Not quite Strictly!

This week's blog covers the Ballroom and Latin Dance classes to date. 

The course I chose for dance classes covers a few different ballroom and Latin dances. So far, we have done the Foxtrot, the Waltz, and the Cha Cha Cha. Luckily the dances we have been doing so far have very similar steps for men and women- the steps just mirror one another. I always go to class with great intentions of taking photos for the blog, but always get so caught up in the dancing that I forget. I will try to get some next week, but in the meantime, I am including Youtube tutorials which cover some of the steps we have been learning.

The first dance of the course was the Foxtrot, and I am feeling much more comfortable with that one now. The Foxtrot is always danced in 4/4 time, so we mostly end up dancing to Frank Sinatra songs, and some Bobby Darin.

We progressed from the Foxtrot onto the Waltz, which I think everyone has an idea of, but I realised I had no clue what I was doing. At home I tried to practise to some of the well-known waltz music, like the Blue Danube or Shostakovitch's Second Waltz, but they are way too fast for the waltz we learned, which looks something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCch-zPc_BY. Instead, I figured out our waltz fits much better with the Godfather theme tune!

We also started into the Cha Cha Cha, which is so exotic compared to the other two. It's such a show-off dance, but is very fun (and fast). While I enjoy the Cha Cha Cha, I find it much harder to stay on beat with those particular songs. The easiest one we danced to so far was the Pussycat Dolls' cover of Sway. 

We are already in the eighth week of the ten week course- it has flown by. The people in my class are so lovely, and we're all really enjoying the course. Everyone watches Strictly Come Dancing, so - much to my Dad's horror - I've started watching it too. Ed Balls may get a lot of criticism for his dance skills, but he's still leagues ahead of us all! Unfortunately, the follow-up course won't start till the end of January, so I'll try to find some other dance course to fill the gap. If anyone knows of anywhere good, let me know.

I hope you've enjoyed the deeper insight into each activity I'm undertaking for the Gaisce challenge. The next blog post will cover my progress in all three activities- thanks for reading :)

Yoga

 I have now done 4 weeks of yoga classes and I am really enjoying it. What I love about yoga is that the instructor frequently reminds us that it's not about the poses other people in the class are doing; it's not about all being at the same level, but rather about doing what feels comfortable for you. The instructor will adapt different positions depending on what different levels people are at. It can be hard not to push yourself to a higher level, but when the instructor starts doing crazy poses where all the weight rests on her hands only, I know I am not ready for that (yet!) but I look forward to being able to do it.


Aside from the physical aspect, the instructor focuses on the "meditation through movement" aspect of yoga, telling us to focus on positive thoughts, to let go of negative feeling, and to try and carry that attitude out with us afterwards. On the morning of Trump's election, it was lovely to go to yoga to forget about it all!

I'm surprised how different yoga is from week to week. It's hard to remember the names of all the poses too, but as you can see I have a few pictures here of some of the poses we do. I had to miss yoga one week because I was ill, and my body really knew it- my joints kept cracking throughout the following week's class. I am definitely going to invest in my own yoga mat soon so that I can practise at home.I can tell I am making progress with my ability/inability to touch my toes, so I am delighted with that.

"Ye're doing great work here"

Our shop front

This week's blog will cover the Irish Cancer Society, next week's blog will cover yoga! 

Something you might not have considered before is that unlike normal shops, in which new stock is guaranteed, charity shops must instead rely on the public to bring in donations…meaning that while it is great when an item is sold, we rarely have a replacement for it. As charity shops almost always sell second-hand items, it is essential that they are of high-quality. We appreciate the many donations from the public, and are always grateful for more. 
 

Part of our
Autumn window display

Real community involvement

I am so glad that I chose to volunteer in a charity shop for my "community involvement" part of the Gaisce. Since I started volunteering with the Irish Cancer Society, I have met the volunteers and regular customers, but also people from around the area who want to get involved in fundraising, such as employees working with BT Telecom and some workers from Today FM. It is great to see so many involved in the charity, and how giving people are. For most people, charity shops are the best place to get a good deal, but it is heartwarming to see how much the charity means to certain customers, who take their change and pop it straight back into the coin box for Breast Cancer Awareness. 

One of the many curious donations!

The new Facebook page

One of the new things I brought to the shop this month was a Facebook page. This page will be a new way to promote sales and shop events, or to attract customers in with unusual, quirky items, like this little fella on the right. So if you're interested or living in the area, please give it a like and a share: https://www.facebook.com/dlcancersoc/ 

To finish this week's blog post, just a quick reminder that this is Prostate Cancer Awareness month, so to all the men, get cracking on sponsorship for those Movember moustaches. Although one of the customers told me "Ye're doing great work here", the vast majority of funding comes from donations from the public, so, women, if you want to do your bit for Prostate Cancer Awareness month too, please text CANCER to 50300 to donate €4 - and if you're feeling adventurous, draw a moustache on your face and share it on Facebook. 

Week 1: Foxtrot, Piano Teapot and the Mysterious Blanket

This week a woman, next week a man

I had always wanted to learn some of the different ballroom dances- and after much searching I finally came across a 10 week introductory class to Ballroom and Latin Dancing for beginners- exactly the kind of taster class I was looking for. Unfortunately, and as I had expected, the women outweighed the men…. 7:1! So, this week I got to dance the woman’s steps, but next week I will dance the man’s steps. Today, we started off with the Foxtrot, first pacing out the steps, speeding it up, then coming together with our partner and trying not to stomp on each other’s feet. Once the music switched on, we were dancing to songs like Beyond the Sea and The Tender Trap. I hadn't been sure how I would find my first dance class, because I often find it difficult to copy dance moves, but I really felt I got the hang of it today, and with a bit of practice, I definitely think I will be ready for next week. 

Why buy one book when you can buy 10?

Books flowing off the shelves!

I called into the Irish Cancer Society charity shop to  ask about volunteering, and was told I could start the following week. My first task was to check price tags on items out in the shop, and I was immediately struck by how the donations are sold at such fantastic value. Take all these books pictured here, for example, the majority are priced at €1.50 each! So if you are thinking of getting new reading material any time soon, do consider going to a charity shop, because not only are you donating to a charitable cause, but you are also saving money and benefiting the environment in the process. After checking price tags, I was sorting through donations, which is always an interesting task to see what kind of items people donate. The strangest was probably a funky piano-shaped teapot! I really enjoyed my first day- learning how the shop works, and meeting all the other volunteers.

The "Tree Pose"-
fell over right after taking this

The Yoga Newbie 

This was my first ever yoga class. I was quite nervous going in, as this was not a beginner class, but rather a “Yoga all levels” class and everyone else seemed to know what they were doing. Nonetheless, in I went, and the instructor told me to get a mat, a blanket (??) and some blocks (???). At first glance the studio, with all the foam blocks, blankets and mats, looked like an ideal place to build a really impressive blanket fort. The instructor was excellent, easing us into the class, then the poses got progressively difficult, and by the end my legs were really starting to shake! We wound down at the end, eventually getting to use the mysterious blanket for the meditation part, called "Shavasana". Having never tried yoga before, I had been wary about doing it, but after today’s class, I think it would be extremely valuable to keep it up as a life-long activity.


I can't wait to see what the next few weeks bring!

The Beginning

"Find your passion, get active, and make a difference in your community"

This year, I am setting out to complete the Gold Gaisce challenge, also known as the Irish President's Award. I kept putting it off, BUT (as usual) deadlines are the best cure for procrastination- and the Gold challenge must be completed between the ages of 17-25, so I am actually starting to run out of time! In order to earn a Gold President's Award, the participant must complete 52 weeks of: a physical activity, a skill, and community involvement, as well as an adventure journey and a residential activity. For more information on the award, visit: http://gaisce.ie/ Also, if you are wondering what on earth Gaisce stands for - it is an Irish word meaning "great achievement"... but can also mean "brag"- I'll leave that for you to decide!

For this challenge, I have leaped out of my comfort zone and into...dance classes! I've never had the knack for dancing, my brother definitely got all the dance genes. Instead I mostly awkwardly bop around, never know what to do with my hands, try to look invisible and hope no one is actually watching. I decided against taking Hip Hop classes, because aside from coordination I probably lack necessary sass. Instead, I am starting ballroom and latin dancing - which so far seems set to include the foxtrot, waltz, swing dancing, tango and cha cha!

Having pretty much just sat at a desk for about 5 years writing essays -with minimal physical activity in between - suddenly going to the gym probably isn't the greatest idea. Instead, for my physical activity, I have decided to take up yoga, in the hopes of improving my flexibility. Finally, for my community involvement, I have decided to start volunteering with the Irish Cancer Society in one of their charity shop branches. Cancer is something which touches everyone's lives at some point, so I am glad to help cancer research funding in whatever way I can.

This blog, as you've probably realised by now, will be following me on my Gaisce journey, and while it would be great if this turned out to be a tale of "Clumsy Girl Becomes Great Dancer", "Sarah Can Finally Touch Her Toes" or "New Breakthrough thanks to Cancer Research Funding", I am not setting any particular goals, I am just really excited about the process. I hope that at the very least, you get enjoyment out of reading this blog, or, even better, I hope that you might be encouraged to try something similar- step out of your comfort zone, or give your time to someone who needs it.

If not, in the typical Irish way, sure just read it for an auld sneer.

Till next week!