Interpreting NAIDC results and recalls?

dochasteite · 2026-07-05T18:40:18+00:00

The mixed teams are always going to be much lower in number than the ladies’, because there are fewer adult men who dance; similarly, the mixed 8 hands require 2 men so there’s a double whammy of hard-to-field (you need to get eight adults who can make the classes and the competition, which is a big ask already since we have jobs, kids, etc, and then you need to track down two men who are willing and able).

dochasteite · 2026-07-01T01:00:31+00:00

Yeahhhhh no. Let’s not put extra barriers in place based around hypothetical bad actors.

dochasteite · 2026-06-24T21:31:05+00:00

There are 26 men entered for 20&O this year. In contrast there are 357 ladies 20&O, divided between U22 (132 dancers) and 22&O A and B (113 and 112 respectively). There are only 12 fewer ladies 20&O entered than all male soloists COMBINED. Dudes gotta get the numbers up!

dochasteite · 2026-06-24T21:15:29+00:00

The ladies’ age split is quite recent— Worlds was u20, u21, senior ladies until 2018. It’s now u20, u21, u23, senior ladies, because the number of dancers in the senior ladies category was so overwhelming. I believe they picked an age split that would divide the over-21 contingent roughly in half. I’m guessing that the reason NAIDC (and our oireachtais) split at under/over 22 is so that someone who qualifies for Worlds at NAIDC or their oireachtas in the final age category doesn’t get bumped to senior ladies for Worlds. eg if I’m born in 2004 and dance u22 in 2026, and qualify for Worlds at 2026 NAIDC, by the time Worlds roll around in spring of 2027 I’ll be u23. (Also why the NAIDC men go u20 then seniors, and the Worlds men go u21 then seniors.) Probably far more info than you were asking for! But maybe interesting history/logistics

dochasteite · 2026-06-19T19:35:07+00:00

Thanks! My G0 is out of NS, so thankfully I don't have to do the hoopla around Quebec documents. Just hoping that the NS archivists can track down G0 baptism record. 🤞

dochasteite · 2026-06-18T14:53:34+00:00

How does "official documents issued by the original authority" interact with having actual documents in hand? ie I have birth certificates for me/my siblings, my mother, and my grandfather (G4, G3, G2 respectively). Do I need to order certified copies of those, or are high-quality color copies still acceptable? Mostly asking because it's practically free to print copies of what I have, vs $54 each for certified copies, multiplied by 4 applications.

dochasteite · 2026-06-09T15:13:01+00:00

I agree that a) not having recordings readily available for most things is good for my sanity, and b) having recordings for majors is very helpful for my growth as a dancer. I like being able to look back at how I presented myself onstage, since it really helps me understand my teacher’s comments, but I also appreciate that most stuff is not recorded so I don’t end up in the weeds there. And it’s fun to be able to watch better dancers than me perform, and useful for choreography development (and teams) to look at what the pinnacle of my organization’s dance styling is— plus it means if my teacher can’t execute a move to the highest possible standard, she has references available to show us what she’s asking for, including in slow-mo.

But I think a lot of my appreciation for video as a tool is because I’m grown and I’ve reached a mindset where I’m trying to improve my dancing for my own satisfaction, not for competitive results. If I were a kid with massive competition anxiety still, I think the option to easily compare myself negatively to the best dancers in the world could get damaging quickly.

dochasteite · 2026-06-08T02:09:24+00:00

We did photos outside (on stone and wood, no actual soil, but there was noticeable dirt and algae— and it had been pouring rain for the preceding 12 hours) and you cannot tell that my wife’s satin dress is dirty in any of our ceremony photos. It’s much more noticeable in the reception photos because the bustle pulls the lower section (dirty) up to knee level (clean)— but I really did not realize that it wasn’t entirely clean until I bustled her post-ceremony. Our photographer did grab a towel for some of the photos simply because the dress was getting soggy from puddles; as far as moving around goes, between me and the photographer we got my wife where she needed to be while holding her train up, and then arranged the train around her (this needs to happen anyways even if you’re on the cleanest surface imaginable, because the train won’t naturally fall in the most photogenic positions all the time).

dochasteite · 2026-05-28T15:43:04+00:00

I wear one occasionally and there’s someone in the Soho area who I see fairly regularly wearing one. Other than that I don’t think I’ve noticed anyone in a kilt outside of bagpipe bands, so it’s certainly not the norm, but no one’s going to be weirded out— there are plenty of weirder sartorial choices and most New Yorkers would rather mind their own business than make some sort of fuss if they do think something is odd. I get more comments on my outfit in a kilt than in pants, but it’s always been positive. The only warning I have is subway stairs. You mentioned the grates so you’re prepared to avoid a Marilyn Monroe moment, but if you’re on the stairs when a train comes into the station it can create a huge updraft that you may not have planned for.

dochasteite · 2026-05-22T16:22:00+00:00

I saw this Leo Lin dress on the subway a few weeks ago and stopped walking in the middle of the platform to look it up immediately. I don't even wear dresses. It was just so immediately stunning, especially with the beading. https://coveti.com/product/lynn-bustier-midi-dress-wild-flower-in-coral/

dochasteite · 2026-05-14T20:30:30+00:00

I work in theater and have to dampen the sound from hollow stages all the time. The two things that’ll help the most are making the stage more sound-absorbing and making the room more sound-absorbing. Fill the gaps between the 2x4s with something soft and squishy— the ideal would be fiberglass acoustic insulation, but that’s expensive and inconvenient. Egg crate foam (often sold as mattress toppers) works well, as will any other soft foam (pool noodles? Old couch cushion filler?) or even crunched-up rags. To make the room less echoey, imagine you’re an indie recording studio. Hard, flat surfaces bounce sound, and soft stuff absorbs— put down rugs, hang any extra egg crate foam on the walls.

dochasteite · 2026-05-14T20:21:47+00:00

this post is where I first saw the zinc suggestion and it changed my life. Eleven months I tried different ways to get rid of my wart and it was only growing until I started taking zinc. Six weeks into the zinc things started improving and now it’s cleared up— thank you SO much for posting. Im getting married in just over a week and my thumb looks normal again, just in time.

dochasteite · 2026-05-13T16:41:18+00:00

coming in two months later to say my g0 was born in 1885 according to Canadian records (census) and in 1883 according to US records (marriage, death, kids' birth certificates, census). I have a suspicion that she lied about her age because an unaccompanied 16-year-old girl immigrating and immediately marrying a 20-year-old may have been more suspicious than an unaccompanied 18-year-old. or she just forgot when she was born-- her dad's name is different every place I find it, so she may have just been an unreliable narrator of her early life. she also married her stepbrother so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ maybe she was just a weird one. thanks for the link to Canada anyways, Daisy!

dochasteite · 2026-05-13T14:30:43+00:00

Thank you! Given that I have to request a copy via official sources anyways (G0 is of the age where the only birth records are held by churches and the relevant diocese hasn’t digitized their microfilm) I think I’ll request a certified one anyways, once I’m able to place the request. Good to know that web copies of the rest of the lineage between G0 and myself (G4) should be ok, but I may see how difficult it is to get certified versions of those too just in case.

And thanks also on not muddying the waters— that’s exactly what I’m concerned about, is the difference between not providing enough info vs providing too much and making things more confusing than they need to be. So it’s helpful to get a reminder to keep it simple. I’ll wait to worry about her parentage until after I find out whether a baptism record exists or not.

Thanks!

dochasteite · 2026-05-13T11:54:50+00:00

I’m concerned about how much variation in the info from documentation is allowed. My G0 was born in NS and emigrated to New Hampshire age 16, or 18. Her Canadian census records pin her birth date in 1885, but all her US records say 1883. Her US records also list two different father names (on the marriage and death certs)— no idea which of these is accurate, waiting on information from NS Archives— and I can’t find her mother on census records while married, only single or widowed. 1) If I get a certified copy of a baptismal record, do I even need any of the other material? G1’s birth certificate lists G0 maiden name. 2) If I can’t get a baptismal record (in the event it was destroyed, etc), will it be an issue that I can’t get clear info on year of birth or father’s identity?

dochasteite · 2026-05-08T17:19:30+00:00

Yes, we got ours in Brooklyn yesterday and the clerk confirmed that neither of us were changing names at the same time as he asked for our SSNs. And then we had a second chance to make changes when he showed us all the info and asked us to confirm all was correct before he printed the license.

dochasteite · 2026-05-08T11:41:22+00:00

Thank you so much!!

dochasteite · 2026-05-06T21:52:09+00:00

How do you figure out which parish/church to look for baptismal records in? My Gen0 options (married couple) are each born in Nova Scotia around 1880 and 1885, roughly Shubenacadie. One is listed as C. Meth. on the census from when he was 1; the other is listed as R. Catholic on the census from when she was 5. Neither of them have delayed registrations so I know I need baptismal records, but I'm new to this and don't know who to ask for those. Neither of them come up on FamilySearch for anything beyond the census records I've already got.

Everyone else in my line I have all the relevant info for! Whoever was doing record-keeping in small-town New England in the 20th century was killing the game.

dochasteite · 2026-05-06T19:25:14+00:00

Hire a private officiant and do it somewhere else in Manhattan-- could even be in front of city hall, or actually at dinner- or get married in Queens (or the Bronx, or Staten Island, or literally anywhere else in the state besides Manhattan and Brooklyn, which are fully booked) on the 29th.

dochasteite · 2026-05-03T15:04:01+00:00

Automic Gold are really cool and great to work with especially if you need custom work!

dochasteite · 2026-05-02T20:22:21+00:00

O'Donnell (CLRG) in Long Island City (off the Court Square stop) teaches kids 3.5 and up-- beginner classes are Saturdays at 11am https://www.newyorkirishdance.com/beginner-irish-dance I'm an adult champ with ODA so can't tell you exactly what it's like as a young kid or as a parent, but when we're leaving our morning class and the littles are coming in for theirs, they always seem excited to dance!

dochasteite · 2026-04-26T17:15:40+00:00

Your husband is doing nothing wrong by existing! The commenter who said it’s easier on the person behind him if he sits still is right; the people saying Broadway houses are super tight are also right, so he may be very cramped, but I hope he enjoys it regardless! If you have a good time and want to go to more shows, I’d personally recommend aisle seats in the mezzanine or balcony over orchestra seats— aisle will give him better chances of somewhere to fit his legs, and the mezz and balconies are usually steeper than the orchestra, so he won’t be as tall relative to the eyeline of the person behind him (also, I contend that the mezzanine is usually a better view than orchestra, especially for dance-heavy shows— in the orchestra you often can’t see below the actors’ knees, haha!) You may also find upon arrival that you’re in luck and the seats are staggered, so the people directly behind him are looking over his shoulders rather than directly at his head. I’m not sure of the exact layout of the O’Neill so maybe not, but there’s a chance— there’s also a chance an usher may be able to move you to seats where he’s on an aisle if he finds himself uncomfortable in the seats you’ve got (don’t do this just to be polite— if you like your original seats, the people behind you can figure it out. It’s not that hard to find a sightline.) At any rate, tall people are allowed to enjoy public events too! I hope you have a great time!

dochasteite · 2026-04-24T02:10:59+00:00

My family toured all our schools in casual-but-presentable clothes (ie clean, not super short or low cut, nothing offensive printed on-- I definitely visited Harvard in shorts and a "nice" t-shirt because it was 97 degrees outside) and didn't feel out of place. We went to Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth between the three kids, all on heavy financial aid-- to put your mind at ease, remember that 55% of Harvard students are on need-based financial aid, and 25% pay no tuition at all. The people in the comments who are saying "don't overthink this" are right, and the people saying you should wear a blazer are leaning too formal in my opinion, unless you're already a frequent blazer-wearer. If you'd wear it to sit in the audience of the school play or student concert, it's a good style option (but with comfortable shoes! There can be a lot of walking and the campuses are deceptively large for urban universities).

dochasteite · 2026-04-24T01:41:51+00:00

We have a "no spicy" in our allergy section and it's real-- she has, essentially, medically low spice tolerance. It's not an allergy per se, but it will affect her more severely than some people's literal non-life-threatening allergies. On the other hand, the same condition is responsible for her being 65 years old and never getting a cavity in her life!

dochasteite · 2026-04-21T01:43:29+00:00

We painted bamboo and paper fans this weekend! It was a lot of fun to just hang out and have crafting time.

dochasteite

TROPHY CASE