Róisín Commane - Irish Dancing

Irish Dancing

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Irish Dancing

I am a registered teacher with the Comisiun le Rinci Gaelacha. That means I get to put TCRG after my name and get in free to official competitions. Score!

My dancing career began in 1986 with Cora Summerville in County Clare in the West of Ireland. She reminded me lately that my dancing career was almost finished before it started when she wouldn't take me because I couldn't tie my own laces! However, after learning to tie the complicated light shoes I continued to dance with her for over 13 years... I wasn't exactly the best Irish dancer in the world as I am a bit too unathletic for some of the steps, but I had rhythm and loved dancing so I stuck at it! I never qualified for the worlds but I was always doing forty things at the same time so I never missed it!

In 1999 I moved to Dublin to start my degree. During my four years in Dublin I danced with Anne Pepper, a wonderful teacher in South County Dublin. Her students were so nice, we quickly became friends. I still chat to some of them but not often enough!

From Dublin I moved to London to do my masters and joined the Maguire-O'Shea Academy. This was one of the best decisions in my dancing career! Kathleen and Michael are wonderful people as well as amazing teachers. I was half thinking of trying competing again and even entered a couple of competitions. I didn't do too badly before sense (or Michael) prevaled and I decided to study for my Irish dancing teachers exam instead.

The TCRG exam is fairly intense.
There are 6 parts, 5 of which have a 70% pass rate; the Oral Irish exam only needs 50% (Thankfully!!).
The other parts are:
- 1. Music Identification
- 2. Ceili Written Paper (As hard as my final degree papers!)
- 3. Practical dancing exam (4 Traditional Sets + 9 New Sets + Solo dances)

Absolutely exhausting!!

- 4. Ceili Practical teaching
- 5. Solo Practical Teaching

After I handed up my masters thesis, I decided to stay in London and spend the 6 weeks sorting myself out for the exam. I moved in with the Maguires who had a room free. They were brill! Also living with the Maguires was Anne-Marie Rojahn (now of the Rojahn Academy in Switzerland). Between us we encouraged each other to prepare all the solo stuff.
We both went to Maggie Stapleton for ceili classes. This woman and her husband Pierse should be saints! With Cora, I was usually too small to be put in group dances (awww...) so the only bigger group dances I knew were the few I learned at Irish College (I knew tearing round the floor at those ceilis would be worth something sometime!). So Maggie drilled the dances into me; Often leaving me for 5 full minutes squirming in the middle of the floor as I couldn't remember the next movement of a dance I was supposed to be teaching!! But it worked! I did the exam in Belfast the weekend of December 2-4th, 2004 and, though I still don't know how, I actually passed it! I think I was finally at a stage where learning to teach didn't seem so daunting anymore. I was calm standing in front of a panel and just getting on with it! I learned so much about teaching from Cora, Kathleen, Michael and Maggie. I just hope I don't let them down in the years to come.

At the dinner for the World Championships in Ennis 2005, there was a presentation for all the newly qualified teachers and examiners. Anne-Marie and I received our certs and a beautiful crystal tray with the World Championship emblem on in! I was thrilled with it! It's the only time I'll ever have something with the World Championships on it!
After passing the exam, I decided not to open a school until I had the time to settle somewhere and make a decent go of it. I didn't want to teach for a while and then have to leave. To be honest, I've a feeling I'll never teach in Clare (West of Ireland) as the bitching is too much bother to put up with... That and I would probably never get a decent job at home anyway.

I would love to teach figures though. That can be my 10 year goal!

(From Left) Kathleen, Anne-Marie, Michael and Me.

It's a pity my face is so shiny and I don't photograph well but it's a nice enough photo all the same. It's also the first photo of me with my new red/brown hair! For the past 10 years I've been slowly going blonder. I decided it was cheaper go brown and start again rather than keep the highlights going! And if another person says I look like Kate Winslet or an entrant in the Rose Of Tralee, I'll thump them! There are various good resources for Irish dancing on the web.

The Rojahn Academy is Anne-Marie's School in Switzerland
The Maguire-O'Shea Academy in London is amazing.
The official Comisiun le Rinci Gaelacha site isn't bad.
The McGahan-Lees site is great for all info on competitions.
The Feis Results site has results for every major competition you can think of!
The Irish Dance Magazine has interesting articles.
The Irish Dancer site has lots of dance related news, info and stuff for sale.
Finally, Rince Tír na nóg was the school Trina Galvin went to while in Germany.

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