...will be the year I pass.
I've done some work already. I now know Jockey to the Fair (it needs practising, but I know the steps) and the step of King of the Fairies. The latter took me an embarrassingly long time but I've changed my learning strategy from putting the Olive dvd on cold and trying to dance along, to watching and watching and watching and learning in theory before I start to try and dance it. That seems to be the less frustrating method :)
So that's 1.5 trad sets out of 3 done!
I've also started making a ceili study guide for my friend who I've talked into doing the TMRF. Just tips, unwritten rules, that kind of thing. Still a bit of a work in progress but I'll need to get that printed out today because...
It's the first class of 2013 tonight!!!
My feet will be on fire, I will be horribly unfit and out of breath, my holiday weight will be embarrassing. BUT, I can't bloody wait!
Showing posts with label TMRF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TMRF. Show all posts
Monday, 7 January 2013
Monday, 21 November 2011
This weekend I have...
- Written out the first five ceilis from Book One and not made too many horrendous mistakes. Just little gaffes here and there.
- Come up with some ideas for steps.
- Learnt the step for Jockey.
- Realised I don't need Jockey unless I fail the dancing exam and end up retaking in 2013.
- Thought I might just as well learn the three extra sets because nobody ever seems to do them at competitions so my hypothetical dancers would stand out, and also because I started this huge endeavour because I simply thought I *should* know the ceilis and the sets.
- Come home from dancing with my toes in one piece.
Score.
- Come up with some ideas for steps.
- Learnt the step for Jockey.
- Realised I don't need Jockey unless I fail the dancing exam and end up retaking in 2013.
- Thought I might just as well learn the three extra sets because nobody ever seems to do them at competitions so my hypothetical dancers would stand out, and also because I started this huge endeavour because I simply thought I *should* know the ceilis and the sets.
- Come home from dancing with my toes in one piece.
Score.
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Actual revision schedule
Since designing my Revision Schedule way back in September I erm, didn't revise. BUT I am now, and I've paid 50 boys into my TCRG exam savings account as well.
Last night I wrote out the formations, movement names and bars for every dance in the book. Having not looked at the book for a few months I was worried about this, but amazingly my brain does hold onto these ceilis remarkably well. Here were my mistakes.
Book One -
- Started writing out the body of the High Cauled Cap when I should have been doing the Eight Hand Reel, but quickly corrected myself before I finished
- Called the movement Hands Round by the wrong name in the Sixteen Hand Reel
- In the Harvest Time Jig, called Right Hands Across and Left Hands Across "Right and Left Hands Across" etc.
No massive disasters, unlike in...
Book Two -
- Rince Fada - called the last movement Swing Out when it's Dance Around
- After what felt like hours of agonising I finally remembered that Hook and Chain was the movement I'd forgotten. Great, but I wrote it in the wrong place and flipped it with See Saw.
- The disaster that was Trip to the Cottage. I forgot the body. Yes, you read that correctly. Clean forgot it, and got the number of bars wrong for Cross Over and Lead Around AND both the figures. Dreadful.
Book Three -
- Was trying to write out the dances in book order and failed at this point
- Got the wrong number of bars for a few movements here and there
- Referred to R&L Hands Across etc as "wheels" in Waves of Tory, and missed off The Waves! I know!
- Mixed up the ending of Rakes and Gates - Rakes is Swing Out and Gates is Swing Around. Way to remember this - in Gates you swing around one couple and then dance again with them (albeit in their position). In Rakes you swing out to meet a new couple.
Not totally awful but one or two shockers in there. The next mission, and I do choose to accept it, is to write out every dance in FULL and that's obviously going to take me more than one night. I'll aim to do it over the next fortnight and thinking about it, will probably review a book at a time. Write out, mark, watch videos to refresh. Once I've completed each book I'll revisit some past papers and try and recapture my 90%-ish average mark!
Last night I wrote out the formations, movement names and bars for every dance in the book. Having not looked at the book for a few months I was worried about this, but amazingly my brain does hold onto these ceilis remarkably well. Here were my mistakes.
Book One -
- Started writing out the body of the High Cauled Cap when I should have been doing the Eight Hand Reel, but quickly corrected myself before I finished
- Called the movement Hands Round by the wrong name in the Sixteen Hand Reel
- In the Harvest Time Jig, called Right Hands Across and Left Hands Across "Right and Left Hands Across" etc.
No massive disasters, unlike in...
Book Two -
- Rince Fada - called the last movement Swing Out when it's Dance Around
- After what felt like hours of agonising I finally remembered that Hook and Chain was the movement I'd forgotten. Great, but I wrote it in the wrong place and flipped it with See Saw.
- The disaster that was Trip to the Cottage. I forgot the body. Yes, you read that correctly. Clean forgot it, and got the number of bars wrong for Cross Over and Lead Around AND both the figures. Dreadful.
Book Three -
- Was trying to write out the dances in book order and failed at this point
- Got the wrong number of bars for a few movements here and there
- Referred to R&L Hands Across etc as "wheels" in Waves of Tory, and missed off The Waves! I know!
- Mixed up the ending of Rakes and Gates - Rakes is Swing Out and Gates is Swing Around. Way to remember this - in Gates you swing around one couple and then dance again with them (albeit in their position). In Rakes you swing out to meet a new couple.
Not totally awful but one or two shockers in there. The next mission, and I do choose to accept it, is to write out every dance in FULL and that's obviously going to take me more than one night. I'll aim to do it over the next fortnight and thinking about it, will probably review a book at a time. Write out, mark, watch videos to refresh. Once I've completed each book I'll revisit some past papers and try and recapture my 90%-ish average mark!
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Applying.
I'm going to take my forms in to class next week and ask my teacher to sign me off. Then I'm going to send them into the office and I'll officially be a candidate. For which exam? Depends what my teacher says. I'm going to ask if I can start attending her solo classes to prepare because I just can't do it on my own - and her steps are so beautiful, I desperately want to be able to do them. But I want to apply for May and I don't think I'll be ready by then. Perhaps I'll show her my own steps and get her appraisal of how ready I can get before then. Either way. Taking the plunge and applying for something before the month is out.
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Revision schedule
I know, I know. I only ever do the booksmarts. But I'm really quite enthusiastic about doing the TMRF, in as few as 8 months if at all possible (ie if there is a May exam in Britain/Ireland and if it hasn't filled up yet). So I might just as well revise.
Tonight I'm going to concentrate on my workouts - more and more I'm learning that everything in the body is linked, and my physio has given me some core and glutes routines to do which will help support my knees and ankles, and in turn put less pressure on my arches. So I'm going to give that a real concerted effort tonight because the sooner I get into the swing of it then the sooner I'll see the benefits and hopefully we'll be starting to do some solo soon at class (meaning a second class per week, I hope).
On Thursday evening I plan to write out all the basic ceili information - so, name of dance, formation, music type and tune if appropriate, list the movement names including repeats, the duration of each movement and of the whole dance. Then I'm going to start at the beginning and write them out in full, and I shall do at least one per day until I'm through the entire book. Hopefully there won't be too many mistakes - if there are I'll try those ones again, and finally when I'm happy I'll start doing some practice exams as well.
If I feel like a need a break from ceili I pledge to put my iPod on a do a music quiz (not on the TMRF but it doesn't hurt to refresh) rather than playing games or whatever.
You know, I'm still not sure whether I want to be a teacher, not with my very own school anyway. I'm very much a follower, not a leader. Perhaps I could join someone else's school, if they'd have me, and do exactly what they told me to do. But in any case I really, really, really want these qualifications. I would like to run a feis and help out at other people's. I would like dancing to be a bigger part of my life. Not with any lofty goals of producing 6 World Champs every year (I don't know how they do it, amazing). But just because I love it, and for no other reason.
Tonight I'm going to concentrate on my workouts - more and more I'm learning that everything in the body is linked, and my physio has given me some core and glutes routines to do which will help support my knees and ankles, and in turn put less pressure on my arches. So I'm going to give that a real concerted effort tonight because the sooner I get into the swing of it then the sooner I'll see the benefits and hopefully we'll be starting to do some solo soon at class (meaning a second class per week, I hope).
On Thursday evening I plan to write out all the basic ceili information - so, name of dance, formation, music type and tune if appropriate, list the movement names including repeats, the duration of each movement and of the whole dance. Then I'm going to start at the beginning and write them out in full, and I shall do at least one per day until I'm through the entire book. Hopefully there won't be too many mistakes - if there are I'll try those ones again, and finally when I'm happy I'll start doing some practice exams as well.
If I feel like a need a break from ceili I pledge to put my iPod on a do a music quiz (not on the TMRF but it doesn't hurt to refresh) rather than playing games or whatever.
You know, I'm still not sure whether I want to be a teacher, not with my very own school anyway. I'm very much a follower, not a leader. Perhaps I could join someone else's school, if they'd have me, and do exactly what they told me to do. But in any case I really, really, really want these qualifications. I would like to run a feis and help out at other people's. I would like dancing to be a bigger part of my life. Not with any lofty goals of producing 6 World Champs every year (I don't know how they do it, amazing). But just because I love it, and for no other reason.
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Still here, still dancing
I think I actually forgot about this blog for a while. Somebody just emailed me and told me to look at it - I don't think I told them it's mine. Haha.
Where are we up to? I still go dancing once a week and I'm still having physio which is quite intensive at times. It's only now beginning to dawn on me that really I'm stuck with these exercises for the rest of my life - quite naively I thought that I will do them until I got better, and then I would be better, so I wouldn't need to do them. I don't think it works like that, does it? I need to do them forever, or at least for as long as I want to dance.
We had a little summer break for a couple of weeks as most schools do so I didn't dance at all, literally, for six weeks. I had physio during that time and I do think slight improvements have been made, but I haven't touched music, written, trad sets or own dancing for years. I still remember everything - we've recently taught the Fairy Reel and all the figures of the Cap and I could do them book-free - I just haven't done anything with it for a while.
I need to do solos. I still think I might do the TMRF first just to achieve something even though it's a waste. In fact I might even put in for May next year, why not? I know everything I need to know. And it would finally put paid to the stupid idea I have every now and then, of doing "one last competition". But I DO need to do solos. Especially now the trad sets have been increased. I will do the TCRG one day, I just wish I'd done it when I was 20. Real life is totally in my way.
Where are we up to? I still go dancing once a week and I'm still having physio which is quite intensive at times. It's only now beginning to dawn on me that really I'm stuck with these exercises for the rest of my life - quite naively I thought that I will do them until I got better, and then I would be better, so I wouldn't need to do them. I don't think it works like that, does it? I need to do them forever, or at least for as long as I want to dance.
We had a little summer break for a couple of weeks as most schools do so I didn't dance at all, literally, for six weeks. I had physio during that time and I do think slight improvements have been made, but I haven't touched music, written, trad sets or own dancing for years. I still remember everything - we've recently taught the Fairy Reel and all the figures of the Cap and I could do them book-free - I just haven't done anything with it for a while.
I need to do solos. I still think I might do the TMRF first just to achieve something even though it's a waste. In fact I might even put in for May next year, why not? I know everything I need to know. And it would finally put paid to the stupid idea I have every now and then, of doing "one last competition". But I DO need to do solos. Especially now the trad sets have been increased. I will do the TCRG one day, I just wish I'd done it when I was 20. Real life is totally in my way.
Friday, 22 July 2011
Book Three revision
I'm actually more astounded by the fact that I nearly got all these in the right order, than the fact that I got them nearly all right. I can't believe I've remembered everything. I'm clearly meant to do this exam. If I wasn't, and if I didn't genuinely love and care about dancing, I would never have remembered 30 fiddly ceilis. No pun intended. It's given me a right little lift, this has.
Firstly I got Gates and Rakes the wrong way round but then you're not tested on book order so who cares? And my one mistake was in Gates itself, calling Right and Left Wheels 'Right Hands Across' by mistake. But that was it. It's actually pointless me having posted three separate book updates, or posting at all - I thought I'd have so much to correct, so many mistakes. Wow. Wow wow wow.
BUT let's not get carried away; I do need to know how to actually perform/teach the movements as well as just the names of things. So to revise:
10) Fairy Reel - everything after the second rings, just to be sure
11) Duke Reel - quick refresh throughout
12) Lannigan's Ball - double check on all terminology and positioning
13) Gates of Derry - need to actually sort out the issue of repeats which I have completely ignored up until now but is being discussed on the TCRG Voy.
14) Bonfire Dance - just the Rose, just to be sure.
Happy Friday :)
Firstly I got Gates and Rakes the wrong way round but then you're not tested on book order so who cares? And my one mistake was in Gates itself, calling Right and Left Wheels 'Right Hands Across' by mistake. But that was it. It's actually pointless me having posted three separate book updates, or posting at all - I thought I'd have so much to correct, so many mistakes. Wow. Wow wow wow.
BUT let's not get carried away; I do need to know how to actually perform/teach the movements as well as just the names of things. So to revise:
10) Fairy Reel - everything after the second rings, just to be sure
11) Duke Reel - quick refresh throughout
12) Lannigan's Ball - double check on all terminology and positioning
13) Gates of Derry - need to actually sort out the issue of repeats which I have completely ignored up until now but is being discussed on the TCRG Voy.
14) Bonfire Dance - just the Rose, just to be sure.
Happy Friday :)
Book Two revision
Well, I did manage to get these in book order however I did make one or two mistakes. In Glencar Reel I got all the movements right but forgot to add Full Chain on the end. Unsurprising as I can't get to grips with it. And in the Antrim Reel I mistakenly called Swing Out to Next Couple, Swing and Exchange Partners. However I did remember that I'd got that wrong before marking - while writing out Bonfire Dance actually. So chuffed I remembered all of Tunes and Paddy's Day!
So, to revise from this book (in addition to Book One revision)
6) Antrim Reel - just needs a quick refresh, especially the dance downs/sidesteps
7) Glencar Reel - in full
8) Three Tunes - All movements
9) St Patrick's Day - refresh the body
So, to revise from this book (in addition to Book One revision)
6) Antrim Reel - just needs a quick refresh, especially the dance downs/sidesteps
7) Glencar Reel - in full
8) Three Tunes - All movements
9) St Patrick's Day - refresh the body
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
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
Sunday, 17 July 2011
I love Irish dancing.
I do. I love it, I genuinely love it.
So why is this so hard? Why have I done nothing for weeks?
It's always come back to me before. I so hope it comes back to me this time. I'm trying. I watched a few slip jigs on YouTube earlier, so beautiful - Rebecca Reed from the SRO. And some beautiful reels - Sarah Oldam from this year's NAN. I think I need to see some dancing live again, it's been a while. I love it so much. Why do I let it slip away from me?
So why is this so hard? Why have I done nothing for weeks?
It's always come back to me before. I so hope it comes back to me this time. I'm trying. I watched a few slip jigs on YouTube earlier, so beautiful - Rebecca Reed from the SRO. And some beautiful reels - Sarah Oldam from this year's NAN. I think I need to see some dancing live again, it's been a while. I love it so much. Why do I let it slip away from me?
Friday, 20 May 2011
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.
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.
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