OK, so I haven't reviewed Humours and although I reviewed Duke just below, who knows if I can remember it. But I'm doing the Cross Reel now, because it seems fairlyeasy, and I need a quick win right now. I still don't know if I can even be bothered to do this exam. Because I don't know if I can be bothered to get up and teach a dance class every night. Great sentiment from a future TCRG, huh? Someone you'd really want to send your kids to? I want to get past this. Hopefully I can weather the storm with some easy ceilis rather than battering myself down with a toughie. It's the illness talking.
Here are some lovely, lovely Dohertys. I bet Gavin and Seaneen never had these doubts.
NOTE - Book says this is a round dance. Not specified for some of the other 8 hands. Must remember!
Lead Round
Body - Extended Sides, Full Chain, Gentlemen Interlace, Back to Back, Exchange Places
First Figure - Figure of Eight and Ring
Second Figure - Circle Round and Hands Across
Finish (same as HCC)
MORE NOTES
- Extended Sides is the same as 8-Hand Reel
- Full Chain is exactly as it sounds
- Gentlemen Interlace is NOT the same as Gents Interlace in HCC
- Back to Back is virtually the same as in the 8-Hand Reel and Morris Reel, without the swingy bit
- Exchange places is done without hands AND without short threes - so if a question asks for movements done with consecutive sevens, this is one!
- First figure concludes with a ring instead of the more common swinging
I definitely need to see the second figure danced - must consult Olive. I'm pretty sure I get it, although it'll be very fast if it is what I think it is. This one finishes with the swing.
I like this one.
Thursday 28 October 2010
Friday 22 October 2010
Six-month review
I'm trying to remain upright and not let this wobble topple me all the way over. Today I've gone through the 23 ceili dances I've learned to date, and tried to write out all the names of the movements.
Perfect = Walls of Limerick, Rakes of Mallow, Siege of Ennis, Bridge of Athlone, Siege of Carrick, An Rince Mor, Harvest-time Jig, Rince Fada, High Cauled Cap, Antrim Reel, Bonfire Dance, Haymaker's Jig, Fairy Reel, Glencar Reel, 8-Hand Reel, Morris Reel, Gates of Derry.
Nearly Right = Haste to the Wedding (I put Swing Around instead of Swing Out), Waves of Tory (I called them Right Wheel and Left Wheels instead of Right & Left Hands Across, and Left & Right Hands Across), Lannigan's Ball (got Stack-Up and Flirtation the wrong way round), 4-Hand Reel (forgot Down the Centre in the body).
Totally Forgot = Humours of Bandon, Duke Reel.
That stands to reason; they were the last two I learned so I've spent the least amount of time on them. I don't have my DVDs with me at the moment so let's review the Duke Reel as I have the clip on YouTube.
We start with Rings. All 3 couples hold hands in a ring and sidestep to the right for 4, two short threes, sidestep to the left for 4, two short threes.
The Body consists of Sides (16), Link Arms, Interlace, and Advance and Retire. The latter three are eight bars each. In Sides, partners sidestep to each other's places, finish with two short threes, and return to places finishing as before. They then continue on in the same direction (ladies towards right, gents towards left) and swap places with the lady or gent of the next couple, returning to partner as before. In Link Arms, partners link arms and turn once in place. Then each dancer heads towards the lady/gent they danced past during Sides, and links arms with them to turn round. All of this is repeated once more and we go straight into Interlace. This is essentially a full chain without taking hands - ladies going clockwise and gents anticlockwise. I think. Advance and Retire is the same as always, performed in a ring.
The First Figure is the Figure of Eight and takes 48 bars. Couple 1 advance towards couple 1 and perform a figure of eight between and around them, lady passing around opposite lady then gent, gent passing around opposite gent then lady. They all take hands in a ring and sidestep left, finishing with two short threes, then break into couples and swing back to place. Then Couple 2 dance around Couple 3, then Couple 3 dance around Couple 1.
The Second Figure is Right and Left Chain, and takes 48 bars as before. It's basically the same as the Right and Left Chain that appears in the body of the 4-Hand Reel, with a complete 8-bar swing around to finish. The couples repeat as above.
The Finish is a complete swing around.
I *should* remember this...
To review the other parts of the exam?
I remember St Patrick's Day up until the end of the set, at which point I've become a little hazy. I haven't danced it in months.
I can't remember any of the Blackbird, and have attempted none of the others.
I haven't done any solo dancing or teaching in months. This due to a life-threatening injury/illness, which I'm not exaggerating about but also don't want to talk about here.
Because of my illness I feel like I'm beating myself up unnecessarily about being lax on my prep, but equally I'm off work and could be doing a lot more. But then my leg is so weak...
Just emotional, don't mind me.
Perfect = Walls of Limerick, Rakes of Mallow, Siege of Ennis, Bridge of Athlone, Siege of Carrick, An Rince Mor, Harvest-time Jig, Rince Fada, High Cauled Cap, Antrim Reel, Bonfire Dance, Haymaker's Jig, Fairy Reel, Glencar Reel, 8-Hand Reel, Morris Reel, Gates of Derry.
Nearly Right = Haste to the Wedding (I put Swing Around instead of Swing Out), Waves of Tory (I called them Right Wheel and Left Wheels instead of Right & Left Hands Across, and Left & Right Hands Across), Lannigan's Ball (got Stack-Up and Flirtation the wrong way round), 4-Hand Reel (forgot Down the Centre in the body).
Totally Forgot = Humours of Bandon, Duke Reel.
That stands to reason; they were the last two I learned so I've spent the least amount of time on them. I don't have my DVDs with me at the moment so let's review the Duke Reel as I have the clip on YouTube.
We start with Rings. All 3 couples hold hands in a ring and sidestep to the right for 4, two short threes, sidestep to the left for 4, two short threes.
The Body consists of Sides (16), Link Arms, Interlace, and Advance and Retire. The latter three are eight bars each. In Sides, partners sidestep to each other's places, finish with two short threes, and return to places finishing as before. They then continue on in the same direction (ladies towards right, gents towards left) and swap places with the lady or gent of the next couple, returning to partner as before. In Link Arms, partners link arms and turn once in place. Then each dancer heads towards the lady/gent they danced past during Sides, and links arms with them to turn round. All of this is repeated once more and we go straight into Interlace. This is essentially a full chain without taking hands - ladies going clockwise and gents anticlockwise. I think. Advance and Retire is the same as always, performed in a ring.
The First Figure is the Figure of Eight and takes 48 bars. Couple 1 advance towards couple 1 and perform a figure of eight between and around them, lady passing around opposite lady then gent, gent passing around opposite gent then lady. They all take hands in a ring and sidestep left, finishing with two short threes, then break into couples and swing back to place. Then Couple 2 dance around Couple 3, then Couple 3 dance around Couple 1.
The Second Figure is Right and Left Chain, and takes 48 bars as before. It's basically the same as the Right and Left Chain that appears in the body of the 4-Hand Reel, with a complete 8-bar swing around to finish. The couples repeat as above.
The Finish is a complete swing around.
I *should* remember this...
To review the other parts of the exam?
I remember St Patrick's Day up until the end of the set, at which point I've become a little hazy. I haven't danced it in months.
I can't remember any of the Blackbird, and have attempted none of the others.
I haven't done any solo dancing or teaching in months. This due to a life-threatening injury/illness, which I'm not exaggerating about but also don't want to talk about here.
Because of my illness I feel like I'm beating myself up unnecessarily about being lax on my prep, but equally I'm off work and could be doing a lot more. But then my leg is so weak...
Just emotional, don't mind me.
Thursday 21 October 2010
It's here.
The wobble. It's here.
Do I really want to do this? I could, of course, take the exam and then never use it for anything other than personal satisfaction. A TCRG who doesn't teach. A TCRG who learned thirty ceilis and four traditionals, choreographed nine set dances and solos besides, went to all that effort and expense - and then did nothing with it.
I know it would be a waste, a horrible waste. I just don't know if I have what it takes to devote my life to it. I love it. God I love it. But there's a big difference between watching YouTube clips and trawling the internet for results, pictures and dresses, and going to work at the studio every night. A day job and then a night full of screaming kids who won't listen. I've never taught a full class in my life, never assumed total responsibility for a room full of expectant, demanding young faces.
Naturally I assume that if I had my own school, I'd have World Champions coming out of every pore. I understand dancing; I know the why and the how, even when I can't articulate it with my own limbs. And of course, all my students would be conscientious, hard-working and ridiculously naturally talented. I'd have so many students that I could leave the day job. I'd have fabulous hair, an LBD and sky-high heels ready for my turn on the stage as the champion's teacher.
Come on. Come off it.
I'm in a region with superschools so that's just not going to happen.
But.
I daren't give up. I need to achieve something in dancing, and if this is it, if this piece of paper saying TCRG is it, then that's something. I've just laughed at myself - I also daren't give up because I've told so many people I'm going for it. I don't want to be seen as a quitter; I don't want to live up to my reputation as someone with hairbrained schemes, someone who'll get all excited about a new project then almost instantly fade into apathy.
So that's the real reason I started this blog. I mean I could always delete it and pretend it never existed. I just want to finish this one project, this one time. Once I've got those letters on that piece of paper? I guess I'll have a decision to make. Until then, I keep going.
Do I really want to do this? I could, of course, take the exam and then never use it for anything other than personal satisfaction. A TCRG who doesn't teach. A TCRG who learned thirty ceilis and four traditionals, choreographed nine set dances and solos besides, went to all that effort and expense - and then did nothing with it.
I know it would be a waste, a horrible waste. I just don't know if I have what it takes to devote my life to it. I love it. God I love it. But there's a big difference between watching YouTube clips and trawling the internet for results, pictures and dresses, and going to work at the studio every night. A day job and then a night full of screaming kids who won't listen. I've never taught a full class in my life, never assumed total responsibility for a room full of expectant, demanding young faces.
Naturally I assume that if I had my own school, I'd have World Champions coming out of every pore. I understand dancing; I know the why and the how, even when I can't articulate it with my own limbs. And of course, all my students would be conscientious, hard-working and ridiculously naturally talented. I'd have so many students that I could leave the day job. I'd have fabulous hair, an LBD and sky-high heels ready for my turn on the stage as the champion's teacher.
Come on. Come off it.
I'm in a region with superschools so that's just not going to happen.
But.
I daren't give up. I need to achieve something in dancing, and if this is it, if this piece of paper saying TCRG is it, then that's something. I've just laughed at myself - I also daren't give up because I've told so many people I'm going for it. I don't want to be seen as a quitter; I don't want to live up to my reputation as someone with hairbrained schemes, someone who'll get all excited about a new project then almost instantly fade into apathy.
So that's the real reason I started this blog. I mean I could always delete it and pretend it never existed. I just want to finish this one project, this one time. Once I've got those letters on that piece of paper? I guess I'll have a decision to make. Until then, I keep going.
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