Partnering lessons really making a difference

So I've now had two partnering lessons with Anna - and WOW is this making a difference.  Skating WITH someone is a lot different from skating by yourself, and quite frankly it highlights everything you are doing wrong (especially when the person you are skating with is doing everything right....).  What's interesting is that I'm not only starting to get the hang of partnering, but it's actually making my solo skating a lot better.  The last two weeks have been a real revelation, and I feel like I've made more progress recently than in the past few months.

It's kind of expensive having two lessons a week like this (30 min with Anna on Wednesdays and an hour with Will on Fridays for technique and fundamentals) but this is probably what I need right now in order to make the kind of progress I expect of myself.  Anna and Will both harp on me for being too hard on myself, but hell - I'm 48 - I don't have TIME to be slow at this.....  :)

All told, I'm really happy with things right now, and we are trying to get me ready for both the first set of dance tests and MIF tests in June.  That's a lot of work, but I think I can make it as long as I put my nose to the grindstone.  I have all the dances solo, so Anna and I just have to get them figured out partnered.  As to the MIF stuff, I just have to get the three turn pattern down consistently and clean up the waltz-8 and I should be fine.  I won't knock the judge's socks off, but I should be able to get through it.

Interesting - as a performer, I typically am not happy with a performance that doesn't get a wild standing ovation - anything less than that is a fail for me.  I can see now how that is impacting skating - my standards for myself are really REALLY high.  That's not a bad thing, as long as it doesn't turn self-destructive.  In a lot of my practice sessions, I end up beating myself over the head because I can't make this stuff look effortless yet. 

I just have to remind myself that first you fall, then you fall, then you fall, then you sort of do it, then you fall, then you sort of get it again, and after another month you might be able to do it without thinking.... and there's no real way to shortcut that.