Mini Update

Injury recovery

• I officially got rid of my boot this past Tuesday!
• Round one of physical therapy began three weeks ago, and already there is a huge difference in the strength and flexibility of my ankle.  My PT likes to joke with me that he's not needed, being I just went through with all of these exercises less than five months ago... I told him I just need him for his machines and massages.  Also, he's giving me exercises to strengthen other parts of my leg and my core, which are useful.

Dance tidbits

• Figure choreography practice is in full swing, and I can make it through dancing the figure!
• This week, I will be going back to doing solo classes as well.  It's an experiment, since I need to do some soft shoe re-choreographing to compensate for injured ankles.
• I will be dancing solos and teams at the Oireachtas.  I'm very excited and know that this year's journey will be appreciated 100% after the long string of injuries.
• I began taking a weekly class at a local dance center that combines ballet barre work, yoga, and pilates.  I'm only in my second week of class, but already I feel stronger, but that's probably stemming from being sedentary since July.

Life tidbits

• My first month of being a teacher is over!  Almost everything is getting easier since I'm settling into my schedule and routines.  The children are mostly adorable.  Except when they're misbehaving.
• My first paycheck is roughly the price of a new Gavin.  I can't complain, this is more than I've ever made in my life.

Summer weekly workout: Ballet Conditioning

My summer TV schedule is always chock full of dance shows, the usual being Fox's So You Think You Can Dance and Lifetime's Dance Moms.  I am addicted to all things about that show, even though it seems rigged for contemporary dancers.  No hate though, because  an Irish dancer was featured last year.

This summer is especially exciting with the premier of Breaking Pointe on the CW and Bunheads on ABC Family.  This basically means I am completely interested in the whole ballet more so than normal.  (Did I mention I almost got serious with ballet after college instead of Irish?)  I'm so interested in ballet that when I saw this workout DVD in my public library the other week I got inordinately excited.  Mostly because ballerinas are known for their exacting technique (read: turnout), so any extra help in that department is welcome, but also partially because maybe I had found a workout DVD that wasn't too cheesy or too easy!

I was expecting some excellent stretches and barre exercises.  Nothing so difficult that a dancer who's currently training couldn't handle.  I had taken ballet classes a year ago in my preparation for worlds and had really noticed a difference in my dancing.  This DVD, however was much more than expected.  It was hard.  The gentle beginning stretched led into difficult plié sequence at the barre that left your thighs burning.  The plié sequence flowed on into tendus that left me questioning why I cannot balance while holding my leg up, a skill I thought I mastered as a child.  It was a wonderful workout that left me with jelloid legs and the resolve to be better the next time.  I decided I will do this 50 minute video once a week this summer until it is easy.

Have you tried a workout DVD that pushed your limits or strength or flexibility?  Would you give into the ballet craze and try this workout?

Goals: Do the weekly workout

Days till Os: 167

Lets Check In On Some Goals

It's about over halfway through the year, time for a refresher on my goals for the year:

1. Improve turnout
2. Place at least once in opens
3. Place higher at nationals
4. Qualify for worlds

You may notice that I mentioned improving at nationals, yet, you may have figured out that I didn't go to nationals. There is, actually a reason behind this, which I will get to shortly.

Of my goals, the only one that I have achieved is improving my turn out. Thanks to a ballet class I took through my college for fun last semester, I definitely can feel a difference, even if it doesn't look like there is any improvement. My ballet class was an hour and a half, two times a week. It turns out that working that little extra can do wonders. We would spend the first 20-30 minutes at the barre doing various exercises to get ourselves warmed up, and to get our heads and bodies into ballet mode. I found these to be particularly useful because I know know what muscles need to be engaged to achieve and hold turnout. Imagine that! The next step for me will be to apply this knowledge to my dancing. It's one thing to know what to do during slow exercises, and completely another to apply it to something as fast-paced as Irish dance is.

In regards to the other goals... My future in dance is undecided at the moment. After attending the world championships, and putting all the time and work into it that I did, I felt that doing nationals was really not what I needed. After April, dance had become more of a chore than a fun activity. I wasn't doing well in feiseanna, placing near last; I got the new steps I'd need for nationals the week after worlds. All in all, I needed a break. Dance just was not fun anymore. Yes, now I regret not going to nationals a little. At the time, I was just not ready mentally or physically.

As for other feiseanna this year, as well as the Oireachtas, as much as it pains me to say this, I don't know if I will be continuing dance classes this fall. This is my last semester in college, and for my degree, I will be student teaching in public schools all semester. I had to cut down hours at my job so I can teach. I don't know if I will have the time in the day to practice. With my regular source of income being cut, I won't be able to afford classes. Since I will be teaching all day, I don't know if I'll have the energy to attend a two hour dance class once a week, let alone practice outside of class to prepare myself sufficiently to reach my goal of being a world qualifier.

I want to find a way to do this, which I'm told is half the battle. I just don't know if I'll be able to do justice to dance and my goals.