Tonight was my second practice with the Columbus Celtic Dancers. There were definitely a few less people in the beginning class than last week (although, we also got two brand new people, but it still seemed like there were less people). I got there way earlier than I had planned, but I got the chance to have a nice conversation with Becky, another one of the new dancers who also got there way early.
Once 6:30 finally arrived, we got to work reviewing the steps we learned last week. After that we learned a variation on sevens...instead of going to the left (like we did last week), we learned how to go to the right. This is a lot harder than it sounds, because the footwork feels completely different. I know I wasn't the only one who got all tangled in the legs/feet when we were working on that step.
After kinda-sorta-not really mastering our new step, and after the advanced dancers had arrived, we got to work reviewing the progressive dance we learned last week. We reviewed it for a little while, so we could remember the steps, and then danced it through a pretty decent amount of times. We were all dying after we finished.
And then it was time to learn our first team dance! It was actually one of the dances that the advanced dancers showed us last week. We only learned the first half of it or so, but that was a LOT of dancing anyway. It kind of reminded me of marching band...in that we were doing a lot of line-fixing. In this dance, we needed plenty of straight lines. The comparison stops there, but still.
Again, I got a great workout. This week my ankles/calves hurt more in the aftermath, but it was worth it.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Practice #1
So the first practice is over and...I survived! There are a LOT of people in the beginning class with me--way more than they usually have, we were told. To start the class, we learned how to skip both forward and backward. One of the hardest things we did was we skipped (to music) in a circle for many, many laps. By the time we stopped, we were all completely out of breath. After we had gotten comfortable with skipping (again, both forward and backward), we learned a step called sevens. We practiced this step until the experienced dancers had arrived.
The way the class is structured is the beginners learn together for half an hour. After half an hour, the experienced dancers arrive and as a huge group we practice actual dances. At the end of half an hour of mixed class, the beginners can leave and the experienced dancers continue on with more difficult dances.
During the mixed class, the beginners all got paired up with an experienced dancer and we learned a progressive dance that incorporated the few steps we had learned at the beginning of our class. After we danced a few rounds of this and got the feel of dancing an actual dance, we were given a break. During this break, the experienced dancers showed off for us a bit--kind of like "this is what you'll be able to do in a while." At the end of the class, the officers were introduced, we had some announcements, and the beginners were dismissed.
All in all, I had a lot of fun and got a great workout. I'm very much looking forward to next week!
The way the class is structured is the beginners learn together for half an hour. After half an hour, the experienced dancers arrive and as a huge group we practice actual dances. At the end of half an hour of mixed class, the beginners can leave and the experienced dancers continue on with more difficult dances.
During the mixed class, the beginners all got paired up with an experienced dancer and we learned a progressive dance that incorporated the few steps we had learned at the beginning of our class. After we danced a few rounds of this and got the feel of dancing an actual dance, we were given a break. During this break, the experienced dancers showed off for us a bit--kind of like "this is what you'll be able to do in a while." At the end of the class, the officers were introduced, we had some announcements, and the beginners were dismissed.
All in all, I had a lot of fun and got a great workout. I'm very much looking forward to next week!
Welcome!
This is my new blog regarding my learning how to Irish dance. Starting tonight, I will be taking classes every week with the Columbus Celtic Dancers, an adult Irish step dance troupe in Columbus, Ohio. Under the encouragement of my friends, I have decided to keep a blog of my adventures in learning how to do Irish dance. This blog will include entries from practices, performances, and everything in between.
Just for your own information, I have never taken Irish dance classes before. The closest I've come is a DVD I bought this past spring called "Jean Butler's Irish Dance Masterclass" that I work with every so often. Yes, part of my fascination with Irish dance and culture stems from "The Pirate Queen," a musical that was on Broadway a couple years ago...but soon after I became interested in Irish dance, I started watching Riverdance videos and other Irish dance videos on YouTube. I quickly gained an appreciation of the art. So...now that I'm graduated from college and have some free time, I decided it was time for me to take the leap.
I hope you enjoy!
Just for your own information, I have never taken Irish dance classes before. The closest I've come is a DVD I bought this past spring called "Jean Butler's Irish Dance Masterclass" that I work with every so often. Yes, part of my fascination with Irish dance and culture stems from "The Pirate Queen," a musical that was on Broadway a couple years ago...but soon after I became interested in Irish dance, I started watching Riverdance videos and other Irish dance videos on YouTube. I quickly gained an appreciation of the art. So...now that I'm graduated from college and have some free time, I decided it was time for me to take the leap.
I hope you enjoy!
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