Inspired by the All Irelands

I've been watching the live commentary all week. Even when getting ready for a night out, I was listening to the presentation music rather than the more usual MTV. Got some mascara down my face when I saw these two skipping on stage together and laughed in joy at how happy they were. How lovely to have someone to share the moment with:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHhFiDgk5wM

I might not have been able to see any of the solo dancing but even some of the rhythm of the sets has given me ideas. What I see in my head is probably not at all what they were doing, but even so; inspiration's inspiration.

And I've looked at the results and I've seen some nice things. "Bridesmaids" finally sitting on top box. Girls who'd done well but gone off the boil suddenly climb back up. Watching live commentary used to make me want to compete again, but this time it makes me want to find some kids, teach them, bring them up. It made me think - how would we handle it if I had a dancer that was always a nearly-man? How would we make that final push? We wouldn't give up, we'd work it out somehow. I just can't wait for all of that.

I need to hone my teaching skills on my adults first. Tonight's was a good class - primary reel, a run through of all the "baby" steps for the other dances, and I even started them off on St Patrick's Day. J has taken to it like a natural; she said she always preferred heavies as a child dancer. They all left saying "I hate it when it's over!" So do I!

Blackbird Part 3

After first starting to learn the Blackbird 1,000 years ago, giving up and not looking at it since, I know it! This is a "so what" moment for most I know, but this is huge for me. And I even learnt all of it wearing my jig shoes. I've worn through the heel of a poodle sock in the process but I'm so proud of myself right now. I even shouted YES incredibly loud when I finished it and startled some passers-by.

STEP
& brush & brush treble 12 12 & brush treble 12 12 & brush treble 12 12 & brush treble 12 12 & brush treble hop back treble & 123 over 23 & brush treble in front treble behind

SET
Hop down treble & back hop rock 23 hop rock 23 over 23 over 23 over 23 & treble & back hop change change rock rock brush treble & back treble & back
Hop 23 12 12 hop 23 stamp toe heel over 2345 change point back rock rock treble & a back & brush & brush treble & a back & brush & brush treble in front treble behind.

GET IN.

91%

This is the story so far as I plough through the past papers. Yep, some days I really am sad enough to do two! I don't want to run out of material though so I might give it a little rest for a while and try other methods of revision. Teaching the ceilis in class is helping me to remember which hand to who etc. I think I'll actually start writing out some of the toughies in full, the ones they tend to use for the ten-markers, and see how I go.

I'm pleased with this. 91% on average gives me plenty of room for error because let's face it, 71% is a pass and I'd take it happily. I'm not worried about the written in the slightest which is amazing to me. It's the part I dreaded most.

The part I'm now dreading most is the dancing. That makes so little sense to me - I've been a dancer forever and I'm bricking it, yet I've known these ceilis for a few short months and yet I'm horizontally laid-back about them. I already knew how to dance, right?

I went to class early and stayed late last night for practise in jig shoes. Videotaped a couple of efforts as well. On one hand I'm kind of glad that my jig isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but on the other I know I used to be able to do it so much better. I know the steps are dated and I can cope with that; it's more the performance than the content, but I'm still trying to fix them up and drawing a blank. How on Earth am I going to make up 9 set dances if I can't even fix existing steps?

Ar aghaidh is ar gCúl

After my post listing the different kinds of Sides in Ar Rinci Foirne, I thought I'd do the same for Advance and Retire. This one's harder - there are fourteen different ways to advance and retire and it appears in twenty-one dances.

1) "Normal" - Walls of Limerick, Siege of Ennis, Harvest-time Jig, Glencar Reel, Rakes of Mallow
"Normal" is what I call the most straightforward method. In for 2, out for 2, in for 2, out for 2. Easy.

2) "Normal", performed twice - Fairy Reel, The Waves of Tory
As above but performed twice, alternating with another movement. In the Fairy Reel it's Rings, whereas in Waves it's Right & Left Hands Across, and Left & Right Hands Across

3) First Figure - Eight-Hand Reel, Morris Reel, Sixteen-Hand Reel, St Patrick's Day
This is a "normal" advance and retire followed by an 8-bar swing-around.

4) Advance, Retire and Pass Through #1 - Siege of Ennis
This is the last movement of the dance and while it appears in others, Siege is the only time one of the lines (facing the music) make an arch for the other line to pass under.

5) Advance, Retire and Pass Through #2 - Harvest-time Jig, Fairy Reel
This finish does not include arches.

6) The Rising Step, Advance and Retire - Bridge of Athlone
The longest one at 32 bars. Rising step x2 to begin and also includes a pass-through!

7) Diagonally - Trip to the Cottage
As part of the body, in trios.

8) Second Figure - Trip to the Cottage
Top couples advance and retire then interlace.

9) "Normal" with rising step - Haymaker's Jig
It's only called Advance and Retire but it takes 16 bars as it includes the rising step halfway through.

10) The Body - Duke Reel
"Normal", performed in a ring as the last movement of the body.

11) "Normal" with pass through - Gates of Derry
Again, this is simpy called "Advance and Retire" but includes a pass-through movement. It gets it's own category as it's unique and appears as the first movement and the finish.

12) Alternating - The Sweets of May
Again this appears in the body, however tops and sides alternate. Tops advance while sides mark time, tops retire while sides advance. Tops advance while sides retire, tops retire while sides mark time.

13) Slowly! - Bonfire Dance
"Normal", but 4 in, 4 out. It's also performed twice, alternating with Rings.

14) The Finish - Eight-Hand Reel, Morris Reel, High Cauled Cap, Sixteen-Hand Reel, Eight-Hand Jig, Cross Reel
As part of the 40-bar finish of these dances (advance, retire, sidestep and swing).

I think it's definitely worth remembering these differences; recently I've done a few past papers with 10-markers devoted to comparing and contrasting this movement in various dances. They really can ask you anything.

Five ceilis and a heavy jig

That's pretty much what I got through last night. Retaught them the first figure of the Four-Hand Reel and then went on a bit of a frenzy with any ceili that can be done in a four. Antrim Reel, Siege of Carrick and the Walls of Limerick were finished within about half an hour, and then we moved onto the Humours of Bandon. I actually love the body to dance. I've always thought the figures were a bit of a mess and my opinion remains the same, but we got them regardless. How I wish I had seven dancers instead of four. If they're going to collapse in giggles at how well the claps in the Siege of Carrick fit with the music, then I'm going to have absolutely no chance at controlling them through the Three Tunes!

Class over and tables replaced, I decided to get the heavy shoes on. Ow, it's been a while. That needs a lot of work but I'm encouraged on a couple of points:

• Hit a few clicks, even the hard ones
• Nailed my rhythm bits including the double back treble and the toe-over-toe
• Didn't miss a treble
• Loouuudddd
• Pointe work strong

Howeverrrrr...stamina dreadful, turnout abysmal, height on clicks embarrassing. Needs work. Plan? Half-an-hour of heavy practice after every class, and try and find somewhere else to practice some other time during the week.

To finish on a happy note, one of the girls said "why can't we have more than one class a week?" I wish, J. I wish!

St Patrick's Day

It's occurred to me that I never did type out St Patrick's Day or the Sixteen-Hand Reel after I learnt them last year. For shame! Here goes Paddy's Day.

Lead Round

Body

Sides
Partners exchange places with sidestep and rising step, then back to place (8).

Half Right and Left
Partners take both hands and turn once in place (2). Top gents exchange places with gent to their left (2) then top ladies exchange places with lady to their left (2).

Sides (8)
Half Right and Left (6)
As before.

Double Quarter Chain
As in the High Cauled Cap. Partners take right hands and turn in place (2). Gents pass to lady on left, ladies to gent on right, give left hands and turn in place (2), chain back to partner (2), turn in place (2). Repeat with gent passing to lady on right and lady passing to gent on left (8). (16)

Extended Sides
Partners exchange places with sidestep and rising step (4). Continue on in same direction (gents right, ladies left) as before (4). Gents give right hand to lady on right and turn in place (2), chain back to partner (2), turn in place (2). (14)

Full Chain
As it says on the tin. Gents right (anticlockwise), ladies left (clockwise). (14)

First Figure - Advance and Retire
As always (16).

Brief clip interlude. They go the wrong way in the double quarter chain.



Body (72)

First Figure - repeated by sides (16)

Body (72)

Second Figure - Ladies Chain
As always - (16)

Body (72)

Second Figure - repeated by sides (16)

Body (72)

Finish
Lead around anticlockwise as usual (8). Lead around clockwise but only as far as opposite position (4), then take partners two hands and swing in the same direction back to position (4). (16)

Sooooo, 456 bars? I really like this dance!

JIG

Can't wait. Nothing more to add.

Figure failure

Only slight! Here follows my conversation when I got into the house last night:

SO: How was your class tonight?
Me: Oh really good, we got through both figures of the Four-Hand Reel! [reaches for laptop]
SO: What are you up to?
Me: Just checking if I got the first one right...
*watches*
Me: ...I did not.

Cue a round of gentle mocking!

I was nearly right, I just had the wrong dancers making the rings. I knew it didn't feel right as we were dancing it but I'd left my book at home, of course. Here's the video to review.



(They get cute points for having the littlies dance with the big girls. Awww!)

In other news K has finished her light jig - I thought it'd be the easiest one to learn after the reel because it's so repetitive, but with hindsight it's actually quite difficult as you bring the back foot forward every time. It's not exactly a natural thing to do. So I think in future I'll do the "traditional" order - the order I learned them in, the usual feis order. Reel, hop, light, slip. My reel steps worked (made a first step up on the way home from work on Monday), but the heavy jig failed spectacularly. Conclusion? I can make light steps up in my head no problem, but I MUST dance my jig and hornpipe creations before unleashing them on the class. I tend to forget that gravity is a real thing.

Next week: Antrim Reel or Humours of Bandon?

Homework

I set myself some homework for this week.

• Finally finish writing out all my dances on flashcards to go into my pretty and colour co-ordinated box.
• Come up with a first and second step for my beginner heavy jig - one of my girls has got the lead round and is chomping at the bit for more!
• Another practise exam.
• Come up with a primary level reel, or at least a lead round for R.
• Practise outside of class - really need to get these fitness levels up.

Most of it is done! My box is complete although really I don't know why I bothered, I very rarely have a problem remembering the order of the movements for each dance, it's the actual content I sometimes mis-remember.

A heavy jig step came to me in two parts - the first four bars while daydreaming at work on Friday, and the second half while unable to sleep yesterday morning. All my own work as well; not too much trad set plagiarising!

I've actually done not one but three practice exams since my last update. My personal best is 97% (I KNOW!!!) so I was disappointed to score something like 81%, 91% and 86% on them. A pass is a pass and I really should know which order the couples pass under each other's arches in Trip to the Cottage (first figure) by now. Second tops under first tops' arch, then under own arch, first tops under own arch then under second tops' arch. Right? :-/

I came up with a reel lead round while stuck in traffic on the way to work this morning which is quite nice though I do say so myself.

Did I practise? A few run-throughs of the new heavy jig step and one random run-through of St Patrick's Day to get the faster speed into my head. I'm still not used to fast heavy jigs as I never danced a beginner level one myself (I'd done "show" heavy dancing before learning jigs and hornpipes so they put me straight in at a higher level).

Homework for this week is to finally finish learning the Blackbird which I haven't touched since my little meltdown, to PRACTISE, and to start looking at/listening to the music again. Started to neglect that again.

Looking forward to class tonight. I now have four dancers so if they all come I can step out of the four-hand reel and maybe move them on to some other ceilis. And I've had a couple of enquiries from prospective students, one of whom even wants to compete eventually. That's made me think. Should I be a bit harder on them? At my most recent class the teachers were very easy on us. So long as you did the dance it was fine; no mention of turnout or posture, no corrections. Most people were there for fun. But I think with a little work I could get them up to competition standard ready for when I pass - R has already said she's never won a medal at anything in her life so she'd love to give it a go. Maybe I could even do ceili club.

But that would mean me being much harder on them. I'm not sure if that's what they're there for.

Happy face / sad face

Great class last night. Another new face! She was so lovely and despite protesting that she hadn't danced in 20 years, picked everything up as if she'd taken a class last week. That brings me up to a grand total of four students so ceilis, here we come! I'm really enjoying it, despite not feeling well last night and still dying every time I have to dance at the same time as saying the steps. I can cope with little things like that!

I'm just a bit down about the whole thing really. There's so much going on all over the message boards about big American schools leaving for An Comhdhail, the association rule, etc etc...it's almost upsetting. I know things aren't perfect but I'm been with Coimisiun my entire dancing life, even before I knew there was anything else out there. I wouldn't dream of going anywhere else, and I'm not naive, but... I just want to believe that once I've put in the hard yards and passed this exam, that me and my dancers will be taken at face value.

That's a long way off. I'm not going to get drawn in - I've still got to pass the bloody thing! Homework for this week:

• Finally finish writing out all my dances on flashcards to go into my pretty and colour co-ordinated box.
• Come up with a first and second step for my beginner heavy jig - one of my girls has got the lead round and is chomping at the bit for more!
• Another practise exam.
• Come up with a primary level reel, or at least a lead round for R.
• Practise outside of class - really need to get these fitness levels up.

And at some point I've got to finish and send a job application, revise for a non-dancing test I'm taking soon, make a soup and organise the hell-hole that is my bedroom.

A nice quiet week then!