Auld Lang Syne
Well, I've finally done something authentically Scottish (besides drinking Hendrick's, that is)! Last night my neighbor Tom invited me to a ceilidh, which in simple terms is like a Scottish square dance. Same idea--traditional dancing to traditional music, sometimes with partners or sometimes with groups, except there isn't a man with a fiddle singing "swing your partner 'round and 'round!". Actually there was no singing. I'm not sure what kind of instruments usually play, but there was a band who played last night, so it was a nice touch. Also, many people came dressed in traditional outfits--you know, kilts and what not. Tom and his friend wore a kilt. I wish I had one; I would have worn it. If only I'd saved my marching band outfit from Shorecrest! There was a whole range of kilts--from men in the whole outfit, from guys just wearing a kilt with a polo shirt on top. Not bad.
It was a lot of fun, I'd have to say, although a bit confusing because I didn't know how to do any of the dances. I learned how to do some, and they have someone telling you how to do it at the beginning of each dance. Plus, you just repeat the same steps, so if you watch other people you can get it down pretty quickly. I mean, just the general stuff, the footwork can be difficult, especially if it's pretty fast.
Unfortunately I don't know any of the names of the dances, but my favorite ones were the dances that you needed three or four couples for. Then you'd end up dancing with two or three different people in one round, and then one set of couples would step one way, and the other the opposite way, and then everyone would have a new partner! Also, there was one dance where everyone lined up in two parallel lines, men on one side and women on the other, and one couple started spinning on one end. They then spilt, did a little do-si-do-type-thing with the next person in line, back to the middle with their partner, and then to the next person in line, and so on, all the way down the line. This was great--because never before have I danced with so many people! And going down an entire dance hall spinning with your partner and every other person in the line can be quite tiring--I mean, really tiring. I don't know how they do it! Because apparantly there have been much, much longer lines, as this was quite a small dance hall.
At the end, they did a dance to Auld Lang Syne, and everybody sang (except me because I don't know the words). Everyone stands in a big circle holding hands, and moves them up and down to the beat. Then they cross hands and repeat. Then the circle moves in and out, sort of like the Wave. Finally, as the music started to get faster, the circle split, the band jammed, and everyone danced in a free-for all.
I really had a fun time at the ceilidh, and it was nice to see the traditional Scottish culture alive and vibrant. Reminded me of how much I liked watching the Highland Dancers at Shorecrest!
It was a lot of fun, I'd have to say, although a bit confusing because I didn't know how to do any of the dances. I learned how to do some, and they have someone telling you how to do it at the beginning of each dance. Plus, you just repeat the same steps, so if you watch other people you can get it down pretty quickly. I mean, just the general stuff, the footwork can be difficult, especially if it's pretty fast.
Unfortunately I don't know any of the names of the dances, but my favorite ones were the dances that you needed three or four couples for. Then you'd end up dancing with two or three different people in one round, and then one set of couples would step one way, and the other the opposite way, and then everyone would have a new partner! Also, there was one dance where everyone lined up in two parallel lines, men on one side and women on the other, and one couple started spinning on one end. They then spilt, did a little do-si-do-type-thing with the next person in line, back to the middle with their partner, and then to the next person in line, and so on, all the way down the line. This was great--because never before have I danced with so many people! And going down an entire dance hall spinning with your partner and every other person in the line can be quite tiring--I mean, really tiring. I don't know how they do it! Because apparantly there have been much, much longer lines, as this was quite a small dance hall.
At the end, they did a dance to Auld Lang Syne, and everybody sang (except me because I don't know the words). Everyone stands in a big circle holding hands, and moves them up and down to the beat. Then they cross hands and repeat. Then the circle moves in and out, sort of like the Wave. Finally, as the music started to get faster, the circle split, the band jammed, and everyone danced in a free-for all.
I really had a fun time at the ceilidh, and it was nice to see the traditional Scottish culture alive and vibrant. Reminded me of how much I liked watching the Highland Dancers at Shorecrest!