We have played for hundreds, if not thousands, of parties with a ceilidh.
Recently, we were asked to play a joint birthday/graduation ceilidh party in Glasgow and a mother of one of the overseas graduates approached us afterwards and said “ I had heard about ceilidhs, and this is my first ceilidh and it was brilliant, thank you!”. And this reminded me of a public ceilidh we played in Central Scotland a couple of years ago, when a local pensioner said the same thing to us!
Ceilidhs ARE great fun whether you are Scottish or from elsewhere, and here are some tips on how to get the most fun out of them.
Someone to give instructions for the ceilidh dances.
The first tip is to have an experienced ‘caller’ who gives the instructions using fun-filled banter. The whole reason behind a party is to enjoy yourselves, so make sure your ceilidh caller has the right demeanour. And giving instructions for the dances is only half the game. An experienced caller will keep an eye on the dances after the music starts playing and will gently guide the dancers back into the rhythm of the dance if they go ‘off piste’.
In the ‘Rock Ceilidh Band’, our main caller Mary has decades of experience ‘calling’ Scottish and Irish dances as well as playing the fiddle!
Space
We love how the beautiful Lorraine Kelly didn’t hide her facial expression when she danced for us in a tiny space. However, it was for a great cause and she didn’t mind the dancers bumping into her because she raised an incredible amount of money for the STV Childrens Appeal. In general though, we recommend having lots of space for the ceilidh dancing!
Food
Dancing at a ceilidh apparently uses up 600 calories an hour! This means your guests will get hungry quickly if they haven’t had something to eat before attending. From our experience, if you start a ceilidh around 7.00 p.m. it is likely that a large proportion of your guests will arrive without having had food beforehand. Then, your guests might be hangry by 7.30 p.m. Therefore, we recommend you either advise your guests to eat first, or present your food before the ceilidh, or if you’re having a buffet later on, we advise to have nibbles nearby/on your tables for your guests.
Footwear
It is not impossible to ceilidh dance in 6 inch heels,and we have been in awe of those who have managed, however we recommend wearing comfortable footwear for dancing. Some of our dances are pretty boisterous and the last thing we want is for someone to hurt themselves! So either wear comfortable shoes t the ceilidh or bring a pair to change into.
Wedding ceilidh
Out of politeness, many guests do not want to get on the dancefloor before the Bride and Groom. But what happens if you are the bride and groom and you cannot join the ceilidh until later (because of having photos taken, etc)? Our advice is to brief your bridesmaids and groomsmen/ushers in advance and ask them to encourage your guests up to dance in your absence. You’ve paid for the ceilidh band, make sure you get your money’s worth!
Ceilidhs are meant to be fun, so relax and enjoy yourself. The more fun you have, the more fun your guests will have.
Email us at rockceilidh@gmail.com to help you organise a party to raise the roof!