Reeeeeeaaaachhhhhhh....

Here's the dealio; I very very very very VERY very badly want to be able to hang a leap.




And I can't.
I've scoured the internet to try and find the one magical magic thing that will make my leaps suddenly click into place. Once I did find that one magical magic thing, my legs would be like, "Ohhh, so THAT'S what we're supposed to do!" and they would do it perfectly and beautifully and all would be well with the world. But to no avail.

For you see, that one magically magical thing does not exist. Sure there are lots of helpful articles about this kind of thing, but I still can't freeze a dang leap!

I understand the mechanics of hanging one; you have to get a lot of momentum first off, and then get your legs into position really fast. Combine the two together and you have a beautiful hanging leap. I've also watched many a video on YouTube of Jillian Oury and her perfect magical Irish faerie leaps, and I've noticed that her leading leg is already at its full height even before her back foot leaves the floor.

SO, this fine afternoon I tried to do so. And wouldn't you know it, I pulled something in my hip.
*headpalm*

So now I'm all stressed and freaking out because I DESPERATELY want to be able to hang a leap like the best of them, but apparently that's too much for a simple Novice dancer like me.

I've formed a theory. And my theory is this:

There is a magical Irish Dance Faerie that has a gorgeous solo dress made out of moonbeams and stars who has a magical wand with the North Star on the tip. She looks like this:

She goes around to lucky Irish Dancers and bestows upon them the gift of being able to freeze a leap.

Well... okay.

Enjoy these pictures of beautiful leaps in the meantime!

Say it Ain't So! Colorful Ghillies?!

That's right folks, colored ghillies! I came across these on the internet- they come in light blue, navy blue, green, pink, red, and white. You can see them here... http://fayshoes.com/products_shoes.htm
      Just scroll down a little to see them. I think the white ones are done by a different company, but nevertheless, they're out there! What do you guys think of 'em? Should they be worn for feises, or kept to recreational shows? I personally think they're cool and fun. I would definitely buy a pair... I might even go so far as to wear them to competitions. They're not traditional, but there wouldn't be traditions without new ideas first!
       Of course the thing about black ghillies is that they're uniform and go with any dress. And maybe the colored ghillies available don't go with your solo or school costume. BUT! I think if they come in a color that matches your dress, go for it!
       I wonder if judges would let you compete with them?
      Apparently so; if you click on this link- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2C19HRdO3s -you can see a girl dancing in red shoes. She dances more towards the end, so you can skip ahead to, oh, about 7:40 to see them. I think they look fabulous!
      

Slainte!

I would like to start off by giving a resounding "Hello out there!" to everyone in BlogLand! This is my first time blogging, so please bear with me. I'm an Irish Dancer, have been dancing for about two years now, am currently in Novice, and love every single minute of it. Every hour/minute/second of practice is so fantastically fun and brilliant! Every other Irish Dancer out there can back me up.
     Before I get too carried away, welcome to my blog, "An bhfuil tu Damhsa Liom", which means "Would you like to dance with me?" in Gaelic- a pretty fitting name seeing as this blog is all about Irish Dance. Basically what you can expect to see in this blog is stuff about...

1. Competing
2. Dance wear (trends on solo costumes, shorts, team jackets, etc.)
3. Shows (parades and whatnot)
4. More shows (Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, etc.)
5. Anything else dance related

So without further ado, LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!