Barn Dance & Ceilidh
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For English Folk Music and Dance
Barn Dance & Ceilidh, a division of Arcadia Music Agency, provides English Barn Dance and Ceilidh bands and dance callers for all kinds of functions and events. We are based in U.K. and most of our work is there.
An English Barn Dance or Ceilidh is the best way to ensure that guests at your event meet each other in a fun atmosphere. Anyone who can walk can take part, and no previous experience is needed. This makes a Barn Dance particularly suitable for groups of mixed ages and tastes.
To enquire further, please access our no-obligation enquiry form
Frequently Asked Questions on English barn dances and Ceilidhs
l've never been to a Barn
Dance or Ceilidh. What is it ?
Difference between a Barn Dance and an English Ceilidh ?
Where can I hold a barn dance ?
What kind of floor surface is required ?
Do I need to provide anything ?
How many people are needed ?
What do I wear ?
How long is a Barn Dance ?
Do I need previous dancing experience ?
What sort of bands play for Barn Dances & Ceilidhs ?
How much does a Barn Dance cost ?
Follow this link for information about Scottish Music
For all other kinds of music, follow this link to Arcadia Music Agency
l've never been to a
Barn Dance. What is it? The easiest way to describe an English Barn Dance to
people who have never been to one is to say that it resembles the American
Square Dancing you may have seen on television. Dances mostly involve couples,
singly or in groups of two, three, four, or more. Although a balance of male
and female participants is useful, it is not neccessary because the dancing is
not 'close contact'. Most of the dances will be English, although some bands
will include a few dances from other countries. Many dances are 'progressive',
which means that during the dance couples will change partners regularly: this
is why Barn Dances are one of the most successful social entertainments. Barn
Dancing is active, but not too strenuous.
What's the difference between a Barn Dance
and an English Ceilidh? In practise there is now no significant difference.
The term 'ceilidh' (borrowed from the Scottish Gaelic language) came into use
in English dancing perhaps twenty years or so ago. It was intended to indicate
a new style of dance evening with music which was more lively and energetic, played
by bands who integrated diverse musical influences and were happy to use any
musical instrument which served their purpose. This influence so permeated the
dance culture that now most bands can be described using either term, and the
words 'Barn Dance' or 'Ceilidh' in a band's name is no useful indication of
their musical style. This website uses the terms interchangeably. The word
'Ceilidh', however, can also indicate an evening of Scottish dance.
Follow this link for more information about Scottish Ceilidhs
Where can I hold a barn dance?
Most function rooms are quite adequate:
barn dances are regularly held in hotels, barns, private houses, marquees, town
halls, social clubs, school halls and outdoors. If you're not sure your venue
is large enough, just ask us, we are happy to advise.
What kind of floor surface is required? Any flat, clean,
hard, level surface will do, providing it is not too slippery.
Do I need to
provide anything? Our bands bring a public address system, and if
neccessary can usually run from one normal 13 amp socket. It is preferable to
have at least two separate 13 amp sockets available (rather than one double
socket). Bands who have substantial stage lighting may require more, but this
is uncommon and would normally be specified.
How many
people are needed? It is possible to run a good barn dance with 40 people
if most people dance, but ideally we would suggest 50 or more.
What do I wear? There
is no specific or traditional dress requirement for this kind of dance evening
- wear whatever you like! Comfortable shoes are best.
How long is a Barn Dance? Most
Barn Dances last between two and four hours. Three to four hours (including
breaks) would be quite usual for a social evening devoted entirely to a Barn
Dance, and two hours would be a normal period to run a Barn Dance as part of an
evening in which there is other entertainment such as a disco or pop band. Most
bands will split the evening into periods of 45 minutes to an hour, and all
will be happy to plan the evening to fit in with other activities - although we
prefer to know the plan of the evening in advance, this can often be done
informally when the band arrives at the venue
Do I need previous dancing experience? No! one of
the great things about Barn Dances is that absolutely no previous experience is
required. All bands bring a dance instructor, known as a 'caller', who will
briefly instruct you in each dance before you do it and supervise the dance.
Getting the steps absolutely correct is neither expected nor demanded, the
object is to have fun! Anyone who can walk can enjoy themselves at a Barn
Dance.
What sort of bands play for Barn Dances
& Ceilidhs? These bands are very diverse - most have between
three and six musicians plus a dance instructor (known as the 'caller'). Sometimes
the 'caller' is also a musician, sometimes not.
The music played is mostly based on English folk tunes, but will very often
include Irish and Scottish tunes and sometimes other European folk tunes.
Some bands play largely acoustic instruments, some have an electric rhythm
section, some have drums. The most common instruments are probably fiddle,
accordion, melodeon, concertina, whistles, guitar, bass and drums. A quick
listing of the other instruments our bands play includes bagpipes, saxophone,
keyboards, hurdy gurdy, trombone, trumpet, oboe, flute, pan pipes, occarina,
cello, viola, hammer dulcimer, Appalacian dulcimer, and tuba. If it adds to the
sound, they'll play it.
How much does a Barn Dance cost? The
cost of a Barn Dance varies with size of band, distance travelled, location,
time, and a number of other factors. Most Barn Dances in the London and Home
Counties areas of England will cost between £280 and £500
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