Overs, Why I continue to dance

The one thing I'll always love about Irish are overs. They were the first thing I mastered, the first thing I realized that with practice I'd actually improve upon. Consequently, they were the first thing that came back to me after I re-started. Last week at class was the first time in years I'd felt that floating sensation - after about 6-7 months of weekly classes (and occasional practices at home), I had regained enough muscle (or muscle memory?) to achieve that feeling. It's a feeling I constantly strive for with all my dancing.

More times than not, I'm filled with self doubt about my abilities; will I actually ever achieve my goals? Are my goals ridiculous? Did I wait too long to re-start to be any good? What actually defines 'good'?

But then I remember why I started, and why I continue to go to class, week by week. Why I will never stop dancing again - because the depressing feeling that comes with it cripples my soul. While yes, I'd love to be that one in thousands that can have a solid competitive career in their late 20s/early 30s, I don't want to stop because I can't have it. I want to learn every set dance known to man. I want to try Sean nos dancing. I want to perform and teach as much as possible for as long as I can. This isn't to say I won't stay competitive - I truly enjoy perfecting steps and I honestly want to see how far I can go with hard work & a little luck.

Now...

What have I done this week to help improve my dancing?
-Stretched 3x this week
-Learned a new slip jig/part of a treble jig; can dance to music sloppily
-Have been doing releves/walking on my toes when I think of it. Do them at work, home, walking to my car. There's no set schedule with these, but I end up doing a few about once a day.

Successes this past week (no matter how small):
-Did my treble jig, in hardshoes (not sneakers, not socks) 2x through to music. It sucks...but this is the first time I've done a full dance to music in quite sometime. Hoping to do 2x more in class tomorrow + sometime at my apartment's gym.
-I can hold my overs again.
-Continue to trim up and gain muscle. My calves are going to be killer by the time summer hits!

Goals for this week:
-Releves. Each and every damn day.
-Crunches - 10 each day.
-Drill two bits of sj that are bugging me; my entire tj
-Run full dances 1x each

I'd say I'll do more...but I also want to stay realistic. Cannot wait to have more time over the holidays!