Sunday, January 31, 2016

Dancing in College

There comes a point in your dancing career when you need to decide whether you want to continue dancing in college or not. There is not right choice but your own. I know some people base their college decision on whether the school has a dance studio- but there are other ways to be successful in college.

I personally made the decision to dance in college because I knew deep down I didn't achieve all of my dreams, one of them being the World Championships. I was lucky enough that my school has a great gym, which includes 4 dance studios (I didn't know about this when I chose Bradley, I just got lucky). The staff at Markin has been incredible; they allow me to reserve rooms for practice and they make sure I have access to whatever I may need like a stereo. However, I know people just as successful in the dance world who don't have access to these things. Some girls I know practice in their trainers( gym shoes) in a hardwood gym and use their own stereo like a ReelBoom. When I lived in the dorms, I also bought a couple of Jubilee Tiles so drill my dance bits on, which helped a lot.

My best advice however would be to video tape yourself as much as possible. I noticed I started to get better at dance when I could honestly critique myself. It's important to also look at yourself dancing in a realistic mindset; Yes, there are several dancers out there better than me (I am no Nadine Martin) but each week I would slowly start to see myself improve from my last video. It's easy to watch yourself and pick out everything you do wrong but I think it's important to also point out to yourself things you do well. Clearly, you are in the level that you are in for a reason, so it's important to remember you don't stink. Videotaping myself also helped me understand the comments my teachers gave me more. Before I had a hard time grasping their comments since I didn't have anything to compare myself to.

Another piece of advice I would offer is to block out practice time. I love dance, but I hate practicing and I hate stamina/endurance work (I've never met someone who does) so blocking out time is a must. I like to practice right after my classes because I know if I go home I will keep pushing back practice to later and later and possibly the next day. The problem with this is once you push it back a day you will just keep pushing it back, and before you know it a week has passed. Treat your training as a class; don't cheat yourself or you will only cheat your results.

As Worlds get closer, I will post more about preparation and Scotland. Until Next Time! See you all at the Worlds in a couple months!

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Traditions of Irish Dance

Irish Dancing has grown over the past decade; more people are interested partly due to publicity of the sport like in the movie JIG, and Riverdance. There are several different opinions on Irish Dance and it's old traditional looks to the new glitz and glamour but one thing everyone can agree on is the history.

In 1893, the Gaelic League was established to preserve the elements of the Irish Culture, focusing on language and organizing dance classes and competitions. This league founded An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha in 1929. Today the Commission is responsible for the certification for the certification of teachers and adjudicators as well as the development and promotion of Irish Dancing. The commission organizes all the major competitions including the: Oireacthas (regionals), Nationals, All-Ireland Championships, All-Scotland's, and the prestigious World Championships (equivalent to the Olympics). 

Dances feature prominently Ireland's mythology and history, which keeps the traditions alive in a modern world; many dances are named from places in Ireland like the Ceili (team dance) Antrim Reel and The Gates of Derry.

Being an Irish Dancer I get many questions that have traditional responses. The most popular ones are:

1. Is that your real hair?
-No it's not. Some people use their actual hair to either curl or make a unique hairstyle but the most common big curly look Irish Dancers have come from wigs. You can get any color wig you want- mine is blonde because it looks better with my dress. No, I don't dye my hair; if you have a different wig color you simply buy the washable spray dye and use that for a Feis (competition) or show. The purpose of the curls comes from tradition. Back in the day, girls would curl their hair to look their best for church, and following church would gather at parties and dance.

2. Why do you dance with your arms at your side?
-Irish Dancing was a form of rebellion against the Queen of England. The parties following church were often held in people's barns. If you think about a barn door you will notice that it split with a top and bottom half and either can be open at a time. At the Parties the top half would be open and as English soldiers passed by, they wouldn't notice that people were Irish Dancing because the arms were blocked by a lower door.

3. Are your shoes tap shoes?
-No they are made of fiberglass tips and have a much larger heel.