Practice Outlines

PRACTICE OUTLINES

1. THE EVERYTHING PRACTICE

Brief Description: The most commonly used practice method. An all-encompassing practice that doesn’t focus on a particular dance aspect.

Length: Usually 1 hour, but can be shortened to 45 mins or lengthened to 1 1/2 hours.

Practice Plan for a Productive Everything Practice:

Step 1: Warm up. Should last about 10 minutes, consists of a basic warm up and stretch routine.

Step 2: Do a run-through. Do first step, second step, and then third step of hard/soft shoe to the best of your ability. Adjust if you need to due to space.

Step 3: Do each step without music, watching yourself in the mirror and practicing any corrections.

Step 4: Repeat step 2, remembering everything you just fixed.

Step 5: IF YOU STARTED IN SOFT SHOE, CHANGE IN TO HARD SHOES, COMPLETE STEPS 2-4 FOR HORNPIPE/TREBLE JIG, AND THEN COME RIGHT BACK. IF YOU ARE PRACTICING A SET DANCE, MAKE SURE YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT SHOES AND CONTINUE. IF NOT, YOU’RE DONE.

Step 6: Do a run-through. Do step and then set of your set piece to the best of your ability. Adjust if you need to due to space.

Step 7: Do right foot step, left foot set, and then set in the mirror, practicing corrections, and then

Step 8: Do the run-through again.

Step 9: Cool down by repeating your simple stretching routine.

Step 10: Take your shoes off and put out the lights! You’re done!

2. THE NITPICKY PRACTICE

Brief Description: AKA The Every Last Detail Practice. Includes breaking down steps, doesn’t contain many run-throughs. Focuses on basics and technique, and not stopping until you get it right.

Length: Anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, depending on intensity and how many dances practiced.

Practice Plan for a Productive Nitpicky Practice:

Step 1: Any intensity of warm up can be done. I recommend an intermediate warm up and stretch, 20-25 mins.

Step 2: Start with either shoe, any dance. It can be hard to get through all three rounds for OPs in a NPP, so I recommend picking two. I’m going to phrase this practice plan as if you are doing a slip jig/treble jig/reel/hornpipe first. Dance the first bar of the right foot of the first step. Do it as many times as needed to get it as close to perfect as possible. Dance the second bar of the right foot of the first step. Do it as many times as needed to get it as close to perfect as possible. Continue until you’ve done all 8 bars of the right foot of the first step. Repeat with the left foot of the first step.

Step 3: Do second step foot by foot, bar by bar as detailed in Step 2.

Step 4: Do third step foot by foot, bar by bar as detailed in Step 2.

Step 5: Steps 1-4 can surprisingly take up to an hour or so, so it’s understandable if you want to stop here. If not, keep on going.

Step 6: If doing another slip jig/treble jig/reel/hornpipe, just repeat 2-4. If you’re doing a set, break down the right foot of the step in the manner described in Step 2.

Step 7: Then the left foot…

Step 8: Then the set.

Step 9: Cool down, doing the same stretch routine as in Step 1.

Step 10: Take your shoes off and put out the lights! You’re done!

3. STAMINA PRACTICE

Brief Description: Stamina is the focus of this practice. It includes drills, stamina exercises, repeating steps, and doing lots of dancing in a row. Get ready for a workout!

Length: Usually 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Practice Plan for a Productive Stamina Practice #1–Lots of Drills:

Step 1: Any intensity of warm up and stretch can be done. I recommend easy-intermediate, 10-25 minutes.

Step 2: I’m going to start with hard shoe for this example. Begin by doing some of your favorite basic hard shoe drills. Once I’m back Irish dancing, I’ll film a drills video for hard and soft shoes. Do this for 30 minutes-ish.

Step 3: Turn your steps into drills and practice those for 30 minutes-ish using the techniques I will include in a future video, again, filmed once I’m able to dance. For now, here are some quick steps for doing so: 1) Find a trouble spot in your steps–one that you constantly have issues with. 2) Take that spot and, if needed, modify the end so you can loop the drill and repeat over and over. 3) If you’re doing your drills to music (highly recommended *cough* *cough*), modify the steps if needed to fit the music easily.

Step 4: Switch to soft shoes and repeat 2-3 in that shoe.

Step 5: Take your shoes off and put out the lights! You’re done!

Practice Plan for a Productive Stamina Practice #2–Lots of Run Throughs and Long Steps

Step 1: Any intensity of warm up and stretch can be done. I recommend easy-intermediate, 10-25 minutes.

Step 2: I’m going to start with hard shoes. Begin by doing all three steps to the best of your ability, modifying if space issues occur.

Step 3: Now we’re going to do something called ladders. If you don’t have a large enough practice space, throw on some dance sneakers and do them outside. Ladders are: 1st and 2nd steps, 16 bar break, all 3 steps, 16 bar break, all 3 steps, 16 bar break, 2nd and 3rd steps. Workout!

Step 4: Conclude with running 1st step, 16 bar break, 2nd step, 16 bar break, 3rd step.

Step 5: Take your shoes off and put out the lights! You’re done!