This week on the Target Training blog, we’re talking Irish dance team dancing.
To give us expert advice on how to be the best in the world at team dancing, I’ve teamed up with an Irish dance instructor who has trained 6 teams to a gold medal at the World Championships of Irish dance, Anne Blume, TCRG!
Anne has been teaching for over 15 years with the Trinity Academy but when she was dancing as a child, her favorite part was team dancing. “I enjoyed everything about teams; the lifelong friendships that were made, the cool dances we got to do, and the car pools were always memorable!” Anne recalls. “I remember the feeling of coming together as a team, getting to that point where you all had each others backs and trusted each other and that nothing could break that trust.”
As an instructor, training a team was more than just learning the dance for Anne, but the journey leading to the competition. “I remember coaching my first team as a young teacher and loving that part of it the most…trying to get eight or 16 dancers to come together as one,” Anne says. “The ups and downs to get there and watching that group of dancers find their way. It is not always easy but each team finds their way no matter what.”
As Anne has seen time and time again, the lessons learned from team dancing don't stop at the competition. “Ultimately, I enjoy coaching teams because I feel that team dancing is setting dancers up for their future. There are so many aspects of life that you have to be a great teammate in. To teach children that it’s not all about them, but about the team, is very important.”
With 6 World Championships as a coach under her belt (and one as a dancer!), we wanted to know Anne’s secret to being the best in the world at team dancing. So I picked Anne’s brain to find out how dancers can improve their team dancing. She told us her top 5 Irish dancing skills and top 5 qualities that make up a strong Irish dance team dancer. Pay close attention dancers!
Now let's get to work on improving our team dancing skills. Thanks to Anne Blume for her expert advice!
Happy Training!
INTERESTED IN IRISH DANCE-SPECIFIC TRAINING VIDEOS?
Receive 14 DAYS FREE @ the Target Training Online Institute
Irish dance strength & conditioning, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE! Join the Target Training Online Institute today and get a FREE 14-day trial of the Trainer subscription, no code needed.
Get started at institute.targettrainingdance.com