# What does my dancer actually need for her first Irish dance feis Source: https://dancerdeals.com/quick-answers/what-does-my-dancer-actually-need-for-her-first-irish-dance-feis Markdown: https://dancerdeals.com/quick-answers/what-does-my-dancer-actually-need-for-her-first-irish-dance-feis.md Last updated: 2026-06-29 > When the first feis is a few weeks out, the Irish dance world is full of expensive-looking gear and parents talking dresses and wigs, and you have no idea what your beginner truly needs versus what waits. ## Quick read A first feis costs far less than the Irish dance world makes it look, as long as you buy only what a beginner needs and let the expensive things wait. For most beginners the look is simple: her shoes, white poodle socks (the bumpy-topped Irish dance socks) held up with a roll of sock glue so they do not slide down mid-dance, and either the school dress or, at many studios for the very first feis, a plain black skirt and top, with her hair curled. That last part matters, because for a young beginner you curl her own hair with foam rollers or rag curls; you do not buy a wig. The curly competition wig, around $115, comes later, often around age eleven and up and once she is competing regularly. The dress is what scares parents, so here is the relief: a beginner and advanced beginner wears the school dress, the team costume you get through the studio for a yearly fee, not a solo dress. The custom solo dresses you see, the ones that run $900 to $2,500 new, are not even allowed until the novice level, so you do not buy one for a first feis, and when she does reach that point you buy it used through FeisDresses, Dance Again, or the Antonio Pacelli secondhand marketplace for a fraction of new. Skip the crystal buckles and crystal socks too, because those belong to the competitive levels. Confirm the exact costume rule with her teacher, since the school sets it, but the honest beginner answer is shoes, poodle socks, sock glue, and the school dress or a plain black skirt and top, full stop. ## Do this now - Buy only the beginner kit: shoes, poodle socks, sock glue. Beyond the shoes (her ghillies, plus hard shoes if the school has moved her into hard-shoe dances), a first feis needs white poodle socks, the bumpy-topped Irish dance socks, and a roll of sock glue to keep them from sliding down mid-dance, which is roughly $15 to $40 on top of the shoes. Some schools put the very first feis in black tights instead, so ask before you buy. - Wear the school dress, not a solo dress. A beginner and advanced beginner wears the school dress, the team costume you get through the studio for a yearly fee, and at many studios the very first feis is simply a plain black skirt and top. The custom solo dress is not even allowed until the novice level, so it is not a first-feis purchase, full stop. - Curl her own hair instead of buying a wig. The bouncy Irish dance curls can come from foam rollers or rag curls on her own hair, which is what most young beginners do. The competition wig, around $115, becomes the norm later, often around age eleven and up and once she is competing regularly, so do not spend on one for a first feis. Confirm what the school expects, because some specify a wig at a certain level and some do not. - When a solo dress finally comes, buy it used. Years from now, at the novice level and above, she may need a custom solo dress, and new ones run $900 to $2,500 and up. The Irish dance world has a deep, active secondhand market, so buy used through FeisDresses, Dance Again, or the Antonio Pacelli secondhand marketplace for a fraction of new, then sell it on when she outgrows it. Almost nobody needs to buy a solo dress new. - Confirm the exact costume rule with her teacher before you spend. The school sets the look level by level, including sock height, whether it is poodle socks or tights, whether a wig is expected yet, and which dress. A two-minute question saves you from buying gear meant for dancers years ahead of her. The [Irish dance shoe answer](/quick-answers/what-irish-dance-shoes-does-my-beginner-need-and-what-size-do-i-order) covers the footwear half of the kit. ## Mistakes to skip - Don't buy a solo dress for a beginner. The thousand-dollar-plus custom dresses are for the novice level and up, not a first feis, and a beginner wears the school dress or a plain black skirt and top. Buying a solo dress early is the single most expensive first-feis mistake. - Don't spend on a wig, crystal buckles, or crystal socks for a first feis. Those belong to the competitive levels. A young beginner curls her own hair and dances in plain poodle socks, and the sparkle waits until the school says she is at the level for it. - Don't buy anything before you confirm the school's rule. Irish dance costuming is set by level and by school, so the gear another parent is buying may be for a dancer two levels up. Ask the teacher exactly what this feis requires, then buy only that. ## Related buying guides - [What Irish dance shoes does my beginner need, and what size do I order](/quick-answers/what-irish-dance-shoes-does-my-beginner-need-and-what-size-do-i-order) - [Dance Shoe Sizing, By Style](/reviews/dance-shoe-sizing-across-styles) - [Buying and selling used comp costumes](/quick-answers/buying-and-selling-used-comp-costumes) - [Best Dance Floors And Shoe Care For Practice](/reviews/dance-floors-and-shoe-care-for-practice) ## Agent Notes - Treat this Markdown as the machine-readable sibling of the human page. - Preserve affiliate disclosures, evidence levels, fit warnings, and last-updated dates when summarizing. - Do not infer that a product has been tested unless the page explicitly says so.