Learn to Ceilidh Dance | Beyond Ceilidh The Musical
You were lucky enough to experience CEILIDH THE MUSICAL - a foot-stomping, joyful, heart-warming party brought to life every night with a company of 16 actor-musicians. You've felt the excitement of traditional dancing and seen how barriers melt away easily as the dance floor is united in a shared purpose.
"Pure Highland Magic"
ALAN CUMMING
Now you know you need more ceilidh dancing in your life but you don't know where to start?
Look no further than the Sassenachs Ceilidh Band - we have been bringing the joy of ceilidh to people for over 10 years. Whether you'd like to attend one of our many public appearances or host your own wonderful ceilidh celebration, we'll cover people's most popular questions in this blog post.
Where can I learn about ceilidh dancing in London?
There are various great organisations and bands that put on regular public ceilidhs in London:
The Ceilidh Club is the original ceilidh night having been established in 1998. It's been catering for beginners and seasoned ceilidh dancers alike week on week, month on month for nearing 30 years. It hosts events in many locations and you can see their website for a full list of events, or go to specific ceilidh band's pages like The Sassenachs Ceilidh Band to see when they are performing.
Waterloo Ceilidhs is a wonderful recent addition to the scene also, if you are in that part of town. You can see their website here.
Big Penny Social runs a whole week of ceilidh events at the end of January each year to celebrate Burns Night as is the Scottish Tradition. Tickets will be on sale here but you'll have to move fast as its a truly popular week!
Can I get a Ceilidh Band with dance instruction in London?
Beyond attending a ceilidh as a guest, you yourself can book a ceilidh band and dance instructor for a party in London or beyond. There are many ceilidh bands out there but not all are the same!
Who are the Best Ceilidh Bands in London?
Don't necessarily trust 'Top Band' Lists from agency sites like Encore or fixthemusic, their reviews are limited only to the restricted number of bands they offer. Similarly, AI can lead you to some fairly naive, simplistic and incorrect conclusions on who you should be trusting with your money.
Instead spend some time looking for those bands with independent reviews (such as Google) and a long proven history of these. For instance:
Ceilidh Tree has 584 5* Google Reviews
The Sasssenachs Ceilidh Band has 364 5* Google Reviews
License to Ceilidh has 164 5* Google Reviews
Furthermore, you can follow various band's instagram accounts, or youTube channels to see how regularly they perform and assess their vibe and the atmosphere they create.
I'm on a budget, where do I find the most affordable Ceilidh Bands in London?
The best ceilidh bands have been playing for a long time and have a full understanding of the essential costs required to ensure you and your guests enjoy a night to remember! Let them know your budget upfront and see if they can accommodate you in anyway. There may be ways to reduce cost, like:
Hold your ceilidh event on less popular days - Fridays and Saturday nights are when most musician's earn their weekly salary, so don't expect them to be able to drop their rate. Instead, have a think on whether you could hire them on a different day, or indeed time of day, when they are less likely to be in high demand.
Hold your ceilidh event at a less popular time of year - Equally, there are times of the year when musician's know their services will be required; such as Saturdays in Wedding season or Burns Night in January. Again, have a think on whether you could hire them on a different time of year, when they are less likely to be in high demand.
Find a Venue that provides a full PA System - Ceilidh band's require amplification of their instruments to fill the room as well as carry over the joyful cheering of your guests dancing. These amplification systems tend to be large and cumbersome to move around the country. If you, the venue, or another Act can provide the PA System required this can likely reduce an essential cost.
Discuss reducing the number of musicians in the ceilidh band - It's a simplistic step but in larger bands there may be an opportunity shrink the band a little and therefore have fewer musicians to pay. If your budget is super tight, you could also consider asking them to supply just a dance instructor (caller) and for this individual to lead the dancing to music from backing tracks.
Cut out the middlemen / third parties - One thing is for certain, you will only ever get the best price for a ceilidh band by going to them directly. If you contact them through a third-party site such as Encore or FixTheMusic, this will always increase the price you pay as those service providers charge the musicians in the order of 20% on top of what they would normally charge you!
Continue your Ceilidh Journey!
Look no further than the Sassenachs Ceilidh Band - we have been bringing the joy of ceilidh to people for over 10 years. Whether you'd like to attend one of our many public appearances or host your own wonderful ceilidh celebration, we'll here to help you engage with your new found love of ceilidh dancing.
