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.

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.

I'm going to take a break.

I've got a busy month coming up. In fact it's already begun; I've tried to sit down and do practice papers this week, and have been distracted by an urgent task each time. In addition, my dance class has closed down.

The latter has really forced me to think about my preparation for the exam so far. I've been almost wholly focused on the academic aspects, the "book smarts". I might have choreographed some dances, but that's it really. The class cancellation is only going to make that worse. I'm feeling really down about the whole thing - it seems so out of reach.

So I'm allowing myself a break, which might seem counterproductive, but hear me out. I need to get this busy period out of the way, and if I'm really going to start making an effort at the practical side of dancing then I need to get myself fit. I need to eat better and to work out. I've had some interest in setting up my own informal adult ceili class, so if I'm going to teach that I need to be at a good level of fitness. And I need a better than good level of fitness if I'm going to get my dancing steps up to scratch. If I don't do that, I'll ace the writtens and fail badly on the practicals.

I suppose a break is no big deal. I haven't even thought about an exam date, let alone booked myself on.

I just hope I can motivate myself to start again. I often set out on these grand plans only to tire of them and let them slip from my mind. I've come too far to stop altogether, but then I doubt my ability to pass the practicals. Get fit, then get learning. Fingers crossed.

The Duke Reel

This one's cute. I read the book and watched the DVD on Friday and it's Monday now. Let's see if I can remember:

Rings
Body: Sides - Link Arms - Interlace - Something else.
First Figure: Figure of Eight?
Body
Second Figure: Some sort of chain?
Body
Is there a third figure?
Finish?

Ah, didn't do too well there. I remember exactly how to do the two figures, but I genuinely don't remember if they even HAVE names. Oh dear. Let's check.

Oh! Not that bad then. The correct version is:

Rings
Body: Sides - Link Arms - Interlace - Advance and Retire
First Figure: Figure of Eight
Body
Second Figure: Right and Left Chain
Body
Finish (Swing Around)

Done! Now to remember it...

Humours of Bandon

Easiest body in the world, but why do they have to repeat it so many times?! I can't stand a ceili that repeats the body in between each couple dancing the figures. Why? No need. No, no, no. [I iknow it's because it goes with the music but seriously it's exhausting].

With my rant out of the way, here's the actual dance:

- Lead Round
- Body (Sides, Half Right and Left, Sides, Half Right and Left)
- First Figure - Advance Through Centre
- Body
- Opposites repeat First Figure
- Body
- Second Figure - Centre Meet
- Body
- Opposites repeat Second Figure
- Body
- Third Figure - Ladies Chain
- Body
- Finish - Lead Round

304 bars.

If you ever use the TCRG Exam Website for help, they've added the bars up incorrectly on the dance summary sheet. They forgot about the body repeats, so just be aware.

Anyway, I'm confused about the second figure. The book doesn't specify what the 'free' partners are doing during the sidestep and rise and grind bit. Olive has them doing two threes and the rising step, but is this just an embellishment? I think it looks a little "busy" if I'm honest.

Productive weekend

More progress today with some primary and intermediate steps. I guess for open I'm going to have more luck with a slip jig, so if I need an open reel I'll just substitute a bicycle for a lift. I still don't have any heavy steps to teach - I mean obviously I can teach my own jig, but I have nothing for a hornpipe and nothing for beginner or primary. Not even sure how I'd go about choreographing a beginner jig or hornpipe since somehow I never learned one. Plagiarise the trad sets? Who knows. No negativity - I've done well. Even have a lovely sequence for my Downfall which is verrrrry slowly taking shape in my brain. Not bad.

Beginner reels and jigs

Thought it was about time I started thinking about the solo teaching part of the exam. Save for the steps I'm going to dance myself, I have nothing prepped really. So I stuck Dean in the laptop, uploaded him to iTunes, and now have a full beginner reel, hop jig, light jig and slip jig.

The slip jig is very pretty though I say so myself - this one took way longer as I kept getting distracted and making up open-level steps. Oops.

Then I had a slight wobble, because I realised these aren't just the steps I will call upon in the exam if I'm given beginner dancers. These are the steps I will teach in my classes, to my own dancers. These are the steps my future dancers will compete with, win with, and move up with.

Passing the exam is one thing. Being a real teacher with real dancers is quite another.

Attempting the Gates of Derry...

I was terrified of this because of the Gates and the Telescope, but...dare I say it? It's actually not that hard.



Advance and Retire
The Gates
Rings
The Gates
Rings
Telescope
Right and Left Wheels
Swing Around

Trouble is, this dance gets weird when it comes to the repeats. For the first repeat you don't dance advance and retire and only the two middle couples perform Right and Left Wheels and Swing Around. Then for the second repeat you do dance advance and retire, and all couples perform all movements. Why?

I decided to do this one next as I tried a practice exam that asked for an explanation of the Telescope, and as I'd watched the clip a few times and read/thought through the book once I thought I might as well try.

I nearly had it - I said that the hand-holding couples hold right hands when really it's both hands, uncrossed.

And I've also just realised (after watching the video and thinking I'd made a mistake, so checking the book) - it actually doesn't say which of the centre couples hold hands/go down the centre. I just had whichever couple were already holding hands keep them there - ie if you're couple 1 you go all the way down the set holding hands, and then all the way back up around the outside. But Olive had them swapping each time which is probably the way to go.

How did I do?

One horrendous mistake and a couple of silly ones.

- Difference between sides in Morris Reel (MR) and High Cauled Cap (HCC)? Spot on.

- Who does Gent 3 meet in Skip Across? Spot on.

- Describe Right Hands Across. I had the gents giving left hand first then right, but they do exactly the same as the ladies.

- Who does Gent 1 meet in Return Chain? I agonised over this one and would have got it right if I'd sent my dancers in the right direction. Ladies go Left, Gents Go riGht.

- Explain how Ladies Chain is danced. Spot on.

- List in order the movements of all dances. Spot on.

- Describe Back to Back. Missed out that gents pass right arm to right arm when returning to place, but spot on apart from that.

- Describe the Finish of the MR. Spot on, except I didn't give details like "forearms bent sharply upwards". Surely that goes without saying?

- Describe Skip Across in the Eight-Hand Reel (8HR). Spot on. I often put unspecified details in - book doesn't say they all sidestep right, but I did. So don't.

- Describe and compare the first movement of the body of the 8HR and MR. Got the MR right, but totally failed on the 8HR. For some reason I sent the partners sidestepping together, but they swap places and then go on individually. I think subconciously I knew this was wrong as I then couldn't work out which way they chained - they go back the way they came. Fail.

- Describe the first two movements of the body of the 8HR. Fail as above on Extended Sides, but Skip Across spot-on as above.

- Name and describe in detail the first figure of the 4HR. I knew it was Figure of Eight and Rings of Three, and apart from sending the couples in a full circle swing rather than just a half-circle back to places, I got it right. I need to be clearer and actually state that the free gent sidesteps right and left too; I just put that "all dancers" did it, but I could be clearer to be sure. To be sure, to be sure.

Will need to review these before I move on to the Cross Reel or Trip or something. Undecided what to do next. Thoughts?

Eight-Hand Reel and Morris Reel

Tip for anyone who hasn't got this far yet: Kill two birds with one stone and learn these two dances at the same time. You won't be overloading yourself with information; these dances are exactly the same save for two movements in the body. See?

Eight-Hand Reel
Lead Round
Body (Extended Sides - Skip Across - Return Chain - Back-to-Back)
First Figure - Advance and Retire
Second Figure - Ladies' Chain
Finish

If you've done the Four-Hand Reel already, you already know Ladies' Chain. And if you know High Cauled Cap, then you know the Finish. And everybody knows Lead Round :)

Morris Reel
Lead Round
Body (Sides - Right Hands Across - Return Chain - Back-to-Back)
First Figure - Advance and Retire
Second Figure - Ladies' Chain
Finish

Back-to-Back is almost impossible to work out from the book description alone. Definitely had to rewind the DVD a few times to get that one, but it's deceptively simple once you know it. Obviously. I feel like any experienced ceili dancer reading this would think I was a complete idiot, but as a reminder I'd danced about four ceilis in my entire life before taking on this challenge, never in full and never with correct terminology. I'd never even really watched them before. So I'm doing quite well in my own little way, climbing my own personal mountain.

So here I am, with four "ceilis with figures" floating round my head. I thought a test was in order, so I constructed myself a practice paper based just on the Four-Hand Reel, Eight-Hand Reel, Morris Reel and one question on the High Cauled Cap for comparison. I answered it at work today...now I'm going to mark it. I'll let you know how I got on in the next exciting instalment...