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.

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.

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.

Jean Day Two

This is the main menu for the Jean Butler Masterclass. As you can see it's mainly light shoe on the left and hard shoe on the right, so I'm mainly on the left side to begin with. I admit I didn't bother with the warm up although I did do my physio exercises instead, then did everything but jump work as I'm upstairs. The balancing toe work had my arches really sore which I'm hoping is a good thing. Leg work is working my quads as well, might do a few squats after I've signed off just to reinforce. In fact yes, I will.

A month with Jean

I bought this dvd when it first came out but it's been languishing on the shelf. I recently saw a link to it on YouTube and thought I might just as well give it a watch, and then I learned that some of the exercises are the same as my physio has me doing, so I thought I might just as well give it a go. For a month, not everyday, but alongside my other physio exercises to see how it helps. I've got two weeks before my next dance class so hopefully when I go back I will see a difference already.

I'm limited on space due to home improvements at the moment so I'm just focusing on the light shoe stuff that I can do on the spot. Yesterday, the first day of the month, I did the balance work plus my physio's arch and ankle exercises. Today I worked through more of Jean's - from memory; balance work, point work, point pull back etc, hop and kick out, and leg work. I forget some of the correct names, I'll try and do a screen grab tomorrow.

I definitely "felt it" in my arches both days, and in my legs today during the leg work. If you can't feel it it's not doing you any good, so I'm hopeful.

Other things I've done recently: review the first figure of the Four Hand Reel, and quiz myself a few times on music. I keep getting the Piper wrong even though, when I know I'm listening to the Piper, I really like the music! Often I'll write something else first and then realise it's the Piper so it's not all bad, but I would really like full marks in this section and who knows what nerves will do so I need to get it first time. It's short enough to put on my dance list so I will do. I've got 100% a couple of times, a few 98%s. Quite happy.

1994

Spent a good portion of the day watching the 1994 Worlds DVD. It's definitely coming back to me. It's just hard when you're on your own - I love my ceili class and they're a really lovely bunch of people, so friendly and fun, but it's solo I struggle with and I don't have anybody to help me with that. So you fall out of the routine and then you lose the motivation to get back into it and then you start doubting yourself. But as always, when I start watching dancing again I remember why it will never leave me for good.

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 :)

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

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

Starting Today.

The plan is to kickstart my enthusiasm for this dance form. I'm forcing myself to go to class tonight - I know I'll be fine when I get there but sometimes the thought of actually getting there puts me off so I don't. I have a headache and I had physio this morning for my not-improving feet, so those would be two reasons not to go. But I AM going to go because I know I'll be fine when I get there. Hopefully I'll be able to just dance rather than teach; sounds kinda backwards I know, but I just want to enjoy myself and get some exercise tonight. So that's step one of the plan. Step two will have to wait until the weekend as I'm so outstandingly busy at the moment, but I plan to go over all of my traditional sets. Probably just around the house and therefore not in shoes, but it's a start as I must not forget them. From next Wednesday, I'm going to start my solo practices again. Here we go.