Ceilidhs — live music and dance to make you sweat
We normally organise several ceilidhs a year. They’re always popular, whether we dance to our in-house talent or top outside bands. We provide a caller to explain all the dances, and some of our callers are now in high demand on the national English ceilidh scene!
Our first ceilidh this year is our Fresher's Week Ceilidh which will be held on the 10th October 2023 at Stoneyard Centre, St Andrew's St.
Keep an eye on our mailing list for announcements of more ceilidhs throughout the year, including our May Week ceilidh, which returned with much success, last June, after a covid pause. Any others that are arranged will be listed on the Diary page.
A Round ceilidh in progress
What is a ceilidh?
Ceilidh is a celtic word (pronounced - kaylee) which basically means a party, that often involved dancing. In England the basic forms of dancing have been built upon, and the music has been livened up to produce an awesome experience.
But I can’t dance
All the dances are called. This means that there is someone who walks you through the dance beforehand, and will tell you what you should be doing next while you are dancing, until you get the hang of the dance.
There aren’t any steps to learn — your partner will appreciate it if your feet are not on top of theirs and it makes it more fun if you bounce around to the music but otherwise, let your imagination run riot.
But I don’t have a partner
Don’t worry, there is a very strong culture in ceilidhs, that anyone can ask anyone to dance (to the point that it is almost bad manners to dance with the same person too much). So either ask a random person, or stand around in the centre of the hall looking slightly lost at the beginning of a dance, and you will probably get asked to dance anyway.
What should I wear?
Ceilidh dancing is definitely energetic, so wear something cool, and wear shoes that you will be happy galloping around a room in for an evening.
Do I need to book a ticket in advance?
We don’t offer advance booking. If you arrive on time you can be pretty sure of getting in. Our ceilidhs have been growing in popularity in recent years and occasionally the hall becomes full, but we have hardly ever needed to turn anyone away. We did offer advance booking for a while, but decided that it wasn't worth the hassle as everyone could get in anyway. The ever growing popularity of our ceilidhs means that we may need to reconsider this decision eventually, but it also means that we can pay for more top-class bands!
What did you say a ceilidh was again?
For more information about English Ceilidhs see the Webfeet English Ceilidh page.
Contacting us
For details of events organised by the Round, see our diary page or email 'round.xyz@CambridgeSU.co.uk' (leaving out the ‘.xyz’)