{A Wee Bit of Dancing}

Friday nights, just outside the northeast perimeter of London’s Regent’s Park, Celtic music echoes through the neighborhood’s quiet residential streets.   Each week, the Cecil Sharp House, home to the English Folk Dance and Song Society, hosts The Ceilidh Club.  Ceilidh (pronounced “kay-lee”), the Gaelic word for gathering, is just that, but more – rather it’s a Scottish country dance party, inviting people of all nationalities, ages, and dance experience levels, to partner-up and pair down the line.

I was initially a little intimidated by this venue, as I don’t own any tartan except a long, oversized nightgown.  And despite being an American, I have never once attended a square dance.  However, my fears were soon relieved after I saw that much of the attending crowd donned jeans and tees, and knew as much about Scottish line dancing as me – which was nothing.

After a quick pint of beer and an even quicker instructional session, given by the band, I joined the party, hand-in-hand, with my husband in Black Watch trousers to my left and a random man in a plaid kilt to my right.  Linked together in an eight-person circle, we ran to the right, then to the left, intermittently dosey-doeing and jigging in the center.  The next 20-minutes were a visual and mental blur, leaving me exhilarated from the fun and thirsty for another pint.  Overall, a wee bit of dancing = quite good fun!

Here are a few snapshots from my Scottish soiree experience…  See if you can spot me!