Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Grade Exams

Bottom line up front: I passed! Yay! I conquered grade 6! Now for the good (camaraderie and my grade), the bad (traffic), and the ugly (parking!).

So a Friday night in the city is always going to have a bit rough of traffic, and I was running a little late, but I wasn't too concerned. One of my classmates said I wouldn't have to be there right at 5 pm (at first I freaked out when I found out it started at 5 and not 7, as I had anticipated). I had to meet up with my husband at the feis hotel (it was local to me) to pass the kiddo to him for the evening. At least the hotel had free parking, or so I thought, based on when I was there in November or October 2015 and again in November 2016. Upon arriving, I went to the same parking lot where my teacher and I parked for the November feis, but this time, a parking attendant turned me away and said it was just for long-term parking for the airport. A parking garage looked closed, so I went to another lot and couldn't find a space. I saw my husband's vehicle, but he had already gone inside to look for me, because I told him we were parking in the back lot. A parking attendant came up to me and told me the lot was full, but that I could pay to valet park, if that was okay. I told him, no, it was not okay, and explained that I would just pull over to the side and go find my husband, then take his spot when he left, because he was just there to pick up my kid. I told him I'd rather just skip the event than pay the valet parking (I was ticked off at the whole mess, that was likely created by the hotel just trying to make more money). As I was getting my kiddo out of the car, the parking attendant acted like where I pulled off to park was okay to just stay and make a parking spot there. They also tried to swindle my husband out of three extra dollars for parking by making him pay in person and telling him that he was there longer than half an hour. He didn't have cash, so he ended up paying at the machine, which charged him the correct amount. This whole situation stressed me out, so I'm glad I had a little bit of time before I danced.

By the time I got to the room for grade exams, they were in between grade 1 dances. The doors were locked, but a teenage girl taking grades 7 and 8 let me in. I was so impressed with how she and the teenager taking grade 6 with me treated me like an equal. Later on, I was talking with one of my classmates from the adult class, as well as some of the kids and teens we met at the workshop. Plus, there was another adult from a different school in the area. She was dancing in the and-overs, so it renewed my resolve to someday drop down.

I don't know what was my favorite part of the day- how everyone treated us adults like any other dancers, or the B+ I got for grade 6. A B+ ...the grade I was hoping for! I have seen champs get A- s, and I know I have a lot of technique issues to work on, so I aimed for a B+ and achieved it :) Most of the comments were stuff I already knew, like pointing my toes more and getting higher on toes.

I will be missing a lot of class this month for family obligations, but my next goal is to prep for grade exam 7 and at least the ceili and trad set portions of grade 8. And just maybe, I will get the courage to drop down within the next year :)