Index
Home
Our Instruments
Events
Repertoire
Ceilidhs
Samples
Lessons
Teach
Yourself Bagpipes
Collaborations
Links
Contact
us | Ceilidhs
A ceilidh is an evening of tradition Scottish country dance.
It might be better to call it a Scottish disco! In the big cities and the small
villages in Scotland musicians gather a couple of times a week in the village
hall and play for the locals to dance. These dances are popular country dances,
which are usually danced to the same tunes. Everyone learns these dances at
school and joins in from an early age.
The word 'ceilidh' comes from Gaelic and is really a social
'meeting' at which guests will all contribute a tune or a song or a story. This
tradition has survived in ceilidh dances where youngsters get the chance to take
the stage and display what they have learned recently, giving a much needed rest
for the dancers.
In the olden days Reel Pipes were used for this purpose -
basically border pipes arranged like highland pipes or three quarter sized
highland pipes but about a hundred years ago these started to fall out of favour
and the accordian took over. Reel Pipes are named after the type of dance,
'reel', as they were used for the purpose of accompanying dance.
Dance band music came to be well known with Jimmy Shand and
his box band - accordian (box), fiddle and three piece drum kit and many such
groups have followed in his tradition. However, with the renewal of the ceilidh
traditions in the big cities new types of band started to spring up and these
have become the famous groups we see today. One thing a ceilidh band usually
lacks is a singer, although there are parts of Scotland where the voice was used
to accompany dance (the Orkneys and extreme north).
The Reivers, our sister group, started life as a ceilidh band
in 1999 and has only changed its percussionist since then. With time, as so many
other groups have done, the Reivers have expanded their repertoire to include
concert music and made special arrangements, but they have retained their early
skills to provide dance band/ceilidh dance music. Lindsay and Paweł both 'call'
(teach) the dances and the band enthusiastically plays.
A less common but equally enjoyable evening can be had with
Rysiek and Lindsay providing the dance music as a duet. This is ideal for
smaller venues.
Kraków Highland provides a welcome, some light relief and
rests for the dancers whilst the Reivers provide the dance giving an all round
evening of entertainment, exactly as you might have it in Scotland. And when
circumstance allows, guest performers can be brought in to provide more relief.
| Scottish disco!
Origins
Jimmy Shand
The Reivers
Small venues
|