Shows, shows, shows!
It's that wonderful time of the year - show time! [No, not the horrible subway phenomenon] We've had a long list of shows already this month, with even more to go! I'm not even joking when I say the thought of St. Patrick's Day and dancing everywhere was what made me seriously decide to come back to Irish dance after 13 years.
It's been crazy going around to different shows in two different states (and especially dealing with fighting through crowds of drunk assholes in Hoboken on their pub crawl day to get to the PATH), but I love it. Unfortunately, my black tights don't. I debated just constantly washing the 4 pairs of black tights I have, cycling them for different shows, but let's face it, I'm lazy and laundry is awful. So looks like it's now time to invest in nylon stocks and go buy out JC Penney's entire stock of black tights!
Apart from the many bruises on my ankles (thanks, hardshoes), I also have a bruise on my right forearm, which makes me wonder if I did, in fact, manage to kick my arm sometime during class. Remembering how I used to find odd bruises on myself all throughout high school due to color guard and softball, I would not at all be surprised if I pulled something that stupid off.
[three weeks later or so...]
So I had started this post awhile ago, in the midst of show season, but due to work and the sheer amount of shows (seriously, I had 5 in 3 days, including one where I had to duck out on my lunch break at work!), posting this kind of got off the rails. But doing the shows was great - I got to dance in 3 boroughs (sorry not sorry Bronx and Staten Island) and 2 states, in every conceivable place (bars, libraries, churches, luncheons, weddings) *except* nursing homes. Which, to be fair, I got plenty of nursing home shows in when I was a kid. I even got to dance at City Hall, which also got tweeted by the Irish Arts Center!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/nynynol">@nynynol</a> dancers take to the stage at City Hall <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/irishheritage?src=hash">#irishheritage</a>&culture <a href="http://t.co/pRvO7UwaLy">pic.twitter.com/pRvO7UwaLy</a></p>— Irish Arts Center (@IrishArtsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/IrishArtsCenter/status/581227647147077632">March 26, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
(That's me in the middle!)
I feel there's a myth that dancers who are interested in shows don't compete, and vice versa, but I think that's not wholly accurate. They're certainly different beasts, there's no doubt about that. But I feel the experiences of one can certainly help improve on the other. Shows definitely help build stamina; I've noticed in class that I can now do all our treble reel steps without a break, while many of the other women who haven't been doing shows can't (and I was certainly struggling before as well). There's also less pressure with shows (not all, of course), so it can really help with taking the stress off of feiseanna.
While the reverse relationship isn't quite as direct, there are ways that feiseanna can help with shows. Having to focus on exactly when to start your dance after the competitors ahead is a great help when it comes to shows. I always love watching some "dueling dancers" at shows, with one jumping in right after the other. We actually did this at Fraunces Tavern, which was a great fun for us and the audience. Having to be very strict with counting at feiseanna really is invaluable in a situation like that.
The discipline learned at a feis is also incredibly useful for shows. The patience learned from watching your stage at a feis run 2 hours behind schedule (thanks, Big Apple Feis) helps you handle a show organizer who's not quite sure what's going on, or even at what time.
All in all, I had a great time doing all the shows last month, and while I'm a little sad they're all done for awhile, my body and my boyfriend are both thanking me.
It's been crazy going around to different shows in two different states (and especially dealing with fighting through crowds of drunk assholes in Hoboken on their pub crawl day to get to the PATH), but I love it. Unfortunately, my black tights don't. I debated just constantly washing the 4 pairs of black tights I have, cycling them for different shows, but let's face it, I'm lazy and laundry is awful. So looks like it's now time to invest in nylon stocks and go buy out JC Penney's entire stock of black tights!
Apart from the many bruises on my ankles (thanks, hardshoes), I also have a bruise on my right forearm, which makes me wonder if I did, in fact, manage to kick my arm sometime during class. Remembering how I used to find odd bruises on myself all throughout high school due to color guard and softball, I would not at all be surprised if I pulled something that stupid off.
[three weeks later or so...]
So I had started this post awhile ago, in the midst of show season, but due to work and the sheer amount of shows (seriously, I had 5 in 3 days, including one where I had to duck out on my lunch break at work!), posting this kind of got off the rails. But doing the shows was great - I got to dance in 3 boroughs (sorry not sorry Bronx and Staten Island) and 2 states, in every conceivable place (bars, libraries, churches, luncheons, weddings) *except* nursing homes. Which, to be fair, I got plenty of nursing home shows in when I was a kid. I even got to dance at City Hall, which also got tweeted by the Irish Arts Center!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/nynynol">@nynynol</a> dancers take to the stage at City Hall <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/irishheritage?src=hash">#irishheritage</a>&culture <a href="http://t.co/pRvO7UwaLy">pic.twitter.com/pRvO7UwaLy</a></p>— Irish Arts Center (@IrishArtsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/IrishArtsCenter/status/581227647147077632">March 26, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
(That's me in the middle!)
I feel there's a myth that dancers who are interested in shows don't compete, and vice versa, but I think that's not wholly accurate. They're certainly different beasts, there's no doubt about that. But I feel the experiences of one can certainly help improve on the other. Shows definitely help build stamina; I've noticed in class that I can now do all our treble reel steps without a break, while many of the other women who haven't been doing shows can't (and I was certainly struggling before as well). There's also less pressure with shows (not all, of course), so it can really help with taking the stress off of feiseanna.
While the reverse relationship isn't quite as direct, there are ways that feiseanna can help with shows. Having to focus on exactly when to start your dance after the competitors ahead is a great help when it comes to shows. I always love watching some "dueling dancers" at shows, with one jumping in right after the other. We actually did this at Fraunces Tavern, which was a great fun for us and the audience. Having to be very strict with counting at feiseanna really is invaluable in a situation like that.
The discipline learned at a feis is also incredibly useful for shows. The patience learned from watching your stage at a feis run 2 hours behind schedule (thanks, Big Apple Feis) helps you handle a show organizer who's not quite sure what's going on, or even at what time.
All in all, I had a great time doing all the shows last month, and while I'm a little sad they're all done for awhile, my body and my boyfriend are both thanking me.
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