the jig is up

Fate reached out to me today and sang, "Now is the right time Karen, now is the right time." ...

I was sitting in 8th grade Biology not only trying to understand what eukaryotes and mitochondria were but how to pronounce them when I first discovered Riverdancing.We had a substitute and she promised if we worked for a solid 10 minutes then the rest of the 50 minute period could be spent watching whatever we wanted on the television. (Education obviously wasn't high priority in Fayetteville, NC) After 10 minutes of passing notes back and forth with my friends we switched on the TV in hopes of finding a Dawson's Creek re-run. What we found was a true phenomenon in my eyes. A special on Riverdancing. I was in awe of the effortless moves these dancers created with their graceful limbs. While the other classmates made fun of the dance I secretly wished I could be apart of it.

I went home that day, ran to my room, locked the door and attempted my own Irish jig. Since I didn't have any "Celtic Dance" I had to make due with The Nutcracker soundtrack. At 12 years old, I was already a well established dork and didn't need this new obsession providing more ammo to the girls that currently made my school days unbearable, so I kept it a secret for years.

Now, I am more than happy to share my love for the sport and proudly announce it whether it's relevant or not. I have even gone so far as to tell random people that I AM a Riverdancer on tour. Take me to an Irish bar, pour me a Guinness, play a little Dropkick Murphy's on the jukebox and I am rather convincing. However, if you're dumb enough to think I'm actually a Riverdancer then I'm ordering you to pay my tab.

Back to today. I was working yet another convention where I had no interest in the industry trade when I saw some girls modeling some peculiar hair styles. Their hair looked like George Washington's powder wig with Dolly Parton's volume. At first I thought this was some kind of cheerleading competition and was even more put off. Then I saw another group turning the corner in traditional Irish garb. My eyes widen as I heard the taps of their dancing clogs. OH MY GOSH THIS IS A FEIS! A little education for you. A "feis" is a sanctioned Irish dance competition.

There was no containing my excitement as I rapidly gushed my love for Riverdancing to my co-worker and a few strangers waiting for me to print up badges for their lame convention. I knew what I had to do next. Leave my post and go check out this more interesting form of entertainment. Immediately I start striking up a conversation with a coach/new BFF who guides me toward my dreams. He said he couldn't believe I had never taken an Irish dancing class and it was never too late to get started. I thought to myself, "Yes, why HAVEN'T I taken an Irish dancing class? I live in NYC! If there is a crunking dance class, then I surely can find Irish dance!"

Today was just the motivation I needed to push me toward the start of a new hobby where people will question how I provide the illusion of my legs moving as if independent from the rest of my body. I'll keep you posted on my progress.