100th Post!
Since this is my 100th post I had wanted to try to do something special. It's incredible that I have 100 Irish dance themed posts and I hope to have many many more before my "career" is over. So without further a do...
100 Things Irish Dance has taught me (in no particular order):
1. Perseverance
2. Dedication
3. To have goals of all sizes
4. Self confidence
5. Work Ethic
6. It's never too late to find a passion
7. Acceptance
8. Unadulterated Joy
9. Serenity
10. Strength
11. Pride
12. Respect for dancers and teachers of all ages
13. The value of a dollar (or hundreds of dollars)
14. That I'm competitive!
15. That an injury isn't the end
16. That it's possible to become an even better dancer after an injury
17. Enthusiasm
18. The desire to be healthy
19. Dances and music from long ago.
20. That everyone starts at the beginning and has their own journey to glory.
21. Inspiration
22. That I'm inspiring to others! (This blows my mind!)
23. That I was wearing shoes too large for years...
24. Rhythm
25. Timing
26. Poise
27. Technique I never dreamed of knowing
28. That at 26 you can be as flexible as some of the kids
29. That I can run and it's not the end of the world.
30. That I can blossom and flourish with the right nurturing.
31. Age doesn't matter to the people who love you
32. A lose ankle makes all the difference
33. You will not place if you do a slow treble jig in Advanced Beginner
34. You can't expect to win if you don't put in the work.
35. Focus
36. If you don't have the aforementioned Focus, you will mess up your dances.
37. Most judges are nice, and most don't look for the same things.
38. HAVE SOMEONE MEASURE YOU FOR A DRESS! OTHERWISE YOU WILL REGRET IT!
39. That solo dresses are gorgeous, but as much a mortgage payment
40. Camaraderie
41. Sock glue is a thing...and it works.
42. Tanner is also a thing. I still haven't decided if I will conform when the time comes.
43. I love wigs. I don't love how expensive they are.
44. A lot of steps appear difficult until broken down into parts.
45. It's possible to get better at jumping.
46. Friendship. Across classes, schools, countries even
47. You will see your old teacher if you transfer schools, it's only a matter of time.
48. You will meet a "celebrity dancer" You will not be prepared to talk to her.
49. There are other senior ladies out there who are married and have lives.
50. That the Irish Dance Community on Tumblr is amazing
51. How the Charlady was only written in 2010
52. That giving up a puppy for a week of Camp Rince Ceol was definitely worth it
53. That slow tempo hard shoe dances are no longer an if but a when.
54. That people older than me are dancing at Oireachtas, majors and the worlds.
55. The more people you know at a feis, the more fun it is.
56. Clicks are hard, but no impossible.
57. Fashion trends change just as much in the Irish dance world as the real world (Maybe simpler dresses will mean cheaper dresses? Sadly I doubt this.)
58. That the most popular dress maker often changes. (It was Gavin when I first started, now Celtic Star, Rising star is rising)
59. Having limited practice space has it's challenges. Currently it is SNOWING on October 18th...Let's hope that it stops or today is going to be a "listening to music and mentally doing my steps" kind of day.
60. Jig will make you cry every time. Pretty much all Irish Dance documentaries give you the feels.
61. Sassy six year old beginners are life.
62. Transfer bans are killer but worth it.
63. Transfers are necessary sometimes. Not everyone can accept that but a very wise person said to me recently "If you didn't like the way someone cut your hair you'd find a new hairdresser." Why wouldn't that apply to dance as well?
64.I would want to have all the things that Irish Dancers use and want. Team jackets, Halluchan Soft Shoes, Hard Shoe buckles, Kelso dress wedges, long full wigs,
65. That going to Oireachtas next year WOULD EVER HAPPEN! (Though they have adult trad sets this year...)
66. The single jig
67. That I would be the type of dancer who would be good enough to enter a "special" competition. (and not be made to believe I'm going to lose badly!)
68. That I'd do a set beyond St. Patrick's Day (I LOVE JOCKEY!)
69. That Hardshoe can be fun!
70. How to attack the beat
71. Breaking in new shoes is a process.
72. The best way to sell a dress is to bring it to a feis.
73. That having previous dance experience can help with soft shoe a lot.
74. A feis is a full day ordeal, with food, shopping, and obviously dancing and your husband will not get it.
75. That I should have started Irish when I was younger.
76. Priorities
77. Discipline (Which is why I need to try to practice outside in the frigid cold today. How many weeks until I move to my house?)
78. Irish Dance is everywhere. They have a feis in Israel!
79. Irish dance music is interesting. Each musician has a specific style. No two versions of Jockey sound exactly the same.
80. Voy boards are like a train wreck. You know it's wrong, but you can't tear yourself away.
81. Going along with previous statement, dance moms who yell and scream at their kid terrify me.
82. That I'm lucky that I live in New England. Usually there's a feis relatively close almost every weekend, and if not, the Mid Atlantic Region is not far away.
83. That I might want to get my TCRG someday. (After I win the Worlds haha)
84. That there was an Irish Dancer version of "Dancing With the Stars" in the UK.
85. That I would have the opportunity to meet people that were in Lord of the Dance and Riverdance.
86. Dance will give you amazing memories and opportunities.
87. To look forward to future moments but also your future self.
88. Support doesn't always come from who you'd expect.
89. That different brands of soft shoes and hard shoes would feel so different
90. That people tape their shoes to their feet. (Again I have to figure out if I'm going to do that)
91. Irish Dance is subjective, but if you have glaring issues like turn out or crossing, the judges will say it every time.
92. "That you are only as good as your last performance." Read this today and I agree. World Champions come in second. underdogs come out of no where.
93. We should be taken more seriously. Champion dancers train like Olympic athletes. I feel like I work out more now than at my childhood studio.
94. Icy Hot is magic.
95. Progress takes time. It could be days, weeks or months but it's happening.
96. Dance makes you young no matter how old you might be.
97. Having a dance family gives me the warm fuzzies.
98. The feeling of stepping towards my goals makes me thankful, powerful and fulfilled.
99. Humbleness. I know have a long way to go.
100. There is nothing I'd rather be doing right now. It only took horseback riding and gymnastic to figure it out.
Wow, that took longer than I thought. There you have it. Happy 100th post! Thank you for reading! I have challenges to finish, updates to give and something new I want to start, so stay tuned. I have to figure out what I'm doing practice wise because it is 39 degrees out right now. :(
To many more,
Kay
100 Things Irish Dance has taught me (in no particular order):
1. Perseverance
2. Dedication
3. To have goals of all sizes
4. Self confidence
5. Work Ethic
6. It's never too late to find a passion
7. Acceptance
8. Unadulterated Joy
9. Serenity
10. Strength
11. Pride
12. Respect for dancers and teachers of all ages
13. The value of a dollar (or hundreds of dollars)
14. That I'm competitive!
15. That an injury isn't the end
16. That it's possible to become an even better dancer after an injury
17. Enthusiasm
18. The desire to be healthy
19. Dances and music from long ago.
20. That everyone starts at the beginning and has their own journey to glory.
21. Inspiration
22. That I'm inspiring to others! (This blows my mind!)
23. That I was wearing shoes too large for years...
24. Rhythm
25. Timing
26. Poise
27. Technique I never dreamed of knowing
28. That at 26 you can be as flexible as some of the kids
29. That I can run and it's not the end of the world.
30. That I can blossom and flourish with the right nurturing.
31. Age doesn't matter to the people who love you
32. A lose ankle makes all the difference
33. You will not place if you do a slow treble jig in Advanced Beginner
34. You can't expect to win if you don't put in the work.
35. Focus
36. If you don't have the aforementioned Focus, you will mess up your dances.
37. Most judges are nice, and most don't look for the same things.
38. HAVE SOMEONE MEASURE YOU FOR A DRESS! OTHERWISE YOU WILL REGRET IT!
39. That solo dresses are gorgeous, but as much a mortgage payment
40. Camaraderie
41. Sock glue is a thing...and it works.
42. Tanner is also a thing. I still haven't decided if I will conform when the time comes.
43. I love wigs. I don't love how expensive they are.
44. A lot of steps appear difficult until broken down into parts.
45. It's possible to get better at jumping.
46. Friendship. Across classes, schools, countries even
47. You will see your old teacher if you transfer schools, it's only a matter of time.
48. You will meet a "celebrity dancer" You will not be prepared to talk to her.
49. There are other senior ladies out there who are married and have lives.
50. That the Irish Dance Community on Tumblr is amazing
51. How the Charlady was only written in 2010
52. That giving up a puppy for a week of Camp Rince Ceol was definitely worth it
53. That slow tempo hard shoe dances are no longer an if but a when.
54. That people older than me are dancing at Oireachtas, majors and the worlds.
55. The more people you know at a feis, the more fun it is.
56. Clicks are hard, but no impossible.
57. Fashion trends change just as much in the Irish dance world as the real world (Maybe simpler dresses will mean cheaper dresses? Sadly I doubt this.)
58. That the most popular dress maker often changes. (It was Gavin when I first started, now Celtic Star, Rising star is rising)
59. Having limited practice space has it's challenges. Currently it is SNOWING on October 18th...Let's hope that it stops or today is going to be a "listening to music and mentally doing my steps" kind of day.
60. Jig will make you cry every time. Pretty much all Irish Dance documentaries give you the feels.
61. Sassy six year old beginners are life.
62. Transfer bans are killer but worth it.
63. Transfers are necessary sometimes. Not everyone can accept that but a very wise person said to me recently "If you didn't like the way someone cut your hair you'd find a new hairdresser." Why wouldn't that apply to dance as well?
64.I would want to have all the things that Irish Dancers use and want. Team jackets, Halluchan Soft Shoes, Hard Shoe buckles, Kelso dress wedges, long full wigs,
65. That going to Oireachtas next year WOULD EVER HAPPEN! (Though they have adult trad sets this year...)
66. The single jig
67. That I would be the type of dancer who would be good enough to enter a "special" competition. (and not be made to believe I'm going to lose badly!)
68. That I'd do a set beyond St. Patrick's Day (I LOVE JOCKEY!)
69. That Hardshoe can be fun!
70. How to attack the beat
71. Breaking in new shoes is a process.
72. The best way to sell a dress is to bring it to a feis.
73. That having previous dance experience can help with soft shoe a lot.
74. A feis is a full day ordeal, with food, shopping, and obviously dancing and your husband will not get it.
75. That I should have started Irish when I was younger.
76. Priorities
77. Discipline (Which is why I need to try to practice outside in the frigid cold today. How many weeks until I move to my house?)
78. Irish Dance is everywhere. They have a feis in Israel!
79. Irish dance music is interesting. Each musician has a specific style. No two versions of Jockey sound exactly the same.
80. Voy boards are like a train wreck. You know it's wrong, but you can't tear yourself away.
81. Going along with previous statement, dance moms who yell and scream at their kid terrify me.
82. That I'm lucky that I live in New England. Usually there's a feis relatively close almost every weekend, and if not, the Mid Atlantic Region is not far away.
83. That I might want to get my TCRG someday. (After I win the Worlds haha)
84. That there was an Irish Dancer version of "Dancing With the Stars" in the UK.
85. That I would have the opportunity to meet people that were in Lord of the Dance and Riverdance.
86. Dance will give you amazing memories and opportunities.
87. To look forward to future moments but also your future self.
88. Support doesn't always come from who you'd expect.
89. That different brands of soft shoes and hard shoes would feel so different
90. That people tape their shoes to their feet. (Again I have to figure out if I'm going to do that)
91. Irish Dance is subjective, but if you have glaring issues like turn out or crossing, the judges will say it every time.
92. "That you are only as good as your last performance." Read this today and I agree. World Champions come in second. underdogs come out of no where.
93. We should be taken more seriously. Champion dancers train like Olympic athletes. I feel like I work out more now than at my childhood studio.
94. Icy Hot is magic.
95. Progress takes time. It could be days, weeks or months but it's happening.
96. Dance makes you young no matter how old you might be.
97. Having a dance family gives me the warm fuzzies.
98. The feeling of stepping towards my goals makes me thankful, powerful and fulfilled.
99. Humbleness. I know have a long way to go.
100. There is nothing I'd rather be doing right now. It only took horseback riding and gymnastic to figure it out.
Wow, that took longer than I thought. There you have it. Happy 100th post! Thank you for reading! I have challenges to finish, updates to give and something new I want to start, so stay tuned. I have to figure out what I'm doing practice wise because it is 39 degrees out right now. :(
To many more,
Kay
This is a great list! Congrats on your 100th post! :) I have my first feis after 10 years in two weeks, so I am getting really excited! This list pumped me up! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked it, it was pretty fun to make.
ReplyDeleteGood luck at your feis! Please let me know how you do! :)