first time

[couyalair]

For the first time, I have been ceilidh dancing wearing pullovers, scarf and overcoat. My feet were so cold I could hardly control them. For the first time, I envied people that live in cold countries where houses and buildings are heated. Good fun, nonetheless.

Martin

[Kirbstone]

Ceilidh music for an entire evening gets to me, I'm afraid. I'd far rather play it than have to dance to it. There's a lot of it going on all the time in this neck o' the woods and I absolutely loathe set dances, which my MM loves.
It's generally pretty energetic stuff and sweating & overheating would be the rule. A room full of swirling dancers isn't difficult to heat, so nobody would be in anything remotely warm after a little while. The usual formula is 'Ceilidh & Old Time', the Ceilidh bit being endless reels &c for the set dances, where people get out on the floor facing up to each other in fours. The 'Old Time' bit is old time waltzes, which are quite quick, much faster three-four rythm than ballroom ditto, hence the sweat!
The sale of long drinks tends to be quite brisk at such gatherings.

Tom K.

[skirtingtoday]

Even though I am a Scot, I do not go to many ceilidhs. In fact only in the last 5 years or so I have been regularly to one a year. It is through my sport, curling, where the Edinburgh club invites teams from around Europe, Canada and America to play friendly International matches - playing 6 games over 3 days.

There is a ceilidh on the Saturday evening which I go to. (wife is not keen on them so go with some members from our team). There are some ladies who come from Moskow, who think it is wonderful for the "men to wear skirts" whilst the "women wear the trousers" and they thoroughly enjoy the music as well (they particularly liked the set dances but these are dispersed with disco and other music)

The next gathering (for that is the true meaning of the word ceilidh) is near the end on March 2012 - wonder if those women from Moskow will be there again?

(just noticed that as this is my 100th post that I am now a Distinguished member! Woo-hoo!)

[couyalair]

I by far prefer Scottish country dancing, a little more serious and 100 times more varied than ceilidh dance programs. Ceilidh is second best for me, but I'm delighted to have found an enthusiastic group from South America: get'm hooked or re-hooked, and then introduce more modern dances (modern in the SCD sense, of course). So far, it is just a matter of learning and practicing, but how I wish we could find a warmer place to meet!

Not that we have many real ceilidhs here. Those I have been to elsewhere have either been drunken riots, or total disasters because someone wanted to mix experienced dancers with the totally uninitiated, meaning that neither group got what they wanted.

The set dances that have become popular in Irish circles, I find a bore. Nothing like the nationalist dances we used to do back in the 60s (High Caul'd Cap, etc) that combined footwork, brainwork and pathfinding with exhilarating music. Added to which, the dancers have abandoned the kilt, which is a great pity (wretched Riverdance!).

Martin

[skirtyscot]

I've always liked Scottish country dancing too. It was cumpulsory for a few PE lessons each year at secondary school, though of course it was also de rigeur to say you didn't like it. Did lots of it at university and I still enjoy a ceilidh now. Trouble since leaving uni has been finding any country dancing that is neither the very basic stuff nor 90% populated by septuagenarian ladies!