The Scottish Dance Party of the Year!

CEILIDH

The Scottish Dance Party of the Year!

Haggis, neeps, tatties, whiskey, flinging kilts and pumping pipes – it’s one almighty Scottish dance party, and you’re invited!

The Celtic Pipe Band is hosting its fifth annual Cèilidh on Saturday 21 September, and due to growing popularity the celebration of Scottish Culture has moved to the larger venue of the Nayland College Hall, with doors opening at 7PM.

Spokesperson Helen Gilchrist says basically it’s a Scottish dance party where everyone gets to join in the Cèilidh dancing if they want to. The Cèilidh, pronounced Kayleigh, is derived from the word "companion” and is a Scottish social gathering, originally facilitating the courting and prospects of marriage for young people. She says a Scottish Cèilidh appeals to all ages with cheerful and lively music provided by an assortment instruments including fiddle, flute, tin whistle, accordion, bodhrán, and bagpipes. Helen says in more recent times drums and electric bass guitar have been added.

“It’s about having a really good time. Dancing is encouraged but not obligatory. The basic dance steps are easily learned with a short instructional session. The dress code ranges from informal to full highland dress. Up to you! All dancers are “called” by our Cèilidh Master Caller, Barbara Graves, so you just have to do what you are told – or not as the case may be – laugh and enjoy.”

Helen says the evening will include short pieces from the Celtic Pipe Band as well as performances from the talented Helen’s Highland Dancers, some as young as four years old, who will perform the especially choreographed item – “Dancing for William”, which was performed for the first time at Braveheart – The Concert, last month.

She says the Celtic band’s repertoire includes traditional moving brackets, and due to popular demand, Hell Bound Train will again be played – where rock band ‘Blackwater’ joins the pipes. “The entertainment breaks should give ceilidh dancers a chance to recover!”

Helen says the Cèilidh is Celtic’s biggest fundraising event of the year, with money going toward uniforms and equipment. Last year’s event helped pay for new hat badges and solid, trolley, side drum cases. This year the mid-section (bass and tenor) is very much in need of a new set of drums, and still have no rain capes. “So far the band has not had to compete in the rain, but if there is wet weather, without rain capes the players get drenched - there is no option of playing inside!”

But the night’s not all about music and dancing. Helen says it’s also an opportunity to try haggis, with a full scottish supper – haggis, neeps (swede) and tatties (potatoes). The haggis will be piped in with traditional Haggis Ceremony, where the highly entertaining Steve Clark will address the haggis with Robbie Burns’ ‘Ode to the Haggis’.

There is a cash bar, raffles and even an auction of the band’s old kilts, “These are Gordon tartan so if you want a new kilt be prepared to bid.”

Tickets are available from Richmond Mall Information Centre and are just $40 per family (two adults and three children under 18) or $10 a child and $15 an adult.

ENDS

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