#MDM25 presented by the Niall O’Leary School of Irish Dance
Thank you ito everyone who participated in this amazing event!
Reminder:
Please return your sponsorship form (with the sponsorship money in a sealed envelope marked #MDM24) at class on or before Monday October 14!
Or you can Venmo the money to @nynynol putting MDM24 donation as the payment heading.
MDM24 schedule:
Please let us know if you know any bars NOT on this list that should be on it!
Sponsorship form has been emailed to all participants!
Click HERE for the most up-to-date schedule!
That is our public event page: https://nialloleary.com/mdm23/
Please note: this list is subject to change, but the bars with an asterisk are definite!
More info:
Dancing in all the best Irish Bars in Manhattan, while raising money for costumes and travel for dancers in the Niall O'Leary School of Irish Dance!
Funds are collected in three ways:
- Each dancer taking part in the Dance Marathon gets a sponsorship form via email (attached). Please print out the form. The form invites people to sponsor an individual dancer taking part in the event. You are encouraged to ask relatives, friends,neighbors, work colleagues, etc. for sponsorship. Sponsors are to sign the form and commit to an amount. You can collect the money before or after. It is a requirement of participation in the event that each dancer gets some sponsorship, min. $30, and we are asking everyone who cannot make it on the day to sponsor someone else!
- After the performance in each bar, a hat is passed around, inviting patrons, some of whom may have come especially for the event, to make a contribution.
- Bar owners/managers are invited to make a contribution-typical donations range from $300 to $500. This has a strong bearing on the itinerary!
WHO CAN TAKE PART?
ALL dancers in the Niall O’Leary School of Irish Dance are encouraged to participate: children and adults.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED:
- Participation by dancing!
- If you are unable to participate, please consider sponsoring someone who is!
- Tell all your friends and neighbors about it so they can either sponsor a participant or show up on the day and contribute when the hat is passed around!
- If you know any pub or restaurant that we should put on our route please tell us.
- If you have any friends in the bar business in Manhattan please ask them if they would be interested in hosting us and sponsoring our event and let us know!
- If you know anyone who owns or works at any bars in Manhattan, please let us know asap!
WHAT IS THE EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT?
The marathon goes for 12 hours, 6 hours on Friday and 6 hours on Saturday.
Everyone is asked to sign up for for a specific start-time and end-time: 2, 4, 6, 8 or 12 hours. Minimum to be eligible for funding is 4 hours. If you sign up for a time, you are guaranteeing that you will be there, ready to dance, at the time in question, you can show up earlier, or stay later, but you must be there for the time you sign up for! All dancers must be signed-up via email.
Punctuality is essential to the success of the event—if you have signed up for a time, be there!
WHAT ARE WE FUNDRAISING FOR?
All participants are eligible to apply for funding. All money raised is put towards offsetting the cost of costumes and travel expenses to and from selected competitions and performances. At least 75% of the total money raised will be put towards travel to Ireland for the World Irish Dance Championships 2025…we will also keep some money aside for other events to be determined—suggestions welcome! The remaining money will be put into a costume fund, so all in the school who participate in our fundraising events will be able to afford the class costume. If you have any questions, please email nynynol@yahoo.com
Costuming requirements:
*NEW* All dancers dancing in #MDM24 must wear an official Niall O’Leary School of Irish Dance #MDM T-shirt! As soon as you sign up you will be sent a link with instructions on how to get one! All parents, friends and supporters are encouraged to get the official event T-shirt also!
Additional costuming requirements:
Girls Black skirt, blue skirt or black pants (in order of preference)
White ‘bubble’ socks (If you need these order at class or email—$9)
Boys Black Pants and black socks
Adults Any color as long as it’s black
Please note anyone wearing funny socks, jeans, hats, or other inappropriate clothing at the marathon will be given something to do, but will not get to dance!
WHAT TO BRING?
1. Your dance shoes: only dancers with the correct footwear will be allowed to dance!
2. Bring street shoes that you can change into quickly, or large shoes that you can wear over your dance shoes, (such as croc’s, or your parent’s shoes!).
3. Please bring a hat for collecting in the bars!
There will be a dancing team captain and (mostly) a non-dancing team treasurer. Some dancers will be assigned to pass a hat around at the end of each performance. All monies collected are to be given straight away to the team treasurer. A big thanks in advance to all the parents, drivers, treasurers, captains, sponsors and most of all to the dancers for what promises to be a memorable event! Please return your sponsorship form (with the sponsorship money in a sealed envelope marked #MDM23) at class on or before Monday October 16!
WHAT ARE THE VENUES?
NEW VENUES THIS YEAR!
Routes will be announced by Thursday September 12!
If you have any suggestions for venues, please let us know asap!!
5 minute high-energy performance in each venue. It is essentially a walking tour of Manhattan: including all the big Irish neighborhoods! We are doing some new venues this year also!
Please note:
In addition to dancers we are looking for one volunteer, either dancing or non-dancing, to fill each of these positions for each performance:
Music Manager: Getting the music player ready-to-go in each venue
Announcer: Someone with a good speaking voice to introduce the group via a prepared speech
Flyers Distributor: Someone to hand out flyers for the school, and associated events
I hope you are available to take part for some or all of the marathon, it promises to be an exciting event with lots of great dancing!
Social Media manager: update our Facebook, Instagram & Twitter accounts with live content on the day!
Choreography:
Long Program:
Softshoe Reels / Treble Reels / 4 hand reel
Light Jig 2 steps
Treble Reels
Short Program:
Softshoe Reels / Treble Reels / 4 hand reel
Light Jig 2 steps
Late Night bars:
Reels only!
Note: all choreography will be rehearsed in class!
Important:
All dances can be done in all shoes: no changing shoes in the middle of the routine!
If you want to switch shoes between bars, please notify Niall or the team captain first!
If you cannot make your start time or are lost, please call or text 917 696 9665: if call is not answered, do NOT leave a message, send a text instead!
You will be notified of any changes in choreography!
When you are leaving after dancing in your last bar, you MUST notify Niall or the team captain that you are leaving!
Please email back if you have any questions, please do not contact any of the venues and do not forward this message: instead you can either print out or cut and paste the text in the attached sponsorship letter, print out the attached sponsorship form and tell everyone you know!
Please sign up before Friday September 6th, 6pm, by emailing or texting Niall with the following info:
Friday September 13:
start time:
end time:
Saturday September 14:
start time:
end time:
Thank you in advance for your participation in this fun event!
Niall