We have a wealth of experience playing and calling ceilidh dances. Below are some pictures from our past ceilidhs and dance instructions for some of the most popular dances.
Formation: couples around the room facing anti-clockwise, ladies on the right.
Music: 2/4 or 4/4 march.
Bars: Description
1-2: Right hands joined over lady's shoulder (man's arm behind her back) and left hands joined in front, walk forward for four steps, starting on the right foot.
3-4: Still moving in the same direction, and without letting go, pivot on the spot (so left hand is behind lady and right hand is in front) and take four steps backwards.
5-8: Repeat in the opposite direction.
9-12: Drop left hands, raise right hands above lady's head. Lady pivots on the spot. (The man may set).
13-16: Joining hands in ballroom hold, polka round the room.
Repeat ad lib.
For scottish country dancers, the grip in the first eight bars is allemande hold.
Formation: couples around the room facing anti-clockwise, ladies on the right.
Music: 6/8 march.
Bars Description
1-2: Lady with hand on man's shoulder, man with arm around waist, touch heel then toe of outer foot to ground twice, bouncing on the inner foot with each touch.
3-4: Walk forward for three steps then turn towards each other to face in the opposite direction.
5-8: Repeat in the opposite direction.
9-10: Facing partner and joining nearer hands, bounce on both feet, then kick the right foot across the body (to the left).
11-12: Repeat with left foot.
13-16: Polka around the room.
Repeat ad lib.
Formation: couples around the room in ballroom hold heading anti-clockwise, ladies on the outside.
Music: waltzes.
Bars: Description
1-4: In ballroom hold, take three steps sideways towards the lady's right, man's left, then stamp both feet.
5-6: Take two steps sideways in the opposite direction.
7-8: Take two steps towards the centre of the room (lady heading forwards with right foot then left foot, man backwards with left foot then right).
9-10: Take two steps back out (same feet).
11-12: Lady turns about on the spot under the joined hands.
13-16: Waltz onwards round the room.
Repeat ad lib.
17-24: Joining both hands, swing together (slightly to the right of partner) and away, then change places, turning the lady under the man's left arm while doing so. Repeat.
25-28: In ballroom hold, take two steps anti-clockwise, then two clockwise.
29-32: Waltz round the room.
Repeat ad lib.
Formation: couples around the room facing anti-clockwise, ladies on the right.
Music: 2/4 or 4/4 pipe march. (with reggae feel!!)
Bars: Description
1-2: Starting with the outside foot, walk forward for three steps and hop (or kick).
3-4: Walk backwards for three steps and hop.
5-6: Skip sideways away from your partner (men towards the centre of the room, ladies
towards the edge) for two steps and clap.
7-8: Return to partner and join in ballroom (waltz) hold.
9-12: In ballroom hold, skip sideways to the man's left, lady's right for two steps then back again.
13-16: Use four step-hops to polka anti-clockwise round the room.
Repeat ad lib.
Formation: three facing three around the room, man between two ladies or lady between two men.
Music: The Dashing White Sergeant - 32 bar reels.
Bars: Description
1-8: Join up in a circle of 6 and circle round to the left for 8 steps (4 bars) and back to the right.
9-12: The person in the middle turns to the person on their right and sets to them, then turns them once round right hand (variation - both hands). The other partner stands still.
13-16: Repeat with the other partner.
17-24: Using elbow grip, turn 1st partner, then 2nd partner, then 1st partner, then 2nd partner.
(Variation - dance a reel of three, giving left shoulder to 1st partner to start).
25-28: In the lines of three, advance towards each other (two skip steps) and retire.
29-32: Both lines dance forwards, one line raising their hands in an arch and the other line dancing underneath, and dance on to meet the next set of three coming in the other direction.
Repeat with new three.
NB. If room is not wide enough, the dance can be done in lines and sets fo 3 go under (or over) 2 bridges leaving 2 lots of 3 at each end (not one at each end!!).
Formation: Longwise sets of 4 couples or simply two long lines, men on the right and ladies on the
left as viewed from the band. Top couples nearest the band.
Music: Reels/American style
Bars: Description
1-8 All advance (clap clap) and retire (clap clap)
9-16 All advance (clap clap) and retire (clap clap)
17-24 All advance and retire, turning partners with Left Arm.
25-32 All advance and retire, turning partners with Right Arm.
33-40 All advance and retire, then dance back to back left shoulder to left shoulder with partners (do-si-do).
41-48 All advance and retire, then dance back to back left shoulder to left shoulder with partners (do-si-do).
49-56 1st couple join both hands and side slip (skoosh) down the middle and back.
57-64? 1st couple, followed by all other couples cast off to the bottom; 1st couple make an arch and the other three couples dance up to new positions.
Dancers will all have to wait until everyone is through the arch before starting again. Listen to the music and/or the band caller!
One variation at bars 49-56 is more than one couple join hands (as directed by the band)
Formation: Large circle round the room, ladies on the right of their partner.
Music: 32 bar Reels.
Bars: Description
1-4: Hands joined in a circle, all advance for four steps, retire for four steps.
5-8: Repeat.
9-12: Drop hands, ladies advance (clap)and retire.
13-16: Men advance (clap) and retire
17-24: Men face, set to partner for 4 and spin partners for 4
25-32: Gay Gordons hold, ladies on the outside, promenade around the room (do NOT reverse) and finish with man moving backwards into the circle with new partner on his left.
Repeat ad lib.
Formation: Longwise sets of 4 couples, men on the right and ladies on the left as viewed from the
band. Couples number from nearest the band.
Music: 6/8 or 9/8 jigs.
Bars: Description
1-8 1st couple spin RH.
9-16 1st lady turns 2M LH, partner RH, 3M LH, partner RH, 4M LH.
17-24 Spin with partner RH to the end of the phrase.
25-32 1st man turns 4L LH, partner RH, 3L LH, partner RH, 2L LH.
33-40 Spin with partner RH to the end of the phrase.
41-48 1st lady works down men, while 1st man works down ladies, turning 2C LH, partner RH, 3C LH, partner RH, 4C LH.
49-56 Spin with partner RH to the end of the phrase.
Next couple starts when 1st couple start spinning at the bottom for the last time.
Formation: 4 or 6 Couples in a line down the room, men on the right and ladies on the left as viewed
from the band. Couples number from nearest the band.
Music: 6/8 jigs or 4/4 reels!!
Bars: Description
Women all hold hands, men all hold hands and faraway couple hold hands across the gap.
1-8 Top 2 ladies make an arch and top man leads everyone through the arch and back to the orignal position.
9-16 Top 2 men make an arch and top lady leads everyone through the arch and back to the orignal position
16-24 Top 2 couples make RH star, bottom 2 couples do the same and go round for 8
25-32 All Repeat with a LH star
33-40 Top couple join in cross-handed hold and spiral down the middle to become the last couple and all starts again.
Formation: four couples arranged around a square, lady on the right of the man. Couple with their backs to the music are couple number 1, couple on their left number 2, couple opposite number 3 and couple on the right number 4 (ie numbering clockwise).
Music: 40+8x48+40 bar reels.
Bars Description
1-8: All join hands in a circle and circle round to the left for 8 steps (four bars) and back.
9-12: Ladies join right hands in the middle, and hold partners around waist, and all dance right hands across in a star (wheel).
13-16 Swing round (couples still holding around the waist) so the men join left hands, and dance back with a left hand star.
17-20 Face partners and set twice.
21-24 Spin partners (turn RH).
25-40 Giving right hands to partner to start, dance a grand chain around the set (keep going in the same direction and give right hand, then left hand, then right hand, ... until you get back to place). If you get back early, spin until the end of the phrase.
Figure - repeat 8 times
1-8 1st lady goes into the centre of the set and sets while the others circle round to the left and back.
9-16 1st lady sets to partner, turns him, sets to opposite man and turns him.
17-24 1st lady turns partner, opposite man, partner, opposite man (variation - dance a reel of three with partner and opposite man, giving left shoulder to partner
to start).
25-32 Repeat bars 1-8.
33-48 Repeat bars 9-24 with side men.
Repeat Figure with 2nd lady, 3rd lady, 4th lady, 1st man, 2nd man, 3rd man, 4th man in the centre.
Chorus Repeat the 40 bars of the start of the dance.
Formation: 5 Couples per set. Two lines, men on one side ladies on other. Couple number 1 nearest the band.
Music: 6/8 or 9/8 jigs.
Description
1-8 Ladies join hands and lady number 1 lead the line round the back of the 1st man and then zigzag in and out down the line of men and back up to their original places.
9-16
Men join hands and man number 1 lead the line round the back of the 1st lady and then zig-zag
in and out down the line of ladies and back up to their original places.
17-24
Top couple set forward and join hands and side step down the middle of the lines using long steps the back up to join the end of the set using small steps.
25-32
All couples now join hands and side step down for 8 and back for 8, resulting in a new top couple.
Repeat ad lib.
“A ceilidh is best described as a distillery set to music.”
