(The first half of my Oireachtas experience was dedicated to my solos, which can be read here.)
My afternoon of teams was what I was looking forward to. It meant I was halfway done with Oireachats. Plus, dancing ceilis is just plain fun. I was a member of both an all-girls eight-hand and a mixed four-hand dance. Neither ended up placing, but the point is that we all had fun practicing and competing together as a team. Team was a big theme of this year's Oireachtas for my dance academy, and for good reason. With one Maple team being in each of the three figure choreography age groups, coming in with a team mindset is extremely important to help combat through nerves, and share in excitement. I have never felt so close to and supported by my teammates in my years dancing.
The figure was one of the highlights I was looking forward to all day. After being part of the team that won the 2010 Oireachtas in our own backyard, I could not wait to step on stage and feel that same sense of exhilaration. Our music, though was a minor issue. If it doesn't start exactly at the beginning of the piece, then the whole count-timing-to-start-thing is off. This happened. Our music was restarted and we began for real. This dance felt different than two years prior. It was in a smaller hall. There were new-to-figure dancers who never danced the figure on a stage this large before. I felt as if I was being pushed towards chaos.
I personally was holding my breath as the announcer called the results for the figure choreography that night. The figure team was in a tight circle, all holding each others' hands. The closer the announcer got to announcing the winner, the tighter we (read: I) held on. Time slowed down as he began to read second place. The team called was not us! We were the champions...again! "Gangnam Style" played as we partied to our spot on the podium. It was a grand celebration of teamliness. Nothing could bring us down as we reaped the reward of our hard work this fall.
Maybe you will see us at worlds...
Goals: Learn a reel, last hornpipe step
Days till NANs: 183
My afternoon of teams was what I was looking forward to. It meant I was halfway done with Oireachats. Plus, dancing ceilis is just plain fun. I was a member of both an all-girls eight-hand and a mixed four-hand dance. Neither ended up placing, but the point is that we all had fun practicing and competing together as a team. Team was a big theme of this year's Oireachtas for my dance academy, and for good reason. With one Maple team being in each of the three figure choreography age groups, coming in with a team mindset is extremely important to help combat through nerves, and share in excitement. I have never felt so close to and supported by my teammates in my years dancing.
The figure was one of the highlights I was looking forward to all day. After being part of the team that won the 2010 Oireachtas in our own backyard, I could not wait to step on stage and feel that same sense of exhilaration. Our music, though was a minor issue. If it doesn't start exactly at the beginning of the piece, then the whole count-timing-to-start-thing is off. This happened. Our music was restarted and we began for real. This dance felt different than two years prior. It was in a smaller hall. There were new-to-figure dancers who never danced the figure on a stage this large before. I felt as if I was being pushed towards chaos.
I personally was holding my breath as the announcer called the results for the figure choreography that night. The figure team was in a tight circle, all holding each others' hands. The closer the announcer got to announcing the winner, the tighter we (read: I) held on. Time slowed down as he began to read second place. The team called was not us! We were the champions...again! "Gangnam Style" played as we partied to our spot on the podium. It was a grand celebration of teamliness. Nothing could bring us down as we reaped the reward of our hard work this fall.
Maybe you will see us at worlds...
Goals: Learn a reel, last hornpipe step
Days till NANs: 183
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