TCRG Exam

I am currently studying for my TCRG, which is an Irish Dance Teacher Certification Exam. I am taking it in June 2016 in Dublin, Ireland.

I have been studying since November of 2015 and am getting all different types of feelings about the exam approaching. The exam is costly- it's about $500 to take it so failing isn't an option lol. You also have to know a lot of information... more than one would think.

What you need to know:

1. 40 dance tunes and their timing and number of bars- the exam has a blind test where the examiner will play 19 of the 40 tunes and one has to name the write tune, give the number of bars in the dance, and the proper timing.

2. 30 ceili (team) dances- you are expected to know the music, timing, and movements (including the number of bars it takes to complete each movement and the entire dance). There are two parts for this part of the exam. There is a dancing portion where one has to dance a random ceili selected and there is also a written portion where the examiners ask whatever they want basically lol.

3. Solo dancing- you have to know 7 traditional set dances, 6 non traditional set dances as well as 2 hard shoe dances, and 2 soft shoe dances. The examiners will randomly select dances for you to dance and you must remember the dance, have proper timing, and proper dance technique. 

4. Teaching- the last section is the teaching portion. One will have to teach a randomly selected ceili dance and also steps chosen by the examiner.

My hopes are to pass the exam and to one day become a judge and travel the world! I am excited for what my new journey will bring and fingers crossed I pass lol. 

Worst Irish Dance Injuries

Like any sport, there are injuries. I have played travel soccer, lacrosse, Ice-Hockey with boys, gymnastics, and softball but my worst injuries com from Irish Dance.

My Worst Injuries Include:

1. Sprained Ankles: In most ways these are worse than breaks- and yes I have had several broken bones from my clavicle in hockey to feet from dance but sprains take a lot longer to heal and can be tricky. In my opinion, I would rather have a break and be in a cast for 6-8 weeks knowing I will get it off than to be wishy washy for weeks on end due to a sprain. 
2. A Dislocated Knee Cap: Yup that hurt. I went for a jump in dance and something just didn't go right when I landed. I was in a lot of pain and had to go to the doctor. The physical therapy was the worst part of this injury- I really had to make sure I was doing the exercises.
3. Achilles Tendonitis: This was due to improper stretching and lack of warmups. This happened in high school when I thought stretching and warming up was stupid... no you really need to do those. This injury made me mad because it was honestly preventable if I had just been more caring of my body.
4. Shin Splints: These hurt just running...now imagine jumping and pounding the ground while having shin splints. Yeah, not fun at all. The amount of Advil I consumed is impressive.
5. Plantar Fasciitis: WINNER OF WORST INJURY EVER: This injury sucks and I feel so bad for anyone who has it. Plantar Fasciitis is basically when the muscles on the bottom of your feet tear and snap. I didn't know what it was at first, when I got it two years ago. I kept dancing on it and the pain got worse and worse. It hurt so bad that I couldn't even walk. I remember going home for the weekend and crying because it hurt so bad to walk. I would say I have a very high pain tolerance- I danced with broken bones, stitches on the bottom of my foot, etc. so when I say it hurt, I can't even explain the unbearable pain. I later found out that it can occur from lack of stretching in your calves- or having tendonitis in the achilles... so make sure you stretch properly! I also had to tape my feet from that moment on, which was horrible.

I have had a lot of injuries in my dance career, but if I learned one thing it is to always stretch and warmup properly. It's important to listen to your body and know your limits. We are blessed with bodies that can tolerate things like working out so don't abuse your body!

What do you do once you quit?

I have been getting a lot of questions on what I am doing after quitting/retiring from Irish Dance. I have to admit- not having your day revolve around training or Irish Dance in general is refreshing in a way. I feel so much more relaxed and have a lot more time on my hands.

So many of us have damage/ injuries from dance it's hard to find a workout that works but isn't hurting you. I know for me it was tough... from all my injuries in dance running on treadmills or anything of that nature is out of the question. Swimming is a great exercise for post-dancers because it doesn't put stress on your joints. I have always loved swimming and am happy now I can do it more often. The other plus side of swimming is that you can do whatever you want! There is no right or wrong to swimming- you can really listen to your body and make adjustments to your workout routines!

The other exercise I am getting into thanks to my dear friend Sarah is Insanity. She has always done the Insanity workouts and loved them. After dance I realized maybe this will be a good workout. I'm not going to lie it's really hard but it also is a great workout, which I highly recommend.

I am still taking it easy when it comes to working out. I have done the set routines and a strict schedule and decided to be more leisure to it. However, that being said I do enjoy exercising and continue to do so about 5-6 days a week!

Action Shots

If you ask any Irish Dancer they will all have the same response. Action shots are one of the best things from Major Competitions. No matter how you did, it's exciting to check online to see if you got a good photo to post or not.

At competitions the photographers will take pictures of girls during their first two rounds. Usually the higher level of major- the better quality and quantity of photos one has to choose from. But, each dancer will be guaranteed a starting shot of them pointing there foot and then hopefully the odds are in your favor for a decent action shot.

At awards the photographers also take pictures. Obviously, they are there to take photos of girls and their awards but they also take action shots of peoples reactions to their results. At awards the announcer will first call out the numbers for world qualifiers or the top ten dancers. Dancers will run on stage in tears and excitement. Then they wait on the back of the stage while the announcer annonces the awards starting from the lowest place to the highest place. As one can imagine, the suspense builds especially when you get to the top 5 and are counting down to the winner.

Action shots are the craze of Irish Dance at the moment and we are anxiously awaiting the worlds 2016 photos to be posted. Fingers crossed the odds are ever in our favor for a decent photo!