Organizing a workshop!

I'm in charge of organizing a workshop for january 2013; it's mainly for our group but other intermediate dancers are welcome.
So it's a big challenge but I got it on track so far:
We are having this schedule:
Every activity is in the afternoon.

Monday
Hardshoe

Tuesday
Softshoe

Wednesday
Hardshoe

Thursday
Ceili (open to all public)

Friday
Dance night in a pub

So far I've arranged:
transport and contactos with teacher.

What I need to arrange:
Accomodation: Will see it on monday, there is a chance the teacher stays at home
Studio: Will see it on monday afternoon
Pub: on monday morning will aswell at least one of the pubs, I've got 3 options so far.

Our school's new website

So after lots and lots of working I finished our school's website I love it :)
http://www.erindanzacelta.com.ar

Oh it's in spanish

Mom vs Dancer

Mom vs Dancer

This is my everyday struggle. And though motherhood is challenging I've found myself in a very deep hole of frustration trying to combine the things I love most, being a mother AND a dancer.

My baby is 8 months now, she is the most adorable baby ever :-) She is in a very demanding phase though, and last weeks I felt like all my energy was being drained by her.  Seriously I couldn't even go to the bathroom relaxed because if she didn't come with me (on my lap) she would scream and cry as if I was the worst mother in the whole word (and I felt like it lol). So imagine getting time to dance, imposible, the chores I had to do at home yes or yes I did them with her in the mei tai. If not I had her on my lap while watching tv, or playing with her outside, or doing anyhting I could do with her sitted (my back hurts so bad that carrying her is like a torture).

So I got really depressed, when I felt I had no energy for nothing I just took a brake and danced and I got really boosted. But now there is no room for that. I can't find more than 10 minutes to do something... the time is always short.

Last week I've been working with her so she stays playing a little while alone (well not so alone, she can still see me but at least not ON me). I know it's part of her development because every baby has a stage when he discovers he is not part of his mother and just goes crazy. And it's very hard, specially when you have something you love so much and you can't do it. Last week's dancing class I took her with my mom and she spent crying the whole hour. My mother was " I don't want to take care of her anymore", and I was "Can someone kill me please?".

Now things got better, this week class she stayed with her father OK, and I've been using some of the spare time with her playing to do some abs and excersices with my theraband to get in shape. And guess what? I don't want more Mom Vs Dancer, I want to proudly say I'm a dancing mom!!

Some lovely vintage irish themed postcards!

Found one, then came addicted to them; The images are not mine, found them browsing.

A two hand reel!! :P

It's been a while!!

It's been a while since my last post, everything in life has been weird and when I put myself for practising more dancing I find my son struggling to get my attention. The time that my baby doesn't need me m son does. And my baby is always with me, on me, it's so hard to find some time to practise. I can't rely on my husband on this so last weeks have been very quiet. I stopped almost all sort of excersice and practised the minimun. Althoutgh I see my kid happier I am  tired and frustrated. I know It shouldn't be this way but I can't help it... Dancing gives me that extra burst of energy and I miss it.

A photo of our first performance, the only celtic thing we had where those skirts!!
Sofia, my teacher Camila and me!

On the other side I am trying to not give up on dancing; Our group is pretty dead, my teacher had her baby last week, the other girls that came with me to classes couldn't make it anymore and I felt pretty lonely. But then I received an email from another teacher who offered doing some workshops through the summer and I decided I won't give up on what I love most, that was a little reminder that we still can make a nice performing group and delight people with our dance. So I am trying to figure pout how to bring this teacher here and also making a nice website for our little school. I hope all my effort gets paid someday. The only thing I can do now is trying to do my best, with what I have and what I can.

A cute irish gift for the baby.

My best friend/teacher/dancer is having a baby in a week!!! I wanted an irish themed gift so decided to sew this little things. I think they look adorable!

Update on my assistan teaching class!

Since one of my students is studying we decided to have only one class. per week. That left me with one hour  free on thursdays in the studio. So this idea came to my mind. I wanted to include my son in my classes so he could have some time with me doing what I love. I decided then to open a class for little kids. From 3 to 6 years old.  Thats an age group neither my teacher or I have experience with. Since classes will be until December It would be a "test" group and we will see how it goes.

So This are some of the activities

I have thought for them: 

Mimics

Simon says (let's see if a celtic name can occur to me haha)

Doing rounds

Jumping

The statue game

I want to do little skirts and vests, so they play to dress up and dance.

Storytelling (wanting to find some celtic stories nice for kids) and roleplaying with dance characters  we choose from the story.

Dance freestyle

Dance in the mood of the music (listen to a song and dance depending how it makes you feel)

The train (one kid leads the train and the other follow, trying to go in skip 123), or the teacher leads and all kids grab their hands.

Make little cloth clovers so they put in a pot , but to get there they need to move in a special way (like sidestep or jumping with one leg, with two, skip 2,3) 

Listen to music and clap. 

Put marks on the floor and make each kid go to an assigned mark.

Things I'll try to encourage:

Good posture

Streching after class

Learning to have conscience of legs and arms and to move in a "Stage"(aka marked place)

Start to develop core strength

Teach them to wait for turns

My objectives are:

Teach them sidestep and skip 2 3.

They have fun!!! It's a recreational class, if they want their kids to be in the ultimate dance lessons they should sign them for ballet, this is playing and dancing to one of the most beautiful music and introduce them to one of the richest cultures.

Oh well that is what I have now, I think that the more I am with the kids the more activities will go through my mind.

Also I thought a nice Idea to atract young kids is whenever we do a performance include a slip jig or a jig and dress as a fairy, 

PD: I love doing lists, it just keeps me organized!

Update...

So I haven't updated lately because I got sick, then my baby got sick, then I had an allergy and I just couldn't focus on anything.  Actually I was feeling a little depressed after all this. But this tuesday I had this little revelation. I didn't do any physical activity during this sickness period so I was feeling like a real lazy ass. That afternoon I went to my mom's house earlier and I was feeling very hungy, as if I hadn't eaten in the hole day (but I did). So I pretty much emptied my mom's fridge and I still felt so hungry. We had to go and look for some papers in town and I felt I had this huge belly and still hungry and I was really freaked out haha. I also felt so tired.

I went to my Irish Dance class. I started dancing and I felt I was so light, I jumped so high, and when I saw my reflex I saw me being so graceful. Something inside me changed.

I finished the class as if I had just woke up from the most refreshing nap. I felt my body again and my hunger actually dissapeared, I felt satisfied and happy. I came to my house at night and felt like it was the early morning.

Dancing is one of the best things I have. And when I don't dance I am not me anymore. 

Making up a dance

So I spent 2 days (as much as I could dedicate to it taking care of my 2 kids) making a three hand reel for my classes.

The reason behind is because we have work more on confidence and need at least a dance to dance in front of public.  So a three hand reel is perfect. I can dance with them and that will give them an extra confidence factor. Plus if they forget something they just follow. I also made it lovely to watch and easy to dance, the dance includes 32 bars of teapot, and two different kind of rounds, also sidesteps and 1,2,3 without looking too simple, I love it!!

this is the first dance I coreographed and I hope It looks nice, I can't wait to teach it!

The leap pictureee

Of course after seeing everyone has their leap picture I want one aswell.
Yesterday we did the try but... I guess I didn't hold it as much as I should for the "perfect picture".
Plus my husband was in bad mood because he had a headache. So he took some photos and looked me with his bad mood face so that's all haha.

Fairly decent photo

This one is closer so it has more flash.

Next time I'm taking the pictures in the daylight!