The Private Lesson and Other Things
Remember how I won some private lessons at my dance recital? I wanted to redeem it before dance camp so I finally had it on Thursday. While I had a pretty good week work out wise last week, this week was only okay. I swam laps Monday night but I closed the store Tuesday and Wednesday and I had a writing assignment (that didn't go that well...but oh well...better luck next time and I still got paid) I also taught a master class at my childhood dance studio and that was a huge work out....but more on that later.
I initially was upset that I'm not competing this weekend. Then I was worried that my lack of practicing would be a set back, but apparently rest and drilling things can works wonders because my private lesson went AMAZING.
First of all, I got to dance in our beautiful new studio. Second, I got undivided TC attention which was fantastic. Third, I swear I had some sort of divine intervention that came with rest or something. We did everything down the line and we drilled a lot of stuff too. We started off with my slip jig and I have been working on it like a beast. My TC said that she could see a difference. She said it looked much more like a slip jig (so all that persona work was worth it!) We also drilled a few other things (like the changemant part!) and with the exception of one uncrossed changemant before I do a point hop back, we were both really pleased and we're not going to change anything anymore! Apparently I needed to squeeze my thighs together more...I'll take it.
After that we did my prizewinner reel and apparently I'd be skipping a small part in my lead when I'd been practicing it alone. We sorted that out and fine tuned a few other things. I think the biggest accomplishment with that dance is that my TC told me that if I had to compete my 2nd step this weekend that I would survive. Now to have the the lead be just as confident.
We spent nearly all of hard shoe working on Hornpipe but I'm still in awe at how well my hornpipe was yesterday. Our new studio really echos, like my TC bought a headset microphone and wants to get acoustic panelling but I loved how loud I was. My favorite place to practice at home is in my foyer because it echos and I sound like a bad ass but it's literally not big enough to do a full step let alone a full eight count. Anyway, maybe it made me happy or confident because no missing trebles...I hit like...I don't know 90% of my clicks? (Just the the big ones on my left foot which I seldom get. I don't know if you remember a few entries ago where I talked about your hard shoes singing over the music? Well, I finally think that was achieved. My TC was so impressed, she told me that she thinks that my hornpipe is better than my slip jig and I've been doing my slip jig at competitions for a lot longer than my slow hornpipe. I am praying that it continues to go like this...I'd really like to place with this new hornpipe. Well let's be real, I'd rather place in everything and be on my way towards working towards prelim...but it will all happen when it's supposed to.
Finally, and I think I mentioned this before, I taught a masterclass at the dance studio I grew up in. It was really basic, We did things across the floor and then I taught them a light jig and a reel. I had so much more planned, but there just wasn't enough time. There were more competitive students at this camp than SRL has students at all at the moment so that was pretty crazy. There were also some very interesting differences, mainly that they use their arms so it was hard for them to not have them out while they were dancing. They were also a fine tuned machine when we did things across the floor. It would take my class of 6 people just as long to do stuff as like...40 or 50 of these dancers did though I feel like they didn't have some spacial awareness for things like skip and jump 2,3s. They were very polite and very enthusiastic and it was a blast teaching them so I hope that it will be just as fun and rewarding when I start teaching the pre-beginners in the fall. I also got paid which was nice. I definitely think that I'll get my TCRG some day...but you know...I'd like to have all my competitive goals accomplished before then.
Alright...I'm going on vacation tomorrow! So I will be pretty off the grid (except for maybe Instagram if you follow me on there) Don't fret though, dance camp is the Monday after we return and it is ALL day this year (excited yet expecting pain...so I'm sure I'll have lots to update.) The Catskill Mountain Feis is about three weeks away too. Ready to kick my butt to have it be my best feis yet!
Bye,
Kay
I initially was upset that I'm not competing this weekend. Then I was worried that my lack of practicing would be a set back, but apparently rest and drilling things can works wonders because my private lesson went AMAZING.
First of all, I got to dance in our beautiful new studio. Second, I got undivided TC attention which was fantastic. Third, I swear I had some sort of divine intervention that came with rest or something. We did everything down the line and we drilled a lot of stuff too. We started off with my slip jig and I have been working on it like a beast. My TC said that she could see a difference. She said it looked much more like a slip jig (so all that persona work was worth it!) We also drilled a few other things (like the changemant part!) and with the exception of one uncrossed changemant before I do a point hop back, we were both really pleased and we're not going to change anything anymore! Apparently I needed to squeeze my thighs together more...I'll take it.
After that we did my prizewinner reel and apparently I'd be skipping a small part in my lead when I'd been practicing it alone. We sorted that out and fine tuned a few other things. I think the biggest accomplishment with that dance is that my TC told me that if I had to compete my 2nd step this weekend that I would survive. Now to have the the lead be just as confident.
We spent nearly all of hard shoe working on Hornpipe but I'm still in awe at how well my hornpipe was yesterday. Our new studio really echos, like my TC bought a headset microphone and wants to get acoustic panelling but I loved how loud I was. My favorite place to practice at home is in my foyer because it echos and I sound like a bad ass but it's literally not big enough to do a full step let alone a full eight count. Anyway, maybe it made me happy or confident because no missing trebles...I hit like...I don't know 90% of my clicks? (Just the the big ones on my left foot which I seldom get. I don't know if you remember a few entries ago where I talked about your hard shoes singing over the music? Well, I finally think that was achieved. My TC was so impressed, she told me that she thinks that my hornpipe is better than my slip jig and I've been doing my slip jig at competitions for a lot longer than my slow hornpipe. I am praying that it continues to go like this...I'd really like to place with this new hornpipe. Well let's be real, I'd rather place in everything and be on my way towards working towards prelim...but it will all happen when it's supposed to.
Finally, and I think I mentioned this before, I taught a masterclass at the dance studio I grew up in. It was really basic, We did things across the floor and then I taught them a light jig and a reel. I had so much more planned, but there just wasn't enough time. There were more competitive students at this camp than SRL has students at all at the moment so that was pretty crazy. There were also some very interesting differences, mainly that they use their arms so it was hard for them to not have them out while they were dancing. They were also a fine tuned machine when we did things across the floor. It would take my class of 6 people just as long to do stuff as like...40 or 50 of these dancers did though I feel like they didn't have some spacial awareness for things like skip and jump 2,3s. They were very polite and very enthusiastic and it was a blast teaching them so I hope that it will be just as fun and rewarding when I start teaching the pre-beginners in the fall. I also got paid which was nice. I definitely think that I'll get my TCRG some day...but you know...I'd like to have all my competitive goals accomplished before then.
Alright...I'm going on vacation tomorrow! So I will be pretty off the grid (except for maybe Instagram if you follow me on there) Don't fret though, dance camp is the Monday after we return and it is ALL day this year (excited yet expecting pain...so I'm sure I'll have lots to update.) The Catskill Mountain Feis is about three weeks away too. Ready to kick my butt to have it be my best feis yet!
Bye,
Kay
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