Licence to Ceilidh

Licence to Ceilidh is a young and energetic five-piece ceilidh band who perform throughout the UK. With an extensive repertoire of traditional folk dances suitable for people of all abilities, and absolutely no previous dancing experience is necessary to take part.

Our caller Alexis will first guide the dancers through the steps, then the band kicks in with our own sets of traditional tunes from England, Scotland and Ireland which we have arranged for our lineup of two fiddles, flute, guitar, mandolin, double bass and bodhran in various combinations.

The band can perform for three or four sets depending on your requirements. Some of these melodic tunes are as old as the hills. Others are the band own compositions.

If you have ever been to a traditional session in a pub, you will have heard how one tune will lead naturally to another. The tempo and feel of these tunes are ideal for dancing, and have been used in ceilidhs for centuries. Depending on your requirements the band can also include favourate hits to be included in the set.

To those who have never been to a ceilidh, the idea of any kind of country dancing can be slightly daunting. Our act is designed for events where most of the guests are in exactly this position.

From the word go, to take part in a ceilidh with us is easy and a lot of fun. Our range of dances is very diverse, with influences from all over the UK, Ireland and America.

Dance

Our caller Alexis usually starts with the Gay Gordons or another simple dance like the Circassian Circle, and makes sure as many guests who are capable of standing get involved. You can read client reactions to his calling on our quotes page.

After this initial icebreaker, it’s often difficult to get even the most reluctant punters to sit down again!

Other dances include the famous Strip the Willow, a raucous affair with lines of people stretching all the way down the room, the Virginia Reel for 4-5 couples in a set, the Pat-A-Cake-Polka for those who like to slap the thighs of other guests as well as their own, the OXO Reel, the Cumberland Square Eight, Flying Scotsman, Canadian Barndance and many more. A favourite with the gentlemen is the Dashing White Sergeant, in which a guy can dance with two ladies at once.

If you have a dance that you are particularly fond of, you can always request it in advance.