missing... spare time... if found call...

My life seems like a laundry list. My goal this week is to get organized enough that I can spend time on all the things I need to do and then not feel guilty when I take a few minutes doing nothing on my list. Or overwhelmed. Or discouraged. Or defeated. Yes, this list goes on too.

I feel like I'm going back to school. I need to memorize a ton of things and take a three-day test in October. The idea is to certify to become an Irish Dance teacher (TCRG). The good news is that I have talented people who will be helping me in this ominous task. But it still feels like an ominous task to me. If you have no idea what it takes to certify, here's a taste.

[QUALIFYING MARK 70%]

In order to pass the written and practical exams, you need to know Ar Rinci Foirne inside and out.

There are 30 ceili dances to learn from 3 different parts of the book.

Practical exam in teaching ceili [QUALIFYING MARK 70%]

You will be required to teach parts of different dances from the handbook "Ar Rincí Foirne" to a group of dancers. The examiners will choose the dances and their parts.

As part of this section you are also required to demonstrate that you are capable of performing the basic steps required for Céilí dancing. i.e. sevens, promenade step, etc...

Written music exam [QUALIFYING MARK 70%]

You are required to learn the 38 set dancers stated by An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha.

On the day, nineteen set-dance tunes are played and you are required to identify and state

- the tune by name

- its timing, and

- give the number of bars in the step and the number in the set.

The marks for each tune will be allocated as follows:-

Name of tune - 2 marks

Timing - 1 mark

Bars in step & Set - 2 marks (only if both are correct)

You are also required to know five tunes: Reel, Slip Jig, Single Jig, Double Jig and Hornpipe.

You are required to identify each tune. There is one mark per tune.

And that's it. Did you get all that? Whew. So, this is my "new year's resolution" if you want to call it that. I never thought I would end up in a position where I would have people around me to help and a dance school to work with where I didn't have to run the whole company by myself. And that's why I'm going to do this. After Irish dancing for fourteen years, I finally will have the icing on the top of all of that experience. And I will prove once and for all that cloggers can Irish dance just fine, although I think the stigma has been melting away over the last ten years.

It's official. I'm An Daire now. Coming soon... a new sign on my fence and on my studio. Soon as in next month probably.

Oh yeah, I'm absolutely still running the Boise Cloggers. That is my baby.

And I'm still writing.

And I still have to finish writing a play... very stressed about this.

And run the household in my spare time. Breathe....