I've just had a fantastic weekend.  Was down at Ayr for a weekender.  Have just counted up and worked out that I managed to do 12 workshops, which at 1.25 hours per workshop comes to the best part of 15 hours workshop over the weekend.  Plus freestyle.  By early Sun evening my feet and legs were absolutely killing me (to the extent that I could barely walk). Had to take them back to the caravan and soak them in cool water so that I could go back for freestyle in the evening.

Some wonderful dances over the weekend.  Managed to nab Amir (see www.jango.co.uk) for a dance on the Sat, and then after the Agentinian Tango class on the Sun for another dance. Wonderful.  I have never been led through so many AT moves in one dance by anyone.  I was absolutely amazed that he was able to lead me through so many, as when it comes to AT I am still in the complete beginner category (total AT to date is something like 5 "intro" classes at the Counting House).  Also, again thanks to a combination of Amir's "Connection Fundamentals" class and his AT workshop, I have finally managed to crack the basic lead in AT - I am determined to learn to do more dances dancing as a lead.  (Did Jango 1 +2, Connection fundamentals and AT).  Was very impressed by the focus in the Jango 2 workshop  - and in particular the way that he observed the class, and kept breaking down and simplifying things, dealing with not just the move, and ending up with talking about more fundamental things like how to learn to dance; how to practice; how to break down a move into its bits and work on each bit individually rather than doing the whole thing through and through (and still getting it wrong).  This highlighted to me just how much some other teachers don't do this.  In your average ceroc class,  the focus is very much on the "routine" - ie going through the sequence of moves in the right order, without looking at these issues.  Likewise in SCD: I have NEVER seen any teacher break down a step the way Amir did on Sun, to do things like looking at the correct angle for a jete and practicing only that element in isolation.  The nearest I've seen in SCD is practising extension in the strathspey travelling).  Definitely something for me to think about there.

Just to note what was done, Jango 1 concentrated on the idea of stepping back consistently on one foot (man L, lady R), and stepping on each beat, as a foundation idea (did this as a follow).  Looked at varying certain MJ moves (e.g. first move) using this technique.  Also looked at the lunge, both from the lead and follow's perspective.  Key points for the follow, were: keeping the weight centred over the supporting foot, and also looked at turnout of the back foot.

Connection fundamentals (which I did as a follow), looked very much at the lead coming from the torso rather than the arms.  One exercise which I found worked very well for me involved the man simply walking round the room, changing pace, step length, direction and height and the lady following simply by walking behind with her hand on the man's shoulder.  The "eureka" moment for me was when I realised that I could tell what a man's feet were doing through his shoulder.  This suddenly made some of the AT ideas make sense: if you can tell what someone's feet are doing by the feel through his shoulder, then the idea of being able to lead a follow's footwork from the torso made sense, as it's essentially the reverse of this.

AT I did entirely as a lead (because I want to get the hang of leading this, due to the method of teaching in the Ed classes I am likely to be able to get to, which has ladies learning as both leads and follows).  Class covered the basics: hold, connection (building on the Connection Fundamentals class), shifting weight, preparation, and the "walk" step (don't know if there is a proper name for that, but that's what I call it).  Another "eureka" moment here.  In Ed, the language used to teach the prep is "shift from one foot to another; prepare by holding on one foot; then build up energy and move".  I must confess, I have had a problem with "building up energy"  before moving.  Amir's language/method was much simpler.  "Dip slightly and move".   I can cope with "dip and move" as a concept - and it worked. 

Also had fun in the ballroom classes - Cha-cha, Rumba and Waltz.  Did the Cha-cha and Rumba workshops as a follow (although tried my hand at leading when we were standing out in the line).    Trying to do it from both sides in the Rumba was, I think a mistake, as it meant that I didn't get either side's footwork properly for the "sliding doors" move.  However, I managed to get the lead for the basic, allemagna, and New Yorker ok.   Had more problems with the timing of the prep for the allemagna lead in the cha-cha.    Moves covered were:  Cha-Cha - basic, allemagna, New Yorker into spot turn; Rumba - basic, allemagna, New Yorker and sliding doors.

Waltz I did entirely as a lead.  This was ballroom waltz - and very frustrating.  The sequence we did was 2 change steps opening into promenade hold, then chasse and into natural turn, change step and reverse.  I was ok for the change step and chasse.  I can step the lead's footwork for the natural.  However, when it comes to actually being able to dance it with a partner - well I well and truly made a mess of that.  Was VERY frustrated by that, as I want to learn to lead waltz properly (if for no other reason so that I can explain it better).

Breakthrough with Marc and Rachel was fun, and included a lot of interesting ways of varying moves, but didn't involve a lot of stuff specifically for follows (I did this one as a follow).

Clinton and Emma's signature moves was interesting - learnt some more moves, and also good to learn the beginnings of how to do a slide.

By the time I did Steve's Double Trouble class, I was really too tired and too sore for it. Did this as follow.  Class was mainly moves orientated.  Key points for follow: keep turns, spins and returns on the spot, so you don't go out of the lead's reach, and also always to offer the right, regardless of which side of the lead you are dancing.

Marc's steals class was wonderful fun - a delightfully silly way to round off the weekend.

aLong time since I posted. Still dancing. Was at my first ceroc weekender last weekend. Fantastic weekend - had a great time. Lots of dances with people I like dancing with, together with lots of dances with people I haven't danced with before. Have discovered quite a few new good leads with whom I enjoy dancing. Also enjoyed some of the moments when I collapsed on to a chair/sofa etc and just chatted with people. One of the things about dancing is that at these events you spend so much time dancing with people that you get little opportunity just to talk with them and get to know them. This makes the "random chat" moments all the more important (and very nice when they happen.

My legs have more or less recovered now.

Other things - I have finally got myself together and invested in a pair of jazz shoes. Had to try on 4 pairs before I found one that was a fit I liked. Normally I am a size 5 shoe, but had to go down to a 4 to get jazzies that fitted. Was very tempted by the split sole jazzies, but I do too much dancing outside (ie I would go through the soles in no time) so had to settle for full-sole.

Also tried on (but didn't buy) Capezio BR09s - I think I'm in love. A gorgeous shoe to look at with a lot more support than I had expected around the heel (which is a good thing in my book) and unlike so many other ballroom shoes, it has a closed toe (which I like).   A suede sole - which I had expected to be rather soft and unsupportive, but it turned out to be suede over something much more solid, so it does in fact have the support.  The heel feels quite far back though (probably because it is a narrower heel than I am used to at that height.  The man-in-the-shop says that it is designed so that the support lies in the same line as your leg bones).    One day, when I can justify the expense.......

The Capezio BR09.  Beautiful aren't they.

First SCD ball of the year last night. Overall a really good evening, let down by the catering.

On the minus side (to get it out of the way first), the catering was poor. Nothing remotely as good as there has been in previous years.

On the plus side, there were LOTS of plusses. Was able to see lots and lots of pals I haven't seen (or seen much of) for months. All the usual "gang". So much so, that I danced every dance without really having to agonise where my next partner was coming from, and there were still people left over I would have liked to dance with, but sadly there weren't enough dances.

Music was fantastic. I pretty well danced my socks off. (although I have a nasty feeling that my legs are going to be suffering for the next few days).

Programme was good. Quite a few dances that I hadn't encountered, but all were nice dances. Also did one which I haven't done for nearly 41/2 years! I had forgotten it was such a nice wee dance.

And I had a new dress (as did one or two other folk. This ball is generally one where we all go along to show off our new party frocks!).

Just been plotting out my diary.

If I manage to go to everything, I currently have only ONE weekend with nothing dance-related on between now and the end of April.

Now what can I go to on 21 April.....?

The Wee Kirkcudbright Centipede - by Matt McGinn

The Wee Kirkcudbright Centipede
She was very sweet,
She was ever so proud of every
One of her hundred feet.
Early every morning,
Her neighbours came to glance,
She always entertained them
With a beautiful little dance.

Chorus
As leg number ninety four
Gave ninety five a shunt,
Legs number one and two
Were twistin' out in front,
As legs numbers nine and ten
Were wriggling up the side,
Legs seventy three and four
Were doing the Palais Glide.

Her neighbour Jenny Longlegs
With jealousy was mad
She went out and bought herself
A pencil and a pad.
She came a month of mornings
And made a careful note
Of every step the centipede made
And this is what she wrote.

/chorus

Armed with exact notation,
Young Jenny Longlegs tried
To dance just like the centipede,
She failed and nearly cried,
She grabbed a hold of the centipede,
She says, 'Now have a look
And tell me how you do these steps
I've written in my book?'

Chorus

Said the centipede, 'Do I do that?'
And she tried to demonstrate,
She'd never thought on the thing before
She got into a terrible state,
Her hundred legs were twisted,
She got tied up in a fankle,
She fractured seven shinbones
Fourteen kneecaps and an ankle.

Chorus (this verse only) As legs number one and two
Were tied to three and four,
Legs number five and six
Were trampled on the floor,
Leg number fifteen
Was attacked by number ten,
Ninety seven and ninety eight
Will never dance again.

The Wee Kirkcudbright Centipede,
She suffered terrible pain,
And some of us were very surprised
She ever danced again,
But now she tells her neighbours
Every one that calls to see,
Never try an explanation
Of what comes naturally.

Current Mood: wry

A kind of a Dance CV/random rambling of my flirtations with various dance styles.

Never really learnt to dance as a kid. Never had any "proper dance classes". Only contact with dance was the usual stuff you get at school, when the weather's too bad for hockey or forced cross country - namely ceilidh dancing and basic Scottish Country Dancing (ie up to the level of e.g. Petronella, Duke of Perth, and ultimately, very elementary Strathspey).

Easter 1994. This was when I finally decided to pursue my (dancing) ambitions. Bought a pair of tap shoes and went along to adult tap classes at the lovely Dance Factory off Calder St in Glasgow.

Autumn 1994. Became a member of GUSCDC (Glasgow Uni Sc. Dance Soc). Lasted two whole weeks. This was mainly because the beginner's class was too basic for me (doing all the ceilidh stuff I had learnt at school and could do in my sleep) and having tried staying for the more advanced class, I ended up being traumatised by having to do inter alia, a diamond poussette in Strathspey time with no previous experience (except vv basic S/spey). Basically, Begs was too low for me and inters too high. Always meant to go back in second term, when the begs class was more at my level, but by then had other things to do.

Still wandered along to Dance Factory for Tap in the Uni vacations, when I could.

1998 Edinburgh. Tap class at Dance Base (when they were still in the Assembly rooms). Didn't like this class much. It didn't mesh well with what I'd done before, and ultimately ended up not doing Tap.

Autumn 1999. Beginners Ballroom class at Dance base. (I'm sure I was doing another class at this time - as I was on two dance classes a week, but can't remember what. Tap possibly).

Autumn 2000. Cuban Salsa @ Dance base - just the one term.

Spring 2001. Flamenco Tango @ Dance base - again just the one term.

The ultimate problem I had with Dance base classes was that at the time - before Dance Base got its snazzy new HQ, it was working in venues around Edinburgh, which gave me accessibility problems. Plus the fact that the class sizes were quite small, and I kept losing out, because they booked solid about 5 minutes after booking opened - which is why so many of my Dance base classes only were 1 term - I never got booked onto the second or subsequent).

Now we come to the big one.

November 2001. Scottish Country Dancing. This has been my major dancing "relationship" for the last 5 years (no mere flirtation). I got caught up in this, when I went along to a ceilidh and quite literally got picked up by a Scottish Country Dance Group, who were demming at the ceilidh (a story in itself, but I'm not going into it here). Anyway, got involved with them, and enticed along to classes. Was on committee within 6 months (gullible), demming also inside 6 months, introduced to their sister dance group and on my first foreign trip within about 9 months (August 2002). Did my first (v scary at the time) competition in February 2003. Plus of course, many dances, balls, social sessions and classes along the way. And acquired a lot of v good friends.

And done a fair number of "proper dems" as well as numerous "dem 'n' drags" (ie dems for e.g. organisations running ceilidhs where audience participation is the theme and the dem team drags the audience up to teach them/encourage them to participate in the ceilidh dances. Usually include one or two "proper" dem dances along the way too).

End result is that in SCD, I now teach occasionally in the ceilidh class for the group that originally picked me up, and am in the process of studying for my "prelim" (the first stage of the RSCDS teacher's certificate). Plus, I ended up as Director of one of the RSCDS's Spring Flings (another long story), despite never having previously danced with the RSCDS.

For Ceroc history, please see previous posting. First encountered Ceroc at IVFDF 2002. FYI, IVFDF 2007 is coming to Edinburgh :) IVFDF 2007

In retrospect, it's odd to see just how many styles I've flirted with....

Starting point for this journal is Ceroc.

People keep asking me - where and when did I first encounter it.

Answer: Here - IVFDF 2002. IVFDF 2002 Programme

This was a taster session. Looking back at the programme, it seems that the teacher was Franck! How did I manage to forget that/fail to recognise him since? (However, I do have to say that there was a gap of more than 4 1/2 years between that workshop and my first going to a proper Ceroc class.)

Oh the Ceroc Class at IVFDF 2002. Definitely a class with consequences.

(Also seem to remember doing a Lindy Hop class at IVFDF 2002.)

Then at IVFDF 2003, I did another swing-type dance class, but looking back at the programme, that was Lindy Hop, not Ceroc. IVFDF 2003 Programme

And that was it. Until I wandered into the GUU on 6 September 2006.

And the rest, as they say, is history