Author: maldonm

Old-Style Step Dance, Past Classes

2022 Summer 1 | Old-Style | Classes | All

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classes

woodsheds

Tuesday June 7, 2022 – St. Patrick’s day, the whole thing.

Patti asked about style and we worked on getting the cross over in the hop backs as well as keeping the rock nice and tight. For myself I’m working on doing a full hop rather than a lazy (sean-nós) heel drop.

We also talked about dancers who have great old-style form and style. Jackie O’Riely, Kieran Jordan, Céline Tubridy, Michael Tubridy and Pádraig McEneany. Here are a few reference videos for style. I have put a few videos for style reference. I will keep looking for nice examples.

The Tubridy’s

Kieran Jordan and Caitlín Nic Gabhann

Old-Style Hornpipe

keep her lit

endurance

Endurance Playlist

Tuesday June 7, 2022 – Maggie Pickie, Priest in his Boots and St. Patrick’s day. We danced all three dances twice in a row. It was 14 minutes of straight dancing. Sadly it didn’t get recorded. We will continue to work on endurance and adding more time as the weeks go on. It endurance the goal is to keep going and to prepare for a performance and situation where you will be dancing back to back dances in a show. Don’t worry about being perfect. As you dance and finish note what went well in your endurance session and what needs work. We are all coming out of 2 years on not performing so be kind to where your level is now and work on improving it. I keep a practice journal where I take notes of what was amazing and rocked and what needs improvement. The woodsheds and keep her lit sessions are where you prefect parts of a particular dance and get it slowly up to speed. Just keep at it and you will get better and better. When I have followed this practice session on a regular basis in the past I have been supper ready for a show. When I have not followed it quite often I get on stage and the band is playing much faster than I have been practicing or the show is longer than I have been practicing in a row and there are always surprised. The endurance sessions help you with as much before hand as they can.

June 16, 2022 – Maggie, Priest in his Boots, St. Patrick’s Day and Old-style hornpipes.

Blog

Building a Dance Practice Routine

maldonm

If you’re like most dancers, you probably struggle with having a consistent practice routine. The month of April, let’s challenge ourselves to build a practice routine one step at a time.

James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, has some great suggestions for building habits. Two things that I use from his book are:

  1. Keeping your new habit doable and small
  2. Habit stacking

Number one, keeping your new habit doable and small. Make a commitment to yourself to do 5 minutes of dancing everyday. You may end up doing more, but don’t put so much pressure on yourself that you dread your practice time. Build the habit up slowly and steady. 5 minutes a day is better than an hour once a week. You will make great progress with just 5 minutes on a consistent basis.

Number two, habit stacking. What is habit stacking? What habits do you have on lock already? A morning cup of joe, brushing your teeth, taking your dog for a walk or making your bed? Try stacking your new habit of dancing 5 minutes a day with something that you do without thinking. I am going to stack my 5 minutes of dancing with opening my office door. Between opening the office and turning on my computer I will do 5 minutes of dancing each day. 

Let’s break down our challenge into manageable steps. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Choose a time of day that you will practice each week.

2. Commit to practicing for at least 5 minutes, even if it’s just a few basic steps.

3. Join the facebook group! Find a practice buddy or join our online dance community to stay accountable.

4. Track your progress! Seeing your progress on video or in a notebook will help with motivation. Your brain will get a little hit of dopamine as you check off your habit tracker or record your progress each day. Consider recording a before and after video. Video yourself dancing before you start practicing and then record yourself at the end of the week or month to see your progress. You don’t have to share this with anyone, it can be just for you to see how much you improve over the month. Very motivating to see your progress so clearly! 

Building a consistent practice routine doesn’t have to be daunting. By taking it one step at a time, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a better dancer in no time!

Blog

5 Minute Practice Challenge for Dancers

maldonm

Build Your Dance Practice Routine One Step at a Time!

Are you looking to improve your dance routine? Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced dancer, it’s important to take the time to build your routine step by step. In just five minutes, you can use this practice challenge to work on one element of your reputare or routine. Ready to get started? Let’s go!

Maldon Meehan Dance is Challenging You to Build a Dance Practice Routine in April. Will you join me?

All you will need is 5 minutes a day, a notebook and a goal.

We start April 1, 2022!

Join the facebook group to share your porgess. I will be doing this challenge along with you and sharing my progress at https://www.facebook.com/groups/maldonmeehandance