It’s not often that we Barnbuskers musicians get to dance at a country dance, barn dance or ceilidh because mostly we’re up on the stage (if there is one lol!) playing the jigs, polkas, waltzes etc. Sometimes, when Judy, our bandleader, does the calling and an extra partner is needed, she will join in with the dancing whilst calling at the same time which she really likes but, for the rest of us musicians, tapping our feet in time to the music mostly is about as much dance exercise as we get.
So it was a great pleasure to attend the Quantock Quarenders final ceilidh at Halsway Manor, West Somerset, UK last night and to be able to dance the night away with one of Barnbuskers often used favourite callers, Simon Maplesden.
There was also another caller who did a magnificent Greek dance that really intrigued me. Greek dancing in country dances is great because usually anybody and everybody can join in and there is no need to find a partner and so the caller just invited everyone to form a big circle and join hands.
One of the great advantages of UK country barn dancing and ceilidhs for families and friends meetups is that the dance caller explains how to do the dance before the music starts so no previous experience is needed.
The caller then took us through the steps as follows:
Step to the right and bring your left foot to your right, step right again and kick with the left foot.
Step to the left and bring your right foot to your left, step left again and kick with your right foot.
(Easy isn’t it!)
Step right and kick left foot, Step left and kick right foot.
(Here’s the final bit!)
Step right then left seven times and kick with the left foot
Step left then right seven times and kick with the right foot
And that’s it! Repeat from the beginning!
(By the way, it feels really natural when the Greek music is playing!)
It was fun and really easy to do. The band played a Greek sounding tune and, once we had all got used to the steps, the caller, who was part of the circle, broke the circle and led us all off stepping and kicking around the room, even doubling back and forming spirals. There was loads of laughter especially when the band increased the speed of the music and we all really got into our Greek personalities Lol!
As it happens, in Barnbuskers discussions, we’ve often talked about adding a Greek dance but never got around to agreeing the music to play to the dance and the particular steps that we would use. Of course, at a country barn dance or ceilidh, the choice of dances is down to the expert caller but, in the future, if the caller is up for it, Barnbuskers country barn dance and ceilidh band will definitely be encouraging a bit of Greek dancing in the middle of all the traditional country barn dance ceilidh right hand stars and do-si-dos. Keep an eye on this space and hopefully we’ll post a video of the music and dance in action.
So, if you are thinking of celebrating a special birthday or other event in Devon or Somerset UK with a ceilidh or country barn dance, when you contact us, why not mention you would like a bit of Greek dancing too. It’s great fun! Click the link for more information about booking Barnbuskers ceilidh barndance band with or without Greek dancing Lol! We look forward to hearing from you!
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