Ceilidhs, ceilidhs and English ceilidhs

English ceilidhs range from the more sedate, formal styled social dance events, where the dancers will know exactly what they are doing, and there is short shrift for any transgressors of the unspoken social dance code, to the more boisterous dances of festival Late Night Extras (LNEs), in which it is not unknown for a set to be made up of previous non-dancers with a belly full of beer.

First of all though, what is a ceilidh? Well, the name comes from a Celtic word, and can mean something very different depending on where abouts you are in the UK. For instance, in Scotland, a ceilidh is as likely to be a party of people taking it in turns to do their partypiece, such as singing, dancing or playing an instrument. This form seems to be the accepted original source of the ceilidh, and would sometimes involve a certain amount of set dancing for the masses to punctuate the performances. English ceilidhs are more in the role of the school PTA barn dance, though with a little more oomph!

The English ceilidh proper, as it has become in the current folk scene, is dedicated to dancing; generally in a manner more vigorous and less formal than the Scottish or Irish country dances, and more inclined towards the excitable knees up than the sedate parlour dance. Ceilidhs should not prove too much of a barrier to participation for complete beginners in the Folky art either, as, with the English variety, the dances are always walked through before starting up, with a caller on hand to jog the memory for the first few times through.

Our national collection of English ceilidh bands is another reason for this very animated style of social folk dance, with some really very persuasive rhythm sections, accompanied by centuries old melodies or modern compilations written specifically to get the crowd going.

Provincial and Festival Ceilidhs

The provincial ceilidh season tends to run across the winter, from around September / October through to May or June. The summer break accommodates the Folk Festival scene, in which many of the regular dancers will be wholly embroiled. At the festivals, the whole gamut of social dance events take place, from the very formal Irish set dancing right through to the full-on mayhem of an LNE.

Below are lists of a few provincial ceilidhs and some of the bands that you may get to dance to. If you are interested in booking a band, contact the Random Band Agency, who will be able to source a band for any event you would like to hold. You can find a list of festivals on our Festival page.