Why I'm doing this...

Why am I doing the exam, or why am I doing the blog? One wouldn't exist without the other, so I'll tackle my reasons for doing the exam first.

I never achieved anything in my competitive dancing career. I was capable. Reasonable. I was a World Qualifier. But I wasn't a name that people would know, or a face that people would recognise. Always close to the bottom of the pile. Partly because I'm not a person cut out for competition, but mainly because I just never worked hard enough at it. I had a bag full of excuses ready to go - I'm injured, I can't practice at home, I can't afford an extra class each week.

So, taking the TCRG is my way of achieving something in dance. If I couldn't do well competitively, at least I can pass the exam.

I also think that a lot of what's covered in the exam are things I feel I should know. I should know the traditional sets - but I started after age 10, so I never needed them. I should know the ceilis, but my school was always too small to put a team together. Of course, that means I have a mountain steeper than most to climb, because most dancers already know their sets and a fair few ceilis before they even think about the exam. An observation, not another excuse.

So that's why I'm doing the exam. This? Because I like keeping diaries. I want to look back and think "shit, in April 2010 I knew one ceili and one traditional set. Now I know all the sets and half the ceilis!" Self-encouragement, you know.

I actually started my foray into Ar Rinci Foirne and Olive Hurley DVDs sometime last week, so my next entry will be a little backtrack into what I know so far.