Can I have your attention please:
I'M NOW A CHAMPIONSHIP LEVEL DANCER
Goal number one for the year accomplished. :]
Baltimore feis report:
I may not have done as well as I hoped, I still didn't place first in my slip jig. I ended up getting 5th place. I also ended up with a 2nd place in both reel and treble jig, and many fearful glances from my competitors, however, I reassured them this is the last time I'll be in prizewinner, for their own sakes... I also love dancing on stages, which I go to do for my two soft shoe dances.
Up next: Rhythm of Ireland, October 17th
So I never got first in my slip jig, how am I in prelim, you ask?
Well, I did place first in my reel, and you do only need a first in a soft and hard shoe dance...
Yes, I may have cheated the system a little, but I need to practice this competition format for the Oireachtas, which are coming up in SEVENTY FIVE DAYS.
It's a bit of a neat feeling, to be a championship-level anything after only doing something for two years...
Upcoming:
The new dress!
Two year anniversary of starting dancing
Goals: get videos up here for TJ and The Hunt already! Prepare for ROI...
Days till Os: 75
Showing posts with label prizewinner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prizewinner. Show all posts
9.08.2009
Oireachtas Slip Jig
This is it. My slip jig for the Oireachtas and prelim.
I know I die at the end, my stamina definately needs a ton of work. I do love how awesome my leaps are in my lead though...
Baltimore feis is in less than two weeks. With this new, killer slip jig there's no way I won't get that first place I'm still in need of. :]
Upcoming:
Possible new dress?! (I'll keep you posted.)
Dance classes start for the fall
Baltimore feis report
Goals: Upload video of 'The Hunt' and Oireachtas treble jig, practice EVERYTHING for Baltimore feis
Days till Os: 87
8.09.2009
My Slip Jig is a Treble Maker
Feis report: Delaware feis
This may have been my most stressful feis of late. I overestimated what time lunch would be, and ended up arriving at the feis just before lunch break at 11:15, leaving myself 30 minutes to eat, do my make-up, and warm up, since my first dance was the second one after lunch. Luckily, I'm a speed deamon eater and the competition just before mine had 36 people in it...
I have been working on my stage presentation, aka, smiling while I dance, and I hope it has paid off a bit. I felt like I was having more fun than ever on my dances that I've already placed out of. I was totally concentrated for my slip jig, it being the only dance I STILL need to win. I got off the stage, totally confident. I swear it was the best slip jig I've ever done, and... I GOT SECOND. My slip jig's just messing with me now. I also placed 2nd in treble jig, and 3rd in hornpipe.
Up next: Baltimore feis, September 19th
I WILL win slip jig, I WILL win slip jig, I WILL win slip jig...
Upcoming: Oireachtas workshop Aug. 17-21
Goals: Work to improve turnout, especially on slip jig and treble jig.
Days till Os: 117
This may have been my most stressful feis of late. I overestimated what time lunch would be, and ended up arriving at the feis just before lunch break at 11:15, leaving myself 30 minutes to eat, do my make-up, and warm up, since my first dance was the second one after lunch. Luckily, I'm a speed deamon eater and the competition just before mine had 36 people in it...
I have been working on my stage presentation, aka, smiling while I dance, and I hope it has paid off a bit. I felt like I was having more fun than ever on my dances that I've already placed out of. I was totally concentrated for my slip jig, it being the only dance I STILL need to win. I got off the stage, totally confident. I swear it was the best slip jig I've ever done, and... I GOT SECOND. My slip jig's just messing with me now. I also placed 2nd in treble jig, and 3rd in hornpipe.
Up next: Baltimore feis, September 19th
I WILL win slip jig, I WILL win slip jig, I WILL win slip jig...
Upcoming: Oireachtas workshop Aug. 17-21
Goals: Work to improve turnout, especially on slip jig and treble jig.
Days till Os: 117
7.28.2009
Why slip jig, why?
Feis Report: Nation's Capital Feis
So Sunday was the big day when I was supposed to move up my slip jig to prelims, alas, I won my reel instead. Up to date, I have won every dance in prizewinner, except the one I need. The feis, overall went very well. My dances were all on one stage again, pretty much right in a row. The improvement on this from Old Dominion is that the judges switched around and I had three different ones. The floor, thankfully, was covered with the type of rubber mat we dance on in class, so the floors has the perfect amount of traction, unlike last year's parquet floor (ICK). The hotel was very air conditioned (yay), and the whole thing was pretty well organized (except the awards table). I also won my treble jig for the second time in a row, as well as placed third in my hornpipe. I'm really satisfied with how I did overall, especially with doing my new slip jig lead and not messing up. Who knows, I may have placed fourth, but since results were $4 to buy, it was not worth it at the time.
Up next: Deleware feis, August 9
I am so relieved that the first dance done for championship competitions and majors is hard shoe. It is obviously my strongest since I've won every time I've competed these steps (three times), so the judges will get a good first impression of me (hopefully). I just really need to figure out what is going on with my slip jig. It's honestly the only thing that's holdong me back. I guess in these next two weeks before Deleware, I will be perfecting my slip jig.
Goals: perfect slip jig
Days till Os: 130
So Sunday was the big day when I was supposed to move up my slip jig to prelims, alas, I won my reel instead. Up to date, I have won every dance in prizewinner, except the one I need. The feis, overall went very well. My dances were all on one stage again, pretty much right in a row. The improvement on this from Old Dominion is that the judges switched around and I had three different ones. The floor, thankfully, was covered with the type of rubber mat we dance on in class, so the floors has the perfect amount of traction, unlike last year's parquet floor (ICK). The hotel was very air conditioned (yay), and the whole thing was pretty well organized (except the awards table). I also won my treble jig for the second time in a row, as well as placed third in my hornpipe. I'm really satisfied with how I did overall, especially with doing my new slip jig lead and not messing up. Who knows, I may have placed fourth, but since results were $4 to buy, it was not worth it at the time.
Up next: Deleware feis, August 9
I am so relieved that the first dance done for championship competitions and majors is hard shoe. It is obviously my strongest since I've won every time I've competed these steps (three times), so the judges will get a good first impression of me (hopefully). I just really need to figure out what is going on with my slip jig. It's honestly the only thing that's holdong me back. I guess in these next two weeks before Deleware, I will be perfecting my slip jig.
Goals: perfect slip jig
Days till Os: 130
6.20.2009
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
Days till Os: 167
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:
- Become a preliminary champ dancer
- 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 softshoeDays till Os: 167
6.06.2009
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
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
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