An extremely nice evening organised by the Flemish Caledonian Society covering Country Dancing, Ceilidh and Highland Dancing from Scotland, as well as Irish Ceili Dancing.

The Flemish folk group (playing Celtic music) Green Jacket did a nice job. Playing for Celtic dancing is not easy ! I don't know whether or not they consulted Dianna L. Shipman's playing for Scottish country dancing webpage.

Since Scottish Ceilidh is different from Irish Ceili (note even the difference in spelling !), here is an introduction to some Scottish Ceilidh steps as explained by the Selangor St Andrew's Society. In particular the pas de basque displayed on the right as performed by Dianna Shipman, is not something you see in Irish dancing.

Here are some of the dances that figured on the programme.

Scottish dances

Gay Gordon

A very easy dance, and not without a reason used to open the Ceilidh.

There are many descriptions on-line available and they are pritty consistent, though some more detailed than others with respect to the footwork:

• description on Ian Brockbank's Scottish dancing page;
• Bob Shapiro's description, very detailed;
• A description by The Headlanders Ceilidh Band;
• Brief description by the Selangor St Andrew's Society;

The Gay Gordon is danced to marches such as this Kevin and Linda Bell (mp3; 0.5Mb) played by Jim MacLeod, but also hornpipes, or polkas. But what is better than to dance it to The Gay Gordon Pipe March (RA; sheet music) here played by one of the greatest Scottish fiddlers, the late James Scott Skinner.
There are some arguments about what to do when and how as you can see from this discussion on Gay Gordons variations. The dancing teacher Hugo Moule claims this dance to have also progressive version, which seems to be nothing more, nothing less than the bal folk gigue. When, recently (21/01/2004), Ross Fowler, fiddler and band leader of The Headlanders Ceilidh Band, came across this page, he told me: I note your comments on the progressive gay gordons. I have come across the dance only once, at a ceilidh in Edinburgh (perhaps I don't go to the right ceilidhs?), and it is almost as described in Hugo's dance pages. We danced a pas-de-bas (I'm not sure if Hugo's terminology is inexact or it is a different step he's suggesting) rather than jumping. From reading your description of the bal folk gigue it does appear to be very similar, the difference perhaps being that the Gay Gordons is generally danced to 2/4, 4/4 or 6/8 marches rather than jigs.

The Canadian or Highland Barn Dance

Available descriptions:

• description on Ian Brockbank's Scottish dancing page;
• A description by The Headlanders Ceilidh Band;
• Brief description by the Selangor St Andrew's Society;

Here is a nice tune for the Highland Barn Dance (ra) played by the show band of the McTavish's Kitchen restaurant. Good music, but I don't know anything about the food they serve.

The Cumberland Reel

The word reel denotes many things, and even in the domain of music and dance, it has three different meanings:

• a particular kind of tune in 4/4;
• a specific sort of dances
• a specific movement in Scottish country dancing.

Confusing ? Well, in this case, the second meaning applies since the Cumberland Reel is danced to 32-bar jigs such as The Cumberland Reel jig (mp3; 0.8MB) as played by Jim Cameron's Scottish Dance Band. You'd like to play it ? Then here is what you need: sheet music for fiddle, guitar, bass, banjo, and dobro.

Here are a few descriptions:

• Brief description by the Selangor St Andrew's Society;
• Pharmacists might enjoy Kate Hughes' notes (top of right page) made in 1867 (many thanks to Chris Brady).

Chicken hornpipe

Virginia reel

This seems to be one of the oldest Ceilidh dances and, as a consequence, there are many variations:

• elementary and secondary grade versions by Dr. Donna Woolard for her Exercise Science classes at Campbell University. It was the elementary version that was danced at the Ceilidh.
• This American version by Dick Oakes has one figure more in the middle than the elementary Scottish version.
• Here is a simplified version known as Little Brown Jug, written down by the Lloyd Shaw Foundation. The sequence during which couples turn around taking both hands is left out of the elementary version.
• The Céilidh Mòr Band tend to call a variation of the elementary version adding hand clapping after the first figure.

The Virginia reel may be danced to any reel, hence also to the reel with the same name as the dance. Listen to the Virginia Reel/Merry Blacksmith/Hunter`s Purse reel medley played by Celtic Jam.

The St. Bernard's Waltz

A nice slow waltz with easy steps and figures. Listen to Nancy's waltz (ra; 0.5Mb) performed by Ceilidh Minogue.
Available descriptions:

• description on Ian Brockbank's Scottish dancing page;
• The Headlanders Ceilidh Band webpage;
• Brief description by the Selangor St Andrew's Society;

Irish Ceili dances

4-Hand Reel

There are a couple of good on-line resources available:

• The official version of the 4-Hand Reel is described in the book Ar Rinncide Foirne from the Irish Dancing Commission.
• Debbie Beyah made a good description with pictures.

Bonfire dance

The Bonfire Dance (Rince Mór na Tine) is an old circle dance danced to reels. It had an association with old traditions in that it was supposed to have been danced around the bonfire on St. John's Eve. It is said to be very old.
The dance is explained on the video Dancing at the crossroads.
It has the following figures:

• A. ADVANCE AND RETIRE (4+4)
• B. RINGS (8)
• C. ADVANCE AND RETIRE (4+4)
• D. RINGS (8)
• E. SIDE-STEP IN AND OUT (4)
• F. LINKING ARMS (4)
• G. SIDE-STEP IN AND OUT (4)
• H. LINKING ARMS (4)
• I. THE ROSE (32)
• J. SWING AND EXCHANGE PARTNERS (8)

Waltz of Limerick (Ballaí Luimní)

There must be something funny with this name. The dance isn't a waltz at all, but a progressive ceili dance danced in couples of four along a circle or in rows. Probably, at some time, there has been a confusion between walls and waltz, since the town of Limerick has walls which were used as a defence mechanism.
There are many on-line descriptions available. Here are just a few:

• detailed description by the Newcastle Irish Set Dancers;
• short description by an anonymous ceili dancer;
• Scott MacHaffie's description;
• Alastair Wilson's description;
• Description in French by Sylphane.

We taught the dance during the Gooikoorts 2003 Irish Dancing workshop and Gooikoorts 2004 Irish Dancing workshop on Saturday.
You can dance it to any reel. It figures on Matt Cunningham's Dance Music of Ireland CD. The dance is explained on Olive Hurley's first video.
You can also see it danced by the Pimpelmezen: not an expert demonstration but the results of a 1.5 hour dancing introduction.

Haymaker's jig

See a detailed description on the Wattrelos 17-18/01/2004 Workshop report.

Siege of Ennis

A description of this dance is on our page covering the workshop with Finnbar Hurley. On this occasion, it was danced to jigs with the characteristic rising step sink and grind.

Fairy reel

Please see the description of this dance also on our page covering the workshop with Finnbar Hurley.