I haven't written here in ages... I'm going to fix that.

Hornpipes -- Irish dance

GENERALLY, I'm not a fan of hornpipes, they're just so shuffly... And while they SOUND amazing, there's just not much flash to them.

Suffice it to say, I was NOT looking forward to hornpipes in my all levels adult Irish step dancing class tonight. But, I decided to make the most of it and to really focus on technique in it -- and I made it a lot of fun.

Proof that it's not about WHAT you're dancing but how you approach it for the amount of joy you get from it.

Here's what I wrote in my other stream of consciousness blog regarding class tonight:

"I made hornpipes fun by REALLY hitting the double treble and giving myself lots of air in it!!! :D

(The double treble is my favorite step in hornpipes. And when you really hit the down before the treble-cut-treble-back you can 1) Get the timing PERFECT 2) Get enough time to hold and pose perfect position in the air with lovely arches and 3) feel like you're floating.)

I also focused on getting my feet 1) crisper sounding on the trebles (I have ballerina silent feet from too many years working on rolling through the ball of the foot not making a sound; I wince at myself when my feet make noise when I'm walking, seriously) and 2) quicker (I can only have noisy feet in horn pipes or treble dances if I think of the tip downs and trebles as frappés, aka the only move in ballet you should hear the feet, but working up the speed on a beautifully positioned frappé with extension is significantly harder than if you just do a tap style tip down. They're really crisp and pretty when you od them as frappés and the technique is wonderful, but harder to do fast -- you really have to be loose in the ankle.)

So, it was good for me for technique. Plus, I love love love the feel of the double treble if you fully commit to get the air to float down. I want to get a big fluffy romantic tutu (those are the knee length ones that aren't so stiff) to catch the air so you REALLY get the feeling of floating weightless in the air!!!

Mmmm, and there's just something about the FEEL of that airborne floaty double treble gets me and makes all the rest of the shuffly-shuffles worth it!! :D (You can't float so much at faster tempos, the music won't let you, but it's delovely when you can!!)"

A little too technical for people who aren't dancers, not quie technical enough for dancers.

It reminded me of when I started this blog so long ago. And I've decided I want to come back to it, more often.

I want to post videos, technique, the joys of dancing and even some of the accessories and things associated with dance. In short, I want a place I can geek out about the excitement and joy I feel about dancing to try to communicate it with other.

So, I've decided to revive this blog and come back to sharing the things I love about dancing, all the different varieties I enjoy. And who knows, maybe I can get some free workshops or gear or lessons out of it in exchange for writing about them!! (Given how expensive a hobby dance IS, free things are ALWAYS wonderful!!)

I my also consider having guest spots on it of other people who are dancers AND writers. I haven't decided yet. But I think I want to make it structured. Dance is the only thing I use to know one day from another, so it should be a little bit disciplined when I write about it.