Ok, I haven't posted in a while and for this I apologise, but you'll be pleased to know that it's because I've been working on the content for today's blog!
I haven't competed in around 2/3 years...long enough anyway that I can't remember when my last feis was, but I believe it was the All England's in 2009... possibly 2008 but I think it was 2009. So, understandably, I'm a little rusty. Well, more than a little rusty. I have recurring nightmares where I forget all of the (admittedly simple) feis rules and falter on the step down the line by starting too early, forget to bow to the adjudicators and dance a slip jig when I should be dancing a reel for my Championship. I'm nervous, to say the least and hoping that I can place in all my dances but I'm not expecting too much, I'm sure a lot has changed at Open level since I last competed.
So, the question is; how do you make a comeback? I'm trying to return to the original level I competed in under a new teacher, with new steps and a 2 year break, having only been dancing again for 6 months; the odds are not in my favour. It's for this reason that I've been devising my own strategy, one that I think any dancer could incorporate easily, and I'm happy to say that it's working. It's what I call the 2 week cram.
The 2 week cram is simple, and I'm holiday now so easy to work on. It involves 1hr45mins of non-dance related cardio and 1 hour of practice per day. You can do one in the morning and one in the evening, fit it around your day and if you really work in that 2hrs45 you make massive improvements within the 2 weeks, improving not only stamina but also confidence. My issue up till now has been that my stamina has been pretty pathetic, and whilst I can complete a dance I can't complete it well. So I've started to get my heart racing every morning by going to the gym, where I work out on the treadmill, bikes, cross-trainer and incline-trainer, which all involve a great deal of you using your legs. My favourite of these is the incline-trainer, which is sort of like a cross-trainer in that you push and pull with both your arms and legs but it's at an incline as if you're going uphill. The best part of this is that it also stretches out my legs into almost a hamstring stretch - flexibility and strength! I rotate on all the machines for 10-15 minutes at a time with 15 minutes at the end for a slow jog to walk on the treadmill to warm down. Of course if you don't have a gym membership you can actually do the activities the machines mimic; go for a run, a cycle, hill-walking if you have some nice steep ones nearby. Just make sure that you're working hard and pushing yourself just that little bit further, you'll know what you can do without hurting yourself and the aim is to improve day by day not all at once.
For my one hour drills practice in the afternoon I split it up this way; 10 minutes for warm-up/warm-down, 10 minutes stretching, 20 minutes drilling specific parts of my steps that I think need more precision and 20 minutes running my steps in front of any reflective surface I can find. This I find creates a good balance and I get everything done without causing any damage to myself...well, in general. I'm still too accident-prone not to fall over. During my drills I work on the movement directly before and into the movement I want to perfect, trying to make the transition smooth, precise and the next movement as perfect as possible. I do this over and over until I'm satisfied that it looks great then move on to the next part of that step before drilling the whole thing at the end. This way of doing things may not work for everyone - you may prefer just to work on one dance at a time and do drills and whole dance together, but this is just how I work.
It isn't all hard work though, during my 2 week cram I make sure to take care of myself, especially my muscles and my feet. In the evening I relax by taking a warm bath to relax my muscles with some nice scented bubble bath - dancing is sweaty work after all! I also treat my feet to a homemade foot scrub every few days using a recipe from Skin Care Recipes and Remedies, I personally love the brown sugar and oatmeal scrub. The foot masque is also brilliant for softening your feet overnight, and you can find other easy recipes online that involve peppermint which is brilliant for cooling and refreshing tired and sore feet! The better your feet feel, the more confident and happy you're going to feel on the dancefloor.
This system works for me, my dance class last night was the best I've ever had and I'm feeling strong and ready for Sunday, I just hope my dancing reflects this on the day! I'll be at the Carroll School's Emerald Feis in Chertsey for any UK An Comdhail girls reading this, look out for my dress and please say hi! My friend JK will also be there, dress-spotting and probably taking a few photos for his fashion blog; check it out at www.unlimitedbyjk.com for his brilliant style-spotting tips and tricks, and keep checking back here for more ID-related gems.
Tuesday 28 June 2011
Saturday 18 June 2011
Bun Wigs vs Big Wigs
The great debate. Which would you vote for? Personally I'm going to outline some of the pros and cons of each wig here along with a few pics of the ones I think look best.
(Click on the photos to be linked to the websites you can buy them from; Celtic Creations is offering free shipping to the USA at the moment!)
The Bun Wig
I remember bun wigs being all the rage when I was about 12 or 13 so a good 6 or 7 years ago, but whilst they're not as much of a craze now it doesn't mean that they shouldn't be popular. Particularly for younger dancers the bun wig keeps hair away from your face, looks very neat and tidy and doesn't swamp your head by being so big it makes your head look tiny, which can be a risk of wearing a full head wig. I know my teacher prefers them to the full head wigs at least on the younger girls. I personally love the Celtic Creations Caitlyn bun wig, which uses the pattern of the Caitlyn wig (also one of my fave full head wigs, coincidentally) to create a softer, more natural looking bun wig that looks great on an older dancer.
Equally the Lucy bun wig from Camelia Rose gives an interesting new look, creating an almost beehive style which mimics the trend for using "bumpits" to create miniature beehives in everyday wear. I think it's worth a look if you're looking for something new...
However, if you're looking for a more traditional bun wig, you can't fault the Camelia Rose Ciara wig, which has the tight ringlets which are tried and tested, having been worn by hundreds of dancers including myself for years.
The Big Wig
Well the big wig is arguably the most popular at the moment; the bigger the better. I know a lot of girls believe that a large wig is necessary for stage presence when in championships, not entirely sure they've got it right though as the larger the wig is the more it's going to weigh you down and the more it's going to drag you back. If you feel strong enough to carry around the weight of a large wig on stage whilst still looking as effortless as you want, then by all means go ahead, but I would recommend a medium-length as opposed to a long-length fuller wig in general. When worn with the right accessories a big wig can look very flattering on dancers of any age, and different wigs suit different age ranges. For example, I personally am not a fan of the smaller, tighter "frankfurter curls" as we sometimes call them here because I believe they look too artificial and rag-dolly, but I know they suit a young girl better than an older one and are an ideal choice for an open dancer between the ages of 10 and 13 when they have smaller faces. An example of this kind of wig is the Celtic Creations Alana wig below.
However, for older dancers I am more of a fan of wigs such as the Caitlyn by Celtic Creations which is a fuller, split-curl wig which gives soft lush curls that look very delicate and pretty. It can be quite ''big'' though so I would recommend trying it on first if you have a small or narrow face.
If you're looking for a more ultimately natural look, however, but do not have the sort of hair that will hold a curl, I would recommend Camelia Rose's new Sinead wig. This wig has large soft looking curls that look like the sort you would achieve with magik wands or bendy rollers so it's going back to basics without the pain of sleeping in rollers all night the night before a feis. Unfortunately it's only available in blonde at the moment, but I think it's definitely one to watch especially for older and more mature dancers who are past the age for huge wigs and tons of glitter.
So, which would you choose? Post comments below on your favoured type of wig and we'll see if we can figure out once and for all the Ultimate Wig.
(Click on the photos to be linked to the websites you can buy them from; Celtic Creations is offering free shipping to the USA at the moment!)
The Bun Wig
I remember bun wigs being all the rage when I was about 12 or 13 so a good 6 or 7 years ago, but whilst they're not as much of a craze now it doesn't mean that they shouldn't be popular. Particularly for younger dancers the bun wig keeps hair away from your face, looks very neat and tidy and doesn't swamp your head by being so big it makes your head look tiny, which can be a risk of wearing a full head wig. I know my teacher prefers them to the full head wigs at least on the younger girls. I personally love the Celtic Creations Caitlyn bun wig, which uses the pattern of the Caitlyn wig (also one of my fave full head wigs, coincidentally) to create a softer, more natural looking bun wig that looks great on an older dancer.
 | |
| Photo from Celtic Creations |
 | |
| Photo from Camelia Rose |
However, if you're looking for a more traditional bun wig, you can't fault the Camelia Rose Ciara wig, which has the tight ringlets which are tried and tested, having been worn by hundreds of dancers including myself for years.
 |
| Photo from Camelia Rose |
The Big Wig
Well the big wig is arguably the most popular at the moment; the bigger the better. I know a lot of girls believe that a large wig is necessary for stage presence when in championships, not entirely sure they've got it right though as the larger the wig is the more it's going to weigh you down and the more it's going to drag you back. If you feel strong enough to carry around the weight of a large wig on stage whilst still looking as effortless as you want, then by all means go ahead, but I would recommend a medium-length as opposed to a long-length fuller wig in general. When worn with the right accessories a big wig can look very flattering on dancers of any age, and different wigs suit different age ranges. For example, I personally am not a fan of the smaller, tighter "frankfurter curls" as we sometimes call them here because I believe they look too artificial and rag-dolly, but I know they suit a young girl better than an older one and are an ideal choice for an open dancer between the ages of 10 and 13 when they have smaller faces. An example of this kind of wig is the Celtic Creations Alana wig below.
 |
| Photo from Celtic Creations |
 |
| Photo from Celtic Creations |
 |
| Photo from Camelia Rose |
Tuesday 14 June 2011
The Feis Report
So, Saturday I attended my first feis in roughly 3 years after retiring from competition (and eventually dance class) in order to concentrate on those dreaded GCSEs/A Levels. I wasn't competing on this occasion, lack of a dress and the interference of my uni exams put paid to that idea, but I did go to support the younger girls of my school and act as their big sister for the day. So I travelled just a little way from home to the An Comdhail Surrey Open Championships, not quite knowing what to expect on the day; I'd never gone purely as a helper before. All I can say is that I had a blast! I loved being back in that competition atmosphere; the music, the bustle, the occasionally funny things that other dancers did on stage (take, for example, one particularly cute 6 year old who stopped in the middle of her dance having forgotten her step and started slapping her head saying "URRGH. What is it?") and the great feeling of camaraderie you get within your school. I truly believe that feis, which I am told means something equivalent to "gathering" in English, really does encourage that spirit of togetherness and community within schools as everyone supports one another and cheers each other on. I am happy to say that another reason for it being such a great day was that our girls came first and second in the championship! So I shall say a big congratulations to Tabitha and Scarlett here.
However, feiseanna can be daunting. There's the pressure of getting the steps right, not tripping, not letting anything fall off your costume, not bumping into anyone and the battle to place the best that you can. It's not surprising that it can often be difficult to deal with nerves and to warm up effectively whilst not overstraining yourself, as IDMer Dancing Gal pointed out to me. Unfortunately, there's no set rule for how to deal with stage fright. My best suggestions to calm yourself down are to take a deep breath, try to focus and if you're feeling up to it try to chat with the girls around you; if they're friendly and you get a nice little (quiet) conversation going you'll soon forget you had nerves at all! You could also try a herbal remedy called Rescue Remedy, which helps calm nerves and give an overall sense of tranquillity, made from completely natural plant extracts. It's not harmful, trusted by many and it could really help you to focus before you go on stage, just give it 30 minutes or so to work beforehand.
The next issue is that of warm ups. Obviously you don't want to put too much strain on yourself; you want to be fresh for your competition and full of energy. I would usually start off with a few stretches before putting my costume on so that my muscles are nice and stretched out, then do a few jumps etc. before putting on a pair of legwarmers. Once I'm ready and my dance is going to be called soon I'd get someone to watch out for when they call the competition, then step outside (or if there's a practice area go there) and run the steps of that dance slowly. So as not to overtire myself I try to be as precise as possible but perhaps not jump quite as high, running one step then taking a break, a sip of water and maybe a bite of an energy bar before running the next one. This keeps the warm up calm, ensures you don't overwork yourself but also makes certain that you'll be ready to give your all once out there on stage. A technique which I hope to use myself at my first feis I'll actually be competing in next month! Wish me luck, Rince-followers...
However, feiseanna can be daunting. There's the pressure of getting the steps right, not tripping, not letting anything fall off your costume, not bumping into anyone and the battle to place the best that you can. It's not surprising that it can often be difficult to deal with nerves and to warm up effectively whilst not overstraining yourself, as IDMer Dancing Gal pointed out to me. Unfortunately, there's no set rule for how to deal with stage fright. My best suggestions to calm yourself down are to take a deep breath, try to focus and if you're feeling up to it try to chat with the girls around you; if they're friendly and you get a nice little (quiet) conversation going you'll soon forget you had nerves at all! You could also try a herbal remedy called Rescue Remedy, which helps calm nerves and give an overall sense of tranquillity, made from completely natural plant extracts. It's not harmful, trusted by many and it could really help you to focus before you go on stage, just give it 30 minutes or so to work beforehand.
The next issue is that of warm ups. Obviously you don't want to put too much strain on yourself; you want to be fresh for your competition and full of energy. I would usually start off with a few stretches before putting my costume on so that my muscles are nice and stretched out, then do a few jumps etc. before putting on a pair of legwarmers. Once I'm ready and my dance is going to be called soon I'd get someone to watch out for when they call the competition, then step outside (or if there's a practice area go there) and run the steps of that dance slowly. So as not to overtire myself I try to be as precise as possible but perhaps not jump quite as high, running one step then taking a break, a sip of water and maybe a bite of an energy bar before running the next one. This keeps the warm up calm, ensures you don't overwork yourself but also makes certain that you'll be ready to give your all once out there on stage. A technique which I hope to use myself at my first feis I'll actually be competing in next month! Wish me luck, Rince-followers...
Friday 10 June 2011
Oompa-Loompa? Me? No thanks!
As you may have guessed, I have a massive aversion to the terrible fake-tan craze which always appears at feiseanna; I'm really pale so temporarily making my legs orange to me looks unnatural and a little bit tacky. Of course if you find fake tan works for you, go ahead I have nothing against the idea, it does look good on some people. Just try to avoid looking orange.
My refusal to use fake tan or too garish make up means I've adopted a simpler style when I'm getting ready for a feis; I think the dresses are embellished enough already so I don't need to do too much to my face. So that you can see what I look like pre-makeup, here's a before shot:
As you can see, aside from my eyes I'm pretty washed-out looking, so it's time to add some colour! For my feis makeup look I used a neutral base colour eyeshadow, a dark teal coloured eyeshadow, two shades of silver/grey eyeshadow, a bright turquoise kohl eye pencil, coral blusher, a light two-tone bronzer and a coral coloured lipstick and gloss.
I started off by using a neutral sand-coloured base on my eyes to get rid of any minor discolouration, I then covered this with a pale and shiny silver colour from my duo eyeshadow palette. This makes my eyes look wider and more awake as well as giving a pretty iridescent shimmer to my eyelids. I then layered the lower part of my eyelid with the grey and dark teal colours to give a shadow, before drawing on a solid line with the turquoise kohl eyepencil, creating a really nice block of colour to match with the colours on my dress. I then used mascara on my lashes to "open" my eyes up.
The next part is really easy, I simply use a larger blusher brush to brush on even amounts of a light coral blusher and and two tone sand/brown bronzer to create a natural and healthy glow on my cheeks, brushing a little of the sand bronzer on the ridge of my nose for a sunkissed look. The bronzer has a light shimmer in it that makes my skin glitter subtly. Sorry if the pics don't show this to its full advantage, but you get the idea.
To make this stick I spritz my face with a thermal water spray which moisturises my face and ensures I don't sweat my face off. I then apply lipstick by dabbing it on my lips to get an even, smooth, matte coverage before applying a light coral gloss then voilà!..
This look is intended to subtly emphasise your feautres so that they'll be noticed from the stage, with a promotion of natural-looking beauty, so as you can see it's a bit less flamboyant than other feis styles. If you're looking for something a bit more natural-looking (wigs are going that way, why can't make up?) then this might be the sort of style you may want to adopt. Barry M have brilliant eyeliners in loads of colours that really stay on well and will always have a colour to match your dress.
Why not play around with your make up today, it's always good to find new styles!
My refusal to use fake tan or too garish make up means I've adopted a simpler style when I'm getting ready for a feis; I think the dresses are embellished enough already so I don't need to do too much to my face. So that you can see what I look like pre-makeup, here's a before shot:
 |
| Yes, I know, no wig. But mine was in a pitiful state, so I decided GHD curls were a better idea. |
As you can see, aside from my eyes I'm pretty washed-out looking, so it's time to add some colour! For my feis makeup look I used a neutral base colour eyeshadow, a dark teal coloured eyeshadow, two shades of silver/grey eyeshadow, a bright turquoise kohl eye pencil, coral blusher, a light two-tone bronzer and a coral coloured lipstick and gloss.
I started off by using a neutral sand-coloured base on my eyes to get rid of any minor discolouration, I then covered this with a pale and shiny silver colour from my duo eyeshadow palette. This makes my eyes look wider and more awake as well as giving a pretty iridescent shimmer to my eyelids. I then layered the lower part of my eyelid with the grey and dark teal colours to give a shadow, before drawing on a solid line with the turquoise kohl eyepencil, creating a really nice block of colour to match with the colours on my dress. I then used mascara on my lashes to "open" my eyes up.
 |
| It looks really light like this, but then... |
 |
| ...It really is quite a punch of turquoise! |
To make this stick I spritz my face with a thermal water spray which moisturises my face and ensures I don't sweat my face off. I then apply lipstick by dabbing it on my lips to get an even, smooth, matte coverage before applying a light coral gloss then voilà!..
This look is intended to subtly emphasise your feautres so that they'll be noticed from the stage, with a promotion of natural-looking beauty, so as you can see it's a bit less flamboyant than other feis styles. If you're looking for something a bit more natural-looking (wigs are going that way, why can't make up?) then this might be the sort of style you may want to adopt. Barry M have brilliant eyeliners in loads of colours that really stay on well and will always have a colour to match your dress.
Why not play around with your make up today, it's always good to find new styles!
Wednesday 8 June 2011
The Dress Quest Part 2: My Mission Accomplished
It's finally finished! I have bought a new Irish Dance dress and personally, I think it's beautiful. Here's a picture of it from the seller:
I picked this dress for a few key reasons which I believe everyone does (or should) take into consideration when buying a new dress, particularly one that's second-hand and sold over the internet.
First of all; price. Price is a key factor when buying a dress, you want to spend enough to ensure quality without paying so much that you might as well have just bought a brand new custom-made dress. You will see many dresses marketed for over $1200/£750, whilst this may seem reasonable for used Elevation and Gavin Doherty dresses I would ask you to think wisely before purchasing. For that £750 you could have a reputable designer such as Eileen Plater make you a custom made dress to your specifications, which is more personal and I believe better value for money. This dress was £550 and as I am a student and can't afford more, and have such exacting measurements, I believed this to be a good price for what I wanted without paying for a custom-made solo.
Second of all, you need to consider colour. Colour can look massively distorted in photographs online, and you may have chosen something you think looks pretty on the screen and then discover when it's delivered that it's not quite as nice a shade as you thought. To avoid this being an issue, choose colours that you know always bring out your best features. As I have (very) light colouring and very blue eyes, I know that most shades of blue bring out the best of my skintone and eye colour so it's a fairly safe bet when choosing clothes. Don't be tempted to choose overly bright dresses simply because you believe it'll be more eyecatching on stage, if it's not going to suit you and/or looks ridiculous the adjudicator like any other person will be more distracted by your dress than your feet so it's a little counterproductive.
Finally you must consider how appropriate the dress is for your age and level. I know this sounds a little uptight and/or obvious because we all pick outfits we believe are appropriate to our age, but it's definitely something you need to consider. One memorable line from Memoirs of a Geisha relates dreams to hair ornaments, that "young girls are eager to wear all of them at once, but an older woman looks foolish wearing even one". Don't judge me on that quote, I couldn't find my book to be more exact but you get the idea. With Irish Dancing dresses as with hair ornaments, an older girl's dress should be less ostentatious than say a 13 year old's. As I am 19 and so in the Senior or Over 18s category for feis apart from the All Irelands, I think this dress is suitable to my level because it is a classy Open dancer's dress; the use of only 3 colours keeps it simple and the almost subtle sparkle added with the diamontés adds just that little bit of extra stage presence and glamour. I also like the celtic-styled embroidery as I believe that Irish dancing dresses should look a little bit Irish, it's good to keep some tradition in our outfits.
If you keep these 3 points in mind when shopping around for your new dress, I am sure you will have great success. Look on my Useful Websites page to find links to dress sites I found useful in searching for my dress and check back for photos of me wearing the dress soon. A lesson in subtle stage-makeup for the older dancer and how to add a little bit of glitz for younger girls coming soon...
I picked this dress for a few key reasons which I believe everyone does (or should) take into consideration when buying a new dress, particularly one that's second-hand and sold over the internet.
First of all; price. Price is a key factor when buying a dress, you want to spend enough to ensure quality without paying so much that you might as well have just bought a brand new custom-made dress. You will see many dresses marketed for over $1200/£750, whilst this may seem reasonable for used Elevation and Gavin Doherty dresses I would ask you to think wisely before purchasing. For that £750 you could have a reputable designer such as Eileen Plater make you a custom made dress to your specifications, which is more personal and I believe better value for money. This dress was £550 and as I am a student and can't afford more, and have such exacting measurements, I believed this to be a good price for what I wanted without paying for a custom-made solo.
Second of all, you need to consider colour. Colour can look massively distorted in photographs online, and you may have chosen something you think looks pretty on the screen and then discover when it's delivered that it's not quite as nice a shade as you thought. To avoid this being an issue, choose colours that you know always bring out your best features. As I have (very) light colouring and very blue eyes, I know that most shades of blue bring out the best of my skintone and eye colour so it's a fairly safe bet when choosing clothes. Don't be tempted to choose overly bright dresses simply because you believe it'll be more eyecatching on stage, if it's not going to suit you and/or looks ridiculous the adjudicator like any other person will be more distracted by your dress than your feet so it's a little counterproductive.
Finally you must consider how appropriate the dress is for your age and level. I know this sounds a little uptight and/or obvious because we all pick outfits we believe are appropriate to our age, but it's definitely something you need to consider. One memorable line from Memoirs of a Geisha relates dreams to hair ornaments, that "young girls are eager to wear all of them at once, but an older woman looks foolish wearing even one". Don't judge me on that quote, I couldn't find my book to be more exact but you get the idea. With Irish Dancing dresses as with hair ornaments, an older girl's dress should be less ostentatious than say a 13 year old's. As I am 19 and so in the Senior or Over 18s category for feis apart from the All Irelands, I think this dress is suitable to my level because it is a classy Open dancer's dress; the use of only 3 colours keeps it simple and the almost subtle sparkle added with the diamontés adds just that little bit of extra stage presence and glamour. I also like the celtic-styled embroidery as I believe that Irish dancing dresses should look a little bit Irish, it's good to keep some tradition in our outfits.
If you keep these 3 points in mind when shopping around for your new dress, I am sure you will have great success. Look on my Useful Websites page to find links to dress sites I found useful in searching for my dress and check back for photos of me wearing the dress soon. A lesson in subtle stage-makeup for the older dancer and how to add a little bit of glitz for younger girls coming soon...
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