THE FOURTH ceilidh held at the German School in Lisbon by the Telheiras Scottish Country Dance Group was another success, with over 100 participants of all ages.
The latest event took place in a large gym, which has an excellent floor for dancing and plenty of room for the energetic style of ceilidh dancing. The venue was decorated with Scottish flag bunting and other Scottish emblems, as well as two Portuguese flags to honour the fact that most of the people attending were Portuguese.
After the doors opened, people spent some time boosting their energy levels by helping themselves to the homemade food available. Then the evening got off to a highly sociable start with three circle dances, two in quick time, then one in waltz-time.
While people retired to catch their breath (and revive themselves with a bit more food and fruit juice), superb entertainment was provided by a choir. People were then invited back to the floor to try their hand (and their feet) at two more dances: the mixer Borrowdale Exchange and the highly popular Dashing White Sergeant.
The rest of the evening continued to alternate between lively dancing and welcome breaks for both refreshment and entertainment. All the dances were taught, and then called, by Roger Picken, in excellent Portuguese. Finally, before going home, everyone was invited to get into a big circle for Auld Lang Syne.
Ceilidhs give a taste of Scottish dancing, but they are only the tip of the iceberg! There are literally thousands of dances which become accessible once the basic steps and formations have been learned. If you want to enter the world of Scottish country dance, there are several groups in Portugal, including two in the Lisbon area and one in the Algarve.
For more information, go to http://telheiras.scd.googlepages.com/home or contact Roger Picken and Sue Willdig on 212 383 737 or via email [email protected]
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