Donegal and the West of Scotland

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IRISH DANCE Dance! Whole class People who came to Glasgow in the 1950s talk about going to céilís in their leisure time. Céilís were social get togethers where they could dance or listen to Irish music or just meet people. In Scotland, the word is written as ceilidh. Originally, it was any social gathering. At The Village Storytelling Centre in Pollok, there is a monthly ceilidh. There is some music, but the main activity is storytelling. But for the folk who came from Donegal in the 1950s, ceilis were mainly dancing. A particular kind of dancing at traditional gatherings was the Set Dance. This is the type of dancing taught by Comhaltas. If you watch the clip, you’ll see some skilled set dancers in action. As you can see, it is usually a dance involving four people moving together and forming artistic patterns. http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Vj13osgy2M0

Step Dancing is something different. It was made hugely popular some years ago by big spectacular shows like Riverdance. But it has a long tradition. So, just for fun, watch first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96nrFtegAk Q&feature=player_embedded Then, take a quick lesson by watching this one: http://www.5min.com/Video/Learn-How-toIrish-Dance-112625259 Then everybody try it. Just for fun, mind! Nothing competitive. Have a laugh!

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