out!

Also keep an eye on IDM in the coming months for some once in a lifetime Riverdance prizes in celebration of this final farewell!

For general Riverdance info, log on to www.riverdance.com
RIVERDANCE UK TOUR DATES 2009

BRISTOL Hippodrome
Monday 26 – Saturday 31 January 2009

PLYMOUTH Pavilions
Tuesday 3 – Sunday 8 February 2009

BOURNEMOUTH BIC
Tuesday 10 – Sunday 15 February 2009

LONDON Hammersmith Apollo
Wednesday 18 – Saturday 21 February 2009

OXFORD New Theatre
Monday 23 – Saturday 28 February 2009

EDINBURGH Playhouse
Tuesday 3 – Saturday 7 March 2009

BIRMINGHAM NIA
Monday 9 – Saturday 14 March 2009

NOTTINGHAM Royal Concert Hall
Monday 16 March – Saturday 21 March 2009

MANCHESTER Opera House
Monday 23 – Saturday 28 March 2009

CARDIFF CIA
Monday 30 March – Wednesday 1 April 2009

BRIGHTON Centre
Thursday 2 – Saturday 4 April 2009

SUNDERLAND Empire
Monday 6 – Saturday 11 April 2009

IPSWICH Regent
Monday 13 – Saturday 18 April 2009

LIVERPOOL Empire
Monday 20 – Saturday 25 April 2009

Well here you can see... Michael Donnellan puts some CRC campers through their paces drilling them hard. Michael is among the greatest Irish Dancers in the world having been in Riverdance and LOTD before helping create Magic of the dance.

Hey guys.. We have been saving up a load of new COC awards for those members we feel deserve a pat on the back for using the site well and helping others.

The new COC awards have go to:

sissy
2irishdancer
trinity28
kimmy
Coenso
petals
danceprincessxx
irishpaddy
shamrocksthename
blackbird
anam_mor

Well done everyone! And as ever, if there is someone on the site you feel deserves an award just let us know!

IDM are happy to announce that the following announcement has been made by Michael Mullane ADCRG.

To registered teachers and dancers:

At the An Coimisiun le Rince Gaelacha's AGM meeting held in Dublin on May 18, 2008 - a motion was proposed by the Irish Dance Teacher's Association of North America to rescind the "tights rule" that was to become effective January 1, 2009 for all dancers aged 19 and older.

After a full discussion, it was voted upon and approved that the rule be rescinded effective immediately.

It should also be noted that An Coimisiun, through its appointed Costume Committee, will continue to monitor and pursue the enforcement of required costume lengths at all Feiseanna and Major Competitions.
Michael Mullane ADCRG

The Southern England Regional Council (SERC) and the Great Britain Championships Oireachtas Committee are proud to introduce the all-new Great Britain Championships, to be held in Bognor Regis, in October, 2008. The Championships will be the 2008 Secondary Qualifier for Great Britain.

The dates for the comp are 18,19 and 20th October 2008! Go to the GB website for all the information!

IDM are super excited about this new venue and wish to congratulate SERC and the Great Britain Championships Oireachtas Committee on securing another exciting venue!

Booking for accommodation opens on May 26th so get your telephone dialing fingers at the ready! Please be aware that the booking line does not open to the general public till 9am on May 26th. -- Please note that if you book direct via Butlins access to the GB's will not be given.

Found this today! How amazing is this... its from Magic of the Dance...anyone seen it?

So, for those of you reading my blog this morning... you'll be pleased to discover that today is the day of the new treasure hunt. For those of you that don't know, an IDM treasure hunt is where we hide a medal somewhere on the site and you have to find it. Then, you need to private message me (Tamasine) by Sunday 11th at 6pm GMT telling me your user name and saying where you found the medal.

So this hunt is themed around summer as here in the UK we have had our first week of glorious weather for 2008. So get hunting! The medal is up...NOW!

Just thought I would share some exciting news with you... exciting for the magazine but also exciting for me personally.

I have been shortlisted for the PPA Independent Publisher awards "Editor of the Year," for my work on IDM!

These are kinda like the Oscars for magazines! It's a huge honor just to be shortlisted. I am so proud just to have made the shortlist...I find out on Tuesday who wins overall so will keep you updated...

I am up against some super stiff competition, so don't expect to come home with any furniture for my mantelpiece, but it's reminded me just what a great bunch of readers you lot are: if you all weren't so passionate about IDM then my job would be so much less amazing than you all make it! So Thank You!

SO, I know many of you guys are fans of Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus. So, driving home last night from work my ears pricked up when her name was mentioned on the radio. I listened with interest as a journalist and Art critic discussed her recent Vanity Fair photoshoot.

If you haven't heard about this, Miley has just been shot for Vanity Fair magazine and has been forced to apologies to her fans for posing with her back and arm bare. The radio show spend a good 15 minutes discussing if this was art of if she was being glamorized too much for a 15 year old girl.

Now, while I agree at 15 you are two young to be exposing too much skin, I find it hard to see why everyone is getting so upset. Look at these two images, One is of Miley at the shoot, the other of her at a film premier. Nobody complains if she wears a low-cut or backless dress but the media seem to have jumped on the idea that Vanity fair and photographer Annie L have gone beyond the acceptable norm with this magazine shoot!

This just got me so mad, that sometimes the media blow things out of proportion just to get a story to fill their pages or in this case radio show...

I wondered what you guys thought?