Feisin'

Feis report: Inishfree feis

Ah, my first open feis...

Honestly, I didn't feel all that prepared going into it. I'm pretty sure that mental attitude, coupled with being nervous about competing in open champs for the first time showed, and adversely affected my dancing. From that, I have re-affirmed the importance of not letting myself psych myself out before going on stage, to focus solely on myself and my own dancing and goals. That being said, it's hard not to watch what others are doing while you're standing side stage. It's hard to get into the zone, and be connected within yourself, when your competition is right there in front of you. It's good to be reminded of the importance of focusing every now and then, especially with a major championship coming up.

I tied for last (10th) place.

Feis report: Big Apple Feis

Feis in Times Square? Absolutely. Dress rehearsal for worlds? Yep. Here's what happened:

1. The senior ladies were first thing in the morning, which meant waking at the god-awful hour of 5am to get ready. Luckily, being first, we didn't have to wait around all day to dance. It was cool to watch what others were doing, in the short glimpses I saw. There were some seriously talented dancers, and I'm happy I got a tiny sliver of a preview of what I'll see at worlds.
2. Senior ladies got to do a photo shoot for Feis America magazine because of an article they're doing on older dancers being mentors to younger ones (I believe). Look for me (in a group) in an upcoming Feis America issue!
3. I placed 22 out of 24. Considering it was my second open feis, in the Mid-Atlantic region, and against all world qualifiers, that is SO not disappointing. My comments included: turn out, timing, arch, and to "listen to the music the whole time." I guess I should stop putting ear plugs in during my last step...
4. I took an hour out of my dance-watching to tour Times Square, and it was ironically one of the most relaxing things of the day. I got to go and wander around, have my own schedule, and being in my own little shopping zone.
5. I'm going to go ahead and say it, this feis was probably the worst run feis I've been to, but there were a lot of things that just went wrong. The trophies didn't show up. We waited three hours for awards. It was crowded and hot on seven out of eight floors of competition (the older championship dancers stage was an auditorium, and the only calm place in the hotel).

Up next: Worlds, April 22

Goals: Stamina...

Days till worlds: 18