In my first life as a competitive dancer, I'd been working my way through the grades with jig for months before we started working on a hornpipe. I remember going to one feis with a knee injury and just wanting to get it out of the way, so I only danced the primary 'pipe and trophy, for the first time, and won both. Can't remember the steps. I think that was my last feis in Life One.
In Life Two I learnt a hornpipe for grades, then started competing in open and was jig/hornpipe set. Can't remember any of those steps. I then had a second hornpipe set when I progressed a little - can remember a few of the combinations from it, but not enough that I'd be able to dance it.
I'd NEVER choreographed hornpipe before attempting the TCRG exam.
I have NO repertoire when it comes to hornpipes at all. I have no back catalogue of steps to draw on, no little treble combinations that you can slip in here and there to up the difficulty or change the rhythm like I do in the jig.
Hornpipe is my nemesis dance. I love watching it, but when it comes to choreographing something more difficult than prelim level I just strop and think this music is not suitable for Irish dancing!!!
I'm trying SO hard on this. I've done so much choreography over the last few days, only to realise it just doesn't work in practice like it does in my head. I've made a few breakthroughs by learning a few of the aforementioned combinations, but when choreographing I just can't break out from my bitty style - nothing flows. It's like here's this combination, then I'll stamp or pause, now here's another combination, stamp, here's another, stamp, clicky sequence, stamp, done. It needs to come together more cohesively.
Anybody got any inspiring hornpipe videos from YouTube they can share? Sets, steps, step-abouts, any level. Give me ALL the hornpipes!
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