Country dancing has a way of making people smile! There is the cheerful music; there is the company of friendly people; there is a small degree of mental challenge involved and there is the exercise that releases the feel good chemicals in our bodies.
Perhaps the easiest way to find and enjoy country dancing is at your local ceilidh or barn dance and there are lots of reasons why!
Every ceilidh or barn dance has a caller who walks everyone through the dance before the music starts then continues to call out the next dance moves for as long as is needed during the dance. No previous experience is needed. You can enjoy the dancing from the very first dance.
Each ceilidh or barn dance is made up of a number of simple moves or patterns. Perhaps the easiest is walking forward towards other dancers for four steps and then back for four steps. Then there is the right hand star where dancers circle around holding their right hands. Other moves involve stepping to the left with others in a circle. Each dance is made up of a number of these different moves and the dance caller strings them together in a way that is fun for everyone. What could be easier than that?
It’s easy to join in too. Even if you don’t come to the dance with a partner, it’s easy to find one on the dance floor. The dance caller will invite dancers on the floor and then group them into their positions for the dance. Participating in a dance is as easy as going onto the dance floor and joining a group. No need for embarrassingly finding a partner to take onto the floor. No chance of rejection. Everyone gets to join in.
Even the music is easy consisting of folk music jigs and reels that has been enticing people onto the dance floor for hundreds of years. The music has universal appeal. It’s cheerful, it’s fun and there are absolutely loads of tunes to provide enormous variety. So nobody gets bored!
And no special skilful steps needed. Country dancing is dancing without special steps. You can walk, skip, prance or any other means of getting around. Therefore it’s ideal for all ages and generations who can enjoy dancing together from babes in arms right up to grandparents.
So here’s your tip for finding your happy place this Christmas. Find a local ceilidh or barn dance and join in!
Of course, if you are local to West Somerset or Exmoor, we’d like you to come to our West Somerset Christmas Ceilidh Barn Dance at the Minehead Rugby Club on 4th December 2025 (this is your link for buying tickets). Lots of tickets have already been sold so we can look forward to a great time. Best to book online (using the link above) as numbers are ultimately limited despite the large size of the Minehead Rugby Club Hall (which has loads of parking too). Local ceilidh and barn dance band Barnbuskers (see above) will be providing live country dance music with Barnbuskers favourite dance caller Bridget.
And if you fancy weekly opportunities to enjoy ceilidh dancing, check out Barnbuskers Band leader Judy’s Ceilidh Dance Exercise Classes which take place most weeks at Watchet Bowling Club and Minehead Rugby Club Hall to recorded Barnbuskers Ceilidh Barn Dance Band music. (You can buy tickets for the Barnbuskers Christmas Ceilidh Barn Dance 2025 in person from Barnbuskers band leader Judy too at her weekly dance classes, if you are not keen on buying online).
Wherever you decide to enjoy country dancing, we at Barnbuskers hope you will find your happy place country dancing at a ceilidh or barn dance this Christmas 2025! For more information on our ceilidhs and barn dances, simply follow us on social media, on Facebook, Threads, Instagram, X, Bluesky, through our mailing list or by checking out our Barnbuskers news blog. We look forward to sharing our happy places and to you finding yours!
Barnbuskers 