Pre-Nationals Rambles

Tomorrow I am leaving for Providence to dance at nationals! I am very excited for this weekend, and like the last time attended nationals, I'm taking this major with a no-stress attitude. Recall or no, it's going to be a spectacular experience.

This year, the senior ladies are dancing on July 4th. I am very excited about this because my dress is so patriotic! July 4th is also the day of Steve Rodgers' birthday in Marvel canon, so the fangirl in me is excited to wear the Captain America dress on Captain America's birthday.

Fangirling aside, my goals for the weekend are to first and foremost have fun. That's the overall goal for the year, so of course it's up first on my list. Secondly, I'd love to meet up all with dance friends I've made who live far away because I see them so rarely! Lastly, I want to feel joy while dancing. I plan to have the biggest smile on my face during all my rounds this year! I am ready for some killer action shots.

There is so much that I have overcome in the past year's time. During nationals last year, I literally could not walk since I was only a few weeks post-op. I am looking forward to showing the world what one year of very determined recovery time from a surgery looks like.

As always, you can keep up with my weekend's adventures on so many different social media sites:

[facebook]  [twitter]  [instagram]  [tumblr]

Here's a 'way back Wednesday' for you from Nationals in 2013!
I will be bringing the full wig back this weekend.

Good luck to all, and if you see me, say hi!

Goals: Have fun this weekend!
Days till NANs: 3

2015 Goals and Aspirations

The past four years of my dance goals have looked something like this: championship placement goals, major competition placement goals, and improvements on technique. My dance goals have not seen any sort of change in a very long while, and I feel that fact is the root of many of my frustrations. I want to be able to do and succeed at everything I attempt, but that requires complete focus on only one activity. That is not how I want to live my life.

Placement goals have gotten harder and harder to achieve as an adult because I am balancing my career with own dance aspirations. At this time last year, I was extremely upset that I missed out on my number one goal for the year, a number one goal that has been only just out of my grasp for multiple years now. The senior ladies competition keeps becoming harder and harder as more dancers decided to keep coming back for more like I have been doing. My placements have been steadily dropping as the group has gained larger numbers, and that’s frustrating.

I know that despite negative emotions stemming from Oireachtas disappointments, I still need to have dance in my life. Dance is something that I have to do, so taking that feeling in mind, I’m planning on using it as the basis of this year’s singular goal.

I am going to enjoy every dance moment that I have.

If those moments include competitive success, then great. Becoming a world qualifier at a major competition is what I’ve been chasing recently. If those moments include traveling and workshops, fantastic. I have been accepted to the Riverdance summer academy at Trinity College in Dublin this summer, and if I can get the funds together, I’d love to attend. If those moments are simply enjoyable dance classes with friends, even better. Dance classes are where most of my time is spent in this crazy world, so why not have fun while working hard?

So my goal this year seems easy enough to do with the right frame of mind. When 2015 finishes, I want to be able to look back on the year and have great memories.

What aspirations do you have for the year?

Mini Update: Oireachtas 2k14

Feis Culkin

• I'll start with the fact that I'm pretty sure that most everyone who placed in the top 50% of the competition are not senior lady dancers. The 18& over open competition was full of tough competitors from the younger age groups.
• I placed in my hard shoe round which was a shock to me since I think that it felt weaker than my slip jig that day. I was excited to get a Hershey bar!
• I ended up placing 12th out of 17. What was most frustrating to me was that two judged agreed on their ranking of me, while one placed me second to last. I am quickly becoming tired of scoring inconsistencies and how they can seriously make or break a dancer's overall placement.
• Also, the Washington Post had an article about this feis on their website recently.

Anyway, have a chocolate bar picture.

Goals (and things)

• My Oireachtas goal is (as it's been for the past four years) to be a world qualifier. I have not suffered through eight torn ligaments and a surgery to not finally meet my goal of qualifying at the Oireachtas.
• And things...  After the Oireachtas, I am planning on submitting my application to the Riverdance Trinity Academy International Summer School program. I'm hoping that having the chance to be a part of this week-long academy will give my dancing a new spark. I am feeling a slump in my dancing. It may be injury recovery, it may be Oireachtas stress, but regardless, I have not seriously put any effort in to show dancing, and I think it would be a great break from the competitive world.

Follow my adventures this weekend!

• As always, I will be all over social media this weekend with updates on my dancing and other Oireachtas adventures. Be sure to follow any (or all!) accounts for up to the minute details on my weekend.

[Twitter] [Facebook] [instagram] [tumblr]

Goals: Relax a bit, finish packing, and DFTBA

Days till Os: 3

The 2013 Oireachtas

I have been procrastinating this post.  It's true.  I am still not 100% okay with how my Oireachtas day turned out.  I know I don't usually use this blog to make my displeasure known, but I can't avoid writing about the Oireachtas because it it a part of my dance journey.  I made a promise to myself that is what this blog is for, and now that I have readers who care, I can't just pretend it didn't happen.

The long and short of it is I'm not a world qualifier.  Again.  And for the fourth time in a row, I was within mere places of qualifying.

When the announcer skipped over my number, I said "What?!" out loud.  I knew I had it, and couldn't believe it.  All day long, I was so looking forward to being called on stage before the placements were awarded.  I had danced my best.  I maintained my health all year long, and was achieving my goals outlined for the year.  Something within me was so confident that I would be up there, but that something was terribly wrong.

Awards was tough.  It took all of my willpower to hold myself together on stage.  Of course after being disappointed for the fourth year in a row, I found it very difficult to hide that emotion.  I am only human, though my solo dress makes it seem otherwise.  I received an on-stage pep talk from one of my TCs; it's the only moment of the day I wish I could remember in full detail.

I cried through a good part of the teams awards, finally able to pull it together by the time my 4-hand and figure choreography were called to hear our placements (8th and 2nd).  As I was pulling myself together, I was able to buy my scores, and in the end, it was my set.  My set of three years (and much careful polishing) dropped me by six placements.  I had it until then, and knowing what caused my disappointment is crushing, nearly as crushing as seeing dancers I had consistently placed above all season, beat me out at this one event.

As I was driving back to my house from the Oireachtas (they were local this year), the question on my mind was, “Why do I keep doing this if I constantly fall short of my goals?”  I had a very lively debate with myself.  I was so absorbed in figuring out the answer to this question as I was driving down the interstate that I missed the exit for my house.

Ultimately, I decided that when I dance, I know that everything is right in my world.  My life could be up in shambles, but when I am dancing, I know that everything will be okay.  Dance is my thing.  I keep dancing because when I dance, nothing else matters.  I will get myself that qualification one day.  It may be this fifth year of chasing the goal, it may be the next, but until then, I will enjoy every moment of this journey I have created for myself.

Goals: PT exercises every other day
Days till Os: 268

2014 Goals and Other Odds and Ends

I have procrastinated this year on my annual yearly goals post.  (In fact, I have procrastinated too much on blogging all together since my last post).  My 2014 goals officially include:

1. Heal my ankle.
2. Post on Rince go Bragh biweekly.
3. Feis as much as possible in May and June.
4. Heal from ankle surgery.

2014 has not been the best start to my new.  The second week in January, I was practicing slip jig at dance, and landed a jump wrong and tore two ligaments in my right ankle.  Two ligaments that were previously been torn in 2012, the last time I had slip jigs as my soft shoe dance.  Since I've now torn ligaments in this ankle five times, my podiatrist suggested I have surgery to a) tighten my loose and unstable ligaments, and b) clean up the scar tissue that has formed.  

I will be having surgery instead of attending nationals this summer.  I am yet unsure of the recovery and rehabilitation time.  Will Oireachtas be part of my dancing career this year?  Will I be able to keep my ankles healthy for another two years to chase my world qualification goal?  If I have to put off qualifying events for so long, will my perseverance even be paid off with an actual world qualification?

I wish I had the answers to these questions.

Other Odds and Ends:

• Feiseanna I want to attend (barring ankle health and willingness to travel):
• McGrath Feis (I'm registered.  I'll be there.  Will I dance?  Probably not.)
• Holy Angels Feis
• CCE Feis
• Hurley School Feis (A new northern SR feis?!)
• Feile Rince Charlotte
• Old Dominion Feis
• Have you been over to Antonio Pacelli's new community section on their website lately?  I blog there monthly with separate content from Rince go Bragh!  Be sure to take a look at other blogger's content as well! [Check it out!]

Goals: Don't dance yet.  Don't do it.

Days till Os: 292

2013 Goals and Aspirations

It's amazing how far I have come in the world of Irish dance.  When I started in 2007 as an adult beginner, my only goal was to simply learn anything and everything about this amazing dance form I have admired for so many years.  A year later, my goals shifted to the realm of competitive dance; something I swore to myself I'd never do after spending nearly a decade as a competitive gymnast.  Little by little, I upped the ante for myself from getting to novice, to preparing for prizewinner, to competing at my first Oireachtas and moving to the champ levels.  Now that I'm at the top level of dance, it's weird to me that my goals have hardly changed at all.

Granted, I did spend 75% of last year injured or recovering from an injury.

For 2013, my goals include to:

1. Continue to improve my turnout and cross technique in my dancing,
2. Begin to place more consistently in my competitions at feiseanna,
3. Recall at nationals, and ultimately
4. Qualify for the world championships as a soloist.

I aspire to be the best team member I can be by coming to practice with a pleasant and helpful attitude.  I aspire for good health and stamina.

In other news for this year...

• Feiseanna and majors I will be present at:
• World Championships (March)
• CCE Feis (May)
• Old Dominion Feis (June)
• North American Nationals (July)
• Rhythm of Ireland Feis (October)
• Feis Culkin (November)
• Southern Region Oireachtas (December)
• New dress, new dress by Elevation Designs!
• If you're wondering where the Shut the Feis Up posts disappeared to, the author (my boyfriend) has enlisted in the Army.  He is currently at basic training in Georgia, so he is unable to continue to write blog posts.

Goals: Work through new hornpipes and reels

Days till NANs: 179

The 2012 breakdown, part 2

With 100 days left until I dance at the Oireachtas, I think its a good time to do a goals check in.  (Remember this post from the beginning of the year where I outlined my ideal year in dance?)

My original goals for the year:

1. Improve turnout
2. Place at least once in opens
3. Place higher at nationals (60th in 2010)
4. Qualify for worlds

Unfortunately, due to two major injuries, including six torn ligaments, I need to update my goals. In all actuality, I will not attend any local feiseanna this year to place in.  I was unable to attend nationals.  This leaves me with two goals:

1. Improve turnout
2. Qualify for worlds

I want to qualify to compete at worlds as a soloist. This has secretly been my ultimate goal since 2009 when I started this blog.  I will be completely crushed if my injuries keep me from this goal.  On that note, I will for sure be doing teams at the Oireachtas.  I will be in a figure choreography, which can still give me a chance to be on a worlds stage.  There is just that uncertainty for solos due to my most recent injury and the months of recovery time I still have ahead of me.

My goal for the year will be to go to worlds. Even if just for teams.  Period end of story.

Goals: Heal.
Days till Os: 100

Injured: The happy ending

I went to my very last doctor's visit yesterday morning.  The funny part about this appointment was that I spent more time waiting around than him actually visiting me.  He came into the room, looked over the note from my physical therapist, and asked if I hurt and what I was doing.  After assessing all this, he said I didn't have to see him again, but to still take it easy if my ankle hurt (I did tear three ligaments after all).

Today, I graduate from physical therapy.

Because of all this wonderful news, I decided to register for the Nation's Capital feis next month.  I am feeling extra motivated right now, especially after attending Old Dominion feis to run stages.  Being there without dancing was bittersweet: I know I would not have done all that well since I began easing into dance a month ago, but being there all day had me really itching to put my solo dress on...

Last night was my first hardcore practice since my time easing back into dance last month.  Inspired by being cleared by my doctor and by the feis this weekend, I decided to run through all three rounds, including the new slip jig steps I tweaked.  In honor of this practice, I wore a new Pinterest and Feisonista-inspired outfit, which came in especially handy in my lack-of-circulating-air practice area.

I am lucky to have a practice area that I can use at essentially any time.  It's a racquetball court, so the downsides are no mirrors and it's extremely loud, but the floor is nice and it's spacious.  I am very much lacking in stamina and general leg strength due to being out for so long, but I am planning on practicing in my space two or more times a week until the feis.  Have a video montage of last night's practice session, including all my wonderful brain farts:

Goals: Stamina and cross
Days till Os: 163

The 2012 breakdown

Happy new year to all! After a month's hiatus from both dance and blogging, I'm ready to get back into it! I have big plans for this year, including finding a real job now that I'm a college graduate, and also a few new things for the blog!

Goals for the year:

Most people are coming up with new dance goals for the year, however, mine stay the same this time! Those goals are...

1. Improve turnout
2. Place at least once in opens
3. Place higher at nationals (60th in 2010)
4. Qualify for worlds

I ended 2011 with only accomplishing two of my goals: improving turn out and placing once in opens. I would like to continue to improve my turn out this year, especially in my hard shoe dances. As for placements, I would like to improve from placing last to some where near placing, if not placing. Doing this, I know I need to turn out more and just find that championship sharpness every time I go out to compete. The biggest goal for the year is to qualify for worlds. I have spent the last two years now on the cusp of being a WQ, just one place shy. I was lucky in 2011; there was an adjudicating conflict. Not so much this year. I would like to say I have qualified for worlds at the Oireachtas, and compete in worlds on American soil before I retire.

Feiseanna to attend:

1. Four Provinces or CCE (if held)
2. Old Dominion
3. Nationals
4. Rhythm of Ireland
5. Feis Culkin
6. SRO

Blog happenings:

• My biggest announcement is that this year, I plan to make 12 Irish Dance How-To videos/written tutorials. I will release one each month, and the subjects vary from warming up, to ab workouts, to crafting tutorials! I am really excited to get this under way and you should be too (because. . . )
• . . . Craft tutorials = giveaways!
• Shut the Feis Up (STFU): I will continue to pester my boyfriend to write about Irish dance this year, starting with his reaction of the Oireachtas.
• Of course, I will also continue to keep you updated on what's happening in the dance world from my perspective!

Goals: Nail down the first 8 bars of Kilkenny Races set

Days till NANs: 181

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.

New Year, New Goals

Happy new year! Here's to hoping that 2011 is way better than 2010 was. (For me, that won't be too difficult to achieve.) That being said, and after much forethought, here are my dance goals for the year:

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

Ok, ok, a lot of this has to do with how well I do at competitions, I know. However, pending goal one is actually achieved, that should help with the placing at competitions, local and majors.

2011 preview:

• I will be attending two majors for sure again this year (NANs, and SRO). A third is unsure at the moment, just waiting for some kind of official announcement as to if I can go. The list of adjudicators is out for nationals, and although my teacher put his name in, his name ended up not being chosen, so I will be headed to Nansville Nashville over July 4th weekend to dance there. And, I hope I can attend the SRO this year. I will be student teaching this fall, so I hope I can continue dance classes, even if I'm not as involved with feiseanna this fall. Assuming I can, I'll be going to Orlando for the Oireachtas in December.
• This spring/summer will mark my first feis as an open champ. I plan on attending as many as I can this summer to make up for whatever I won't be able to attend this fall. Here's the feiseanna I plan to do as of now: CCE, Old Dominion, Nat Cap, Delaware, ROI, and Culkin. On the fence as to whether or not to attend: Four Provinces, Feis at the Fair, Peter Smith, Lynn Academy, and Baltimore. I might only choose one or two off this maybe list, depending on money and my schedule...

Goals: Break in hardshoes, work on turnout

Days till . . . still don't know what I'm counting down to. Sigh.

2010 goals and other odds and ends

Happy new year!

Without further ado, my dance goals for 2010:
1. Place regularly, and win at least one prelim competiton
2. Don't get last at Nationals
3. Recall at the Oireachtas

Right after the new year (and after not dancing since the Oireachtas), we had a two day workshop to learn our new steps for the year. I am doing slip jig and treble jig again, which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I love slip jig, and am pretty good at it, and love the feeling of flying. A curse because these treble jig steps have quite a few rhythm parts in them. I am not the best at rhythm, and I now know why. Apparently I've been trebling wrong. And no one could have told me this before?

It's a good thing Nationals are about six months away, I have to re-train my body to do the most simple thing. (Frustrated)

Goals: Fix trebles
Days till NANs: 176

Nationals 2010

I now have a new goal for the Oireachtas this year, which is now less than 100 days away. That goal is not just to recall, but to qualify for nationals because. . . IT'S IN DISNEY WORLD!

Upcoming:
Fall dance classes start (September 11)
Baltimore feis (September 19)

Goals: get practice schedule sorted out since classes are starting, vidoes of Oireachtas dances
Days till Os: 99

Halfway to prelim!

Holey mackaroley!

Feis report: Old Dominion feis
It was such a long (HOT) day, I was there at 8am helping run the green stage, which was very handy since all my dances were on that stage one after another after lunch. It was the quickest dancing at a competition ever, and I didn't have to wait on other stages or worry about missing my competition. All feiseanna should be this way. Big shocker of the day: despite the fact that my hardshoe still needs ton of work, I managed to get a first in both treble jig and hornpipe in prizewinner. Phew. Now I know my softshoe needs a lot of work, I didn't place in reel or slip jig. I hope I get good comments back from my judge... One of the best parts was I got to stay and help check in the prelim 18&O competition, which is what I'll be doing once I win my slip jig. So I scoped out my future competition. Muahahaha (not).
Up next: Nation's Capital, July 26

So in short, what this all means is that I'm nearly there to achieving one of two goals I set at the beginning of 2009 for dance:

1. Become a preliminary champ dancer
2. Recall at the Oireachtas

Both, I'm now certain, are now achieveable, and I'm psyched to know that. I can't wait to start learning my Oireachtas level steps, my new non-trad. set, and the 8-hand. Right now, I'm very happy I'm an Irish dancer. Words can't really describe what it means to me to come from a little girl of 12 watching Lord of the Dance for the first time, to starting dance as a new college student, and achieving in a year and a half what others have worked a long time for. I'm so happy I've had this passion in my life for so long, and my love of the dance has never waned in the 8 years I've known about it. Irish dance is truly my kind of world.

Goals: sharpen up softshoe
Days till Os: 167