Improving

[banana17]

Hi everyone
Well basically my teacher has told me I need to attack my steps more both light and heavy!! I know myself I need to improve a lot and I get quite lazy at times. I've been told a lot that I'm well not even dainty but not "aggressive" anyway!! Is there anyway of teaching me to get aggressive and attack my steps? :O I've tried picturing someone I hate under me when I'm doing my hard shoe dances but it just doesn't work. I end up losing the rhythm and messing up the step plus I don't really get that openly angry with someone anyway!
I guess I also need motivation to really push myself plus I need to figure out to push myself through that fitness barrier too!
And if you know of any cool videos of tricks/steps on youtube etc can you send me a link please cause I need to see it perfect before I can see whats wrong with my own version!
Also I get really nervous before any feis not just a major. I end up wasting my energy on me nerves instead of my steps! Do you know how I could channel this energy into my steps?
Sorry I know this is lot to ask but I think I'm going for the worlds next year and I want to know that I at least did my best! Any help at all will be greatly appreciated I know I can do it and this is my first step to getting there!

[Len01182001]

Well, I have problems with being aggressive, too. What I've been told, is pretend your a horse in a horse race. YOU are going to win. YOU are going to get to the front of that stage first. YOU are going to catch the judge's attention. For your heavy round(s), you really need to make your steps, I don't know, ANNOYING. Do you ever see those girls who win Worlds, and they just dance ANNOYING? But at the same time, AMAZING?! That's what you need to do. Kick your leg up higher, stomp the ground harder, and move faster. For your light round(s), you need to SNAP, and I mean ALOT! Just try to make everything BIG without being sloppy. Hope I helped.

[banana17]

Originally Posted by Len01182001

Well, I have problems with being aggressive, too. What I've been told, is pretend your a horse in a horse race. YOU are going to win. YOU are going to get to the front of that stage first. YOU are going to catch the judge's attention. For your heavy round(s), you really need to make your steps, I don't know, ANNOYING. Do you ever see those girls who win Worlds, and they just dance ANNOYING? But at the same time, AMAZING?! That's what you need to do. Kick your leg up higher, stomp the ground harder, and move faster. For your light round(s), you need to SNAP, and I mean ALOT! Just try to make everything BIG without being sloppy. Hope I helped.

Thank you yea it really helps to hear it from someone else!! It's not long till the summer so hopefully I'll be able to get really fit and practice loads! But unfortunately that has never worked in the past I'll have to change that this summer though!! I just need a push and a reminder !!
Oh and what do you mean by snap? I get what you mean with being annoying and the horse sound like a good image !! It kinda makes me laugh though!! hehehe!! Are there any good videos on youtube of these dancers? It might give me the kick I need to push myself!

[Len01182001]

Your welcome! And yeah, that 'horse' thing makes me laugh, too! But it does work! Anyway, by 'snap' I mean like kick your leg out faster, (but still stay in time with the music!) and kick your butt harder/faster (but don't hurt yourself!) Sorry...I can't find aggresive dancers on YouTube right now.
Search up: Irish Dance Championship Hornpipe. You've ought to find some aggresive people there.

[dancingqueen7]

My teacher told me you have to feel the power in your legs before you can dance your trebles or any other step. It works particularly well for your back foot after your treble. You have to feel it making your leg want to put a hole through the floor. To feel it he said you have to just feel like you want to be really loud and hurrt everyones ear. It isn't the most useful piece of information but as they say, everything counts!

[banana17]

Originally Posted by dancingqueen7

My teacher told me you have to feel the power in your legs before you can dance your trebles or any other step. It works particularly well for your back foot after your treble. You have to feel it making your leg want to put a hole through the floor. To feel it he said you have to just feel like you want to be really loud and hurrt everyones ear. It isn't the most useful piece of information but as they say, everything counts!

Thanks no thats good ! I have class tonight where I can really hammer it out I'll try it then

[hornpipefeet]

To attack more your steps, I'd say what you need to add is "punch" to them! I don't know if you're dancing Treble jig and slip jig or hornpipe and reel, but anyways... in your soft shoe try doing everything really sharp, really precise and to punch more, JUMP JUMP JUMP as if you just couldn't touch the floor because it's too hot! and as Len01182001 said: snap more! The thing is: in soft shoe, you also want to be graceful, especially if you're dancing the slip jig!
For your hard shoe round.. Just think that you want to be heard! Don't your feet have something to say? Make it loud, so we can hear them talk hahaha! Weird image, I know, but that's what comes to my mind! Also, before you actually start dancing at your classes / competitions: practice trebles, tips, and start slowly, you want to make sure you hear EACH sound quite loud!
Hope I helped

[banana17]

Originally Posted by hornpipefeet

To attack more your steps, I'd say what you need to add is "punch" to them! I don't know if you're dancing Treble jig and slip jig or hornpipe and reel, but anyways... in your soft shoe try doing everything really sharp, really precise and to punch more, JUMP JUMP JUMP as if you just couldn't touch the floor because it's too hot! and as Len01182001 said: snap more! The thing is: in soft shoe, you also want to be graceful, especially if you're dancing the slip jig!
For your hard shoe round.. Just think that you want to be heard! Don't your feet have something to say? Make it loud, so we can hear them talk hahaha! Weird image, I know, but that's what comes to my mind! Also, before you actually start dancing at your classes / competitions: practice trebles, tips, and start slowly, you want to make sure you hear EACH sound quite loud!
Hope I helped

Thanks I'm doing treble jog slip jig and drunken gauger. I ended up doing my treble jig and drunken gauger tonight in hard shoes next to someone in soft shoes and I was sooooo quiet it's not good I need to break down my steps and just drill them now till I'm a bit happier with how loud I am. But I can't practice in my hard shoes at home cause i keep wrecking the wood! Is there anything I could put on the floor to protect it? I've been trying an old oil table cloth but it's not really working. I have practice trainers but they're not the same as hard shoes!! Any ideas? I don't mind getting crafty and mam doesn't mind once I tidy up after

[hornpipefeet]

Maybe you could buy (or you may already have some!) plywood, like a small piece, maybe 3'x3' so you have place to practice small bits of steps that you want to get louder! You obviously won't be able to run through all your dance while traveling it, but at least it'll give you some space to do drills and to practice the small parts of steps
* Maybe if you buy plywood, also take some foam sheet or something just to put it under so the plywood won't scratch your floor!
** I don't know if your basement has a cement floor, but please, please, PLEASE don't dance on cement Just saying!

[banana17]

Yea I'm trying to organise some plywood at the moment! And don't worry I don't have a basement (I live in Ireland! ) so I can't practice on cement!! Thanks for all your help.