Irish dance fusion groups, 4

Again, I am finding more and more cool Irish dance fusion videos that I just have to share!  I have two videos to share at the moment.  All previous versions of my Irish dance fusion group posts are here: [Number one] [Number two] [Number three]

Ciaran Plummer and Zach Klingerberg of TapTronic released a new video in May.  As always, I am impressed with the musicality of their rhythms, and the entire video experience that goes along with it.  They will be performing at nationals on July 4th and 5th, and I am looking forward to seeing their live performance! [Like TapTronic on Facebook] [Follow TapTronic on Twitter]



2013 is definitely going to be a big year for the group called Hammerstep.  After performing at the opening ceremonies of the world championships, they recently auditioned on the show, America's Got Talent.  I see a lot of parallels between their performance and Prodijig's performance on the British show Got to Dance (which they went on to win).  Hammerstep is not a new group in the Irish-fusion circuit.  They have been around since 2009, working on fusing Irish, tap, and hip hop to progress these dance forms. [Check out their website] [Like Hammerstep on Facebook] [Follow Hammerstep on Twitter]



Goals: Finish packing, and continue to drill little things
Days till NANs: 6

Irish dance fusion groups, 3

I just have to keep adding to my list of cool Irish dance videos that fuse the traditional Irish steps with new exciting things.  My previous posts can be found in these places:

Original (and why I am doing this)
Version two

I'm going to start out this third edition of fusion groups with a video my none other than dancer extraordinaire and jiggaholic, Ciara Sexton. I love the way she has modernized Irish dance by mixing it with modern dance.  Also love where and how the video was filmed and edited.  [Read Ciara's blog]  [Follow Ciara on twitter]



This next selection I have for you is brought to you by Chris Naish, former Sneaky Stepper and Hammerstep member.  This awesome video is of an improvisational jam session for dancers and musicians that was been held in NYC. This particular video was filmed the day before hurricane Sandy struck   One of the things that really draws me into this video is the fusion of classical works and percussive dancing.  I only wish I had rhythm that snazzy.  [Follow Chris on twitter]

Reminder! Help me to become a finalist in the Top Dance Blog contest by following the directions here!

Goals: Pracitce Hornpipe 2nd and Planxty Drury ending
Days till NANs: 172

Irish dance and the Olympics

I love the Olympics.  There was a point in my life where I wanted to be an Olympic gymnast, and honestly believed I could get there if only I got good enough, and the IOC lowered the age limit like I wrote in my letter to them as a third grade project.  My letter was in vain.  It never happened, I lost interest in gymnastics years later, and now here I am as an Irish dancer.  Over the course of the Olympics, I witnessed just how many Irish dancers wanted our art form to be an Olympic sport.  From twitter to tumblr, dancers everywhere seemed to be clamoring for it, so I sat down, did some research on the Olympic site, read the entire Olympic Charter, and I now bring you the following blog post.  Yes, it's wordy, but less words than the Charter, believe me.

Sport (n):  activities which are based in physical athleticism or physical dexterity.

Let's look first at how a sport becomes "Olympic:"

• It has to be recognized by an International Federation that makes sure the sport follows the Olympic Charter.
• It must be widely practiced around the world.
• It must meet other criteria the International Olympic Committee (IOC) establishes.

If the sport meets all the requirements, the Olympic Program Commission can recommend it be added.  There is no absolute guarantee the sport will become Olympic, though.  There are currently 32 International Federations that the IOC recognizes, but are not part of the Olympics, among them is ballroom dancing.

Looking at the first requirement (International Federation) and it's connection to Irish dance, many ideas already pop into mind.  The Irish dance community has several different dance organizations that could up their ante to meet the IOCs standards.  The organization would have to adopt the World Anti-Doping Code, and generally be responsible for the sport's integrity at the international level.  This requirement appears to be in the bag.

Is Irish dance really that widespread?  Over the years, we have heard of Irish dancers competing for the first time from Mexico and Russia.  Karl Drake and his senior dancers recently traveled around China.  Riverdance is currently touring in South America.  Competitive Irish dance is slowly expanding beyond Ireland, the UK, Australia, and the US.  Will it ever be well-known enough to make it as an Olympic sport? I cannot say for sure, but it truly seems unlikely.  Just take your own personal reactions into account: do the majority of people who you've told you're an Irish dancer know what competitive Irish dancing is?

"But what about having a special sport highlighted but not in the Olympics?" you ask.  The host country used to be able to promote a popular sport in the hosting country, called a demonstration sport.  Conceivably, Irish dance could be one of these if the Olympics were ever held in Ireland (with hurling, cricket or Gaelic football being the more likely choice).  Unfortunately, demonstration sports were eliminated after the 1992 games.

Personally, I think Irish dance is more of an art form and less of what the general public thinks of as an Olympic sport, the same as most dance forms (ballet, tap, contemporary).  I for one do not think it should be included in the Olympics.  Look's like we'll have to stick with being a part of the opening or closing ceremonies should the event ever arise.

Do you think Irish dance should be in the Olympics?

Goals: set up my classrooms
Days till Os: 93

Irish Dance in the Public School

A major part Virginia fourth grade curriculum is studying the history of my lovely state, from Jamestown to the geography.  The culmination of their studies is usually (depending on the school) a 'colonial fair.'  For these colonial fairs, the students learn a dance (or more!) in music class or PE, the most popular dance being the Virginia Reel.  Upon my arrival at the school, I noticed just how similar this was to a certain ceili I've learned in my Irish dance days...



I knew that jumping in to being a long-term music substitute was going to be awesome if my fourth graders were doing ceilis every day.  And it didn't stop with the Virginia Reel/Haymaker's Jig.  The students were responsible for knowing six other line and square dances.  Armed with my New England Dancing Masters books (Ar Rinci Foirne for elementary music teachers), I learned and taught the other dances.  I was quick to see that square dances are like 8-hands.  They even had some of the same moves with different names!

Lead around  -----> Promenade
Chain            -----> Grand right and left

Once the students knew their square danced, and to encourage them to be serious about their own dancing, I told them I was an Irish dancer and showed them two Youtube videos: one of Haymaker's Jig and one of the Three Tunes.  The students were all impressed with how precise their handwork and lines were, and how well they danced without 'calls' with the music.  Of course, after introducing myself as an Irish dancer, brought on quite a few questions, so I decided to dedicate a day in the last few weeks of talk about solo Irish dancing, costuming, and yes, teach a jig.

Teaching a simple light jig step is attainable for fourth and fifth grade classes.  Most students were just happy to be jumping around and didn't care if they were doing it right or wrong.  A lot of the girls enjoyed it and told me how they practice at recess.  I was also surprised with the natural ability of some of the boys!  They're at an age where most think dancing is "for girls only," but if they knew how many competitions they would win as a naturally talented boy, I bet they would think again.

To culminate this activity, we watched my Lord of the Dance DVD. (skipping the "boring" singing and fiddle parts.  Also Breakout.)  Watching that DVD inspired my dancing career, so who knows, there may be some new Irish dancing students!

Goals: Re-figure SJ lead so there are no jumps off of bad foot
Days till Os: 170

Irish dance fusion groups

A litte background before the meat of this post: I was a gymnast almost all my life.  In this time, my favorite event was usually floor exercise.  I was lucky in what gymnasts call "optional" years to have a floor choreographer who put as much emphasis on the actual dancing in my routine as the required elements and tumbling passes.  This concept of having a floor routine full of mostly dance moves with three or so tumbling passes is something that's been around since Nadia Comaneci scored the first perfect 10 in the Olympics in the 70s.  Unfortunately for gymnastics fans today, floor exercises are so jam packed with tumbling and other elements in order to up the difficulty score that you hardly see any of this dancing artistry.

What this all boils down to is that I have been interested in other dance styles since I started competing as a gymnast.  My eclectic mix of dance studies ranges from ballet barre technique for strengthening muscles, to some contemporary-type mix for my floor routine.  Now my style is focused on Irish.

Tying this all together is the fact that Irish dancing isn't just about the traditional dance form nowadays.  Just like in other dance styles, Irish dancers are constantly pushing the envelope in what can be defined as Irish dancing.  Take Hammerstep and the Sneaky Steppers for instance.  Aside from the ever-popular sneaks and flash mobs, this group collaborates with tap and hip hop dancers, beatboxers, DJs electric fiddle, and comedy to break the mold of traditional Irish dancing.  Just check out what they did this past St. Patrick's day!



Another one of my all time favorite groups is Up & Over It featuring ex-Riverdancers Suzanne Cleary and Peter Harding.  They are most popular for their hand dancing sensation that swept the nation, but what I like most is the aspect of fun they put into their videos, and to be honest who doesn't love a little rap about Irish dance?  Aside from the rapping, they seriously are mixing in other contemporary styles along with creative video editing by Johnny Reed.  Their newest video is particularly amusing to me because I almost, almost started ballet instead of Irish dancing.  Instead, I took a semester-long ballet course in college, and well, just watch the video.



And last but certainly not least is a relatively new group called Prodijig, 2012 winners of the UK's show Got to Dance.  This group literally exploded onto the scene with their audition video to Kanye West's "Power."  Prodijig combines hip hop elements with precision hardshoe technique that creates a jaw dropping performance.  Of all the groups, Prodijig can clearly be defined as an Irish dance group, as their choreography (for now) is comprised of mostly Irish elements.  I can't wait to see how this group develops and what new material they come up with!

Have you seen any other cool Irish dance fusion groups lately?  How would you push the envelope of Irish dance choerography?

Goals: PT exercises, low impact cardio activities
Days till Os: 193

Going Traditional

A few weeks ago, a brilliant and gutsy idea occurred to me as I was browsing Dance-Again.  I want to attend a competition in a vintage and traditional solo dress with natural hair and minimal make up.  Why?  For the simple reason of wanting to know what it was like dancing in the older, traditional styles.  When I say older, I am referring to mostly the pre-Riverdance era of costuming.  There's just no replicating the exquisite and intricate knotwork of these dresses of old.  There is also a certain poetry in the way they flow while dancing, especially while spinning that dresses of today just don't quite capture.

As I progressed as a dancer, I got sucked into the pageantry of feiseanna.  I am not complaining about this. I love getting gussied up in my fancy dress and my fancy hair with my fancy make up to compete against others.  I believe that the costuming part of Irish dance is all about showing your best self to the adjudicators, and the way us Irish dancers do that is to take the "authentic Gaelic dress is desired" and kick it up a few hundred notches.

Observing the trends of the last few majors, senior ladies really have the gamut of costuming appearances.  Some dancers keep the ever-voluminous curly wigs, while others are opting for natural and classic updos.  Recently, dressmakers has started using more and more traditional Celtic symbols in their dress designs, which balances out the just-as-current bold and often asymmetrical geometric designs.  Even the colors used in dresses range from one, to the rainbow.  So why not break out a vintage dress?

Why not: As fabulous as this looks in my head, I do not see myself as a trendsetter in the dance world.  My TC would think I am crazy.  I do not know when I can feis again, and I only attend a few feiseanna a year right before majors.  Also, finding a vintage dress in good condition that's my size and my price will be a feat in itself.

All wussiness aside, I have put together a few looks that would be smashing (or so I think in my mind).

Traditional ID looks by sekubik featuring shoes

What do you think?  Would you ever don a more traditional look?

March Madness

Here is a list of where I will be "performing" in the next month:

9: Elks Lodge: Riverdale, MD
        Done!  Ran music!  Success!

10: Four Courts Four Miler; Arlington, VA
        Done!  The dancers did very well despite being chilly, and breaking the small platform stages!

11: DC St. Pat's parade & Fado's Pub performance
        Due to no float this year, I will sit this one out, and instead be at Fado's all day!

15: AOH; Bowie, MD

17: TBA -- There are a lot of options here, will post later when I know where I'm needed

24: Shamrockfest; RFK Stadium
        This is a possibility depending on my foot and how much I want to stand.

Enjoy the March Madness, Irish dancers!

Goals: Heal up!

Irish dancers are intense

Think Irish dancing is easy? Here's an article by Jan Battles that came out in March of 2010 that tells about the stresses we dancers put on our legs:

Irish dancers 'get pilot G-force'

Warning: Irish dancing can seriously damage your health. Engineers at Coventry University have discovered that Irish dancers’ ankles have to bear 14 times their bodyweight while executing certain steps and have compared the force with that experienced by fighter pilots.

The load is far greater than a person would experience while running. The researchers said one well-known Irish dancing step, known as the rock move, should be monitored because of its potential to cause injury.

Performers from Riverdance, as well as world champions, were monitored while dancing in a laboratory which measures the impact of various activities on the body. The study team, whose work is in the Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, had to check their readings because they did not believe how large the forces were. The measurements for Irish dancers were the highest recorded.

In the rock move, legs are crossed at the ankle and the dancer rocks from side to side on the balls of their feet. Most of the force is taken by ankle joints as the weight is transferred rapidly back and forth. The force was found to be 14 times bodyweight, while that on the Achilles tendon was 42.5 stone. The soles of some of the dancers’ feet bore 4.5 times their bodyweight.

“That’s 4.5G — fighter pilot stuff. If you were subjected to 4.5G long term, you would be at great risk of blacking out,” said James Shippen, a lecturer at Coventry University’s School of Art and Design.

“Obviously, Irish dancers are doing it in short bursts, but at that instant they are pulling fighter pilot loads on their feet.

“We take engineering principles and apply them to Irish dancers. The loads are enormous. It’s very punishing on the body. Classical ballet dancers’ loads are incredibly light, about one quarter the level.”

Sinead Whelan, director of Celtic Feet Irish Dance and Theatre Company in Coventry, took part in the study. “A lot of our dancers get injured but because a dancer’s career is so short we don’t, if we’re honest, take as much time out as the physios recommend,” she said.

Irish dancers suffer injuries similar to those of footballers, according to Whelan. In particular, they get knee injuries such as floating cartilage.

“James had to recalculate the force that went through our dancers’ legs about five times before he believed the data he was getting. He said they’re not dancers, they’re paratroopers,” Whelan said.

Julian Erskine, senior executive producer of Riverdance, said the studies were an eye-opener. “When Riverdance started, nobody knew what Irish dancing did to the body because it wasn’t done on a sustained basis. We realised early on that it shouldn’t be taken lightly and we’ve always had a physio and two massage people with every company.”

Riverdance has a physical therapist on-call 24 hours a day for performers, who can tap out 46,000 beats per show and perform eight shows a week.

One dancer, Melissa Convery, ruptured her Achilles tendon and blacked out on stage. “You usually dance through the pain,” she told the San Jose Mercury News in December. “But I sprang and it popped. I had to learn to walk again.”

via: http://www.timesonline.co.uk

Take care of your bodies! With information like this, you probably now realize the importance of warming up properly before you start dancing. Don't forget about other cross-training exercises either. And if something does hurt, get it checked out. Better to be safe than sorry.

So I think I can dance...

One of my favorite parts of the summer is watching So You Think You Can Dance. Unlike other reality TV contests, the contestants are genuinely talented and have put in tons of hard work to get there. Just one episode is entertaining, powerful, and sexy. How could TV get any better?

For the last few seasons, we Irish dancers have heard of people within our style who have auditioned for the show (like Ashley Smith, who made it to Vegas). They were not shown on TV, probably because Irish dance is not one of the mainstream styles that is generally showcased. This is the first time an Irish dancer was showcased since...ever I think.

I think what helped Mary Kate here is:

1. Her technique. Beautiful turn out and cross.
2. Her use of other styles. Yeah, it was just a switch leap thrown in, but it deceptively made it look as if she has been trained at least a bit in other styles.

I understand where the producers are coming from, that Irish dance is a folk dance, not something that is generally mainstream. I will argue that point here. People don't necessarily know what 'Irish dancing' is...until you mention Riverdance. Call it Riverdancing and the general populace automatically recognizes the type of dancing, despite how much it makes us dancers cringe. They know it's that style where you hold your top half rigid and make your legs go crazy. Some ask if it's clogging (what is that?), and some people still are lost.

The show has branched out from its ballroom/contemporary/hip hop box, doing Bollywood numbers to great effect. They have also done traditional Russian dances, and even a classical pas de deux when there was a classically trained ballerina on the show in season 5. This season, someone mentioned that there are four (ish?) tap dancers on the show, so there may be tap numbers. So why not a two hand reel or a Riverdance-esque duet? Maybe teach the top 8 Three Tunes, or even a figure choreography?

After I finally got to watch the show, my family was of two minds. One of my sisters thinks I should just go for it and audition for the show, throw some leaps and aerials into my routine, and we're good. She seems to think that my gymnastics training has to count for something in the "other styles of dance" department, although, she also thinks that like Mary Kate, I will be cut in the hip hop round once I make it to Vegas. There's a reason why I Irish dance: I am the whitest white girl around... My other sister thinks that I won't even make it out of the general auditions. Auditioning for the show has been in this little spot on my mind ever since I started Irish dancing, so we will see what happens.

Goals: Practice everyday for the feis Sunday

Like a shirley temple convention...

This is all the rage in the Irish dance world right now. There is a documentary being released in the UK later on this year about last year's world championships. I only hope that us dancers in the USA are able to get a hold of a copy. They're making a movie about my sport. I need to see it. It looks like the producer captured all the drama, and just overall it looks like a job well done.

Goals: stamina, turnout

Days till worlds: 69

So I Welcome Myself Back to the Blogosphere...

(I need something to keep my dancing accomplishments straight. A place for goals and improvements. A place to tell everyone how much I love dance. A place to write about my journey to my first Oireachtas. For if it's written down, it's more likely to get done...)

Current:
Level: Prizewinner. (You non-dancers won't understand what this is, but basically I'm the level under champs. The really good people.)
Long-term goal: Make it to preliminary championships by the end of the year. That, and to recall at the Os for solos, and hopefully do a ceili too!
Thing I love about dance: Watching a group of complete beginners transform to solid dancers in reel and light jig, and knowing it was all because of me. (I teach a beginner class at Wakefield Friday afternoons)
Thing that irks me about dance: Prizewinner competitions. Dancers need somewhere between the Southern Region-required 2 first places, and the individual school-mandated 8 first places. This causes the same girls to win dances over and over again while they wait for that last first, not giving us other girls a chance. It forces us to be competing aganist all but prelim dancers as prizewinners. Fair? Not really. It does have it's good points: us not so good prizewinners now have motivation to really work hard and perfect our dances. This would be proof of that.

(I'm going to get some videos up here to show my current dances, just as soon as I set up my Jubilee tiles arranged correctly in the basement. Hopefully, some progress will be seen between now and the Os!)

Feis report: CCE feis
It was held at Mt. Saint Mary's on Memorial day weekend. I'll say it was my first real feis back since my transfer to Maple (Lady of Knock doesn't count, I didn't have all-Maple steps). I had all new steps for all four dances, and excepting the minor brain fart on my reel, they all went well. I won my treble jig and slip jig, my last two dances I needed to place out of novice (hence the prizewinner status now)! I didn't do so hot in my prizewinner dances (reel and hornpipe). The reel I understand: I screwed up. Hornpipe needs more confidence and sound. Watching my competitors beforehand, I realize how timid my hardshoe is.
Next feis: Old Dominion, June 20

Goals: set up Jubilee floor, make current videos to post
Days till Os: 182