How time flies!

Didn't realise I hadn't blogged for so long - whoops! That's what comes of getting funky new gadgets like an iPhone - completely distracted by it!!!

Things have been ticking along nicely - been mostly working on my Level 1 and Level 2 Field Moves. Level 1 is just keeping them going, in a calm and orderly fashion. I had a day off last week and went to Lee Valley, where I ran through the entire sequence about five times as I had the space to do it. It takes me five minutes, almost to the second, from going from the judge, through the elements and then to my coach. And that includes taking a nice deep breath between each "item on the menu", so I think I must have sped up a little!

Level 2's are going quite nicely too - backward edges are still not strong enough, but I am doing more like 10 up the long axis, rather than 16, which is an improvement! And even the dreaded backward cross-rolls are happening and beginning to get a little bigger and a little faster. I don't hate them quite so much now! The mohawk exercise is getting faster, as is the forward outside and inside 3's around the circle.

In my lesson last week, my coach even started teaching me Level 3 Field Moves.
Outside Mohawk Exercise: Actually isn't too horrendous, apart from the fact that I am not coming out of it on an BO edge - it is a flat edge at best. I think this is a confidence thing.
Alternating Spirals: Not sure what it is called, but doing a RFO spiral, then toe the free leg to push into a RFI spiral, then push into a LFI spiral, then toe push into a LFO spiral. I like doing this exercise, but I don't think I am looking massively elegant doing it yet.
Forward and backward 3's: ie. a FO3 on a lobe, then a BI3 on the other lobe, repeat down the long axis. Then do with alternating FI3's and BO3's. I was so tired in my lesson last week (I had been interviewing people all day) and my coach tells me I am actually less scared when I am tired, so just went for it. I have also been trying backward 3's all week since - BO3's are actually, I am delighted to say, happening quite nicely. BI3's are another matter - I haven't quite sorted it out in my head yet what is going on and just end up spinning on the spot! Still, I am happy that these are not taking quite the awfully long time that forward 3's took!

Compulsories are going quite well - we are revisiting the Novice Foxtrot and the Rhythm Blues as these are the two in Level 1 Compulsories. And bits of my free dance are beginning to feel better . . .

Otherwise, just been playing around with the usual stuff. Spinning is coming along nicely - they are becoming more consistent. Originally, I would do the first one and it would not be bad, but then I would overanalyse it and they would go to pot for the rest of that practice. Now, they are getting stronger, more centred and I can actually practice them for a beneficial length of time!

Ballet going well too - went to a more advanced class last week, which was more dancey than the seriously beginner one, which was nice. Apart from when the teacher said to the rest of the class that I was an "ice skating princess". . . . blush . . .