ruffCeilidh

Ruff Ceilidhs – what are they? Well, we always have a live band with a caller who explains the dances.

Other names for this kind of event include Twmpath, Barn-dance, Country dance and also sometimes e-Ceilidh.

Why RUFF? Well it has been described as short for ‘Roll Up For Folk’, but its really just a misspelling of Rough. Dave Parsons was once asked to create a display dance side very quickly, ‘What are you called?’ ‘Well it’s going to be rough…’

What we do is essentially traditional folk dancing. This does include new dances based on that tradition. You may have read of something like it in Jane Austen or Thomas Hardy.  Nowadays these dances are often seen at weddings, birthdays, PTA fundraisers or even at school. The reason some of these dances have survived for hundreds of years is that they are infectious and great fun.

It’s a wonderful way to meet people, mix the generations, get some exercise, laugh a lot and enjoy some really exciting live music.