Comunn Féis Mhà bu was founded over fifteen years ago to support both children and adults in their pursuits to learn more about Cape Breton’s unique Gaelic culture. Féis Mhabu allows individuals, particularly young people, to develop skills in the area of Gaelic language and performance arts and provides opportunities for the organizers to enhance the rich local culture with the talents and experience of tradition bearers from other areas of the Celtic world.
Current Projects
* Feis Mhabu's "Eirich Air!". A new offering for 2008, "Eirich Air!" supports an eight week Gaelic song mentorship program. This new program will invite members of the Gaelic song community and Gaelic tradition bearer guests to act as Gaelic song mentors along with a Gaelic host to facilitate a song learning session. In order to create a learning opportunity that is authentic, the sessions will be held in a home where Gaelic song and Gaelic language has its roots. At each session, a Gaelic instructor will designate a Gaelic area in the home for Gaelic song mentoring, Gaelic Tea, and Gaelic greetings. All other areas of the home will be bilingual. The sessions, conducted in the home, will bring Gaelic language learning and Gaelic song learning together in a natural and communal fashion. At present, there are 27 participants taking part in Eirich Air!.
* Beginner Fiddle Classes. Feis Mhabu has partnered with Inverness County Recreation and Tourism to offer eight week beginner fiddle courses for youth and adults out of Dalbrae Academy in Mabou. There are currently 23 students registered in these courses.
* Feis Mhabu's Thanksgiving weekend workshops. These workshops are held over the opening weekend of Celtic Colours International Festival. There are over 40 workshops to choose from with local instructors provided by Feis Mhabu and international artists provided by Celtic Colours.
* Feis Mhabu Gaelic Song Circle. Feis Mhabu's first Gaelic Song Circle was held at the Mabou Gaelic and Historical Society's building, An Drochaid, during Celtic Colour's Festival in October 2007. The Gaelic Song Circle featured Gaelic song by Calum Alex MacMillan, Joy Dunlop and Brian O'hEadhra, piping by Kenneth MacKenzie and step dance by Mairi Rankin and Melody Cameron.
* TIP Gaelic Immersion. Two 200-hour adult Gaelic Immersion Classes and a thirty hour TIP booster session for our advanced Gaelic learners have been completed. These classes are taught in homes in the community through TIP (Total Immersion Plus) instruction with emphasis put on making learning relaxed and fun. Instructors and participants use body gestures, repetition and props to help communicate with one another in the "Gaelic only" environment. Reading and writing are not taught in this program. Participants learn Gaelic as they learned their first language. More TIP sessions will be offered at a future date.
* The Gaidhlig dhan Oigridh (Gaelic Youth) Program. This program took place in Mabou July 24-29, 2006. Commun Feis Mhabu was pleased to be one of the host organizations that partnered with Culture Division and Highland Council to organize and operate this program. Forty children participated and each day at least five parents were on hand to help with the classes while another 5-10 parents participated in Gaelic language classes for parents.
* The Gaelic Instructor in Residence Program. In response to the Gaelic Youth Program, parents and community requested a more consistent Gaelic learning opportunity for their children. Consequently Highland Council MOU and Nova Scotia MOU assisted our organization to locate a Gaelic instructor. Joy Dunlop of Connel, Scotland, taught Gaelic and Gaelic song in our community from March until August in 2007. As part of the Gaelic Instructor in Residence Program, a 10 week after school program was performed out of Bayview Elementary School in Port Hood, NS. The after school program offered Gaelic language and song, Cape Breton step dance and square dance, physical activities / sports and arts and crafts components. 108 children were registered in this program.
* The Mabou Musical Mentorship Program for youth musicians. Program coordinators Derrick and Melody Cameron worked with Feis Mhabu to develop this unique mentoring program. The focus is on using house sessions to bring together talented young performers of Cape Breton music and dance with well established tradition bearers. The relaxed, informal atmosphere of the sessions is well suited for the passing on of music, dance and stories. These sessions culminate with community concerts in Mabou's Parish Hall that feature the youth participants and some of the mentors
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