Rince Go Bragh

North American Nationals, 2015

2015-07-11T14:57:00.000-04:00

Before I get too far into this post, the important thing to know about this year's nationals was that I really did enjoy myself. I enjoyed seeing friends I don't see all that often. I enjoyed watching world-class dancers. I enjoyed the small bit of exploring I did of the charming Providence. I just fear that a lot of this post is going to be talking about the not-so-good parts, so I wanted to state that first and foremost.

Dancing day came around and I was very calm as far as major dance competitions go. Usually I get myself so worked up about 'this is the chance to get that world qualification, so you better do your best,' but not that day. Senior ladies ended up scheduled for July 4th this year, and so my dress received a lot of compliments, and the occasional question about if I ordered a patriotic dress specifically for the day.

I was towards the beginning of the hornpipe round, which was very nice to get it done and over with and not have to wait around for two hours! The downside to that was that my hornpipe really wasn't the best. I over-taped my shoes because I psyched myself out from hearing about how slick the floors were, so my shoes felt sticky. There were screens on either side of the stage broadcasting the dancing to the back of the hall could see, and as I turned to the side on my second and third steps, I could see myself on a one second delay, which threw me off. But I smiled the whole time through!

There was a five hour wait between rounds for me, so after warming up again, I did dance what I felt like was a great reel. I was very proud of how that round felt, and knew that the rest was in the judges hands for the day.

I didn't recall, but that was really okay.

I of course waited around the dancing hall until the awards were given out, and immediately went to purchase the results for my competition upon the completion of the senior lady awards. I was extremely disappointed to find that I ended up tied for 83rd place with many others because we were awarded 0 Irish points. I knew that my hornpipe wasn't it best, but I would have thought my reel at least would have gotten me something.

So I basically got last place. For the third competition in a row this year.

I think part of the issue is the steps I got in January this year are of a completely new style that I've ever done before. I am especially struggling with the hornpipe and the set. Despite six months of drills, the hornpipe still feels awkward and gets very little sound. Everyone who is an open champ at my school has these same steps, and I'm realizing more and more that Irish dance steps are not one size fits all. I will be asking my TC to see if I can do something that I can pull off consistently, so I can achieve that long-time world qualification goal at Oireachtas.

I thought part of the reasoning for this string of last place was my feis look being too progressive. You know, the no wig, pixie cut, with red or blue bangs to match my dress. I get lots of complements on my hair choice from other feis goers, but through that may have been a factor in my recent last places. After wearing a gorgeous full wig and seeing no improvement, I don't think that's it.

In other news, I leave in a few hours to take part in the inaugural Riverdance Summer Academy in Dublin. There will be WiFi, so I hope to post on Rince go Bragh from Ireland, and possibly from my vacation in London, too! I will for sure be updating the Rince go Bragh Facebook page while I'm there, so make sure you have liked that page to keep up with this fantastic opportunity!

Goals: Have the best time with Riverdance!

Days till Os: 146

Pre-Nationals Rambles

2015-07-01T18:46:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I am leaving for Providence to dance at nationals! I am very excited for this weekend, and like the last time attended nationals, I'm taking this major with a no-stress attitude. Recall or no, it's going to be a spectacular experience.

This year, the senior ladies are dancing on July 4th. I am very excited about this because my dress is so patriotic! July 4th is also the day of Steve Rodgers' birthday in Marvel canon, so the fangirl in me is excited to wear the Captain America dress on Captain America's birthday.

Fangirling aside, my goals for the weekend are to first and foremost have fun. That's the overall goal for the year, so of course it's up first on my list. Secondly, I'd love to meet up all with dance friends I've made who live far away because I see them so rarely! Lastly, I want to feel joy while dancing. I plan to have the biggest smile on my face during all my rounds this year! I am ready for some killer action shots.

There is so much that I have overcome in the past year's time. During nationals last year, I literally could not walk since I was only a few weeks post-op. I am looking forward to showing the world what one year of very determined recovery time from a surgery looks like.

As always, you can keep up with my weekend's adventures on so many different social media sites:

[facebook] [twitter] [instagram] [tumblr]

Here's a 'way back Wednesday' for you from Nationals in 2013!
I will be bringing the full wig back this weekend.

Good luck to all, and if you see me, say hi!

Goals: Have fun this weekend!
Days till NANs: 3

Late spring feiseanna: a mini update!

2015-06-20T17:29:00.000-04:00

In April. I was on a blogging roll. And then May happened and I fell off the roll. Now it's June, and it's summer vacation, so I'm bring back the weekly blogging since I know this summer will be full of dancing adventures! So, let's bring you up to date with the goings on since late April.

After the McGrath Feis, I attended two more feiseanna: the Hurley Feis and Feile Rince Charlotte. There's nothing too exciting to speak of about these feiseanna since the most notable thing that happened is that I was placed last in both competitions. I know I didn't screw up my dances the days of the feiseanna, so I can only guess that others outperformed me and the judges didn't like my style. It's worrying to drop from third overall to last so close to nationals (especially since Hurley was nearly the same set of competitors as McGrath), but life goes on, and I go back to dance practice.

Hurley Feis

I am continuing with my dance theme of the year where I have fun and enjoy the moments, and as such have not set a placement goal for nationals. Yes, of course it'd be nice to recall, but I'm at the point where whatever will happen will happen. There has been some self-doubt in my dancing the past few weeks due to the recent feis placements, so we'll see what happens on July 4th.

Also! In just shy of one month, I will be overseas for the Riverdance Academy! I will be in Dublin from July 12-18, and then I will be in London until July 25. I am super excited to be a part of the inaugural Riverdance summer school. I am planning on bringing my laptop since I know there will be WiFi, so hopefully this summer of weekly blog posts won't be interrupted while I am training and on vacation!

Thanks for reading this ramble of a post. I hope next week to bring you something a little more cohesive.

Goals: stamina and stay healthy. Drill HP lead

Days till NANs: 14

The McGrath Feis

2015-04-24T13:28:00.001-04:00

On Sunday, I attended my first feis of 2015. I went to the McGrath Feis in Woodbridge, Virginia to begin my set of prep-for-nationals feiseanna. I was lucky to have my parents, boyfriend, and boyfriend's mom in attendance at this feis. This feis featured a 20 and over age group split, which I am so thankful for! I can't tell you how nice it is to not have to dance with people nearly ten years younger than I am.

My goal for the feis was to make it through my hornpipe and reel steps without forgetting how they go. I learned new hornpipe and reel steps in January, and this feis was my first chance to compete with them, They are very stylish steps, and I am working to perfect them and get them in to my body as well as my old set of hornpipe and reel steps.

I did meet my goal and was about to get thorough my first two rounds without forgetting! Of course, there were points in my hornpipe that I knew could be better (especially since my only comment from the feis was "feet too straight"). My reel round went fine, though my ankles felt particularly wibbly-wobbly that day, and all I remember thinking about was "hold it together!" To me, my set round felt the strongest out of all. After competing with this Planxty Drury since 2011, I feel like it's finally gotten really good. My beats are strong and rarely missing throughout. I have the certain extra turnout points flagged (though execution is not up to par still).

Awards for this feis included round awards of chocolate bars for first through fifth place for all three rounds. I placed in each round! Fourth for hornpipe, second for reel, and third for set.

I love chocolate.

I also was super surprised to hear my number called for third place in the overall championship! I was not expecting to place so well doing new steps partially because I know they still have a lot of work to be done on them. This is a tie for my highest open placement (Rhythm of Ireland 2013).

I was very fortunate that I has so many loving family members come to support my dancing on Sunday. I'm glad they got a chance to see my new dancing steps, and to attend a feis where I placed so well!

Up next is the Hurley Feis on May 24th!

Goals: Work on new set, HP stamina
Days till NANs: 71

The 2014 Oireachtas

2015-04-16T21:04:00.000-04:00

Round 1 number check

There's not much I have to say about my solo round from the Oireachtas. They most impressive thing was dancing soft shoe with no brace on for the first time since surgery. These unremarkable rounds led to a rather disappointing result that night with my lowest ever placement. I dropped drastically from placing in the upper 20s to the 34th. I suppose one could say that I made outstanding progress just by recalling at a major championship six months post-op, but I was really working toward a triumphant return by finally world qualifying. Not to mention that the southern senior lady group was incredibly tough this year, but that seems like I'm making excuses. The point is I was very disappointed but I'm getting over it and focusing on having fun while dancing.

My only solo awards picture. They focused heavily on the WQs.

By far, one of the most outstanding stories of the day was the switch from solos to teams. I was one of the last few senior lady sets to be danced. Meanwhile, the 15 and over girls eight hand competition started, despite senior ladies not having finished. My team was due to dance somewhere in the middle of rotation, but I couldn't make it. The stage managers let us dance last, fortunately. Unfortunately that still didn't leave me enough time, and I kept the competition waiting as I changed out of solo hair, make up, and costume. All the 15 and over girls four hand competitions were lined up, and I had to dash my way through them to meet my team side stage. I did not stop walking as I took my spot for the walk on, and our team took the stage! Thank God for the years of practice doing St. Patrick's Day. If we needed to review something as a team, we wouldn't have been half as successful while we danced. That team took seventh overall.

I was a member of two four hands as well, a girls and mixed four. The girls four danced decently and took 17th out of sixty teams. My mixed four hand did shockingly well. We didn't get many opportunities to dance together leading up to the Oireachtas, and we danced with the team that took first, so we thought we were done for. Only one one of our team members saw the recall list, and standing side stage at awards, we began to doubt that our number was really on the list. The closer the announcer got to first place, the more worried we became. We ended up taking fifth and getting a chance to be on the podium! It was a fantastic feeling!

Goals: Don't forget new dances on stage at the feis Sunday
Days till NANs:79

Irish Dance How-To: DIY Sugar Scrub

2015-04-08T16:05:00.000-04:00

The weather is getting warmer, St. Patricks's month is over, so that means my pre-nationals feis season is gearing up to begin! Last fall, I discovered a great way to make the most of my feis tan, and I thought I'd share some of my tips with you today.

A sugar scrub is a fantastic way to exfoliate and prepare your legs for your pre-feis leg tanning session. Most tanning products do recommend exfoliating to avoid splotchiness. Keep in mind this is something to do the day before the feis, and not the morning of, for time’s sake and your feis day sanity.

You need:

1 cup sugar (brown or white)
1/4 cup natural oil (olive, coconut, almond, etc.)
(optional) 5-8 drops essential oil

Step one: Make the scrub. My rule of thumb is three parts sugar to one part oil, then add in any essential oils if you want an extra good smelling scrub. My favorite combination is brown sugar, olive oil, and one teaspoon each of vanilla extract and honey, but you can also use whatever you have on hand in your kitchen. It’s your scrub after all!

Step two: Shave your legs as usual.

Step three: Use your scrub on your freshly shaven legs. Turn on your favorite song, jam out, and scrub each leg gently for half the length of the song. Be gentle so you don’t rub your legs raw! Give yourself a nice calf massage. Rub your tired feet. They have been working hard for you and deserve some TLC. Rinse off the sugar and resist the urge to stroke your legs now. Wait until after the whole process. It’s a secret.

Step four: We’re going to go beyond smooth, so lather up your legs with whatever you use to shave, and shave them again. Rinse your razor often! Instead of hair, this time you are getting rid of dead skin. Gross.

Step five: Use the rest of the sugar scrub on your legs. Jam out to another song. Rinse with plain water. Legs still feeling oily? Wash that weird feeling off with your favorite body wash.

Step six: Feel your smoothy smooth legs. Share how smooth they are with others. Apply tanner if you’re going to a feis, or lotion if you’re doing this to pamper yourself. Resist the urge at the feis to brag about how your legs have released their inner goddess. Try not to start a smooth legs competition (but if you do, know that you will get the sash and crystal, my dear, because you are the smooth legs winner).

P.S. Another important factor in making your tan last or not fade in splotches is to continue to exfoliate (I use a loofah in the shower) and moisturize daily! Your legs are still goddesses after your feis. Treat them as such.

Goals: Don't forget to work on your set!!
Days till NANs: 87

St. Patrick's Month, Part 2

2015-04-03T15:23:00.000-04:00

This post is all about a performer's perspective from D.C.'s Shamrockfest, a one day festival full of Bands, DJs, and other Irish entertainment.

This year was Shamrockfest's first year under Red Frog Event management. I know of many attendees who were very unhappy, especially with how food and drinks in the VIP area were handled. I head of poor communication with performing groups leading up to the festival. As it's this company's first year hosting the event, I hope they will improve upon what they learned. All of that aside, I have to say that this year was the best treatment of the Irish dancers that I've ever been a part of.

For starters, we got to park in the performer's parking lot at RFK Stadium. No paying ridiculous amount for parking, and none of that being crushed in the hordes coming and going from the Stadium-Armory Metro station. Upon parking, us performers were given our wristbands to access all the areas we would be needing: backstage, performer's hospitality, and a way in and out of the actual festival, should we wish to participate with the other Shamrockfest revelers.

I chose for the most part to stay in the backstage areas. And really, why wouldn't I? In the performer's hospitality area, we had an entire tent dedicated to food and drinks! Shamrockfest provided me with lunch and dinner that day, as well as access to as much Angry Orchard as I wished. There were chairs we could sit in and visit with dance friends away from the crowds of festival attendees, but still in close enough range to hear the great bands without blowing out eardrums. (Not to mention that we were essentially rubbing elbows with all the band members performing that evening.)

Come time to perform, we were shuttled in a bus from the hospitality area to our stage, where we were told we had eight minutes to perform. This is a drastic difference from previous years. Before, each dancing group had about 20 minutes to do their thing, but this year's festival focus was more on the bands. We danced three numbers nearly back-to-back, only after having to halt set-up progress of the band on after us so we had as much dancing space as possible (which was wide enough, but very, very shallow).

To cap off the night, we danced with a Richmond-based band, Carbon Leaf to one of their most well-known songs, The Boxer.

View from backstage

I did not stay after that final performance to catch Reel Big Fish or the Blues Travelers mainly for crowd avoidance. I still had great fun that day! Here's to a few more festivals to come!

Goals: Stamina
Days till NANs: 92

St. Patrick's Month, Part 1

2015-03-26T17:06:00.000-04:00

Weekends in March are famously accounted for as an Irish dancer. We are needed everywhere for every type of Irish celebration you can think of. With green hair to match the spirit of the season, I set out for three weekends of dancing this month with varying degrees of enjoyment.

March 8th held one performance: a parade fundraiser at a nearby pub. I was put in charge of this performance and had to:

Run the practice beforehand (with dancers showing up late)
Choose the dancers for numbers (without knowing everyone's skill levels), and
Choose the numbers and order of performance.

Pair all of that with having no one step up to talk between numbers, which meant that the organizer of the event continually asking if we were done every time there was a pause to change shoes and younger dancers upset for a reason I didn't know, and you get my least favorite performance of the season. I can run the practice and dance, or run the practice and talk, but running the practice, talking, and performing is not a combination that I am capable of.

March 14th included two evening performances across Maryland. The first was at a St. Patrick's Day dinner, and featured an extra dodgy dancing surface. Now, It's pretty well known that as Irish dancers, we're going to be dancing on some not so prime surfaces in March, but this one takes the cake for me. Tile. Large square foot long tiles. Luckily, we were told this beforehand, so we skipped out on most of our hard shoe show numbers, and only used hard shoes for our finale. It was still slippery though. (Side note: how is it that we must dance on bad surfaces a month before worlds?) They did feed us hot dogs after performing, so all was well.

AOH Bowie St. Patrick's Day dinner. Not pictured: dodgy tile surface.

Afterward, the same crew drove on over to a barn hosting a fundraiser and St. Patrick's Day party. We go to dance hard shoe numbers here! I also got to cap of my night with a complimentary glass of wine, so it was a great night.

Champ dancers at a St. Patrick's Day fundraiser, Arnold, MD.

March 15th was parade day! It was a very windy day! You can see just how hard the wind was blowing in the pictures below because the bangs on my pixie cut was going crazy! It was also a little cold, but things certainly warmed up as we danced down Constitution Ave! Even with the wind cutting through my jacket, I was nearly sweating by the time we reached the grandstand. I learned this year (my first ever dance-down-the-parade-route year) that I need to put different shoe laces in my shoe because they came untied not once, but twice, even though I double knotted them before the parade started. Ah, well.

After the parade, a group of older champ dancers headed over to Fado's Irish pub where we danced between a band's sets. Two other dancers and I almost didn't make it, though! The vehicle we were travelling in got a flat tire as we left the parking spot. Luckily, we had some tire changing pros on hand to save the day, and we made it to the pub in time. I finished off the weekend with a large helping of shepherd's pie, Strongbow, and great time with friends.

Coming up next week, part 2: Shamrockfest!

Goals: Drill all hornpipes together
Days till NANs: 100

Irish dance fusion groups: Hammerstep's Indigo Grey Kickstarter Campaign

2015-02-23T18:06:00.001-05:00

Long time readers of Rince go Bragh may remember a few years ago when I made a few posts spotlighting different Irish dance groups who continue to expand the vocabulary of the Irish style by fusing it with others dance genres. I made four different posts on the subject, and if you're a newer reader, it may be worth checking out because these groups are just plain awesome to watch!

[ID Fusion Groups 1] [ID Fusion Groups 2] [ID Fusion Groups 3] [ID Fusion Groups 4]

One of the aforementioned groups is Hammerstep, a New York based company that you may have seen before on America's Got Talent. Hammerstep is led by dancers Jason Oremus and Garrett Coleman, and they are currently in the middle of a huge Kickstarter campaign to fund their new Indigo Grey project! Indigo Grey will offer a live multimedia digital experience fusing live theater, film, video gaming, and interactive technology in an immersive showcase premiering in spring 2015.

Their goal is to raise $75,000 to fund their new show experience. With this being the final twenty days in their Kickstarter campaign, I feel that it's important as an Irish dance community that we come together to support our own in whatever way you can.

If you've never checked out Kickstarter before, it's a neat way for people to get independent projects funded. One of the coolest things as "backer" of a project is that there are different reward tiers that can be chosen for donating different amounts of money. These include anything from thank you emails, to t-shirts, workshops, and VIP tickets to see the show.

Check out more about this project, and why this will be should be a groundbreaking experience by visiting the Indigo Grey Kickstarter campaign link below. I have already made my contribution. Will you make yours?

[Indigo Grey Kickstarter] [Hammerstep website] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Instagram]

Goals: Try new reels and hornpipes without stopping

Days till NANs: 131

2015 Goals and Aspirations

2015-02-09T16:52:00.000-05:00

The past four years of my dance goals have looked something like this: championship placement goals, major competition placement goals, and improvements on technique. My dance goals have not seen any sort of change in a very long while, and I feel that fact is the root of many of my frustrations. I want to be able to do and succeed at everything I attempt, but that requires complete focus on only one activity. That is not how I want to live my life.

Placement goals have gotten harder and harder to achieve as an adult because I am balancing my career with own dance aspirations. At this time last year, I was extremely upset that I missed out on my number one goal for the year, a number one goal that has been only just out of my grasp for multiple years now. The senior ladies competition keeps becoming harder and harder as more dancers decided to keep coming back for more like I have been doing. My placements have been steadily dropping as the group has gained larger numbers, and that’s frustrating.

I know that despite negative emotions stemming from Oireachtas disappointments, I still need to have dance in my life. Dance is something that I have to do, so taking that feeling in mind, I’m planning on using it as the basis of this year’s singular goal.

I am going to enjoy every dance moment that I have.

If those moments include competitive success, then great. Becoming a world qualifier at a major competition is what I’ve been chasing recently. If those moments include traveling and workshops, fantastic. I have been accepted to the Riverdance summer academy at Trinity College in Dublin this summer, and if I can get the funds together, I’d love to attend. If those moments are simply enjoyable dance classes with friends, even better. Dance classes are where most of my time is spent in this crazy world, so why not have fun while working hard?

So my goal this year seems easy enough to do with the right frame of mind. When 2015 finishes, I want to be able to look back on the year and have great memories.

What aspirations do you have for the year?

Mini Update: Oireachtas 2k14

2014-12-03T16:44:00.000-05:00

Feis Culkin

I'll start with the fact that I'm pretty sure that most everyone who placed in the top 50% of the competition are not senior lady dancers. The 18& over open competition was full of tough competitors from the younger age groups.
I placed in my hard shoe round which was a shock to me since I think that it felt weaker than my slip jig that day. I was excited to get a Hershey bar!
I ended up placing 12th out of 17. What was most frustrating to me was that two judged agreed on their ranking of me, while one placed me second to last. I am quickly becoming tired of scoring inconsistencies and how they can seriously make or break a dancer's overall placement.
Also, the Washington Post had an article about this feis on their website recently.

Anyway, have a chocolate bar picture.

Goals (and things)

My Oireachtas goal is (as it's been for the past four years) to be a world qualifier. I have not suffered through eight torn ligaments and a surgery to not finally meet my goal of qualifying at the Oireachtas.
And things... After the Oireachtas, I am planning on submitting my application to the Riverdance Trinity Academy International Summer School program. I'm hoping that having the chance to be a part of this week-long academy will give my dancing a new spark. I am feeling a slump in my dancing. It may be injury recovery, it may be Oireachtas stress, but regardless, I have not seriously put any effort in to show dancing, and I think it would be a great break from the competitive world.

Follow my adventures this weekend!

As always, I will be all over social media this weekend with updates on my dancing and other Oireachtas adventures. Be sure to follow any (or all!) accounts for up to the minute details on my weekend.

[Twitter] [Facebook] [instagram] [tumblr]

Goals: Relax a bit, finish packing, and DFTBA

Days till Os: 3

Ghillie Giveaway Winner!

2014-11-18T16:43:00.001-05:00

And the moment you have been waiting for...

Drumroll please...

By random drawing, the winner of the UK size 4.5 Hullachan 3 ghillie giveaway is Jenny L! I will be in contact with you via email shortly!

Thank you to all who entered and spread the word of my giveaway. I hope to bring you another giveaway in the near future!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interested in sponsoring a giveaway on Rince go Bragh? Click here to find my contact information!

Goals: Stay healthy
Days till Os: 18

Ghillie Giveaway

2014-11-12T16:15:00.000-05:00

Dearest Rince go Bragh readers, both old and new, today is a special day! I have a giveaway for you! I will be giving away a brand new pair of UK size 4.5 Hullachan 3 ghillies. Yes, just the one size.

These are the new Hullachan Reds that premiered at this years worlds. I have been dancing in my own pair for a little over a month now and have nothing but good things to say about these shoes! The leather is super soft and formed to my feet very quickly. The padding is sublime. Seriously though, it helps my bunion pain. The deeper heel means that I don't worry about the shoe slipping off my foot while I'm dancing. And can I just take a moment to talk about the new lacing system? Because my arch is not my best dancing feature, but when I put these shoes on, bam, arch!

So what are you waiting for? Enter my giveaway now before it closes! You can earn entries in many different ways, so hop to it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goals: Don't overdo it.
Days till Os: 24

Shamrock Soaps: a product review

2014-11-04T15:15:00.000-05:00

I had a chance to review two products from the Shamrock Soaps store on Etsy, which specializes in Irish themed soaps and other handmade and natural beauty products. There are even a handful of special gifts specifically for Irish dancers, two of which you'll get a peek of below! Overall, I found these products to be of high quality, and would recommend them as Oireachtas gifts, stocking stuffers, or a treat to yourself!

On Saturdays, we have a 45 minute fitness class, followed by three hours of dancing. Needless to say, this takes quite a toll on the feet, spawning soreness, and in my case, bunion pain. I decided to treat myself with the 'Dance On Your Toes' foot soak one afternoon when my feet were feeling particularly tired. I filled my sink with warm water, dissolved the sea and Epsom salt mixture, and stuck my feet in. It was a delightful 15 minutes of laying on my bathroom counter top. The foot soak smelled very nice (lavender). Afterward, my feet felt much more relaxed! Aside from residual bunion soreness, my feet felt like they hadn't gone through nearly four hours of intense work.

I also got to try out a sugar scrub called 'Championship Legs.' I found it to be a great scrub, and would compare it to the scrubs found in spa pedicures you can get at a nail salon. The morning of a feis, I took the tub of scrub, and here's what I did:

I shaved my legs, because that is always step one before a feis.
I scooped some of the great lavender scented sugar scrub out on my fingers, and scrubbed each leg four about two minutes.
Next up was rinsing the scrub off. My legs were left smoother than before, and also a bit oily.
Because I wanted to go beyond any level of smoothness my legs have been, I shaved again. This shaving wasn't to get rid of more leg hair, but to get rid of dead skin. Tip: rinse the razor often. Ew.
I scrubbed with Championship Legs once more. Then rinsed.
Since my legs felt oily still, I washed with my regular body wash before I dried my legs.
I moisturized with lotion next. I decided to forgo the fake tan for that particular feis.
Finally, I took time relish my smoothy smooth legs.

[Visit the store on Etsy] [Like on Facebook]

Interested in having your Irish dance or fitness related product reviewed, or interested in sponsoring a giveaway on Rince go Bragh? Click here to contact me!

Goals: Don't forget, rest days are important, too.
Days till Os: 32

Baltimore Comic Con 2014

2014-10-07T15:58:00.000-04:00

Baltimore Comic Con took place September 5-7 at the Baltimore Convention Center. It marks my one year anniversary of comic cons, my first costume contest entry, and the first time I wore my solo dress to a comic con.

For my costume contest costume, there was very little prep that needed to be done since most of the parts were completed! I spent a bit of every night the week before painting a pair of hard shoes to go with my costume. I think I used three coats of a red acrylic paint, followed by three coats of red glitter. The night before we left, I sprayed them with four coats of clear acrylic sealer to make sure things stayed put (and for a bonus shine factor!).

I really felt like I was packing for a feis because I had all the usual culprits (and more). Dress bag? Check. Wig box and make up? Double check. Blue hair dye? Check.

My boyfriend and I drove up to Baltimore on Saturday morning to have one full day of the con, thinking (correctly) that the costume contest would take up all of Sunday. I was dressed as Ultimate Katie Bishop from the new Ultimate Spider-Man books. He dressed as a shinigami from Bleach.

We spent Saturday night in a hotel near the inner harbor (thanks to the Hotel Tonight app!), and got ready for Sunday at the con. (Namely, I dyed my hair blue.)

On Sunday, I showed up wearing my solo dress. I got many stares (sparkles do that), appreciation from an actual Irish dancing family, and many many compliments on my original idea. Irish dancing Captain Americas are hard to come by (probably because I'm the only one). It was cool to have people recognize my costume first as Captain America themed and then as an Irish costume, rather than an Irish costume with a patriotic theme.

The afternoon was taken up by the costume contest. I did in fact get up on stage and do a treble reel for the crowd! I was hoping to take home the prize for 'crowd favorite,' but though it was advertised in the program, they didn't award it this year. Though I didn't take home an award, I did get many pictures snapped of my costume, as well as a few videos, and lots and lots on compliments on my Irish dancing.

I know that I will be wearing my solo dress at future comic book conventions. It is too much fun to pass up! Next time I may wear my ghillies though because hard shoes for five plus hours is very uncomfortable!

Enjoy a ton of pictures from many different photographers from around the con! Also, be sure to check out blog content from Pete Goes to Comic Con, Geek Girl Ramblings, DC Comics News, and a feature in ABC 2 Baltimore News.

Ms. Marvel, Star Lord, me, and Deadpool

Ladies costume contestants side stage

Goals: Downfall rhythms and timing

Days till Os: 60

Surgery Update, part 3

2014-10-01T16:22:00.000-04:00

I am now done and graduated from physical therapy. My next doctor appointment is a month away. I am a regular participant in everything at dance class, even leading a fitness class during our Oireachtas prep Saturdays.

Did I really heal this fast?

Three months seriously flew by! Maybe I just feel that way because the past month has been a blur with the beginning of the school year and my own insistence that I never have days off to do nothing.

For the most part this past month, when I wasn't working, I was doing something to improve my physical fitness. I was at physical therapy getting essentially an hour and a half personal training session. I was running (yes, running!) in the fitness center on the treadmill. I was choreographing a show treble reel for the Baltimore Comic Con.

So, yes, I finally got to attend a comic con in my Captain America dress! I entered a costume contest for fun, and danced on stage for a bit of an audience. They went wild! My costume was totally a hit, and I loved getting all the comments on how cool an Irish dancing Captain America is. Now, I'm going to dedicate a whole post to this outing very soon, but until then, have a picture!

I have officially registered for two feiseanna this fall before the Oireachtas. I will be doing only the set dance competition at Rhythm of Ireland to try out my new Downfall of Paris without the stress of having to push myself to have the other rounds ready (namely slip jig). Hopefully all goes well, and if not, there's still time to perfect it before the SRO (and if not, there's the ol' standby Planxty Drury). My one and only three round competition will be Feis Culkin a few weeks after.

And now for something completely not related to healing... Remember when I mentioned I won an instagram contest hosted by Marvel and Dr. Pepper that was run during San Diego Comic Con? My prize came in the mail last month. I was expecting five Dr. Pepper cans, which I got. What completely blew my mind was that they came in a fantastic case signed by the Avengers: Age of Ultron cast! Consider me blown away.

Goals: Stamina all around
Days till Os: 66

Surgery Update, part 2

2014-08-20T16:31:00.000-04:00

When I last posted, I was just about to start physical therapy. Now, I am a little over two months out from surgery, and I have come so far since then!

My first week of PT was tough. I was weaning myself off crutches that week, as well as learning that PT after surgery is apparently more painful than PT after healing from an injury. I had barely any movement when I first started, in my third week out from surgery. Now, I am through my initial six weeks of PT, and set to do four more weeks.

I was one hundred percent off crutches my fourth week after surgery. That was the week that I also received a wonderful shirt made by my dance buddies. They were making shirts for nationals, and wanted to make sure I was included too! It was a nice surprise, and nearly made me tear up with all their kind get-well messages.

Six weeks out from surgery was one of my most exciting weeks yet. I was finally able to give the boot the boot! I spent the week relishing in the feeling of wearing two shoes again as I went on a vacation to Ann Arbor, Michigan with my mom and one of my sisters. I spent a lot of time walking around the Michigan campus, and the general downtown area, all the time (mostly) happy that I had shoes that matched.

I have probably a week or two before I can slowly start into dancing again, but I already have my back to dance outfit chosen! I found the shirt at TJ Maxx and couldn't in good faith as an Irish dancer, pass it up. The shoes are my I Can Wear Two Shoes Again present to myself. They're Nike Free shoes, and I know they will be invaluable as I ease back into dancing, especially during long ceili practices.

It may be a month or so until my next post here, so fear not in my silence! Work will be starting up next week, and I expect it will take a few weeks to settle into my schedule after all the Back-to-School-Nights, physical therapy, beginning of fall dance classes, and weekend excursions planned.

Goals: Keep up my PT exercises

Days till Os: 108

Injured girl fitness

2014-08-13T16:07:00.000-04:00

Maintaining my fitness during my surgery recovery has been something very important to me. I am planning on training for the Oireachtas this fall when I am cleared to dance, so I want to make the transition as easy for myself as possible. Plus, apparently staying active while injured (withing your limits of course!) helps with healing. Enter Blogilates, a YouTube channel I stumbled across last fall while searching for ab workouts.

This whole fitness journey started in April when I first really dug deeper into the Blogilates website. I decided to reinvent my eating habits by completing the 12 week New Body Makeover, which includes clean eating meal plans for 12 weeks. I followed the meal plans right up until my surgery, and while I no longer follow their strictness, I do find myself making better meal choices based on guidelines from these meal plans (also, some of the meals have made their way into my go-to meals they were so delicious).

After resting for about two weeks after my surgery, I became very bored at home. I have always been an active person, so sitting on the couch doing nothing got old really quick. Boredom led to me searching out the June workout calendar from Blogilates and completing five YouTube videos, which added up to a 50 minute workout session. From then on, I knew that I wouldn't be bored for an hour of each day.

I was extremely mindful of my own limitations, so I modified a lot of exercises at first. I skipped whole chunks of standing exercises, I planked on my knees, and did whatever I could to complete the exercises withing my limits. The Pop Pilates videos lend themselves very well to modifications for ankle injuries (aside from cardio videos). The modifications also helped me not feel overwhelmed with the intensity of the exercises because some are really difficult!

Want to see the calendar? Sign up at blogilates.com!

My favorite part about Cassey's whole system is that she releases a calendar of what workouts to do on each day of the week. I literally don't have to think about what I'm going to workout each day because she has done that for me! Her calendars change monthly, and this change over to the August calendar has been tough for me because there is more cardio and leg exercises, two areas I'm only getting back into since my surgery. On occasion, my boyfriend will join me during my daily workout (if I don't complete it while he's at work). It's a fun challenge to see if I can match or outlast him over the course of a ten minute workout video.

I can proudly say that I have only missed one workout since June 30th and that was because I was at Kings Dominion all day long. I was still able to complete the daily workouts while I was on vacation in Michigan with my mom and sister (possibly getting them hooked on Blogilates in the process), thanks to my tablet and free Wi-Fi at our hotel! I can feel that I am stronger all over, and I hope to be able to continue the daily workouts once school starts.

As an added bonus, I also have new ideas for ab workouts at the beginning of dance classes (because that always seems to be my job at my dance school). I can't wait to torture the other dancers with some of my new-found ab routines.

Here's where to find Cassey Ho and Blogilates on the web. Sign up for the workout calendar on her website, watch for new workout videos every Monday, and look for quick healthy recipes on instagram!

[Blogilates website] [Blogilates on YouTube] [Blogilates on Twitter] [Blogilates instagram]

Goals: Daily workout, ankle exercises, and stretch.
Days till Os: 115

Solo Dress Spotlight

2014-08-06T16:40:00.000-04:00

Dearest readers, I hope you accept all my apologies in forgetting to write my injured girl fitness blog post when I said I would. I promise that you will be getting the scoop on how I've been staying fit while injured next week, because the post is already queued up! In other news, my solo dress has been making the social media rounds recently!

The end of July is always very exciting for me because it marks the weekend of the San Diego Comic Con! It is my dream to one day attend the convention of all things geekery, but until then, I am sated with instant updates from twitter, live blogs, and all the content that gets posted on tumblr. One of my biggest dreams is to be able to participate in the Marvel costume contest where, you guessed it, I will wear my solo dress and dance on stage for all those at the Marvel booth.

This year's costume contest was also hosted by Dr. Pepper, and boasted the theme of (and special awards for) being "One of a Kind." The winner of the contest was this super awesome steampunk Iron Man, who won a very limited edition set of Avengers Dr. Pepper cans. At the same time, Marvel and Dr. Pepper ran an instagram contest where fans could submit their One of a Kind Marvel costume for a chance to win the same set of soda cans.

All this is leading up to say that I entered and was chosen as a winner!

Just a few days later, I was also deemed "Fangirl of the Day" on the Her Universe website, which specializes in apparel and accessories for some of the biggest sci-fi and fantasy fandoms. Fangirl of the Day is a submission-based endeavor on their blog to promote how awesome being a fangirl is! If you'd like to shine the spotlight on your favorite fangirl (or even yourself as I did), go check it out!

And with that, Rince go Bragh's 200th post is done! Thanks for your support and interest over the years!

Goals: Continue turn out exercises, PT exercises, and daily workouts
Days till Os: 122

Surgery Update, part 1

2014-07-09T15:49:00.001-04:00

As you all possibly know, I had my ankle surgery on June 18th to clean up scar tissue and tighten up some lateral ankle ligaments (with the Bröstrom procedure). My podiatrist deemed it a success! It has now officially been three weeks since surgery, and look how my ankle is healing! Even through the really messy pictures from 1-2 weeks after my surgery, my podiatrist said ,"Looking good."

Weeks 1-3

The first week after my surgery was the most difficult, as I was the most "helpless." I got to stay at my parents' house since they have less stairs, and someone there to take care of me at all times of the day. I spent a lot of time on the couch, mainly watching soccer and napping while listening to audio books. I also celebrated turning a quarter of a century with a Captain America themed party (of course).

The second week after my surgery, I moved back to my apartment. In the latter part of the week, I was able to get rid of the splint, and go into the boot with partial weight bearing on my ankle--one week ahead of schedule! Having a removable boot made it possible for me to spend time at the pool now, in supplement to spending time on the couch, this time watching Orange is the New Black.

This third week after surgery was spent voraciously keeping up with information from the North American Irish Dance Championships. QuickFeis was very helpful this year! I also got to participate in the lighting of fireworks!

I went back to the podiatrist this past Monday, and while I'm still in the boot, my goal for this week is to wean myself off crutches (still ahead of schedule!), and start physical therapy (I go tomorrow).

From the last day of June onwards, I have also been completing a daily workout routine (modified of course because of my injury), and I promise to share more about that with you in my next blog post!

Goal: Get rid of the crutches
Days till Os:150

Mini Update: May Feis Madness

2014-06-11T16:38:00.000-04:00

Holy Angels Feis:

My first feis post-injury went well enough to meet my goals of being able to dance all three rounds all the way through. I didn't place overall (I was one away), but I did place in my heavy and light shoe rounds.
The best part of the feis was being able to see a feis friend that I haven't seen since nationals last summer.
(This feis opportunity brought to you by the large number of times I stayed in Marriott hotels last year--almost all due to dance-- because I had a free stay!)

CCE Feis:

Of the three feiseanna, this feis was my weakest performance. I mucked up my treble jig lead, which didn't start things off well. I felt that I redeemed myself in my soft shoe and set round, but I think the non-rotating panel had already formed their opinion. I was placed near the bottom of the pack, and I deserved it.

Hurley Feis:

This feis was definitely my best performance of the three. Out of 26 dancers, I placed 11th! (Just think of how well I could have done if I was putting all effort into preparing for nationals!)
My favorite part of this feis were the comments I received. Two separate judges commented on my set, one saying, "Nice set," and the other, "Set nice style." I have been learning a hornpipe set to replace Planxty Drury, so as a possible last performance in competition, I was overjoyed. I have never received comments like this on my dancing, so I must have killed it!

Surgery updates:

One week until my surgery! I will be having arthroscopic surgery on my right ankle to tighten up the ligaments I've now torn multiple times, and to clean up the scar tissue. I will be non-weight bearing for three weeks, followed by time in the boot, and finally ten (or more) weeks of physical therapy.
Until then, I am continuing to go attend as many dance classes as I can. I have one tonight, and my last pre-surgery dance class on Monday.
My hope is to be back into dancing enough to attend the SRO. As a team dancer at the very least.

Help me get rid of some of my extra dancing stuff!

Check out this post on tumblr. I have two pairs of heavy shoes and one wig that are available for pay what you can plus shipping from Virginia. If what you can pay is just shipping, then I'm okay with that. I'd really like to ship these off by Friday before I move!

Goals: Pack everything at home and classroom, finish grades
Days till Os: 178

Irish Dance How-To: Wig Up a Pixie Hair Cut

2014-05-21T16:29:00.000-04:00

I haven't done a how-to video in quite some time! It was nice to get behind the camera for the first time in what seems like forever to bring you the following tutorial.

I was apprehensive when I first chopped off all my hair last September because of the whole wig issue. Being a team dancer as well as a soloist, I knew I couldn't get away with not putting a wig in my hair. I wouldn't call myself a professional in putting a wig in short hair, but I have had a lot of practice with it in the last few weeks (more on that in my next post).

I hope you find this video helpful if you're looking for a solution to put a both a bun wig and a full wig in a pixie haircut. I am silly at some points, so I hope it's not too distracting. Enjoy!

Goals: Have a better treble jig at the feis this Sunday
Days till Os: 199

Mini Update

2014-05-07T16:34:00.000-04:00

Injury recovery:

Things are going swell! I tape up my ankle for each dance class I go to for safety measures. I am finally getting my stamina and confidence back (and just in time for three back-to-back weekends of feiseanna).
I have started learning a new set dance (Lodge Road) and hope to have it completed before surgery. You know, so I can sit around and not dance it for three months, before seeing if I can remember it for the Oireachtas.

Feiseanna:

I will be traveling to three feiseanna in the next three weekends! I am really excited to have the chance to compete before I go in for my surgery. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that these won't be my only feiseanna for the year.
First up is the Holy Angels Feis in Charlotte this weekend. I've never been to this feis before, and the overall cap was really small, so I'm hoping for a low-key return to competition. Mind you, my competition is 16 and over, so it will be fun to compete with people nearly ten years younger than I.
Next will be CCE (preceded by a day at the Virginia Renaissance Festival). I am bummed that this feis has changed to three rounds. As bad as this is to say, I was looking forward to not having to dance my treble jig.
Finally for May will be a new feis in Maryland, the Hurley Feis.

Antonio Pacelli:

Last month's post resurrected a Rince go Bragh blog post from two and a half years ago. Check out the most recent revision of 'Dancing Frugally,' and don't forget to check back on the community section frequently to read other bloggers' content.

Life:

This fantastic edit was found floating around tumblr. I think it's hilarious.

I got a new Irish dance themes phone case from Rainy Day Designs!

My grandfather built me this beautiful shelf to showcase my dancing awards!

Goals: Make it through three rounds on Saturday

Days till Os: 213

Mini Update: St Pat's Edition

2014-04-23T16:53:00.000-04:00

Hello Irish dance fans! March Madness has come and finally gone in a blur of wigs and shiny objects. I sat out for much of the St. Pat's activities, as I was at that fine line of kind-of-still-injured-but-can-dance-a-little, but I still was able to contribute in my way between physical therapy appointments and work obligations.

I attended the D.C. St. Patrick's Day parade to help organize the little ones as they did their jigs and reels down Constitution Avenue. It was a very cold day, and I was almost sad to not be dancing since it would have helped keep me warm!

Can you spot me in the back?

I also was able to dance at the festival spectacle that was Shamrockfest at RFK stadium. I was very thankful for the beautiful weather we had that day. There have been years past that it was cold, or it rained and made the stages completely un-danceable.

This is a lovely picture of my backside.

Of course, I also celebrated in my classroom by teaching my students a few different ceilis from the book. (We walked them!) We culminated our activities by watching Lord of the Dance, a surprising favorite for some of the fourth and fifth graders. Maybe I am inspiring new Irish dancers!

Goals: build up stamina
Days till Os: 227

The 2013 Oireachtas

2014-03-13T16:56:00.000-04:00

I have been procrastinating this post. It's true. I am still not 100% okay with how my Oireachtas day turned out. I know I don't usually use this blog to make my displeasure known, but I can't avoid writing about the Oireachtas because it it a part of my dance journey. I made a promise to myself that is what this blog is for, and now that I have readers who care, I can't just pretend it didn't happen.

The long and short of it is I'm not a world qualifier. Again. And for the fourth time in a row, I was within mere places of qualifying.

When the announcer skipped over my number, I said "What?!" out loud. I knew I had it, and couldn't believe it. All day long, I was so looking forward to being called on stage before the placements were awarded. I had danced my best. I maintained my health all year long, and was achieving my goals outlined for the year. Something within me was so confident that I would be up there, but that something was terribly wrong.

Awards was tough. It took all of my willpower to hold myself together on stage. Of course after being disappointed for the fourth year in a row, I found it very difficult to hide that emotion. I am only human, though my solo dress makes it seem otherwise. I received an on-stage pep talk from one of my TCs; it's the only moment of the day I wish I could remember in full detail.

I cried through a good part of the teams awards, finally able to pull it together by the time my 4-hand and figure choreography were called to hear our placements (8th and 2nd). As I was pulling myself together, I was able to buy my scores, and in the end, it was my set. My set of three years (and much careful polishing) dropped me by six placements. I had it until then, and knowing what caused my disappointment is crushing, nearly as crushing as seeing dancers I had consistently placed above all season, beat me out at this one event.

As I was driving back to my house from the Oireachtas (they were local this year), the question on my mind was, “Why do I keep doing this if I constantly fall short of my goals?” I had a very lively debate with myself. I was so absorbed in figuring out the answer to this question as I was driving down the interstate that I missed the exit for my house.

Ultimately, I decided that when I dance, I know that everything is right in my world. My life could be up in shambles, but when I am dancing, I know that everything will be okay. Dance is my thing. I keep dancing because when I dance, nothing else matters. I will get myself that qualification one day. It may be this fifth year of chasing the goal, it may be the next, but until then, I will enjoy every moment of this journey I have created for myself.

Goals: PT exercises every other day
Days till Os: 268