Ghillie Giveaway Winner!

And the moment you have been waiting for...

Drumroll please...

By random drawing, the winner of the UK size 4.5 Hullachan 3 ghillie giveaway is Jenny L! I will be in contact with you via email shortly!

Thank you to all who entered and spread the word of my giveaway. I hope to bring you another giveaway in the near future!

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Interested in sponsoring a giveaway on Rince go Bragh? Click here to find my contact information!

Goals: Stay healthy
Days till Os: 18

Ghillie Giveaway

Dearest Rince go Bragh readers, both old and new, today is a special day! I have a giveaway for you! I will be giving away a brand new pair of UK size 4.5 Hullachan 3 ghillies. Yes, just the one size.

These are the new Hullachan Reds that premiered at this years worlds. I have been dancing in my own pair for a little over a month now and have nothing but good things to say about these shoes! The leather is super soft and formed to my feet very quickly. The padding is sublime. Seriously though, it helps my bunion pain. The deeper heel means that I don't worry about the shoe slipping off my foot while I'm dancing. And can I just take a moment to talk about the new lacing system? Because my arch is not my best dancing feature, but when I put these shoes on, bam, arch!

So what are you waiting for? Enter my giveaway now before it closes! You can earn entries in many different ways, so hop to it!

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Goals: Don't overdo it.
Days till Os: 24

Mini Update

In this month's edition of Mini Updates: Oireachtas, feiseanna, performances, and a giveaway!

Oireachtas Prep

• As much as I hate to say this, I haven't been practicing as much as I should.  My current practice plan was put on hold from when school started until essentially now.  This week, though, I'm getting back into doing a very focused 20 minutes of drills a day, whether it be stamina, or rhythmic bits from my hornpipe.
• I also suffered a minor set back last Wednesday that had me more scared than anything.  In the first dance practice of the fall and as I was running through my reel's second step, I twisted my ankle.  I judged it to be a minor sprain, as here I am a week later dancing.  Taped up, but dancing.
• This past Sunday was the first day of our Oireachtas team practices. I'm on two mixed teams, which I think is awesome.

Upcoming Feiseanna

• I have registered for both Rhythm of Ireland Feis in October, and the Coyle Feis in November.  More later on individual goals for each feis.

Halfway to St. Paddy's Day

• Performance number two (Fairfax Irish Fest) went very well.  We performed with a live musician, which was a great practice opportunity for the younger dancers performing about being flexible and adaptable with tempi.  I greatly enjoyed meeting with younger dancers from my school who I don't usually see due to being in a different class.

A New Look

• Right before school started, I cut off all my hair! (Well, not all of it, but a lot of it).  I have experimented with a bun wig to great effect.  I can still be the Star Spangled Girl With the Curls...my curls are just much smaller (and held in by many more bobby pins).

Do you want a free pair of ghillies? (Who am I kidding, of course you do!)

• Fellow Irish dance blogger and author, Christy Dorrity is releasing her very first novel for young adults entitled Awakening: Book One of the Geis.  The book is based in Celtic mythology and is about an Irish dancer, so she is hosting a giveaway to win a pair of Hullachan Pro ghillies.  To find out how to enter the giveaway, click here.

Awakening: Book One of The Geis
by Christy Dorrity
Photo: courtesy Christy Dorrity

That's it for me dance fans! Hope your next month goes smoothly!

Goals: Seriously, do your daily 20 minute drills. No excuses.
Days till Os: 73

Giveaway winners!

After using a random number generator, here are the results of the contest:

4- kellymeagher7
7- irishdancing1

Congrats to both of you; there should be an email waiting in your inbox.  Thank you to everyone who entered the contest or viewed my tutorial.  If you missed this giveaway, I am already thinking of another one to do in the future, so keep your eyes peeled!

Goals: PT exercises every day

Days till Os: 230

Mini update

Injury recovery:

• Last Wednesday, I started physical therapy.  Today was my fourth visit, and already there is improvement in my range of motion!  Most of my appointments have so far focused on getting rid of scar tissue by having an ankle ultra sound and massages which hurt like a bear.  I do have a small arsenal of exercises to build strength back up in my various foot muscles.
• I go into the podiatrist again tomorrow, hopefully to get rid of my boot forevermore!  In celebration of this, I have purchased a special pair of "I get to wear two shoes again" shoes.

Worlds:

• The dance world has now entered into a post-worlds lull.  Surprisingly, there is a huge sense of loss for me because I was spending all of last week checking up on results from the moment I woke up.  At least there are pictures still being uploaded to FeisPix, and Feisonista's style reports to keep looking forward to!
• A huge congrats to fellow Maple dancers Colin B. and Miya S. on your recalls and placements!
• I have probably watched this worlds dance drama about five times now, so I thought I'd share it with you!  I don't know what dance school it is, or what place they got.  I hope they won because it's fantastic.

Other things:

• I start my long-term subbing job tomorrow.  I will be teaching music at an elementary school!  I hope to still keep updating my blog at least once a week, but bear with me if I skip a week...
• Remember to enter my giveaway!  Entries are due this Friday evening!

Goals: do PT exercises every day

Days till Os: 233

Irish Dance How-to: Poodle Sock Vase & Giveaway

Want to win one of these? Read below!

Do you have a poodle sock without a mate?  Retired from dancing and don't know what to do with 25 pairs of socks?  Watch this video to learn an easy way to upcycle your old socks into an adorable vase just in time for spring! 



A few tips:

• Bleach or tie-dye your old socks to get rid of that weird shade of grey.  Unless of course, you are going for that look!
• Older socks will be more stretched out.  To keep the project no-sew, use a wider vase.
• Always see what you have around your house before you buy supplies!  The point is for this project to be as cheap as possible.
• Email me pictures of your finished vase (RinceGoBraghBlog@gmail.com)!  I am excited to see what other people do, and if I get enough, I can feature some in a post later this month.

To enter the giveaway:

1. Comment below and answer the question: What is your favorite spring Irish dance memory?
2. Leave your email in this format so I can notify winners: name at website dot com.
3. Comments after 23:59 on April 13, 2012 will not be included in the random drawing.

The two giveaway winners will be announced on this blog on April 14, 2012!  May the odds be ever in your favor.