Practicing and Being a Better Irish Dancer – Aranza F.

How do you practice? Do you practice at home? What do you recommend to do to be a better Irish Dancer? Submitted by Aranza F.

Hi Aranza! Thanks for writing in. I have a small practice floor at my house with mirrors that I use to practice. Because the floor is smaller, I usually break down my steps. For example, I would dance the first half of my first step. Then, watching myself in the mirror, I fix anything that I or my mom noticed. Then I continue like that through my steps. Then, I will dance each step, both feet, to my best ability within the space. I think that’s key–understanding that sometimes, concert halls aren’t readily available so you have to work with what you have 🙂 So just remember as you practice, adjust your steps to what makes sense for your space. I always break down at home, and then do full steps in class. That last question is hard to answer, since it takes a lot to be a champion. Here is my top seven (go ahead and laugh at the weird number, I know that’s coming) list of…

Ways To Be A Better Irish Dancer

-Have a style. Some dancers are sharp and snappy, others are more graceful or athletic. Ask your teachers about what style you have and how to accentuate it. When you can pinpoint your style, it’s easier to have that stand-out personality.

-Dedicate yourself. There’s a difference between wanting to win and wanting to win. You know, there are the “I’m gonna try to” people and the “I’m gonna” people. Needless to say, if someone’s on the world podium, they’re an I’m gonna kinda dancer. You need to be dedicated to your goals, which brings me to another point…

-If you didn’t put the work in, don’t expect high placements. This one is pretty self-explanatory. Use bad feis experiences as lessons to teach yourself how to be a better dancer.

-Practice, practice, practice, and don’t forget to practice. Just dancing in class is not enough. You’ve got to practice at home. Like I said above, adapt it to work with your space, but practice. Judges can tell who practices diligently and who doesn’t.

–Work on technique. Break down your steps into itty bitty sections, turning out and crossing and arching until your legs fall off. Okay, maybe not. But you get the idea. Go through your steps, remembering specifically when you really need to arch, or cross, or whatever. Eventually, it will start to become more second nature. That said, you can’t only have technique. You also need to…

-Have stage presence. It’s important to have technique and good style, but true stage presence seals the deal. When judges and spectators see a dancer with a confident, relaxed smile and poise, their chin up, and a snappy point, they are drawn to the dancer before he/she even moves. You’re not going for cocky, just confident. Experiment with different styles of pointing, bowing, walking onstage, and carrying yourself until you find a combination that is just right.

-Believe in yourself. Nerves, worrying, and comparing yourself to others is never going to get you anywhere. Believe, believe, believe that you can do it. If you work hard and think you can, you can do anything.