Those moves...

Well it's been a while since I haven't practised entrechats (jump where you change feet in the air and land in the same position as you jumped).
Anyway the other day I was practising it in the air (using two chairs) and I moved really fast (well fast enough to change my feet, because I wasn't able to do that)
So today I wanted to do a little practise (though I don't like practising on my cement floor) and I was like, ok let's try to do the entrechat, guess what. I did it! Fast, lovely and effortless.
After a brake of 5 months (actually more because when I was pregnant I couldn't practise those moves) I end up doing moves I couldn't do before. Haha. I'm so excited!

Some thoughts

This saturday we went with my husband and kids to watch one of our favourite bands. While we were watching I saw the guy who plays the guitar moving his music sheet and I was: Omg, do you realize that musicians need a music sheet and we dancers just dance?

Then I got thinking of dancing as a sport and realized that  there are very few sports where you are always practising lots of different things, not just running or jumping. For dancing there are thousand combinations that can make your dance different each time. It's not only remembering them, it's printing passion in them, dancing to the beat, it's smiling, putting all your heat into it and looking effortless. In what other sport you do that? It's creating music with your feet... all that is Irish Dancing. Unique and complex, that's why I LOVE IT!!

By the way this is the band that brought me this thoughts!!



Lovely music!!!

My 3rd¿? Class as an assistant teacher!

I absolutely loved yesterday's class. We didn't practise any dance, just went through steps we learned like hop 2,3, kick 2,3, and leaps now!! They did the most awesome work, I was like "Well, It took me 3 classes to learn how to do a leap and you learnt it in 20 minutes, you are great". And one of the students answered "The thing is that you are a good teacher" Awwww!!!

I am very happy they are enjoying the classes, and they are going so fast!!
Love this!

About my Solo dress

So, yesterday I tried my forgotten solo dress, which I haven't fnished sewing. Saying that I'm overweighted after having my baby of course it doesn't fit me. Plus the skirt doesn't look right, I think ill be remaking it.

However it came to my mind to buy a solo costume to have something I don't know... faster. I searched for dress makers in europe since my cousin will be in germany for two months in summer. But the prices were too much for me,  my actual dress costed $100 dolars from materials, even a little less. So paying $1000 for a dress is like, really impossible. Even paying $300 seems a lot to me. Since the bodice of my dress is O.K. I think I'll just take out that skirt and start over! (that after losing some weight haha).

With winning in mind Lanny Bassham

I had this book from last year but after getting pregnant I really didn't feel like reading it. 


So I started today to read it. In one of the chapters he talks about our internal balance, and had this questions:


Am I focusing on my goals?

Do I have really the ability to do my job well?Do I need more training?Can I do this job  proper, or need to change something about myself to do it?



So first question really opened my mind. What are my goals?/How do I focus on them?
I first thought of these:

I LOVE Irish dancing and my dreams would be:

Be a good dancer (soft shoes and hardshoes)

Earn Money Irish Dancing

Have an Irish Dancing performance group

Do Irish Dancing performances for tourists in summer

Go to a Feis (They don't exist in argentina, the only place in south america that hosts feis is Mexico)

Go to an ID workshop or camp.

Get an ID teacher degree (TCRG, but I'm not a particular fan of any organization).

Have a solo dress

I wrote them few days ago  in my About section.

But It didn't cover goals for my dancing... though it's all Irish Dancing related.

I realized that right now my goal is to learn a nice treble reel and master it. Also I would love to start practicing some nice jumps to master like butterflies or bicycles. Plus perfect my rocks and swivels.  When I put myself to a little daily practice I never know what to do. Guess what I'm gonna from  now  on?

So I'll be reading and writing !!

My son is turning 3 years old soon!

Birthday Tickers from WiddlyTinks.com




I found those tickers and countdowns from Widdly Tinks adorable so I couldn't help it and made one. (So cute!)We are planning to do his party on a playground, I still have to call there to see if we have room.  Also I have to think what food we are serving, my plan was to make healthy snacks like: dehidrated banana, algarroba cookies made with organic flour, the cake will be unhealthy sugary thing because my mother in law always buys a big super cake for bdays, coconut cookies, popcorn  and I can't think anymore right now. 
For the drinks I was going to ask my aunt for the juice maker machine and make some apple juice from the apples I have at home, also cranberry juice. And nothing else, I know it seems so little but seriously kids are not interested in eating, they just want to play around. Some alcohol free beers for adults and we are done! Oh and peanuts, almonds and nuts ;-)

Jig the movie

I finally got my eyes on the Jig movie!!!
I loved it, at first it didn't inspire me because i felt so tiny...
But after watching it for the second time it got me more pumped.

I wish they didn't told so many stories because they needed more time to develop them and I felt some stories had too little time on screen. But I loved it, Brogan really stole my heart and watching such a big determination coming from so little girls is like WOAH!

Dancing after having a baby

I realized I didn't share my story about starting to dance after having a baby. My mid wife told me I could start dancing after 6 weeks of having my baby. I waited a little bit more. The reality is that even if you wish that much doing something all your mother instincts are stronger than that. And there is no way in the world you want to be apart from your baby, I even react in a bad way when someone wants to hold my baby without permission. The bond between mother and baby is sacred. Its like you and your baby are one. You'll see that if you feel sad your baby will cry more, even have tummy aches. After reading  a book Ive learnt the best thing to do is talk with your baby, tell him or him why you feel sad, or whatever happens. Tell your baby " I will go for an hour to dance, and I will come back and be the rest of the day with you" things like that relief your baby and yourself.

I use a baby wrap so I have my daughter all day with me. I need her as much as she needs me. Being so close all day gives me the push to leave her with my mother the hour the class lasts. It is hard, but it's worth it. After my class I feel refreshed and even if I'm a little bit tired I feel mentally more rested to take care of my newborn and my 3 year son.

My second class as an assistant

Today we practised the whole step of a very easy two hand beginner reel. They did great job! they go so fast that adding new students scares me because im afraid my actual students get bored while the others catch up. Anyway I am going to put somne flyers because in our town's cultural place some people asked for Irish dancing and they said it was cancelled since my teacher is pregnant. So we talked with my teacher and she was ok for me to try to get more people interested so next year we have more dancers(the students I have right now begged for a student or someone to give them lessons).

Also my friend who owns the place I rent for giving the lessons asked me to teach to little kids. Something very recreational, she has a little daughter who wants to come always to my class but since we are adults she can't come. I'm not pretty sure about it because my teacher only teaches adults (and she works with kids so I DOUBT she will want to take a kids class) and I don't know how much I can teach them If they go too far.  But on the other hand It would be fun oriented plus learning a little basics and my son could assist with me.

My first class teaching

From the sudden I had two people willing to start to Irish Dancing and my mission was to teach them. Also they were trying it for the first time and that involved getting them interested enough to come back (I think that scared me the most). I started searching in ID websites if anyone had same problem but I couldn't find anyone. Lots of people described their first  teaching experience but it was always with kids. I gave up and made a plan of my first class.

My class would consist of: 

1)Warm up. 

2)Streching.

3) Talking about ID, how did they know it, why did they want to take classes...

4) Showing them some excersices to strengthen arch and having a better point. Showing them basic position of feet, arms and posture.

5) Start dancing! The first step we went through was kick123 in place, then moving in a line, and then in a circle.

6) we practised with music and started with sidesteps.

7) streching.

And this is how it went:

1) I was thinking of doing 6 mins, it ended up that with 3 mins they were ready to go on.

2) streching went like 4 mins, i think it could have been better.

3) Of course the reference they had from ID was lord of the dance. They were excited about doing hardshoes someday but explained it wouln't be right away.

4) Their posture was great; the lady did ballet when younger and her daughter had a very good flexibility and was a very sporty person . So this part ended up quicker than I expected. 

5)We started with right foot, then left foot. This version was a little bit easier since we practised it without kicking our bottom, just kick,  jump, back 2,3. In no time we decided to make it in a line and then it got a little bit more complicated. There are no mirrors in this place yet so it was hard to show them the step and try to catch if they were doing it right. But hell they did it right after some minutes they were doing it pretty well. (it took me 3 classes to do a leap, their was simpler but i think they will learn it in no time). When we started practising in circles it was a little bit more difficult but after practising they did a great job. 

6) So then we tried doing the step in a line, but with music. I chose a slow reel (well a reel really can't be that slow)  and guess what, the second time  they did it it was good!!!

After that we practised sidestep, which of course it was pretty easy for them. Then we did the 2 steps together. Linking the steps was a little bit more difficult, since they had to think what to do and that leaded to a big pause between steps. 

7) When I saw my clock an hour went through like nothing, and it was time to finish the class by streching. I think we did 5 mins, I was a little bit hurry because I had to leave my both kids with my mom and that was hard for me. I think a little bit more of streching would have been good. At leas 10 mins, my body asked for it .

So. What can I say about the class? I loved it!! I danced more than I thought I would, and the students ended up pretty excited and wanting to go on with classes. So if you dance from the heart and you really love Irish Dancing don't be afraid because all of your goals can be reached!!!

Going back to dancing!

Something in the title bothers me, haha, anyway.

My little girl is two months now. It's been a week since I started slowly practising some exercises. Arch strengthening and balance. No steps or drills since the floor in my house is pure cement and when I did practise on this floor I ended with lots of pain (even though I would love to dance It isn't worth it).
Making time for practising at home is hard because when I have free time I usually want to rest, cook or tidy my messy house or take a bath

So, I wasn't planning on going back to dance in a studio because my teacher is pregnant and she decided to take a rest from dancing this year.

But there were two people really interested in classes and they asked my  teacher if she could find a student to introduce them into dancing. And that was the moment when she called me. Of course I said yes, we are so few dancers in the group that adding more people would be the best choice.