Is Ceilidh dancing non-stop without breaks ?

No,we’re not trying to kill anybody off ! Here’s a commonplace routine/model for a night.

The caller invites dancers to take the floor with a partner,walks through the moves and then the first dance begins.At the end of the first dance,many callers will ask the dancers to remain on the floor while the caller runs through the moves of the second dance (so,dancers get a breather during this process).A second dance takes place.

Usually,at this point,there’s a longer gap between dancing to allow dancers a bit of a break to go and chat,grab a drink or whatever.The band would probably play a tune as background music for this 5+ minutes or so.

Then,the caller would invite dancers back up again for another dance or two as before – but different dances,of course ! As a result,about 6 dances,then,would be fitted into the first hour or so,with the short musical interludes whilst dancers natter !

During the extended break for,say,a buffet or similar the vast majority of bands will play some recorded background music through their PA system whilst the musicians also take their extended break – or the client may wish to use a recording device of their own or plug a device into the band’s PA system.

The second part of the night would follow a similar style to the opening part – so,as you can see,there are plenty of gaps for a rest.