Dance Blog

 Week 1 Monday 26^th Sep

· (Monday) 

Unlaois’d Youth Dance Company met for their first session of the term, following a long break from training over the summer months. There were many new faces eager to join in but the majority of the gang had returned for a second year so we now have an ever expanding waiting list of young dancers. We have started rehearsals immediately for a performance that will take place on October 6^th for the launch of the new ‘Teens of Laois’ website. This will be held in the Heritage hotel and will be attended by all the major youth organizations in the county. Unfortunately there is not enough time to produce a new piece so we have decided to revisit Mathematics one last time. This time however, the solo will be danced by Kenny and Leah as Thando is not available to perform. Go team!

·  (Tuesday) 

We have also commenced classes at the parish centre for a new multinational adult dance group. A fascinating introduction was followed by a lot of laughter and some very enthusiastic dancing. For me the process of teaching without relying on language was a new and somewhat nerve racking experience that in future will require a lot of preparation and precise demonstration!

·  (Wednesday) 

The third class of the week was held at the community centre in Rathdowney where I met the ‘Divas’ (women’s group) for the first time. This group has been established for some time and 25 women between 18 and 50 years of age were there to show me the ropes. There were some mixed expectations around what we might achieve in these sessions but I’m still hoping they might perform in December for the Symposium.  Watch this space!

Dance Blog

Week 2 Monday 3^rd October

· (Monday) 

Unlaois’d rehearsed again today for the performance on the 6^th (Thursday). There is still a feeling of anxiousness around the absence of Thando for the main solo but I’m confident Leah and Kenny can pull it off. We’re really focusing on strength, concentration, flexibility, stamina and core stability at the moment as the break over the summer has left a lot of participants feeling tired and stiff. As for making, we’re beginning to put together warm ups, small isolation sequences, floor sequences, jumps and footwork. I have handed over some of the responsibilities around teaching isolation sequences to Thando Mafu. As the oldest and most experienced member of Unlaois’d he has shown strong leadership qualities and a willingness to assist his fellow dancers.

·  (Tuesday) 

Because of confusion around studio space this week we had a drop off in numbers for the multinational group. We eventually ended up taking class on the stage at the Dunamaise with a total of 10 participants. A more permanent home has been found at St. Mary’s Hall on the Dublin road into Portlaoise. The session was again full of laughter as we negotiated our way around dancing without a common language. Some faster sequences were introduced and the group showed a natural leaning towards strong rhythmic work rather then expressive or flowing movements.

·  (Wednesday) 

A sequence has developed very quickly in Rathdowney as the ‘Divas’ this week showed a huge amount of maturity and potential for collaborative practice. I had initial concerns around their willingness to perform or develop detailed work but these concerns were put to rest as the group began to input from the early stages of the session. Some participants however have expressed a desire to ‘move more’ within the allocated time, telling me that there is still an exercise V creative divide within the group. Making 25 women happy is no easy task!

Dance Blog

Week 3 Monday 10th October 

(Monday) 

Unlaois'd did really well on Thursday night. A lot of them pointed out how different/difficult it was performing on the same level as their audience. It's so hard to maintain an enthusiastic performance when you are face to face with the person watching. You can see them munching on sweets and whispering to people beside them. We discussed all this before hand and they knew it was going to require a little extra in terms of presence. Its so much easier performing under lights and in the darkness. There were also some concerns around dancing in front of their school peers (especially the boys) but their performance didn't suffer.

Class was a little different on Monday as we invited some new people to join in. We had four available spots as school commitments have taken over for a few of our junior cert members. It was great to have a different flavour in the sessions and some very surprising talent. We'd like to welcome Blessy, Bridget, Niamh and Abdulah to the group. Hopefully they will add something special!

 (Tuesday)

 Our Tuesday session was even smaller this week as issues around space continued to confuse and upset the group. We've moved into our home at St Mary's however this news did not reach all parties and we're hoping that next week might see everything settle down a bit. We managed a bit of floor work this week. There was some reluctance (as there always is) to go to the floor but this group seem to be very open to experimenting with different styles of movement. I'm starting to see what kind of movement might link the groups down the line. And also who might be interested in taking this process a little further.

(Wednesday) 

The 'Divas' in Rathdowney really took off this week. We have a solid 16 in the group and i think we've hit the right balance in terms of everyone getting what they want out of the sessions. Lots of smiley, sweaty ladies!

Am really looking forward to finally starting with the 50+ group in Abbyleix next Monday. Its a small group but that might change over the next few weeks. They may not be ready to perform in December but its just great to get the roots down and maybe they can come in a little deeper at the next stage in March.

UnLaois’D Dance Show

Mathematics

June 27th 8pm

€ 4 / 3