Hi all,

Videos
I finally managed to upload the video from the other week. It's here as an unlisted video so only people with this link can see it - http://youtu.be/1d03cFvNv8U. The purpose of this is so we can all see how the team moves as a group together and to look out for bits where we we can improve (individually as well as as a team). Sorry it's quite blurry - I had to save it at a low resolution to get it to upload!

I've also uploaded a bit of the dance from Monday - http://youtu.be/kbCI8fJnbDY. Does anyone mind if I make a higher resolution version of it public?

DERT
DERT 2013 is on Saturday 9 March. The competition is on this day but people often arrive on Friday evening and leave on Sunday morning. Nikki, could you please set up a doodle poll for this weekend? The cost is £30 for the team and £10 per team member plus £18 per head for indoor camping (other accommodation options are available). There are more details here - http://www.dert2013.org/

At the AGM we decided we wanted to go to DERT and compete with a new dance. When we get back from Christmas there will be 9 practices until DERT so we might be pushing it a little. The options are 1) don't go to DERT 2) go and dance but don't compete (this is usually an option but I didn't see it mentioned on the site for this year) 3) go and compete with our current dance tarted up and tidied up 4) go and compete with a new dance.

I was going to suggest having an all day Saturday / Sunday practice followed by a Monday practice, possibly followed by a crawl and then deciding what we want to do. An all day (e.g. 10 - 4pm) practice would give us a chance to try out more figures and put the basics together of a dance we were all happy with before spending the rest of the Monday evenings perfecting the dance. However, the deadline for DERT applications is 15 Jan so we'd have to have an all day practice on 5, 6, 12 or 13 Jan. We'd also have to find a venue. Nikki, could we find out if the church hall was free on Saturdays or Sundays?

I have put together a suggestion for a new dance. The majority of the figures are either ones we know from the current dance or ones we've tried out in the last month or so. The ones in italics are exceptions to this:

Start with a clash and go in to walk the dog
glass into haymarket - 1.45 - 2 in this (not very tidily done!) http://youtu.be/2LPjbcFslnQ
Tits
Reins into lock 1.05 - 1.25 in this http://youtu.be/C0LmC-MeKig
Display lock and spin
Hoops
Doughnuts
Flying pixies
Curly
6 person lock

It would be good to know what you all think about 1) the options on going to DERT 2) having an all day practice 3) the possible dance above.

Nikki, if the consensus is to try and have an all day practice before 15 Jan could you please set up a poll for those 4 dates?

Sorry this was such a long email - at least we've all got Christmas holidays coming up for you to read and think it over.

Merry Christmas!

Ffion x