I'm still alive!

It's been a while since my last update. I have to admit, I haven't been doing much work really. Mostly worrying about NINE set dances. But I have done small amounts of revision which is better than nothing - let's not forget I haven't actually applied for the exam yet, so it's not like I'm slacking.

1) Past Papers
This is usually when I'm bored at work - obviously I only know 15 dances so I can't accurately gauge my progress (for example, most of the ten-pointers are 8-hands, of which I know only one), but I do tend to get close to full marks for what I attempt. I also know bits and bobs about dances I haven't learned yet; e.g. if the question is "which dances have a stamp and clap", then I know it's HCC but also The Three Tunes, even though I haven't learned that one yet.

2) The Cup of Knowledge
I'm very pleased with myself on this one. I have a straightforward cup for work (it's a smaller cup) and a more in-depth one for at home (it's a pint cup). Inside the cup are pieces of paper (each is 1/16th of an A4 page) with a prompter written on it. If the one I pull out simply has the name of a dance, then I have to name all the movements and give the formation, music notes, type of dance etc. Then others will say "Describe..." and I have to identify and describe the movement in full - for example "Describe the fourth and fifth movement of the Rakes of Mallow". Then there are music ones, asking me to list 2/4 sets, or jig sets with a 16 bar set, etc etc. Finally I have teasers like "name all ceilis named after a place in Ireland", "name all ceilis danced to a tune of the same name", "list all ceilis which include the rising step". So I pull a few out of the cup, write down all my answers, and then mark my work. I'm not doing too badly.

I'm just getting myself quite worked up about all the solo dancing. I've never really choreographed much for heavies and I can't remember many of my own steps. We only do lights in class so I'm not going to get any heavies help there, but that's what I need more help on. Ceili I can do alone; I've already had interest from a few people who want to learn ceilis. And heavy steps to teach, too; for some reason I never learned baby jigs or hornpipes - I kind of got fast tracked onto the harder stuff since I'd done show dancing in heavies before I started learning competition dances. Oh, it's all arse about face. I wish it had been different.

Haste to the Wedding

Remember this post? I wrote myself a list of the first 15 ceilis I was going to learn and set myself a target of the end of May to do it. Well...I've done it!

Haste to the Wedding - believe me, this is the best video I could find despite the dodgy camera angles:



Starts the same as Rince Fada - The Rising Step 4, Right Wheels 4, The Rising Step 4, Left Wheels 4. Then you go into Up the Centre 8, First Ring 4, Second Ring 4, and Swing Out 8.

This is one of the ones that I thought was going to be really hard, so I left it til last. Tit squared.

Glencar Reel

Hmm.

At first glance I thought the two Figures of Eight and The Waves would be the hardest part of this to get into my head, but it's actually the Full Chain. I'm used to chains where everyone is already boy-girl-boy-girl, but here they start off with a gents line facing a ladies line. Managed to find a mixed rather than girls video, but I still don't get it. A few more watches are in order I think.



Advance and Retire - Ring - Sidestep Through - Figure of Eight - Double Figure of Eight - The Waves - Full Chain.

The first Figure of 8 looks very (hate this phrase) wishy-washy to me though, it almost looks as if they ought to be chaining rather than just dancing around each other. I guess it will look better on the Olive videos. Until then...

Going Solo

I'm not sure what I was drinking last night but I'll have to try it again - this morning I've woken up with the germ of idea for a boy's reel step should I have to teach one, and also an idea for a Downfall of Paris opener for my own steps.

This is the only thing I haven't touched yet. It's tough, because I have one class a week in which we don't ever do heavies, and don't really get as far as champ reels and slips. I'm nearly there; one of the girls has said she'll teach me an open slip jig soon...but I already have one. It's definitely heavy practice I need since the exam is weighted so heavily in that direction (nine set dances, why? Why are reels and slips not equally important?), but there's nowhere to dance at home either. When I finally get round to joining the work gym, perhaps there'll be a space in there.

But I'm pleased with myself just for starting to think about this at least!

Lest I forget: Step and click click lift 23 and baby-bicycle turn...I know I want to finish with a heely-heely-heely and double click cut as well. And Downfall; out down entrechat back treble-treble toe stamp.

The Fairy Reel

In this video you have to skip it to 1.05 before The Fairy Reel starts. Cool costumes :)



Advance and Retire - Rings - Advance and Retire - Rings - Slip Sides - Gents Centre and Link Arms - Square - Arches - Advance and Retire.

When reading it I made a couple of slight errors - first of all I just didn't get what the book was telling me for Gents Centre and Link Arms - it looks as if he links arms with the left lady (it says "whom he turns with left arm"), and then for some reason I was assuming he chains to left lady twice but the video doesn't do that and the book seems to be saying he doesn't. So well done video! I also assumed that the gent would make the left-arm arch twice in Arches, but my brain was just filling in the gaps. It's right arm arch twice but only once with the left.

Costumes are SUCH a help to keep track of everyone, especially when they're doing Slip Sides and Square.

Haymaker's Jig

I feel a bit of a tit to be honest as I read this one through ages ago, decided it was too hard, and passed over it. But now that I'm running out of ceilis on list one, I kind of had to try it. So I did, on the bus on the way home, and it's soooo easy. Even the book description is proper straightforward.

Terrible quality video - where's Olive when you need her?



Advance and Retire - Turn in Centre - Swing in Centre - Link Arms - Arch.

Points to note (in my shorthand, will mean nowt to anyone else!);

• Advance and retire is in (2), out (2), repeat (4), rising step left and right (4), in and out (4)
• Turn in centre - first gent and last lady go first with right hands. Second time around they go left hands first
• Swing in centre - each pair only goes in once but they swing for 6 and return for 2
• Link arms - right arm to partner, left arms to others
• Arch - is basically the same as Bridge of Athlone, cast off first then top couple make arch and everyone else passes through. End!

Woohoo, that's only three more ceilis to learn from my first lot of 15, and I've got until the end of the month to do it!

Bonfire Dance

Cute dance, nice and slow. Reel, ideally with six couples. From what I can gather from the TCRG board this one comes up loads in exam:

Advance and Retire - same as always but instead of advancing and retiring twice to make up eight bars, you advance in slowly for 4 and retire slowly for 4 (8)
Rings - same as always, sidestepping anticlockwise first, end with two short threes, return clockwise, end with two short threes (8)
Advance and Retire - as above (8)
Rings - clockwise first this time, and end up facing partner (8)

Side-step In and Out - sevens to the right; ladies advancing into the circle and gents moving outwards. Consecutive sevens back to place; no short threes (4)
Link Arms - link right arms with partner and exchange places clockwise; release arms, link left arms and return to place (4)
Side-step In and Out - as before but ladies move outward and gents towards centre (4)
Link Arms - as before, but partners link left arms first (4)

Let's break this up with the clip:



The Rose - ladies advance slowly to centre (4 bars), take hands and sidestep anticlockwise, ending with two short threes. On the second 'three', ladies turn right to face outwards, retake hands in a back-to-back circle and sidestep clockwise, ending with two short threes. While the ladies have been dancing, gents stand with left arm on hip and right toe pointed slightly forward. Ladies now advance to partners then take right hands and turn to finish in original positions (16). Gentlemen now repeat this movement but in the ring, sidestep clockwise first (16).

Swing and Exchange Partners - partners take crossed hands and swing slowly to exchange places (4). Partners bow to each other (1), turn to face new partner (1), bow to new partner (1), and retake hands in ring to recommence.

I actually think this one's quite easy. A few repetitions, and a few variations. Not sure on the bows though - in my head I assumed the partners would all drop hands to bow, and would bow more from the waist, but on this clip they're all holding hands (?) and only bow from the head. I shall wait for Olive to arrive and confirm because the book doesn't say either way.

Antrim Reel

Check me out! Okay let's see if I can remember this bookless:

Advance and return - half right and left - sidestep and heyes - dance down centre - right and left wheels - dance with opposite - left and right wheels - swing out.

*checks book*

Damn! Nearly.

Advance and return - right and left half-turn - sidestep and heyes - dance down centre - right and left wheels - sidestep with opposite - left and right wheels - swing out to next couple.

So out of eight movements I got 5 spot on, missed of the end of 1, and got 2 there-or-thereabouts. Coolio.

Trying to get back on track

I've been so awful recently. I tested myself on the dances again earlier this week, did almost perfectly on movement names and bars but STILL can't remember my progressives from my longs. I'm going to have to force myself to do it now that the initial honeymoon period is over. If I'm to hit my target I've still got seven dances to learn by the end of the month and it's the sixth already. I don't want this to be one of my neverending schemes that I'm so enthusiastic about...and then totally lose interest in. No. Not this time!

So.



I know the lead-round, body and first figure very well indeed. I've danced this one a lot. The second figure, to me, is the trickiest one. Third figure and finish, piss easy. Well, probably not to teach but to explain. Let's go:

1 - Lead Round (16)
2 - Body (80 - 16x5)
a) Sides
b) Double Quarter Chain
c) Ladies Interlace
d) Gents Interlace
e) Stap and Clap
3 - First Figure - no name (64 - 16x4)
4 - Body (80)
5 - Second Figure - Circle and Cross (96 - 24x4)
6 - Body (80)
7 - Third Figure - Ladies Chain (32 - 16x2)
8 - Body (80)
9 - Finish (40)

...with a jaw-dropping total of 568 bars; around ten minutes of dancing!

So the first figure is sort of "up the centre, turn, dance through and turn". Tops take right hands and sidestep towards opposite couple, finishing with two short threes then sidestep back, finishing with two short threes. Couple turns once in place and gent dances around lady on left and back while lady dances around gent on right and back; both take right hands and turn once in place. Repeat with opposite tops, leading sides and opposite sides.

Third figure is ladies chain and dead easy; Top lady and opposite give right hands in centre, chain to opposite gent and turn in place. Each lady returns to own partner and turn once in place. Both couples take both hands and dance a full circle around each other. Repeat with sides.

Finish is dead easy too; take hands in ring and advance and retire twice; sidestep to right and end with two short threes, return to left and end with two short threes. Advance and retire twice, sidestep to left and end with two short threes, return to right and end with two short threes. Couples take hands and dance a complete circle back to place.

Second figure.

For some reason you even get a CHOICE!

Here's what happens BEFORE you get a choice: Leading tops advance to opposites and pass through and around. All four give right hands across and dance around clockwise. This takes 6 bars. Then;

a) leading tops release hands and dance back to place while opposites turn once in place. Then gentlemen advance, passing right arm to right arm, to opposite lady

OR

b) Couples take right hands and turn once in place (leading tops returning to place). Then gentlemen advance, passing left arm to left arm, to opposite lady.

WHY?!

But then either way, you finish the figure in the following fashion:

Gents take left hand of opposite lady and dance around her, release hands and dance back to place passing right arm to right arm, take own partner's right hand and turn once in place. This is 16 bars. Couples then take both hands and dance a circle to the right around each other to place. That's 24 bars. Then you repeat with opposite tops advancing towards tops. Then leading sides to opposite sides; then opposite sides to leading sides. Waa.

It's totally in my head, but can I write it their way?