Long Live

I said remember this moment, in the back of my mind,

The time we stood with our shaking hands

The crowds and stands went wild.

We were the Kings and the Queens

And they read off our names

The night you danced like you knew our lives

Would never be the same

-Long Live [Taylor Swift]-

I can't help but think of some of my past Oireachtas memories every time I listen to this song. I can't look back to standing on top of the Southern Regional Oireachtas podium with my senior mixed ceili team without a big grin on my face. I can't listen to these lyrics without remembering the feelings of joy we shared, as the voices filled a crowed hotel ballroom cheering for our team, arms around each other, smiles plastered on our made-up faces. 

Drake School of Irish Dance mixed senior ceili team, 2004
[That's me on the left!]

It's been 8 years [nearly a decade! eep!] since I last put on a costume for an Oireachtas competition, yet the memories are vibrant as ever. Some memories revolve around podiums, medals, world qualifications, and dreams coming true. Others involve flashbacks of heartbreak, missed opportunities, and tears. Regardless of the results of that year's regional competition, one factor resonates throughout my Oireachtas memories: the friendships I've made through dance and reflections on the unforgettable times we shared. 

With Oireachtas season in full swing, Irish dancers worldwide are practicing til their feet bleed to reach their personal goals. Some are working for a recall at their very first O. Champions are vying to crack the top 10. Veterans are waiting for their chance to return to the big stage at Worlds this spring in Boston. Everyone is reaching-to-a-star :)

My 1st Oireachtas, my 1st recall, my first 2-hand partner, and one of my dearest friends

If you're one of those dancers, here is my [extremely sappy, but heartfelt] message for you: I hope this year's Oireachtas is full of happy memories and goals achieved. I hope you dance your best. I hope if you cry, they are tears of joy. I hope you meet and exceed the standards you have set for yourself this year. I hope every last one of you makes it to Boston, but most of all, I hope you cherish the times you have with the friends and dancers you are surrounded by: the dancers you share your classes with, the dancers you share the Oireachtas stage with, and hopefully the dancers you share the podium with. 

Seems like just yesterday! So glad to still call this beautiful dancer my friend :)

I'm so thankful for the cherished friendships I've made through Irish dance. I'm not sure what exactly makes Irish dance friendships different than the friendships I've made outside of dance, but they really are unique. Maybe it's the literal blood, sweat, and tears we shed together over the years. Maybe it's the long hours spent at dance studios, in hotels, and on stage together. Regardless of why, my dance friends remain the people I can call and pick things up with like we just had lunch yesterday, even if we haven't chatted in months. They are the friends I can run into at a pub, dance a treble reel with the band together, and laugh hysterically about workshops and Oireachtas antics from years ago. From two-hand partners to former Oireachtas rivals, those dancers have remained my closest friends long after our medals and trophies have tarnished.

Long live the relationships you share with your fellow Irish dancers & long live the unforgettable memories you'll make with those friends at this year's Oireachtas! Best of luck to all!

Keep dancing,

Moira 

Blog Challenge: What are You Reading?

August's Blog Challenge from The Dance Buzz asks the question, "What are you reading?" Well, with fall dance just a week away, I've been prepping for my upcoming classes! I'm so so so excited to teach Ceili Club this year, so obviously there's only one book I've been reading lately... Ar Rince Foirne! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Ar Rince Foirne, this book compiles 30 popular ceili dances and is the basis for the ceili portions of the TCRG examination. If you're interested, Ar Rince Foirne is available online, here!

This summer, our Ceili Club danced a handful of ceili dances over 6 weeks...and had a blast! My favorite ceili dances from this summer's class were the Bonfire Dance & the Gates of Derry. I love those dances because I have wonderful memories associated with both of them.

The Bonfire Dance is one of the first ceilis I remember learning. In the bingo hall of St. Martha's Church, I skipped along [not really knowing what was going on], listening as Sheila Butler called the dance from her well-worn copy of Ar Rince Fiorne. My little 12-year-old self loved "The Rose." I'm not sure why, but standing with my hand on my left hip with my right toe pointed, waiting for my "gent" to come back to swing around with me seemed like the most fun ceili move ever! If you'd like to see what the Bonfire Dance is all about, check out this video from a St. Patrick's Day celebration in Vienna, Austria!  This summer, my dancers made a fake bonfire [consisting of a pile of sparkly red tutus that live at the dance studio] and performed the Bonfire Dance around it...yet another cherished Bonfire Dance memory to add to the file.

Many of the wonderful Butler dancers that helped me through the Bonfire Dance, and Sheila!
I'm 4th from the left, rocking a sweet ponytail :) Gotta love outdoor performances in Florida. 

The Gates of Derry was my favorite eight-hand, danced several times at the Southern Region Oirechtas. My team was super fun, and super serious about winning [a great combination for an oireachtas team, right?]. Somehow, dancing an entire ceili doing overs wasn't so bad when danced with friends!  I'm not sure which was more fun, dancing with some of my favorite Drake dancers, or standing on the podium with them for 3 years running?!

Our 2002 [winning!] Gates of Derry team & the adorable "baby eight-hand" team :)
I'm 4th from the left in this picture too... weird?

If you haven't had the pleasure of dancing the Gates of Derry... well, you're missing out! Here's a lovely video from Olive Hurley's Ceili Dancing Step by Step, Volume 2.

I'm looking forward to more wonderful ceili memories this fall, with the help of Ar Rince Foirne! What are your favorite ceili dances? Do you have any meaningful ceili memories?

Keep Dancing,

Moira

Throwback: Celebrating Dancing Firsts

As the new year began, The Dance Buzz issued a challenge to dance bloggers: post a picture or video of one of your dancing "firsts" and share your story. I love dance, I'm all about blogging, and I happen to have a stack of old dance photos in my desk, so participating in this challenge was an big ol' YES for me.

My first Irish dance performance ever. That's me in the middle! 

This lovely photo is of my very first Irish dancing performance ever: June 6th, 1998 at the Arts Center in Venice, Florida. My Irish dancing best friend, Rayna [on the left], and I were so excited to finally perform the steps we'd been working so diligently to perfect. We were thrilled, but hated wearing our white blouses and black pleated skirts [or "Denny's waitress outfits" as we called them] before we got our first Butler School dresses. From the looks of it, we were dancing a beginner slip jig in this picture. Kudos to whoever took this picture! [I'm guessing Rayna's wonderful Mom...I love you Mama Gubersky!]

I've learned a lot since this performance. Mainly...
-   Smile! Dancing is fun, remember? Why were we all so serious?
-   Wear taller socks. We didn't have poodle socks yet, whoops.
-   And last, certainly but not least...Don't look down at your feet. They'll dance even if you're not staring at them!

Despite the rookie mistakes captured in this photo, I'm seriously kicking my butt and I'm learning to get up on my toes! [wait a second, that's the name of my blog...]  And look at that tiny little waist! Maybe that black pleated skirt wasn't all bad.

As a 12 year old beginner, I started Irish dance pretty late in the game according to dancer standards. When many pre-teen Irish dancers were getting ready for the Oireachtas or even Worlds, I was learning light jigs...and LOVING it! I was hooked on Irish dance from the get-go, and my love for dancing continued to grow since this photo was taken 14 years ago. Take a way the shiny new wigs, rhinestone buckles, and  thousand dollar dresses, and isn't that what Irish dancing is all about? I wholeheartedly think so.

What are your favorite dancing firsts?

-Moira

Thanks to The Dance Buzz for this fun challenge!

"It's in your Blood"

Former champion dancer and recent 1st runner up to Miss America, Miss Oklahoma, Betty Thompson, recently pinpointed how I'm currently feeling about Irish dancing in 140 characters or less...

Competing really is in my blood. I love any kind of Irish dancing, with our without the competition, but I I started wondering... how many other 20-something Irish dancers feel the same? How many of us miss preparing for a major competition, or even a local feis? How many of us miss waking up early in a hotel room and putting on our dresses and wigs? How many of us miss learning new steps at 3-hour dance classes with our best friends? How many of us even miss feeling like our legs may actually fall off at a weekend-long workshop, yet loving every second of it? And how many of us think about taking our shoes off the shelf and giving it a go again?

I'm not even certain if the winning is what I miss about competing. Now, don't get me wrong. I loved standing on top of a podium holding a trophy or Waterford crystal vase... absolutely LOVED it. [Seriously... I still have all my medals and trophies displayed in my room back home] Nothing feels better than pushing yourself to your limits and being rewarded for it with a big "W."

Drake dancers at Feis na Tara... and my 1st Prelim win
[wonderful memories and a sweet trophy]

Fort Lauderdale Feis, atop of the podium
... & how many hours of practice went into that?

More than my undying affection for medals, trophies, and crystal, I miss the emotions and atmosphere of being at a feis. I miss wearing warm ups and legwarmers [usually in a matching color to my solo dress, of course], listening to my set on my Ipod [or discman ;) ..back in the day] out in the hallways, and standing side-stage waiting for my turn to dance. I long for the high of being alone on stage, only accompanied by a musician and the silent eyes of the audience and adjudicators. I miss that feeling of floating, if only for a few seconds, seemingly suspended in mid-air, and knowing I put my heart and soul into those 90 seconds of dancing. I miss pushing myself to perfection, and leaving everything on the stage.

But enough with the nostalgia...back to reality:

This week I began my semester-long internship with a local not-for-profit dance school, with classes offered in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and Irish. Although the main teacher, Sarah [or Mrs. Sarah, as she's lovingly called at class] isn't a TCRG, she was taught by one, and regularly brings in TCRGs and dancers from shows like Riverdance for workshops. The students LOVE Irish dance, but competition isn't their focus. They prepare for shows [including performances with Cherish the Ladies and Donny Golden], local events, and recitals. The advanced Irish dancers are currently preparing a choreography set to music from Lord of the Dance for an audition for a "Spotlight on Youth," showcasing talented high-schoolers from all over North Central Florida. Tonight I did more 7's and 3's with the beginning Irish dancers than I have in years, and I danced The Blackbird for the first time in about 10 years :)

Getting back to basics and focusing on technique, with no pressure of competition is a whole new feeling for me. It's actually really refreshing and quite fun. However, I have to admit that everything I danced tonight in classes reminded me of some aspect of competition. Dancing 3's and 7's reminded me of performing my first reel at a feis, how much fun I had dancing 2-hands with my best friends [and getting a medal for it!], and competing in the Oireachtas with my team's dreaded but beloved Senior Mixed Ceili: The Gates of Derry. Practicing The Blackbird instantly brought me back to how excited I was to dance a traditional set for the first time, how much more excited I was to dance my first non-traditional set [The Three Sea Captains], how intricate and difficult my later sets were, and how successful I felt after mastering them all.

My old 8-hand partner, Ailill [a long time friend and accomplished champion dancer], and I have deemed 2012 "The Year of the Comeback" and joke about practicing in gray sweatsuits with the theme from Rocky playing in the background, and gearing up for competing at the Oireachtas. We're mostly joking, but at the same time, we both miss the competitive side of Irish dance. Even now, in the middle of finishing my degree, applying to nursing school, and interning at a dance school, I can't help but fantasize about competing again.  With World's being held in Boston next year, how can I not? ;) How many other 20-somethings are dreaming of being on that stage again? ...It's in our blood.

- Moira