Showing @ Assembly George Square Gardens, Edinburgh until Sun 24 Aug @ 23:00
This Is Ceilidh is not, in the traditional sense a ceilidh. It is a ceilidh spectacle, involving dance, drama, song, rap, bagpipes and a particularly impressive solo drumming performance. The whole thing is couched in the narrative context of two clans at war, (a convenient way of splitting the audience and so managing the over-populated space) plunging the viewers/dancers into a world of forbidden love and family strife. A sense of anticipation, elation and ruckus is literally drummed up, exploding as people fling themselves around the dance floor.
The individual acts that intersperse the group dances display an array of talent, grounded in Scottish tradition. The group mix ceilidh with performance to create an immersive experience that is both impressive and inclusive. There could perhaps have been a little more dancing and less inspirational narration, but for a night out This Is Ceilidh is a lot of fun. As it ended there were still people reeling and setting across the dancing floor, and the sound of bagpipes and fiddles stayed with me as I walked across the meadows.