You might think that for our last troupe practice before the studio closes for the rest of the year that we MIGHT take it easy, just practice some old choreos or do some drills or shoot the breeze. You would be wrong. Instead we took the usual class time, and our troupe practice time, and crammed them together into one two-hour choreography marathon. We learned 2 minutes of a new choreography, and none of it was simple walking, posing, or doing our own thing.
I am exhausted.
But I am also happy to have something new to practice for these two weeks. I'm not traveling for the holidays, and I don't have any major plans. Even if the studio wasn't moving, we would have had to skip the next two practices anyway due to them falling on Christmas Eve and NYE, respectively. So while I'll miss seeing my troupemates, at least I will have something to work on other than drills and practicing the same old choreos (which I will also practice, because I have been slacking).
Right now, however, I just want to go crawl into bed with a book and sleep for about 12 hours.
Showing posts with label tired. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tired. Show all posts
Monday, December 17, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
So Busy!
I had a crazy busy dance weekend, and that's after paring down some of my plans because I couldn't do everything.
Today I drove all the way up to the Phoenix area for a very special practice, which I'll blog more about tomorrow when I am hopefully less exhausted. I also got to drop by Plaza real quick and see my Anaya friends. Every time I see them dance I miss being around them! Anaya Tribal really has some of the best ITS moves, they always look so polished, and their zilling sounds SO GOOD! If you are going to be at the Vegas Intensive, you should make sure to go see them on stage and in the vending area.
Then I got home and went to troupe practice, and only two of us showed up, so we got to spend the night drilling things that we needed to work on -- including 20 minutes of shimmy drills. Hence the exhaustion. I am now ready to eat a cookie and veg out for the rest of the night.
Today I drove all the way up to the Phoenix area for a very special practice, which I'll blog more about tomorrow when I am hopefully less exhausted. I also got to drop by Plaza real quick and see my Anaya friends. Every time I see them dance I miss being around them! Anaya Tribal really has some of the best ITS moves, they always look so polished, and their zilling sounds SO GOOD! If you are going to be at the Vegas Intensive, you should make sure to go see them on stage and in the vending area.
Then I got home and went to troupe practice, and only two of us showed up, so we got to spend the night drilling things that we needed to work on -- including 20 minutes of shimmy drills. Hence the exhaustion. I am now ready to eat a cookie and veg out for the rest of the night.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Still kicking
I have really fallen off of the blogging wagon. Between my recent house-sitting adventures, my hatred of Blogger's new design, and the total lack of interaction from my readers (yeah, I said it!), I have not really felt a lot of enthusiasm for blogging lately. Don't worry, it's not just you guys, my jewelry blog hasn't been updated in over 3 weeks.
Anyway, I'm still keeping a really busy class and troupe practice schedule. I actually had to skip the second class tonight because I was just too worn out. Hopefully I'll sleep well tonight, because I really need to practice for my two upcoming shows. I've barely worked on my solo for the Open Stage on Thurs. Of course, I also haven't received confirmation that I have a spot in the show, so there's that.
In the meantime, I'm daydreaming about future solos, new costumes, and going to Tribal Fest next year. I have $40 in my Tribal Fest fund, hooray!
Anyway, I'm still keeping a really busy class and troupe practice schedule. I actually had to skip the second class tonight because I was just too worn out. Hopefully I'll sleep well tonight, because I really need to practice for my two upcoming shows. I've barely worked on my solo for the Open Stage on Thurs. Of course, I also haven't received confirmation that I have a spot in the show, so there's that.
In the meantime, I'm daydreaming about future solos, new costumes, and going to Tribal Fest next year. I have $40 in my Tribal Fest fund, hooray!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The adjustment period
The worst part of tackling some new physical challenge is waiting for my body to adjust to it. When I started taking Jolie's classes last year, my body rebelled. "What?" said my muscles, "We have to do push-ups and stuff? I thought we gave all that up when we quit CrossFit!" After a bit I got used to it, and then I got better at it, and then I turned into the annoying person who wants to do the hard push-ups because she wants sexier arms.
So now I've got this new practice regimen. I'm doing it 6 days a week regardless of what classes or practices I already have, and it's going to be a good 30-60 minutes per day (including the time I spend on choreos and solos and such). Maybe I should not have started it on a Monday. Maybe I should have waited until Thursday, when I don't have any classes.
Today started out fine. I did my practice, I felt pretty good about it because even though doing basics is booooring, I'm staying focused and correcting my errors as they happen. For instance, for a while I've been getting some pain in my feet and ankles when standing in one position to drill. I realized that it's because even if I start out with my weight evenly distributed, I start to pitch forward into my toes and that puts an unnatural strain on my ankle. So now when I catch myself doing that, I can reset into a more even stance and drill comfortably.
Then I went to class and my body was not happy with me. All those hours of dance yesterday, and a bunch of dance during the day, and I expected it to do more dance and exercise tonight? There were moments where I felt so exhausted that I almost cried, but I powered through and waited for the endorphins to kick in.
Soon enough this will all be part of the past, but it's going to be annoying until I get through it.
So now I've got this new practice regimen. I'm doing it 6 days a week regardless of what classes or practices I already have, and it's going to be a good 30-60 minutes per day (including the time I spend on choreos and solos and such). Maybe I should not have started it on a Monday. Maybe I should have waited until Thursday, when I don't have any classes.
Today started out fine. I did my practice, I felt pretty good about it because even though doing basics is booooring, I'm staying focused and correcting my errors as they happen. For instance, for a while I've been getting some pain in my feet and ankles when standing in one position to drill. I realized that it's because even if I start out with my weight evenly distributed, I start to pitch forward into my toes and that puts an unnatural strain on my ankle. So now when I catch myself doing that, I can reset into a more even stance and drill comfortably.
Then I went to class and my body was not happy with me. All those hours of dance yesterday, and a bunch of dance during the day, and I expected it to do more dance and exercise tonight? There were moments where I felt so exhausted that I almost cried, but I powered through and waited for the endorphins to kick in.
Soon enough this will all be part of the past, but it's going to be annoying until I get through it.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Arms fall off
My arms have fallen off and I am typing this with my nose. Just kidding. But we did way too many push-ups in Jolie's class and my arms already felt noodly due to a lack of sleep. Even typing feels like a chore. Quick run-down:
-Fire & Gold is doing awesomely. We have our first performance on Saturday.
-I will be performing a solo at the Open Stage at the Luxor on Thursday.
-My glow fan skills need more work.
That is all.
-Fire & Gold is doing awesomely. We have our first performance on Saturday.
-I will be performing a solo at the Open Stage at the Luxor on Thursday.
-My glow fan skills need more work.
That is all.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Halfsies
Even dedicated, committed people need a little break sometimes. I was feeling really cruddy and run-down today. I almost skipped class altogether, but I really should save that for when I'm genuinely sick or out of town, so I decided to compromise and only take one of the two classes tonight. And it was a good class, jam-packed with dancers, a pleasant temperature in the studio, and we got to do some arm drills, hip work, and traveling across the floor.
Maybe after a cookie and some tea I'll even feel well enough for a little extra practice!
Maybe after a cookie and some tea I'll even feel well enough for a little extra practice!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Off day
Had an off day in class and troupe practice tonight. I think I'm just too tired from having guests here for the past four days. There were times when I literally stumbled, because my foot fell out from under me. I soldiered on anyway, and I'm happy to say that I found improvement in some areas, such as stretching. It's good to see progress even on bad days!
Unfortunately, three troupe members were missing tonight, so we didn't get to move forward with the choreography, but at least we used our time wisely, drilling the moves from the choreo that people are still feeling rough with.
Unfortunately, three troupe members were missing tonight, so we didn't get to move forward with the choreography, but at least we used our time wisely, drilling the moves from the choreo that people are still feeling rough with.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
UNMATA!!!!!!
What a weekend! The Unmata workshops kicked my butt! Lots of high intensity, fast-paced dancing in a crowded room on a really warm weekend. I had an amazing time and got a serious workout. I got to see dance friends from Tucson, Phoenix AND Bisbee, too!
If you get a chance to take workshops with Unmata, go for it! They have a really unique tribal language and they're just so much FUN to learn from. I like how Amy Sigil runs her workshops, it felt like there was very little wasted time and the way she switches back and forth between doing things quickly and slowly allows you to catch back up if you're struggling. Plus she just breaks things down really well, drilling the separate parts and then sticking them together.
The show was also great. Anaya Tribal and Anaya Tribe were the opening acts and I think we did a good job of kicking things off :) Cari and Tiffany did a badass sword piece and then we all did some fast tribal with zills to a fun song to perk everyone up. After that was a variety of Tucson and Phoenix dancers, cabaret, tribal, soloists, duets, troupes, student groups, and then a long set from Unmata to cap it all off!
If this post feels a little disjointed and full of run-on sentences it is because I am totally exhausted from 8 hours of workshops and staying up too late after the show last night! But it's a happy exhaustion!
If you get a chance to take workshops with Unmata, go for it! They have a really unique tribal language and they're just so much FUN to learn from. I like how Amy Sigil runs her workshops, it felt like there was very little wasted time and the way she switches back and forth between doing things quickly and slowly allows you to catch back up if you're struggling. Plus she just breaks things down really well, drilling the separate parts and then sticking them together.
The show was also great. Anaya Tribal and Anaya Tribe were the opening acts and I think we did a good job of kicking things off :) Cari and Tiffany did a badass sword piece and then we all did some fast tribal with zills to a fun song to perk everyone up. After that was a variety of Tucson and Phoenix dancers, cabaret, tribal, soloists, duets, troupes, student groups, and then a long set from Unmata to cap it all off!
If this post feels a little disjointed and full of run-on sentences it is because I am totally exhausted from 8 hours of workshops and staying up too late after the show last night! But it's a happy exhaustion!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Back to Anaya!
The New Year Session at Plaza de Anaya finally started this week, so it was time for fresh Anaya classes. Had a good time, enjoyed seeing my Phoenix friends, swapped out some of my retail items and collected my earnings... But dang am I tired out from the drive and the dancing!
Have to say I did feel good in class... I "got" some things that I've had trouble with in the past. Studying with other teachers and practicing more has done well for me.
Have to say I did feel good in class... I "got" some things that I've had trouble with in the past. Studying with other teachers and practicing more has done well for me.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
So tired!
Day 349 of practice.
Went to class tonight, did end-of-session review and practice for the student recital. It was good. I'm just too tired to appreciate it. Really looking forward to a couple weeks off from my usual Thursday drive.
Went to class tonight, did end-of-session review and practice for the student recital. It was good. I'm just too tired to appreciate it. Really looking forward to a couple weeks off from my usual Thursday drive.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Tired
Day 321 of practice.
I yawned my way through classes tonight... The drive up was especially tiring and brain-numbing due to traffic. I sure do hate that drive sometimes!
Worked on zills of course, always the zills. Also an intermediate/advanced move that I somehow never learned, so it's good to add that to my repertoire.
Plus I finally got my copy of Carrie Conyha's Trbaret DVD. Maybe I can watch it over the holiday weekend next week.
I yawned my way through classes tonight... The drive up was especially tiring and brain-numbing due to traffic. I sure do hate that drive sometimes!
Worked on zills of course, always the zills. Also an intermediate/advanced move that I somehow never learned, so it's good to add that to my repertoire.
Plus I finally got my copy of Carrie Conyha's Trbaret DVD. Maybe I can watch it over the holiday weekend next week.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Limbs fall off
Day 298 of practice.
The problem with having Jolie's classes on consecutive days is that my poor body takes a beating! Then I have Fonda's class on Weds and 3 hours at Plaza on Thurs, so I don't really slow down until Friday. I have a love-hate relationship with this current schedule. On the one hand, I LOVE that I have 8 hours of class a week before I even factor in troupe practice, performances, and workshops. On the other hand, I rarely get a lazy evening at home anymore.
Anyway, tonight's classes involved lots of rib taxims and mayas and taxims and horizontal figure 8s with slow 4-4 shimmies layered on top. Lots of tricky stuff so it was another good, challenging night. But I'm so tired and hungry that it feels like my limbs are all going to fall off!
The problem with having Jolie's classes on consecutive days is that my poor body takes a beating! Then I have Fonda's class on Weds and 3 hours at Plaza on Thurs, so I don't really slow down until Friday. I have a love-hate relationship with this current schedule. On the one hand, I LOVE that I have 8 hours of class a week before I even factor in troupe practice, performances, and workshops. On the other hand, I rarely get a lazy evening at home anymore.
Anyway, tonight's classes involved lots of rib taxims and mayas and taxims and horizontal figure 8s with slow 4-4 shimmies layered on top. Lots of tricky stuff so it was another good, challenging night. But I'm so tired and hungry that it feels like my limbs are all going to fall off!
Monday, October 10, 2011
I'm beat!
Day 282 of practice.
Did I say come back Sunday for a review of the Shakedown? Tuesday would be more accurate. Today was too busy and tomorrow will be as well!
My practice today mainly consisted of dancing while cleaning -- quite a few times I completely abandoned the cleaning to really get into the music. I also did a couple minutes of these glute exercises that Jolie has us do in class and wanted us to do as homework, too, but my thighs are too tired from doing a zillion drops in Miriam Amaya's sword workshop yesterday, so I didn't do many!
Tomorrow I'm spending the day with Sata, and fun times will be had!
Did I say come back Sunday for a review of the Shakedown? Tuesday would be more accurate. Today was too busy and tomorrow will be as well!
My practice today mainly consisted of dancing while cleaning -- quite a few times I completely abandoned the cleaning to really get into the music. I also did a couple minutes of these glute exercises that Jolie has us do in class and wanted us to do as homework, too, but my thighs are too tired from doing a zillion drops in Miriam Amaya's sword workshop yesterday, so I didn't do many!
Tomorrow I'm spending the day with Sata, and fun times will be had!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Again with the tiredness
Day 279 of practice.
Seriously tired this week... so tired that I skipped skirt class! I almost skipped class altogether but I had someone who wanted to carpool so I decided to go after all. And I did have fun and worked on some things that I need to work on, including lots of zill practice, so it was all good. You know, aside from the fact that I wanted to nap instead of driving.
Seriously tired this week... so tired that I skipped skirt class! I almost skipped class altogether but I had someone who wanted to carpool so I decided to go after all. And I did have fun and worked on some things that I need to work on, including lots of zill practice, so it was all good. You know, aside from the fact that I wanted to nap instead of driving.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Enough with the tired and cranky!
Days 274 and 275 of practice.
Ugh. I'm tired of not sleeping well and being tired and cranky all the time! I barely practiced last night, and this morning I desperately wanted to blow off troupe practice so I could sleep in. Getting up at 7:30am is just not for me.
But I'm glad I sucked it up and went, because I had a good time, got some good practice in, and went to the bead store for a kuchi piece to put at the center of my new bra. Now I just need to figure out the best way to attach the darn thing.
Ugh. I'm tired of not sleeping well and being tired and cranky all the time! I barely practiced last night, and this morning I desperately wanted to blow off troupe practice so I could sleep in. Getting up at 7:30am is just not for me.
But I'm glad I sucked it up and went, because I had a good time, got some good practice in, and went to the bead store for a kuchi piece to put at the center of my new bra. Now I just need to figure out the best way to attach the darn thing.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Fabulous daydream life
Day 259 of practice.
Do you ever daydream about a life where you have no obligations and can spend all of your time on creative pursuits? I know I have it easier than most because I don't have a dayjob or kids, but sometimes it gets so annoying to feel like I'm going to have most of the day wide open for dance and yoga and jewelry and costuming, and to instead spend it running errands and cleaning the house.
Well, at least I got a lot of cleaning done today.
And I shimmied while I cleaned. And my zills turned up.
But I'm tired, and I didn't get to do yoga like I wanted to, and by the time we got back from our late dinner with a friend we hadn't seen in forever, I was too tired to do a dress rehearsal for tomorrow's performance, which means I have to do it tomorrow before I leave, and if something doesn't work I won't have much time to replace it with something that does work. I don't even want to think about everything I have to do before I leave tomorrow. Uuuugh.
Do you ever daydream about a life where you have no obligations and can spend all of your time on creative pursuits? I know I have it easier than most because I don't have a dayjob or kids, but sometimes it gets so annoying to feel like I'm going to have most of the day wide open for dance and yoga and jewelry and costuming, and to instead spend it running errands and cleaning the house.
Well, at least I got a lot of cleaning done today.
And I shimmied while I cleaned. And my zills turned up.
But I'm tired, and I didn't get to do yoga like I wanted to, and by the time we got back from our late dinner with a friend we hadn't seen in forever, I was too tired to do a dress rehearsal for tomorrow's performance, which means I have to do it tomorrow before I leave, and if something doesn't work I won't have much time to replace it with something that does work. I don't even want to think about everything I have to do before I leave tomorrow. Uuuugh.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Still taking it easy
Day 234 of practice.
So at this point I pretty much have to admit that I am NOT practicing 30 minutes every day. But I am still making a point to practice every day, even if I'm sick or tired or traveling. And once I'm all better, I have a lot of things I want to add to my daily practice to bring it over 30 minutes each day.
When I started this, it was easy to think that I'd suck it up and practice for half an hour no matter how bad I felt or how busy I was. And many days I did, and I still want to aim for that goal on days where I'm not sick and exhausted. It's just that right now I find myself unexpectedly tired by the time the house cools down at night. I blame all the housework I did today. If I'd been lazy, I'd have plenty of energy for dancing!
So today's practice was a bit of dancing while I cleaned, some hand isolations, and some mayas. Tomorrow will hopefully be better!
So at this point I pretty much have to admit that I am NOT practicing 30 minutes every day. But I am still making a point to practice every day, even if I'm sick or tired or traveling. And once I'm all better, I have a lot of things I want to add to my daily practice to bring it over 30 minutes each day.
When I started this, it was easy to think that I'd suck it up and practice for half an hour no matter how bad I felt or how busy I was. And many days I did, and I still want to aim for that goal on days where I'm not sick and exhausted. It's just that right now I find myself unexpectedly tired by the time the house cools down at night. I blame all the housework I did today. If I'd been lazy, I'd have plenty of energy for dancing!
So today's practice was a bit of dancing while I cleaned, some hand isolations, and some mayas. Tomorrow will hopefully be better!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Shimmies
Day 210 of practice.
Today I did shimmies because I didn't really feel like doing much else. Too many other things going on as I try to get ready to leave for a trip on Monday. Tomorrow I'll make time for some good practice, but today was just chaotic and didn't work out how I planned, plus I was just tired and unmotivated. Hopefully I'll get some good sleep tonight and feel refreshed tomorrow!
Today I did shimmies because I didn't really feel like doing much else. Too many other things going on as I try to get ready to leave for a trip on Monday. Tomorrow I'll make time for some good practice, but today was just chaotic and didn't work out how I planned, plus I was just tired and unmotivated. Hopefully I'll get some good sleep tonight and feel refreshed tomorrow!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Allergy meds suck
Day 193 of practice.
I'm taking allergy medicine for the first time in my life. I bought the brand that the doctor said would make me less drowsy. If this is less drowsy I don't want to see more drowsy. I went from "I should go out and get some dinner" to "I am so sleepy I cannot keep my eyes open" in a matter of moments. Thank goodness I was home when it happened! I took a three hour nap and I NEVER nap unless I'm seriously ill. I thought that the nap would ruin my chances of sleeping at bed time, but it's a struggle to stay awake.
Anyway, since I am suffering from a bone-deep weariness, and Jen and I shopped all day instead of practicing, today's practice was lots of pretty floreos and finger waves while watching The Daily Show, because I am far too tired to actually move or think.
I'm taking allergy medicine for the first time in my life. I bought the brand that the doctor said would make me less drowsy. If this is less drowsy I don't want to see more drowsy. I went from "I should go out and get some dinner" to "I am so sleepy I cannot keep my eyes open" in a matter of moments. Thank goodness I was home when it happened! I took a three hour nap and I NEVER nap unless I'm seriously ill. I thought that the nap would ruin my chances of sleeping at bed time, but it's a struggle to stay awake.
Anyway, since I am suffering from a bone-deep weariness, and Jen and I shopped all day instead of practicing, today's practice was lots of pretty floreos and finger waves while watching The Daily Show, because I am far too tired to actually move or think.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Randomly Tired
Day 171 of practice.
I've simply been tired all day. I don't know why. I thought I slept well, but maybe I didn't. I certainly can't blame it on all the drills I did yesterday, I didn't do that many.
Due to this general sense of tiredness, today's practice consisted of playing around to random Pandora-picked tunes while I did housework, and some belly rolls here at the desk. Now I'm heading to bed to hopefully get some good rest so I can practice hard tomorrow.
I've simply been tired all day. I don't know why. I thought I slept well, but maybe I didn't. I certainly can't blame it on all the drills I did yesterday, I didn't do that many.
Due to this general sense of tiredness, today's practice consisted of playing around to random Pandora-picked tunes while I did housework, and some belly rolls here at the desk. Now I'm heading to bed to hopefully get some good rest so I can practice hard tomorrow.
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