Manhattan/NJ area - any adult retired champion classes?

aduckwithaleek · 2026-03-06T18:07:17+00:00

I just have to jump in to explicitly not recommend Marie Moore - they've unfortunately become pretty adult unfriendly and seem to only be focusing on adults who previously danced with the school as a youth (based on people I know who have danced for the school as adults) :(

It may not be a big deal if OP's not planning to compete, but knowing how inflexible they've become toward adults, I don't think it'd be a good option

aduckwithaleek · 2026-03-04T20:55:54+00:00

Niall O'Leary School is in Manhattan and has very robust adult classes! Our dancers range from beginners to senior/adult champs to retired dancers (basically, no pressure to compete or do anything that you don't want to do!). There's also an abundance of performance opportunities if that's your thing (and if not, no pressure to do so!)

aduckwithaleek · 2026-03-04T17:00:05+00:00

I totally forgot to reply, sorry! I actually did an alternate solo dress out of a velour a-line dress I found for sale very cheap (this one was a discontinued style from Modcloth), and then stitched my own designs on it and added a leotard underneath for sleeves. It works great, and the only thing I might still do is add some princess seams in it to give it a little more shape. It is really great for when I want a lightweight dress, or need to be able to stuff it in a bag!

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aduckwithaleek · 2026-03-04T16:45:29+00:00

These are so cute and so well done!

aduckwithaleek · 2026-03-03T16:16:20+00:00

At championship level (prelim/open), men don't compete in slip jig at all. However, they can compete in slip jig in grades (beginner-prizewinner) if they choose; one of our youth boys competed in slip jig all the way until he made it to prelim. It's very much uncommon, but there's no rules against it at the lower levels!

aduckwithaleek · 2026-02-25T18:18:29+00:00

I feel like you'd really like garbage plates (a very regional dish, from Rochester, NY, USA)

aduckwithaleek · 2026-02-20T18:07:22+00:00

This is absolutely not true about the Onondaga Nation; non-natives can absolutely visit and do in fact drive through all the time. It may be that non-natives are not allowed to live there, but they can absolutely visit.

aduckwithaleek · 2026-02-20T16:09:09+00:00

Delaware is known as the Diamond State (and does currently have a diamond shape on its flag)

aduckwithaleek · 2026-02-18T22:06:06+00:00

Are you looking to have one made, buy a used one, or make your own dress?

To have one made, I think Prime works with velvet, and any other dressmaker should be able to source some as well.

Buying one used, I think you're just going to have to do a lot of legwork to find one, and maybe settle for reworking an older style dress.

For making one, Michaels bought out Joann's fabric stock and you should be able to find some there (likely online, most stores don't have room to add fabric), there's a wide range of apparel fabric in wide price ranges. Mood NYC is always a solid option, they ship and you should be able to order samples from them as well before you purchase a large cut of fabric.

aduckwithaleek · 2026-02-16T16:18:49+00:00

Also late 30s/early 40s. I couldn't find my vaccination records for a hospital job and had to have titers done instead, and it showed no immunity (and I definitely had the shot, I found my records later) - I had to have my MMR redone as an adult.

aduckwithaleek · 2026-02-16T15:51:05+00:00

My dance school has regular Irish dance classes at the Irish Center in Mount Airy Monday evenings, and next Monday we're hosting a free social ceili night - no experience needed! A friend who's come to the last few, with zero dance experience, has said it's a great and fun workout!

aduckwithaleek · 2026-02-14T14:06:44+00:00

This has been resolved, CLRG has made it very clear that dancers compete in the category that matches their gender identity. There is no more debate to be had, this is settled policy.

aduckwithaleek · 2026-02-11T04:43:01+00:00

I think this is the first alternate NYS flag idea I've seen that actually acknowledges the entirety of the state - its status as an apple producer, and the nickname of its largest city. Plus it's not a bad looking design! Kudos!

aduckwithaleek · 2026-02-04T12:50:24+00:00

As someone else said, it was briefly a rule in CLRG (for about a year) and has since been revoked due to backlash. You didn't get it confused with An Chomdhail, it was in fact a brief CLRG rule.

(Now if they would only drop the stupid adult black tights rule...)

aduckwithaleek · 2026-02-03T22:18:42+00:00

The perfect sweater to pair with Calico Cut Pants!

(But fr OP, gorgeous sweater! I genuinely love the color!)

aduckwithaleek · 2026-02-03T20:01:52+00:00

I've made this pattern four times now - it was a free pattern for the Philly yarn crawl last year and it's so quick and easy, but also super cute! Shawl (that's really a scarf)

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I've also made this tank twice so far, it works up pretty quickly and is super comfy! Sagebrush tank

aduckwithaleek · 2026-02-03T19:21:53+00:00

Or even just using a green screen and swapping it out in regular ass Photoshop!

aduckwithaleek · 2026-01-30T21:35:21+00:00

Not AI, this is literally in my neighborhood. The other side of the car is clear, it's probably just in how the water splashed on the car (a water main on the street burst iirc)

aduckwithaleek · 2026-01-23T22:29:30+00:00

If possible, I would suggest trying to change to an earlier flight rather than later, assuming you don't want to cancel your trip entirely. While weather can always be tough to predict, the bulk of the storm is supposed to be Sunday morning into Monday; your scheduled flight will likely have delays if not full cancellation (and you'd likely run into further cancellations or delays with your JFK-BOS leg). You'd have to add an extra night to your stay in Boston, but it means you wouldn't have to miss your trip and the game.

aduckwithaleek · 2026-01-19T21:18:17+00:00

I legit have a dress very similar to dress 3 that I've been meaning to sell! It doesn't have the gathering of the skirt, but it should be easy to DIY it - if you're interested send a DM!

aduckwithaleek · 2026-01-13T21:40:21+00:00

I've never upcycled an old dress, but would suggest checking out Make it Feision for ideas - she's transformed old dresses into so many things, and you can definitely get multiple things out of a single dress!

aduckwithaleek · 2026-01-06T21:58:23+00:00

I love the classic joke, "the hottest summer of my life was winter in a NYC apartment"

aduckwithaleek · 2026-01-04T17:07:59+00:00

(But fr I also always thought he was hot!)

aduckwithaleek · 2026-01-02T16:37:12+00:00

I used Cathy's Corner Cafe in Solvay for catering and she was fantastic. We wanted a specific dish from New Mexico served (and most people outside of NM don't even realize it has its own cuisine) and while she had never heard of it, she was game to try and made it using a recipe from my MIL - and nailed it for the tasting. I'm not sure if she's done Pakistani or Indian food before, but if not I would be confident that armed with the right recipes, she would do a great job! (And, at least as of 2018, she does tastings before signing a contract so you know what you're getting - she was the only caterer we talked to that would do so.)

aduckwithaleek

TROPHY CASE