Book One revision

I haven't touched the vast majority of ceilis for absolutely ages. We do the Four Hand Reel (but no figures) and a few of the Eight-Hands in class, but for months I haven't even looked at a past paper, video, or Ar Rinci Foirne itself. It's about time I started revising again so today I tried to write them all out, in book order. Not in full, obviously, just movement names, formations and numbers of bars.

First of all Book One.

I didn't get them in book order. Put Siege in before Humours rather than 9th. BUT - I didn't get anything wrong. All movement names present and correct, all bars correct. The girl done good. But I want to revise...

1) Four Hand Reel, 1st figure - Figure of Eight and Rings of Three
2) High Cauled Cap, 2nd figure - Circle and Cross, both versions
3) 16 Hand Reel, all
4) Humours of Bandon, both figures - Advance Through Centre and Centre Meet
5) Eight Hand Jig, 2nd figure - Right and Left Chain and Right Hand to Opposite Lady

Class

I don't know where to start really. I got there about 40 minutes early to do some practice and there began a complete mixed bag of an evening. My new supposedly easy heavy jig (one day to be a jig set step) was actually quite difficult with some funny timing and a treble sequence that I can do in bare feet but not in shoes. I did it a few times over and recorded it to watch back. I still sit on my knees and treble too far ahead of myself. But, I fixed the timing, the double-back is strong on BOTH feet (miracle) and occasionally I hit some clicks. It WAS getting slightly better. Until my arches decided to flare and my Achilles decided to seize up. I tried to persevere - stretched them out, did some exercises - and attempted Job. I was trying to video it and messed it up every single time; it was getting ironically amusing.

Everyone started arriving then (I had three, woo) so I put my trainers on and played teacher instead of dancing along with them like I usually do. All the light solos went ok so I took advantage of the fact that there were four of us and attempted to dance again.

We did the Four-Hand Reel just so that I could get that first figure straight in my head for once. Achieved! We then moved on to the Humours of Bandon which is actually a lot of fun to dance. Last time I taught it, I got the first figure a little bit wrong but this time I had everyone catching the correct hands and it didn't go too badly. But then I felt a burning pain in the arch of my right foot, like something had snapped, so that was it from me. Trainers back on (they are good shoes, good support) and traditional sets attempted. R got St Patrick's Day, all the way through, which I was pleased with as they were struggling with the set a bit. She also managed the step of the Blackbird, as did J, and we moved on to the first half of the set which is coming along.

After a quick check of the Worlds results (look at the grid marks on feisresults.blogspot.com - yesterday's winners were very consistent. Good to see. Jack Quinn = amazing!) I showered then spent the rest of the evening icing my feet, rubbing in ibuprofen gel, and mummifying myself in supports. That routine repeated this morning minus the ice. And I thought to myself, how am I ever going to get good enough to pass the dancing exam if I can't DANCE? I'm confident I could take the writtens today and pass. I'd give ceili teaching a bloody good go and might scrape through. Solo teaching, if I got lucky and got beginner or middling dancers I might get through that as well. Own dancing - only if I didn't have to do jig, hornpipe or any modern sets. Such a shame you can't take this exam in instalments.

I was aiming for mid-2012 and I don't think I'm going to get there. It's already mid-2011 and I can't do any meaningful dance practise - and there's SO MUCH to fix. Turnout - fine in socks, abysmal in shoes. Rhythm, ok, but still unused to the shoes. Clicks, generally not happening. Knees - permanently bent. Not high on toes, not crossing. These are all things I used to be able to do, but only on four classes a week. If I had a week off, everything would be gone and I'd have to start again. I know what I'm like.

Then on the way to work I just realised - I only have to put up with pain, ice, stiffness and bandages until the exam is over. After that I choose when I dance. And I started to think maybe it isn't so impossible after all.

-----

Off to Dublin on Wednesday afternoon - class resumes on Wednesday 27th.

Figure of Eight and Rings of Three

Determined to lift myself out of my downbeat-ness, I decided to go over the troublesome figure. Death by repetition. I've worked out where I was going wrong, and in doing so I've reminded myself that this is actually the ONLY figure I ever have problems with when doing practise exams. Here's why: I forget that the rings go BOTH ways before letting the lady or gent out. Sidestep and threes, sidestep and threes, letting them out on the second lot of threes. Because I was insistent that the figure takes 24 instead of 32 bars to do once, I was trying to get away with letting the "spare" dancer in/out after only one lot of sevens and threes, First Ring/Second Ring style in Haste to the Wedding. No, wrong, bad, slap.

1) Top couple advance. Top gent retires while top lady performs a figure of eight, passing around opposite lady then opposite gent. Both ladies advance to form a ring of three with the top gent. = 8

2) Ring performs sidestep and threes to the right and back - opposite gent does likewise in place. On the last two threes, top couple form an arch and opposite lady passes under to take the original place of top lady, and opposite gent joins the ring. = 8

3) Ring performs sidestep and threes to the left and back - opposite lady does likewise in top couple's places. On the last two threes, top couple again form the arch and let opposite gent under to take the original place of leading gent. = 8

4) All have a swing around back to place. = 8

5) As at 1, with opposite couple advancing and opposite lady performing the figure of eight around lady then gent. = 8

6) As at 2, ring allowing top lady out to position of opposite lady, top gent in. = 8

7) As at 3, allowing top gent out to position of opposite gent. = 8

8) Swiiiiing. = 8

...and you're done. 32 bars to complete once, not 24. Ring goes both ways. I had this mere weeks ago - let's hope everybody turns up next week so I can finally put this one to bed.

Ten down...

...a million to go. I've been running my class for ten weeks now :-O

I'm a bit disappointed because the numbers haven't picked up. I keep getting calls and emails from people who say they'll come, but then they never do. Starting to wonder if they're prank calls! The girls I do have are really enthusiastic and pick things up very quickly so we're steaming ahead, and last night I started pulling them up on a few technique issues and working them a bit harder. Working myself a bit harder too, even put my shoes on for St Patrick's Day, and old injuries are flaring. I'm too broken for this.

I'm also frustrated because we had a new girl who'd danced before, making four including me, so we went over the Four-Hand Reel a few times. And I've taught this before but still the first figure was just not happening.

Perhaps I'm not as confident on the ceilis as I thought I was. What I call the "little" ceilis (progressives) are ok, and I'm ok on the body of most of the harder dances, but am I going to be ok with figures? I feel like I would be if I had the opportunity to practise them but I need at least four more people to join the class and stick with it before that can happen.

I'm just having a downbeat day I guess. For why? I have't even booked myself on an exam yet. I just want it done, I want to get going, and there's so much crap in the way of that.

Very downbeat.

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!

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?

Proud moment

I'm so proud of my little class! I had three dancers this week; the two newbies got through a whole reel and the girl from last week remembered all her dances, even the heavy jig. I didn't want to overload the newbies with dances right at the start so I decided not to attempt the hop jig and to try a ceili instead. Best decision ever! They were absolutely fantastic at the Four-Hand Reel - we got through the lead and all of the body, and they got it all, even the chain and the bits I thought they might find difficult. Very proud :)

But also quite proud of myself. I managed mixed abilities which I used to struggle with, taught a ceili correctly without the book (I just checked!) and had a lot of fun as well. They all paid for next week up front as well which I was so pleased with as often people say they'll come back but never show again. I'm just so glad they enjoyed it. Because that's the whole point, isn't it?

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...

Four-Hand Reel

My second "ceili with figures". Properly chuffed I learned this one so quickly although let's be fair, I'd danced the lead and body before.

Lead Round
Body - Square, Four Sevens, Hands Across, Down the Centre, Right and Left Chain
1st Figure - Figure of Eight and Rings of Three
Body
2nd Figure - Ladies' Chain
Body
Finish (Lead Round)



In other news I went through some of my past papers and did all the Lannigan's Ball and Waves of Tory ones I could find - I'm not using the exact same terminology and I keep wanting to put in things that aren't specified, but I'm confident I know those pretty well.

I also worked out how to do the Full Chain in Glencar Reel - took me shamefully long to do it, but I got there in the end and that's all that matters.

Next, the Eight-Hand Reel. What the hell is "Back to Back" all about?!