Dance! - The Road to Heavies: lesson 65, May 15, 2015

No competition. The Light Jig... Saint Patrick and the first steps for the performance

Second chance for the Primary Reel. But again, I mess up the Light Jig. The wrong leg is in front somewhere and I end up bad halfway through the dance.
It's frustrating to see my fellow beginner has now surpassed me, but I have to be honest and not mirror myself to her. Her daughter is an Open-dancer, who can teach her many things in case she forgets or does something wrong. I don't have that possibility, so it's not fair to compare.

No competition because of a lack of competitors

Rather disappointing is the fact the competition is cancelled for me. There just aren't enough contestants of my age to get to a group of competitors that's fun to compete with.
The teacher opts for a competition with two of my classmates, but I think there's hardly any fun in that. I would be the youngest with 27 years and I would have to compete against two Primaries. I don't think I even stand a chance.

This is a moment I wish I started this earlier, than I wouldn't have had this problem. While I think about that, I also realise how I started this. That I would be saying something like this someday!
Part of my disappointment is the fact that my grandma will now visit a competition I won't be participating in. One of the rare moments such a competition is around the corner and she, at age 95, will be able to come and watch while I won't be in it, is something I really find a pity.
Fortunately, there's a performance attached to it.

Those darn rocks in the Saint Patrick

The Saint Patrick is a well-meant 'oh dear' moment. I did practice them, but still can't find the timing. I perform certain steps too fast or too slow, making me mess up somewhere along the way and especially fail at performing the rocks. My teacher says many people struggle with the rocks.

The performance fortunately isn't all that bad. The steps I get are relatively easy compared to the steps in advance, although I can't help but have a troubled look on my face when my teacher shows them. I get taugt a 'tip-hit' (no idea what it is called, if there even is a universal name for it) for the first time. I have to hit the floor almost perpendicular with the tip of the foot that is behind.
I always wondered if that wasn't painful, a thought that resurfaced every time I would see someone do that.
That, fortunately, is not the case. The sound it creates just makes you think the toes get a beating, in reality you hardly notice it.

After doing the Reel, danced on heavies this time for the performance, I turn around for the last steps and try to dance along, but that's not easy.

When I get to dance the Saint Patrick at the end of the class, I mess up again. I start to hate that dance. Many steps are so similar to those from the Treble Jig and that's what I start doing.
The other side to this story is that I also know this is a very simple and short dance. If many can do it, I can do it too.

The Saint Patrick... even if it kills me!

I'll practice at work this week again and take my sound-recorder and headphones with me.
The set works quite well, but I get in trouble with the first two 'tip-down-step's' when I have to switch to my other foot. I probably do one part of them too fast and the other too slow, making me do the other two 'tip-down-step's' in extremely rapid succession to keep with the music.

When I end up at the rocks I do try to do them, but it can't be looking anything else than ridiculuous. I end far too early and while the music is clearly still in another part, I panick and take my last steps.
Again! I start over, start to get fed up with the tune and try to dance it till the end. If I don't end up in confusion at the tip-down-step's, I end up doing something wrong when I have to change feet. I break a sweat for 10 minutes and then the lunchbreak is over already.

Saint Patrick: Going over it once again

I take on this dance again on Thursday the 21th.
The rather lively tune again nearly blows my ears from my head. Apparently I once again listened to a rather low-volume file, because I would never turn it up so loud.

I now start at the beginning, but to no avail. The first steps are now quite good stored in my memory by now, but the set is still horrible. I quickly start to fast-forward to the set.
'Hop-hop-back, tip down-step, tip-down-step and swing on your heel...' I can just hear my teacher say this in my head. I still did not get the hang of the timing and thus I mess up.

Again! After 8 times or so, I at least manage to get the rocks in there and also manage to do the 4 remaining steps after it. The timing is horrible, but at least I now almost danced it in whole and that's quite something already. I'm exhausted though and sweat is running down in streams over my glasses.