ADCRG

I'm currently reclining on a sofa at work. I should be working, naturally, but when the boss is away...

What I'm actually doing is furiously typing, so anyone else would of course think I was busy developing strategies or creating content. I'm not. I have a 2 column by 30 row table on the go, with 30 ceilis down the left hand side and an attempt at listing all the movements down the right hand side.

Why?

Because I've been qualified as a TCRG for 1,645 days.

Four years and six months ago.

I've been actively teaching, running my own school, for 1,610 days.

Four years and four months ago.

That means I am technically eligible to sit my ADCRG exam in just eight months' time.

Let's set aside the fact that I've judged a grand total of two class feises since qualifying as a teacher and have never mock-judged a live feis. That will come. Let's start celebrating the facts that:

- There's no longer a dancing element of the ADCRG exam (mixed feelings about this)
- I can remember every single set dance tune (though the counts would need work)
- I can remember the name of every ceili and almost all of the movements
- I am fully competent in the use of a calculator and understand the grid system
- The phrase "I can talk my way out of a paper bag" possibly applies here - I fear the interview, but I know I'm articulate.

I want to approach the ADCRG the same way as I approach the TCRG - which is incredibly secretively, at my own pace, and in competition with myself.

Secretively - why would you set yourself up to have to tell a load of hopeful faces that you failed? Better to surprise than disappoint.

At my own pace - I'm not even applying until I'm ready. I wouldn't thrive on the pressure of a looming deadline and not being ready, and it'll take me that long to save up for it anyway.

In competition with myself - this is Monica-esque. I want better marks in each progressive practice exam; I want better marks in my ceili written and music than I did in the TCRG. (I got 95% and 99% respectively). That's actually why I have mixed feelings about the dancing part but I might blog separately about that.

For now, welcome back. I hope that while this blog has been sitting dormant, someone has happened upon it, and I hope it's been helpful to someone other than me.

Back to the last couple of ceilis in my table, and then I suppose I could do a bit of work...

Three.

With three days to go last time round, it was my last class (I have an extra day this year as my exam starts Friday, not Thursday). Oh I feel so much better. That's not to say I'm not nervous, I'm horribly nervous! I can barely eat, I have a funny feeling in my chest, and I keep being sick. But I'm not AS nervous. It's a combination of having been there before, and being infinitely better prepared.

I finished my list - writing out each dance by movement. Absolutely no mistakes on that, everything was word-perfect. So the idea was that as I went through, I would identify movements where I was rusty on how to actually do them, and if I came across a dance where I thought "God I hope I don't get this" then I'd revise that in full. You know what, there isn't much I want to go over. That panics me because I don't want to be complacent and waste the time I have left.

So it's revision tonight - reading, watching and ghost teaching - and then stretching and icing. I'm very sore today but I'm trying to look after myself for just these few last days. Come Sunday I will become the laziest person on earth again :)

I have literally never worked harder for anything in my entire life. Nothing, no exam, no job, no hobby, no task, has ever come close to this.

50 days goals part II

I've held back on this because I'm torn...I didn't achieve all my goals last time, so do I make fewer goals and go easy on myself, or do I make the same amount or more and just man up? Man up it is, so I'm going to set them and just get on with it. All I can do is keep chipping away.

I'm bored of music as I get 100% practically every time, so I'll reduce that target. The dancing targets obviously remain. I just about squeezed in finishing my next two sets - in fact I did Rub the Bag on the 51st or 52nd day. But, it's done so I'm counting it. And despite my last post, I actually quite like it now!

A short pause for inspiration. So graceful and effortless. The young lady who shot and edited this is also very clever indeed. [edit - I tried to make the picture a link but it wouldn't let me. Try this link].

So. Goals.

1 - Practise in heavies at least once per week.

2 - Run through at least one traditional set a week - as a warm up for the above?

3 - Choreograph two more set dances, one of each.

4 - Complete at least 5 music quizzes (that's one every 10 days).

5 - Continue past papers - 5-10 in the next 50 days.

I said the same before, but I think that's doable. It HAS to be doable, for it has to be done.

Keep on keeping on

I've had a really productive couple of days. Made up a ton of steps which are difficult but which I can actually do; realised I actually do crosskeys correctly after all; and learned a ridiculously difficult hornpipe treble combination which I never thought in a million years I could ever do. I'm starting to feel a little wistful about my own dancing career, such as it was, because if I knew then what I know now, I would have done much better and achieved much more. I do of course continue to toy with the idea of doing a small feis before the exam, but I think if I did well I'd just want to come out of retirement permanently and lose my TCRG exam fee money. Ha. It won't happen - maybe I will enter the intermediates or something just to give everything a run out before go-time.

We are 1/3 of the way through April now, and the end of the month marks the end of my first period of 50 days. I need to have achieved all my goals by then, so here's where I'm up to:

Learn Garden - DONE

Two new non-trad sets - nearly, got a step for both Rub the Bag and Blue Eyed, and part of the set for the latter.

Finish writing ceilis - DONE, not bad. Haven't done any of the required 5-10 practice papers yet. Will do one tonight.

Teach three new ceilis - one so far. This one isn't really up to me!

Dance in heavy shoes at least once per week - failed already, due to class attendance. Not giving up though, will continue to wear the feckers.

Drill one trad set per week - failed. Haven't done one, apart from Garden, Will do one tonight.

At least one music quiz per week - sort of, am passing them all in the 90%s so I'm not concerned.

50 day goals

I'm a bit late in posting this as there are 246 days to go til my TCRG exam, but I thought I would separate out the next 8 months of my life into 50 day blocks and have a set list of things to achieve during each. Day 200 is on the last day of April so my deadline will be easy to remember and is what inspired me to do this.

So, the goals I need to achieve before the end of next month, in order.

1 - Learn Garden of Daisies once and for all!

2 - Complete another two non-trad sets as a minimum

3 - Finish writing out all the ceilis in full and after that, complete 5-10 past papers as pass them all!

4 - Teach three ceilis that I haven't yet danced or taught - as a minimum

5 - Dance in heavy shoes at least once per week

6 - Drill one traditional set dance per week

7 - At least one music quiz per week

That's plenty for 46 days I think. To prepare I've completed a list of ceilis I need to dance/teach to take to class, and to be honest I'm thinking of a few shortcuts here. For example instead of teaching the Eight Hand and Morris Reels separately, I'm going to combine the bodies - so it might go Extended Sides, Skip Across, Sides, Right Hands Across, Back to Back, Return Chain. I've already taught both figures so this might be a bit more interesting for the class.

I've pencilled in a private lesson of sorts to get Garden learnt and I have the version I'm learning on video (different to Olive's) which I will watch and try to work out ahead of my session.

I wrote out three more ceilis last night - St Patrick's Day, Trip, and An Rince Mor. I know I hashed up the second figure of Trip but I think Paddy's Day was right enough. I blanked on ARM so I doubt I got that right but I'm waiting until I've written out all 30 before I mark, so it will be another couple of days.

Dancing in heavy shoes, a must. I'm actually quite good in my socks but that's not going to go down too well at the exam. As a dancer, all too often I threw off the shoes and carried on in my socks because I knew I was better without them. Well what was the point in that?! I need to get used to them. Even if it means wearing them around the house and throwing a few trebles in as I pass from room to room.

I am REALLY fired up for this at the moment. So damn keen, thinking about dancing constantly, coming up with new steps all the time, wishing there was a feis every weekend....I even find I'm lilting to myself! Bring it on...but don't let the time go by too fast, I've still got a lot to do!

PS - in less than three weeks I'll be at the Worlds. Can't wait!

I HAVE A SET!

Yes ladies and gentlemen...I have a whole set dance. Choreographed by my own fair hands to boot. I'm really pleased with myself but so, so annoyed with myself too. Why didn't I do this months ago? I was constantly making excuses when really there was no reason not to. I could have completed all of them and had nearly a year to practise them all, couldn't I? Well, something's changed. I actually have a teacher now, a great teacher who encourages me. Who really wants me to do the TCRG exam. Who I don't want to let down. Who I want to impress if at all possible!

I haven't practised my White Blankets a whole lot - and sadly class was cancelled today due to the weather. That does give me a bit more time until I brave Teach and show her. I've put bits into it that I can't yet do either - there's a treble and toe combination that I can do on the left foot in jig timing, but not yet on either foot in hornpipe timing (although I know it works as I've seen people do it). But I'm playing it safe 99% of the time, so throwing a bit of difficulty in there isn't going to kill me.

So - next. I have a jig step which is dead easy, probably too easy to dance in the solo section. But, I can use it as a step for a jig set, maybe tart it up a little bit in places, and then go mad and choreograph a jig set. I'm going for Fiddler Round the Fairy Tree - love the tune, struggle to recognise it in music quizzes sometimes, love the length. 8/12/28. I've literally just thought up the first two bars as well. Ten to go!

I'm also going to resurrect some ceili revision - three dances at a time, written out without the book and then marked. I'm going to start with Book 3 just to keep it interesting.

So no more being annoyed at myself for stalling for so long as that won't accomplish anything - just get on with it. On we go.

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.

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!

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.

Post-Worlds come-down

It's hard, being surrounded by amazing dancing for days on end and then returning to the "day job" with a bump. Nobody cares about slip jigs and globes and ceilis here. I have a head filled with inspiration and choreography and excitement, but no-one to share it with and a pile of real work to do. It's actually been a real shock to the system. But before I get on to that, some ridiculously talented little ones:



I need to sort this out in my own head, so here's where I am.

Ceili Written
I still think I could pass this today. Rather than doing endless practice exams, I recently decided to just type out all of the ceilis with figures and all of the more difficult other ceilis, without the book. I finally got round to "marking" it the other night, and it's not that bad. The ones that need work are:
High Cauled Cap - specifically second figure
The Three Tunes - full review
Trip to the Cottage - small review of the figures
Lannigan's Ball - middle section
So I'll review those over the next couple of days.

Music
I'm starting to get the odd 100% on this now when I practice by putting my iPod on shuffle. This too I think I could pass today.

Ceili Teaching
I'm just not getting the numbers in class to really give this a go. If I had to take the exam today then I'd give it my very best shot - I'm confident I'd get the movements in the correct order and most of them I think I could teach correctly, but I definitely need to somehow get more practice on this.

Solo Teaching
Obviously I do this twice a week now, but it's becoming a slight worry. I don't know what I'd do with a champ dancer as I haven't sorted out my own steps yet, and I'm wondering if I'd remember to pack everything in. You have to ask to see their steps, pick a suitable step instantly, demonstrate, teach, pick up on faults, lilt, correct...and then all of the things that people have told me about that aren't on the syllabus. Someone told me they did a few drills of a specific move in their exam. What?! Are we really expected to do that? Someone got told off for dancing along too much. Will I remember to leave them to it? I don't know, I'm obviously overthinking it but it just kills me not knowing exactly what's expected of me. Praying I get a beginner or primary dancer - I have steps coming out of my ears for those levels.

Solo Dancing
Left til last, as always. I dreamt (literally) a new reel step while I was in Dublin and tested that out last night. At first I thought it was too fast but after a few runs, it was getting into my legs and the right foot is OKish. Most of the left foot is ok apart from the start (very quick transition), and the big jump into little jump into entrechat at the end. It will come. So I now have two steps of a reel which will do me for the exam should I be given reel, and an old right-right one that I still can't let go of. Here's a run down:

Reel - three steps
Slip jig - nothing. I decided to scrap the one I had from my competitive days. It's nice, but not current and I want something fresh. I might use it as a base, however.
Heavy jig - I have three steps. One will definitely be used for jig, the other two may work better as steps for jig sets. They all need a lot of work - they're fine in socks or trainers, not so when I actually put heavies on.
Hornpipe - nothing. Not even anything to use as a base, and no ideas as yet. I don't want to have too much on the go at once so I'm leaving this until jig and slip are complete.

Traditional sets - three of the four learnt, with intentions to get Garden done as soon as possible.

Nine modern sets - continues to fill me with dread. Choreographing that much material seems like an impossible mountain to climb and if I'm to go with my target, I have about a year to do it. That actually doesn't sound like long enough to me. I do have those two jig steps mentioned above which can be used for steps, but hornpipe choreography is non-existant. I know I'll be going for some of the shorter sets on the list, but it's still no easy feat.


So there's me.

I'm at a loss as to how to get more people into my class and am considering moving everyone and joining an existing class, to be honest. Even dancing the ceilis through would be good preparation for the practical exam - I've got to find a class first, though. My fitness is dreadful and I've got several chronic injuries that are going to need looking at so I'm going to try and get some physio. I'm going to buy some type of floor covering so that I can practice heavies at home - there's not much room in the hallway but even treble drills would be progress. I need to get healthier, so after this Bank Holiday weekend, we're back on a health kick.

I will not allow myself to get discouraged. I will stay positive, I will work, and I WILL take this exam.

Challenges

Oh, I crack myself up. I wrote myself a list of four challenges last week and, to date, have achieved exactly none of them. I keep doing different things instead!

Here's what I wanted to do:
- Finish Job (yes, I'm still on that. No, I haven't tried)
- Learn Garden
- Learn to do a bicycle (I'm going to need to know how to do at least one difficult movement in case I get champs in the teaching section)
- Choreograph a beginner hornpipe

Here's what I actually did:
- Choreographed two steps of a primary slip jig (it's actually very pretty!)
- Completed two music quizzes (both passes but a couple of woeful mistakes. How do you confuse Ace and Deuce with Planxty Drury? Not Davis, Drury?!)
- Choreographed a new heavy jig step

So I guess productive, and at least I'm doing practical work more often now, but if I don't stick to my homework then there are certain things I will put off for ever and ever!

Monday class was cancelled which gave the legs and internal organs a much needed rest. Wednesday class is on as normal tomorrow so I can test out this new heavy jig step which can't be neglected even though it's not on my original list. So the plan for the next week is (incorporating overtime - real life needs to stop getting in my way):

Wednesday - review new slip jig step and heavy jig step. Video record if possible.
Thursday - attempt Job set
Sunday - review Job set, attempt hornpipe
Monday - get to class early to work on bicycles, Job, jig and hornpipe.

Is that enough? Probably not. I'm also trying to write out (well, type) all the tougher ceilis. Mainly the ones with figures, and a couple of others like Lannigan's and Gates, otherwise I'm going to run out of past papers well before my actual exam.

I WILL update on my progress this time next week! If I don't, spam me with comments.

Pop Quiz I

Time for a quiz! Match the movement to the dance in which it appears:


Ooohhhh, you didn't think it'd be that easy, did you? That's only the starter question. The real question is this: Which is the odd movement out and why? I'll give you a few days before I post the answer. No prizes for guessing, save for bragging rights and a sense of self-satisfaction :)

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.

Sixteen-Hand Reel

Another one that I learned ages ago but never got around to typing out. I'm going to test myself and do this solely from memory first, because it's the last book dance I learned so I haven't done as much in the way of revision as I've done for some of the others.

Lead Round
As always.

Body
Sides
Partners sidestep past each other and finish with two threes, then return to place as before. 8.

Hands Round
Leading and opposite tops, and leading and opposite sides, each form a ring of four with the couple to their right and dance sidestep and threes to the left and back. 8.

Sides
As above. 8.

Hand Round
As above, but forming the ring with the couple on their left. 8.

Half Chain
Partners take right hands and turn in place. Gents chain with left hand to lady on their right, ladies with left hand to gents on their left, and all continue chaining until they meet their partner in the opposite postition. Gents take partners two hands and lead round back to original position in the direction the gent was dancing (i.e. anticlockwise). 16.

Link Arms
Gents of leading and opposite tops and leading and opposite sides advance to gent on their right, link right arms and dance around clockwise. Give left hand to lady on right and turn in place, returning to partner and turning her with right hand. Partners take two hands and swing a complete circle around couple with whom they danced the second Hands Round (couple on left). 16.

First Figure - Advance & Retire
As always. Leading & opposite tops first, then leading and opposite sides, then second tops, then second sides. 16x4=64.

The clip starts at Advance and Retire and then continues into the body...



Second Figure - Right Hand to Opposite Lady
Gents of leading and opposite tops advance to opposite lady and give right hand to turn in place. Return to partner and turn in place with left hand. Gents take right hands in centre and turn in place, give left hand to opposite lady and turn in place, then give right hand to partner and turn in place. Couples swing around each other to finish. Repeated in the same order as above. 24x4=96.

Third Figure - Arch Arms
Leading and opposite tops take hands and turn into centre. Leading tops raise right arms to form an arch under which opposite lady passes. Lower hands, half turn, raise hands to form an arch under which opposite gent passes. All retake both hands and turn out to opposite position. Turn back into centre, this time opposite tops forming the arch for top lady to pass under, turn as before, reform arch for top gent to pass under, and swing back to original position. 16x4=64

Finish
As in Eight-Hand Reel; advance, retire, rings and swing. 40.

Total...536 bars.

------

Apart from incorrectly saying that the couples swing around each other to finish Arch Arms, I actually got all of that right! :-O

Inspired by the All Irelands

I've been watching the live commentary all week. Even when getting ready for a night out, I was listening to the presentation music rather than the more usual MTV. Got some mascara down my face when I saw these two skipping on stage together and laughed in joy at how happy they were. How lovely to have someone to share the moment with:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHhFiDgk5wM

I might not have been able to see any of the solo dancing but even some of the rhythm of the sets has given me ideas. What I see in my head is probably not at all what they were doing, but even so; inspiration's inspiration.

And I've looked at the results and I've seen some nice things. "Bridesmaids" finally sitting on top box. Girls who'd done well but gone off the boil suddenly climb back up. Watching live commentary used to make me want to compete again, but this time it makes me want to find some kids, teach them, bring them up. It made me think - how would we handle it if I had a dancer that was always a nearly-man? How would we make that final push? We wouldn't give up, we'd work it out somehow. I just can't wait for all of that.

I need to hone my teaching skills on my adults first. Tonight's was a good class - primary reel, a run through of all the "baby" steps for the other dances, and I even started them off on St Patrick's Day. J has taken to it like a natural; she said she always preferred heavies as a child dancer. They all left saying "I hate it when it's over!" So do I!

91%

This is the story so far as I plough through the past papers. Yep, some days I really am sad enough to do two! I don't want to run out of material though so I might give it a little rest for a while and try other methods of revision. Teaching the ceilis in class is helping me to remember which hand to who etc. I think I'll actually start writing out some of the toughies in full, the ones they tend to use for the ten-markers, and see how I go.

I'm pleased with this. 91% on average gives me plenty of room for error because let's face it, 71% is a pass and I'd take it happily. I'm not worried about the written in the slightest which is amazing to me. It's the part I dreaded most.

The part I'm now dreading most is the dancing. That makes so little sense to me - I've been a dancer forever and I'm bricking it, yet I've known these ceilis for a few short months and yet I'm horizontally laid-back about them. I already knew how to dance, right?

I went to class early and stayed late last night for practise in jig shoes. Videotaped a couple of efforts as well. On one hand I'm kind of glad that my jig isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but on the other I know I used to be able to do it so much better. I know the steps are dated and I can cope with that; it's more the performance than the content, but I'm still trying to fix them up and drawing a blank. How on Earth am I going to make up 9 set dances if I can't even fix existing steps?

Ar aghaidh is ar gCúl

After my post listing the different kinds of Sides in Ar Rinci Foirne, I thought I'd do the same for Advance and Retire. This one's harder - there are fourteen different ways to advance and retire and it appears in twenty-one dances.

1) "Normal" - Walls of Limerick, Siege of Ennis, Harvest-time Jig, Glencar Reel, Rakes of Mallow
"Normal" is what I call the most straightforward method. In for 2, out for 2, in for 2, out for 2. Easy.

2) "Normal", performed twice - Fairy Reel, The Waves of Tory
As above but performed twice, alternating with another movement. In the Fairy Reel it's Rings, whereas in Waves it's Right & Left Hands Across, and Left & Right Hands Across

3) First Figure - Eight-Hand Reel, Morris Reel, Sixteen-Hand Reel, St Patrick's Day
This is a "normal" advance and retire followed by an 8-bar swing-around.

4) Advance, Retire and Pass Through #1 - Siege of Ennis
This is the last movement of the dance and while it appears in others, Siege is the only time one of the lines (facing the music) make an arch for the other line to pass under.

5) Advance, Retire and Pass Through #2 - Harvest-time Jig, Fairy Reel
This finish does not include arches.

6) The Rising Step, Advance and Retire - Bridge of Athlone
The longest one at 32 bars. Rising step x2 to begin and also includes a pass-through!

7) Diagonally - Trip to the Cottage
As part of the body, in trios.

8) Second Figure - Trip to the Cottage
Top couples advance and retire then interlace.

9) "Normal" with rising step - Haymaker's Jig
It's only called Advance and Retire but it takes 16 bars as it includes the rising step halfway through.

10) The Body - Duke Reel
"Normal", performed in a ring as the last movement of the body.

11) "Normal" with pass through - Gates of Derry
Again, this is simpy called "Advance and Retire" but includes a pass-through movement. It gets it's own category as it's unique and appears as the first movement and the finish.

12) Alternating - The Sweets of May
Again this appears in the body, however tops and sides alternate. Tops advance while sides mark time, tops retire while sides advance. Tops advance while sides retire, tops retire while sides mark time.

13) Slowly! - Bonfire Dance
"Normal", but 4 in, 4 out. It's also performed twice, alternating with Rings.

14) The Finish - Eight-Hand Reel, Morris Reel, High Cauled Cap, Sixteen-Hand Reel, Eight-Hand Jig, Cross Reel
As part of the 40-bar finish of these dances (advance, retire, sidestep and swing).

I think it's definitely worth remembering these differences; recently I've done a few past papers with 10-markers devoted to comparing and contrasting this movement in various dances. They really can ask you anything.

St Patrick's Day

It's occurred to me that I never did type out St Patrick's Day or the Sixteen-Hand Reel after I learnt them last year. For shame! Here goes Paddy's Day.

Lead Round

Body

Sides
Partners exchange places with sidestep and rising step, then back to place (8).

Half Right and Left
Partners take both hands and turn once in place (2). Top gents exchange places with gent to their left (2) then top ladies exchange places with lady to their left (2).

Sides (8)
Half Right and Left (6)
As before.

Double Quarter Chain
As in the High Cauled Cap. Partners take right hands and turn in place (2). Gents pass to lady on left, ladies to gent on right, give left hands and turn in place (2), chain back to partner (2), turn in place (2). Repeat with gent passing to lady on right and lady passing to gent on left (8). (16)

Extended Sides
Partners exchange places with sidestep and rising step (4). Continue on in same direction (gents right, ladies left) as before (4). Gents give right hand to lady on right and turn in place (2), chain back to partner (2), turn in place (2). (14)

Full Chain
As it says on the tin. Gents right (anticlockwise), ladies left (clockwise). (14)

First Figure - Advance and Retire
As always (16).

Brief clip interlude. They go the wrong way in the double quarter chain.



Body (72)

First Figure - repeated by sides (16)

Body (72)

Second Figure - Ladies Chain
As always - (16)

Body (72)

Second Figure - repeated by sides (16)

Body (72)

Finish
Lead around anticlockwise as usual (8). Lead around clockwise but only as far as opposite position (4), then take partners two hands and swing in the same direction back to position (4). (16)

Sooooo, 456 bars? I really like this dance!

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?

Homework

I set myself some homework for this week.

• Finally finish writing out all my dances on flashcards to go into my pretty and colour co-ordinated box.
• Come up with a first and second step for my beginner heavy jig - one of my girls has got the lead round and is chomping at the bit for more!
• Another practise exam.
• Come up with a primary level reel, or at least a lead round for R.
• Practise outside of class - really need to get these fitness levels up.

Most of it is done! My box is complete although really I don't know why I bothered, I very rarely have a problem remembering the order of the movements for each dance, it's the actual content I sometimes mis-remember.

A heavy jig step came to me in two parts - the first four bars while daydreaming at work on Friday, and the second half while unable to sleep yesterday morning. All my own work as well; not too much trad set plagiarising!

I've actually done not one but three practice exams since my last update. My personal best is 97% (I KNOW!!!) so I was disappointed to score something like 81%, 91% and 86% on them. A pass is a pass and I really should know which order the couples pass under each other's arches in Trip to the Cottage (first figure) by now. Second tops under first tops' arch, then under own arch, first tops under own arch then under second tops' arch. Right? :-/

I came up with a reel lead round while stuck in traffic on the way to work this morning which is quite nice though I do say so myself.

Did I practise? A few run-throughs of the new heavy jig step and one random run-through of St Patrick's Day to get the faster speed into my head. I'm still not used to fast heavy jigs as I never danced a beginner level one myself (I'd done "show" heavy dancing before learning jigs and hornpipes so they put me straight in at a higher level).

Homework for this week is to finally finish learning the Blackbird which I haven't touched since my little meltdown, to PRACTISE, and to start looking at/listening to the music again. Started to neglect that again.

Looking forward to class tonight. I now have four dancers so if they all come I can step out of the four-hand reel and maybe move them on to some other ceilis. And I've had a couple of enquiries from prospective students, one of whom even wants to compete eventually. That's made me think. Should I be a bit harder on them? At my most recent class the teachers were very easy on us. So long as you did the dance it was fine; no mention of turnout or posture, no corrections. Most people were there for fun. But I think with a little work I could get them up to competition standard ready for when I pass - R has already said she's never won a medal at anything in her life so she'd love to give it a go. Maybe I could even do ceili club.

But that would mean me being much harder on them. I'm not sure if that's what they're there for.