The girls’ Irish dance class today was smaller than usual today, so we were able to really focus on getting the 3s right and there was enough attention span to learn an entire céili-style dance. We formed long lines facing our partners and did moves like advance/retire, hook right/left elbows, and follow the leader.

The boys’ class was a bit more chaotic, so lesson plans were scrapped and instead we had a few competitions: who can get across the floor with the least number of cartwheels, who can hold a handstand against the wall for the longest time, and (to introduce a theme from Irish dance), who can get across the floor with the least number of “cuts” (kicking the heel up towards the hip). The boys also showed off their flexibility.

It wasn’t a completely Irish dance-less class though: a couple of the boys were able to really focus on learning a hard shoe rhythm pattern to work on “treble hop backs.” They saw how cool this move can be when done fast, and they were willing to break it down to slowly work it up to speed. If they practice everyday this week, they’ll have it by next week for sure!