There’s nothing quite like a ceilidh. We are lucky in Brighton to have the Brighton Ceilidh Collective, expertly bringing out all the most fun and enjoyable aspects of the tradition. They run regular public ceilidhs, known as Rants, and for the most recent Rant I grabbed a partner – well, gently invited a friend – and went along. We spent three hours skipping, swinging, clapping, holding hands with strangers – and constantly beaming. It was an enormously effective mood booster and a delightful way to spend a Friday evening.
Everything about the ceilidh was inclusive and welcoming. One Church is a beautiful setting, in a very friendly way – the wooden floorboards and fixtures give it an appropriately warm and folksy feel, and it was lit cosily for the evening with fairy lights. Arriving into the hall to recorded folk music – the live musicians would start playing a bit later – and helping ourselves to drinks and water from the bar, we very much got the sense of being at a good old knees up in a village hall.
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And ‘good old knees up’ it proved to be. Our caller, Louise, led us through the steps for the different dances and soon this roomful of strangers were stomping, whooping and spinning around the room. The dances – and our instruction in them – were perfectly pitched, simple enough for any newcomer to grasp, while also giving us the satisfaction of mastering some very pleasing formations – and at times being just the right amount of complicated to make the collective challenge of learning the dance kind of hilarious.
The participants were of all ages – while I would say that ‘20s and 30s’ was the most represented demographic, we had a few under 12s and a decent showing from the 50+ age group. Aesthetically, we were diverse as well – skirts swished alongside t-shirts and trousers, head tattoos and septum rings keeping company with Laura Ashley dresses and a singular man in a kilt. More than anything, it’s the human interaction that makes this such a joy, and my favourite dances were the ones that involved repeatedly meeting and dancing with new people.
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The whole evening felt incredibly human, embracing a certain amount of messiness that inevitably arises when trying to organise a diverse group of personalities. I think that’s part of made it so fun and so lovely. It’s an antidote, in many ways, to the impersonally corporate and shiny. And with the safe physical contact, endorphin-releasing exercise and live music, I’m convinced that regular ceilidhs do wonders for collective wellbeing.
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Brighton Ceilidh Collective are running their next Rant on Saturday October 4, and then Christmas Rant on Friday 12 and Saturday December 13, with a Family Ceilidh also on December 13, earlier in the evening. Bring a date, bring a friend, bring your family. You can even come on your own – the caller will make sure you find a partner. As the nights grow longer and socialising heads indoors, it’s an ideal way to spend an evening.
