The Round organises a Playford Ball each year, and invites past and present members of the Round to attend. It is a formal but relaxed chance to pretend you have just stepped out of a Jane Austen novel. All the dances are called, so it isn’t too scary, but some familiarity with the dances is assumed, so if you haven’t done much English country dancing before it would be a good idea to come to some of the regular Thursday meetings during the Easter Term.
The Ball is held on the Saturday following the last day of Cambridge University Easter Full Term, so in 2025 it will be on Saturday 21st June. It will be held at the William Collyn Community Centre, Wellbrook Way, Girton, Cambridge CB3 0GP. There is a small car park next to the Community Centre, and a larger one a short way beyond it.
The band will be Contrary Faeries, comprising Joshua Webster on fiddle and Sol Loreto-Miller on piano.
Dance-programme cards will be available on the door.
Dress code: black tie or period costume preferred. Comfortable footwear recommended.
Drinks will be served at 7:00 p.m., dancing 7:30–11:45 p.m. with an interval for supper.
Food
This year the whole supper will be bring-and-share, first course as well as puddings. We shall provide wine and non-alcoholic drinks. Please contribute something if you can: cold savoury dishes, salads or puddings. Please label dishes that are vegetarian, or cater for those on a restricted diet, or contain ingredients that are not obvious. Many thanks.
Tickets
Admission is by ticket only, £15 for students, £20 for others. Information about booking tickets has been sent to everyone on the soc-round-ball and soc-round lists. If you didn't receive either of those, come to a Thursday evening Round meeting to buy tickets, or if that's not possible, email Ido Kons (remove .xyz from ik412.xyz@cam.ac.uk for the address).
Programme
Brief reminders of the dances will be provided as an A4 pdf file that can be downloaded from Ball_cribs_2025.pdf.
Halfe Hannikin |
The Siege of Limerick |
| INTERVAL and Kentucky Running Set | |
Mr Isaac's Maggot |
Newcastle |
Kentucky Running Set has nothing to do with Playford dancing but it is traditional for some to run a set or two during the interval.