Ceilidh dance instructions

At the heart of any ceilidh is the dancing. No matter what your skill level is, be it first-timer to old-timer (but always “young at heart”), as in most things in life it is the taking part that counts!

The band is able to call through any of the dances if those on the floor are unsure of what they’re doing, or would like to confirm that their memories are correct. However, if you would like to brush up beforehand then feel free to explore the more common dances you’ll find at a Scottish ceilidh listed on the menu on the left. We’ll be adding to these over time.

Each ceilidh dance instruction includes a sample of the ceilidh music that is commonly played for the dances (in midi file format), rates how easy the dance is, how many people are involved and explains any steps or holds.

All dance steps are given in terms of the number of music beats (ie simple counting). The instruction tables give the total number of beats for each block of steps.

The site is designed for beginners upwards so if you know what you’re doing but only want a refresher of the steps involved then please feel free to scroll down the relevant page.