Dance! - The Road to Heavies: lesson 67, May 29, 2015

Fi-na-lly: the Light Jig. Beginning of the Primary Reel ánd a flawless Saint Patrick!

If there's a bad start to this class, it's this one. The ferry is late and thus I'm late when I get to the hall. I change and put on my shoes. I sat down as there's no chair available. After tying my laces I get up with a small jump. But that ends up badly when I bust my right ankle. Where this was an innocent happening in March I'm now in pain and I leave the room for a while.

That got some people's attention, as the teacher and some of my classmembers quickly come by to ask what's going on. I know that I have to keep moving, so I try to get my foot warm and moving it as carefull as possible by making little circles with it.
Standing on it hurts and especially walking is now extremely painful. Everytime I put my foot down and bend my leg passed 90 degrees I feel like an electric shock diagonally across my foot, like a nerve is stuck somewhere.

The pain fades slowly, but things stay tender. This time my ligaments more or less escaped without harm again and the blow was caught by my small toes, including everything attached to them.
My teacher says it's a good idea to get a can of soda from the vending machine somewhere in the hall to cool my ankle slightly, but I don't find it necessary.
I dance the Reel, fortunately without any toruble. The Light Jig also works out well, although I could do better. I forget some steps along the way and manage to strike my right ankle with my left heel.

A new dance: the Primary Reel

My teacher asks if I want to see the first steps of the Primary Reel. I nodd that I'd like to and get the first sequence. Hop, hop-back, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, over-2-3-4-5-6-7, hop-2-3, over-2-3, with the 1-2-3's danced in a clockwise turn.
And proceed with left? My teacher acknowledges. I practice it outside the room and get this one right in no-time.

When I dance this to music, I nail it the first time, although I get the feeling I'm not doing the 1-2-3's right, not used to the time I have to perform them.
But when I finish the lead-around, my teacher is completely amazed: "first time completely without mistakes!"
I explain that this step doesn't hold that much news to me as it it hardly different from the Beginners Reel. Than my teacher finds out about that as well. 'Her' Beginners Reel is danced very different than the way I learned it, where I now have the advantage that everything from the 1-2-3's in a circle, is familiar from the Beginners Reel.

The Saint Patrick goes well. I now even finish on time wíth rocks. When practicing on my shoes at work this dance finally hit me and I started to understand the rocks even better as they feature an extra step on the floor right after them, where I tended to go ahead with the next step in a hurry, which made me finish too early.
The tip-down-step's and chaning feet however still are quite the challenge. I'm still too slow, but finding out where the problem is, is hard. I for one, can't hear it so far.
Extra downside: I hit my right foot with the heel from my left shoe: isn't this a day of unfortunate events!

The upcoming performance

The rehearsal for the performance works out better fortunately. Practice with sound really helped me, although I start just a bit early with my part in the dance. At least I can now manage the tempo better. That was quite a thing in the beginning and even though I mess up right now, starting has now improed as well.

When at the end of class I get to dance the Treble Jig, there's a new dancer next to me. She's not a beginner, but just new in our class.
I try to watch her as good as possible to avoid me getting in her way during my lead around. That's why it probably distracts me when I see her doing something completely different.
I get so confused that I stop and then continue with the sidestep.