his is just a heads up that most of the registration confirmation packets today have been mailed. Some will be mailed on Tuesday, August 26, and so everyone should receive theirs by Thursday or Friday, August 28 or 29. If you have not gotten your mailing by then, please let me know at denise ~at~ (replace with @) culkinschool.com.
The mailing contains your letter listing the class(es) your dancer(s) is signed up for, some of your demographic information (addresses, phone numbers and emails) and a record of your account. It also contains your tuition payment coupons; the first installment is due September 10. And lastly it has the emergency contact form for this year and a short newsletter full of "save the dates."
Thanks everyone! Irish Dance classes resume on September 15, so if we don't see you before then, enjoy the end of summer!
Alexandria Irish Festival Saturday August 2, 2008 5:15 pm - 5:45 pm ALL LEVELS
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Montgomery County Fair Saturday August 9, 2008 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
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DC Gaels Fundraiser at McGinty's Sunday August 24, 2008 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm ALL LEVELS
This Gaelic Athletic Association fundraiser is supporting our local Irish sports team on their way to Boston to compete in the North American Championships. Info at http://www.wdcgaels.com
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Kensington Labor Day Parade Date: Monday September 1, 2008 10:00 - 11:00 AM ALL LEVELS
It's been a busy few weeks and we've got the photos to prove it! Visit the our Photo Gallery or select one of the following links to see what we've been up to!
Enrollment for new students, including new adult beginners, is currently underway. The Culkin adult beginner class will be held Mondays in Bethesda from 7:00 to 8:00 PM beginning September 15.
For more information, visit the Enrollment page on this website for information on registration or to download an enrollment form.
Here's wishing great dancing and safe travels to the Culkin School dancers heading to the North American Irish Dance Championships this week in Nashville, Tennessee. Championship dancers Nikki M, Corrine M and Sean R will be competing in solo competitions. And the Ladies Ceili team will represent the Culkin School in the Adult Ladies 8-hand team competition. Dancers include: Tammy L, Kate R, KC F, Melissa d, Alexandra W, Julie D, Amy T-W, Debbie K and our alternate Bonnie Z.
Summer feiseanna keep bringing good news for our dancers! Congratulations to our newest Open Champions, Molly L and Kate B for their 1st place wins at Old Dominion Feis. Congrats also to Samantha D for qualifying for Preliminary Championships. Way to go ladies!
It has been a GREAT ’07-’08 school year. The school continues to grow from strength to strength.
I want to thank: My family, especially Denise, my wife; All our teachers, Nicki Bayhurst, Caterina Earle and Megan Howard; All our assistant teachers, Megan Moloney, Kate Bole, Denise Olive, Ed Parmalee, Tammy Larson, Jennifer Rittenhouse and Jen Smith; and all our student assistants.
And of course you, the parents and students.
I am looking forward to a break in Sligo, Ireland with my family beginning after my Dublin meeting tomorrow Sunday. I wish you all a summer that does have some rest in it, to “recharge the battery”.
Please do sign up for all the shows we have and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!!
As May and June rolls in, we say congratulations (and goodbye) to our seniors, some of whom have been with us for a decade. Graduating from college this year is Jen S. Our high school seniors include Phillip S, Rachel K, Erica S, Jenny E and Nikki M. Good luck to those heading to college nearby, across the country and across the Atlantic! We'll miss you!
(If the webmaster missed any of our seniors, please send an email to webmaster ~at~ culkinschool.com an I'll get the info posted!)
Adult Open Gym returns to Hughes this summer! Sessions will be held for all levels of adult dancers on Wednesday evenings from 8:00 to 10:00pm beginning June 25 and ending August 27. The idea of these sessions is to work on and refine material dancers already have.
The cost is $10 per session and a minimum of 10 dancers is needed for each session. If we don’t have enough dancers registered in advance for a particular night, we will have to cancel that date.
Please download a registration form and return it to reserve your space.
Congratulations to our CCE Competitors... and our newest Champs!
Congratulations to all of our dancers who did so well today at the Comhaltas Irish Dance Festival - the CCE Feis. It was great to see so many out there wearing the Sligo black and white!
Congrats, especially, to three of our newest championship dancers: Kia R and Mary Margaret S both qualified for Prelminary Championships. And earning her second 1st place in prelims, Allie P qualifies for Open Championships! Way to go girls!
For the school year beginning in September 2008, six beginner classes will be offered that are open to boys and girls aged 5-10, as well as a new Culkin Kids class for students ages 3-5. Class start dates will be posted as soon as they are available.
Tuesday at 4:00 in Washington, DC ~ NEW LOCATION!
Tuesday at 4:00 in Bethesda
Tuesday at 4:45 in Rockville (St. John's)
Wednesday at 4:15 in Silver Spring
Thursday at 4:15 in Kensington
Saturday at 9:30 in Rockville (Rockville United Methodist)
New this year! ~ FALL BEGINNER PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN AGES 3-5
Our “CULKIN KIDS” program is 30 minutes long and runs 7 or 10 weeks. There is no separate registration fee for these classes. Classes are held Saturdays, 9:00 at Rockville United Methodist Church
Session 1 - September 20 - November 22 (10 weeks, $100)
Session 2 - January 10 - March 14 (10 weeks, $100)
Session 3 - April 25 - June 6 (7 week, $70)
More on class locations is available after the jump...
We've added a new "Frequently Asked Questions" folder to the Culkin School Yahoo! Group to help answer questions you may not be able to find on the website. Currently, there are detailed answers to questions on ordering Culkin School costumes and Irish dance competitions.
We've added a few new photo galleries to the website and updated some of the existing galleries. Be sure to take a few minutes to see the pictures for:
The Culkin School is implementing a new Yahoo! Groups based system to to tell our students about upcoming performance opportunities, and for dancers to sign up for those shows that will work with your schedule. We've added a Show Sign Up Information page to the website that explains how to use the new system. Take a look!
A HUGE thank you to Jenny Ramarui for holding meetings at Trinity in Bethesda for new dancers and parents in regards to ordering school costumes and learning about Feiseanna (Irish dance competitions). If you were unable to attend these meetings held prior to our Spring Break, please feel free to access the FAQ sheets that were put together to help guide you as much as possible.
Sean also handed out these FAQs at Hughes and St. Paul's, however if you missed them, please access them here or on our Frequently Asked Questions page! If you have any further questions, email Nicki at Nicki@culkinschool.com
In the last week or so, we've added a host of new videos to our YouTube channel -- some recent, as well as some "vintage" performances from 2000 and 2001. Featured are videos from the December 2007 Kennedy Center Millennium Stage St. Stephen's Day show.
A hugely successful show at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage kicked off the Culkin School's Irish Dance March Madness. There are host of upcoming shows, parades and other events, so be sure to check in here and through the Yahoo! Group for the latest info.
If you attended the show and have pictures... or plan on taking pictures at some of our upcoming event, please email the webmaster and consider sending your pictures in for posting.
Back by popular demand! Culkin School summer programs at Glen Echo and at Hughes. New this year -- Hughes camps for our returning students. Classes start in July and continue through August. Each individual camp runs for about two weeks.
The Culkin School's Kennedy Center Millennium Stage performance made the front page of the March 12 edition of the 
A hugely successful show at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage kicked off the Culkin School's Irish Dance March Madness. There are host of upcoming shows, parades and other events, so be sure to check in here and through the Yahoo! Group for the latest info.
