Friday 24 August 2012

Monday 20 August 2012

87

87 days to go.

Continuing on a theme of posting an inspirational picture, I found this today:


There's so much life and colour in it - their legs are a blur, almost spirit-like, and it's interesting that there's not much detail on their faces. They're part of the whole, important but not important. Creating the dance but secondary to the dance itself. I even find the source fascinating - an Irish painter who's lived in Iceland for decades.

Aside from waxing lyrical, the true point of the post is a progress update but of course I wanted to make it less boring :)

Wednesday 15th Aug - calf stretches (sorely needed, literally) and arch exercises. Also scored 99% on a past paper. I do take that with a pinch of salt as of course I'm marking my own work, but I still believe I'll pass this comfortably.

Thursday 16th - Ran through three traditional sets - St Patrick's Day, Blackbird and Job of Journeywork - each time doing them over and over until I'd done them right all the way through. Job was a struggle as parts I could barely remember. I was taught Garden a few months ago but I haven't even thought about it since so that will need some serious revision. I then moved on to modern sets, and ran through the White Blankets and Fiddler Round the Fairy Tree - again until I'd done them right. Blankets was a mystery - there's a dead easy treble-toe-cut sequence that I could do with my eyes closed ordinarily, but it just was not happening. It was almost funny how I couldn't make myself do it! Eventually I got it straight in my head again but that could definitely do with some tidying, and I need to change the end combination as I've used it in another set and I can't have that kind of repetition.

Friday 17th - Swam again, this time 1,000m in about 50 minutes. I also did some stretches and some work with the resistance of the water, like jogging on the spot kicking my bum, making sure toes were pointed and that I was landing turned out. Very tiring - it'll take a while to get back up to full swimming fitness I think - I used to go three times a week but haven't been regularly for well over two years.

Saturday and Sunday - weekends are always difficult, and there's no class at the moment. I made a token gesture of revising music both days, and also made up two slip jig steps which I was very proud of as they're very different to the stuff I'd been thinking up recently, and much more like the kind of slip jig I want to dance. 

That's me up to date. Monday today, so ceili class with a bit of solo practice thrown in as and where I can.

Tuesday 14 August 2012

Heart and mind

Last week, I read this quote on Facebook. I don't normally go for sentimental bullshit but this actually got to me. It might be important to you too.

If you want to know where your heart lies, look to where your mind wanders.


It's always dancing. I only ever daydream about dancing. Dancing is the only thing constantly stuck in my head. So, I've got to pass this exam.

For some reason, the quote reminded me of this picture. I haven't seen it for ten or more years, but through the wonders of Google I've discovered it again. Somehow, this picture is what dancing is to me. So I'm posting it here to remind me that this is where my mind wanders. Which is why I'm doing this, and why I'm going to pass.