Dream

Normally when I dream about dancing, I'm the dancer. I can usually execute bicycles and double clicks as well, which leads to momentary excitement and then crushing disappointment when I awake. This time around, I dreamt I was the teacher. Make of this what you will.

I was at the World Championships, back in Dublin, with my sole qualifier. A little girl called Ruby O'Callaghan who had never qualified before. She had recalled in the U13 and we were warming up for her hornpipe set - I think it was Ace & Deuce. I told her she'd already surpassed any expectations and made us all very proud, so just go out and enjoy it. At results time, they called the scores out in reverse numerical order and she was 210. In dreamland, the scoring wasn't quite like it is in real life - she got 200 for her jig, 515 for slip, and 800-and-something for her set. She'd won! We went to the toilet on the upper floor to get her into her dress and touch up the make-up, but we got shut in there and they started her presentation without her. We finally made it back into the arena hall, and saw the podium filled but for the top spot, and marched backstage.

I told one of the sisters (you know!) running the stage that it was disgusting but by the time I was starting my rant, Ruby had gone up on stage to get her globe and I just started bawling. The sister hugged me and said I would teach many more champions in my time. But the steps were broken and I couldn't get up on to the stage to congratulate her - the sister had to climb up and drag me up after her.

I woke up briefly at this point, and must have missed a lot as by the time I got back to sleep Ruby was dancing the Blackthorn Stick on stage at the British Nationals.

Fingers crossed I get a Ruby.

"If you get it wrong, you have to get it right. You can't just leave it."

Wise words from a ten-year-old. And she (Julia, Jig) is right - you can't just leave it. This is why I was never a particularly good dancer. I would start off practising my reel, only I couldn't get the timing or I couldn't do that bicycle...so I'd move on to slip jig instead. What Julia, or Brogan, or Claire would have done, is to keep practising until the timing was stuck in my head, or get between two chairs and figure out that bicycle. And to be fair, that's not even just a champion's mindset. That's just a hardworking mindset.

It's slowly dawning on me that things worth doing need work. Why did I never put my shoes on and drill trebles? Why did I just accept that I would miss them occasionally on my left foot? Now that I've drilled, I don't miss them on my left foot. Why did I just accept that I couldn't hit clicks? Now that I've drilled, now that I've actually caught on to the concept of pointing and turning out, I CAN hit them. Not consistently still, but I'm getting there, because I am no longer just leaving it when I get it wrong. This is so infuriating to me. Ten year olds know this stuff - why didn't I? I did know it deep down, but why didn't I apply myself?

I can't remember whether I wrote about Monday's class or not. There again, during the warm up I was really concentrating on turning out and crossing my skips. I looked down, and everything was where it was supposed to be. It was working.

I ran through Sweets again, and caught up the people who hadn't been there the previous week. It was R's first time doing it as she couldn't go last week so she was nervous, but picked it up a treat. Such a lovely dance. We then moved on to Cross Reel and I took turns teaching it with the regular teacher - he's definitely better than me! I'm too meek. I need to speak up and have a bit more fun with it. We got through lead, extended sides, full chain and gentlemen interlace - next week back-to-back, which I've never taught and can only dance as top gent or lady. Nevertheless, should be interesting. No class next week due to the bank holiday so just my Wednesday practice session - more heavy jig work. No use moving on until I've got both steps PROPERLY right, because as Julia says: "If you get it wrong, you have to get it right. You can't just leave it."

Progress

I did as much as my feet would allow me to do tonight and, dare I say it, I think I've made an amount of progress. I started off just by going over the trads to warm up, then put the shoes on and did some treble and treble/click drills for a bit. Then I moved on to jig and you know what, it was ok. On one of my steps I was hitting most of the walkover clicks, and the donkey click as well which I NEVER get. The little fiddly trebles were ok as well. I'll keep this step! My second step needs a bit more work than I gave it, but it was getting there too. I can't quite do the stamp combination on the left foot and back trebles are pretty weak, but I can do the toe-over-toe on the left now and I fixed the ending so it's easier to go from right to left. Maybe I can do it after all.

TMRF

I'm considering it. I know it doesn't count towards the TCRG, and I know that all I'm doing is adding another nearly €400 to my bill.

But on the other hand, why not? I honestly believe I could pass the TMRF if I took it right this minute. I know that book - I KNOW IT. Who knows if I'll ever be confident enough in my dancing ability to take the TCRG? Who knows if I'll ever be fit and injury-free enough to put in the practice required to get to an exam-worthy standard? Wouldn't it be better just to get a qualification under my belt?

There must be plenty of people who've done the TMRF and then gone on to take the TCRG. Many years ago, I read an interview with Owen McAuley (formerly Setanta, now Haughey-McAuley). He took the TMRF - indeed, he took all three.

The main reason I'm putting this exam off is because of my own dancing. If I managed to get into the Glasgow exam for the TMRF, I could still put in for the May exam in 2012 and do solos. Perhaps. And when it came to the full TCRG, I'd already know what to expect of the exam process so I wouldn't be so nervous.

How beautifully ironic that, as a former dancer who never really taught before and never did ceili before, it's the dancing section that's causing me the most grief.

Time for an update

It's been such a long time since my last update. I don't really have a reason for that but rest assured that the lack of updates doesn't mean a lack of work.

One of my girls bought herself some hard shoes on eBay a week or two ago, so we've spent some time on treble drills and really just showing her how to use the shoe. This has done ME the world of good as well although my foot injuries haven't thanked me. I feel like I'm gaining a bit more control over those feet and shoes, and am working out how to get the best sounds again. It's coming along.

This week I was given the chance to teach a HUGE class - well, huge by my standards. 16 dancers! It was a ceili class so we went through Sweets of May and they were fantastic, we got through the entire dance (all four figures) within about 40 minutes. So impressed. I didn't want to keep them going over the same material all night though so we moved on to Lannigan's Ball which I taught as a 16-hand. I had to spend some time teaching them the rising step as not all of them had done it before but we got through the first four movements - perhaps I'll get to finish it next week alongside the regular teacher. I didn't break sweat but it was great practice and good fun: "cotton-eyed Joe", "think speed!". Good times.

The Sweets of May
First Figure - Rings
Body - Cross Over and Back, Advance and Retire, Ringing the Bells
Second Figure - Lead Round
Body
Third Figure - See Saw
Body
Fourth Figure - Sides Under Arms
Body
Repeat Rings

Lannigan's Ball
Rings
Quarter's Hook
The Rise and Grind Step
Lead Round in Centre
Flirtation
Stack Up
Lead Round
Rings

The previous week we'd done Trip to the Cottage (although not the first figure unfortunately) so it was good to get a few dance-throughs of that into the legs. I'm confident on Cross Over and Lead Around and on the body, but I often fluff the figures when writing up exam papers. To revise!