Stockton Heath Folk dance club join with Stockton Heath Festival

 Stockton Heath Festival is July 3 -6 this year.
I dance at Stockton Heath Folk dance club on Monday evenings, and we are organising a Pre Festival Ceilidh on Friday June 27th. I will be calling with the White Knuckle Ride playing.
Come and join us.

The Callers matter too

There are some great callers around and this year I've danced to Rhodri Davies, Andrew Swaine, Lisa Heywood, Bob Morgan, and Dave Jolly. Look forward to dancing to them again, and all the others.

So many favourite bands

Since the beginning of the year I've called with the Black Cat band, Forlorn Hope, Fiddlesticks, Fiddlestrum, High Jinks, the Black Cat band, and the Dragon Slayers (including two members of the band formerly known as Three-point-turn). Weddings, Anniversaries, family parties and the  Family Ceilidh at Chester festival. I'm looking forward to ceilidhs with White Knuckle Ride and the Millstone band later in the year.They are all great musicians, a privilege to work with.

I also danced to  the Time Bandits and Albireo at the Festival, Vertical Expression at Poynton Ceilidh (wow, I'd not heard them before but I'll watch out for them in future) and, at dances organised by the dance clubs we attend Pendragon and Maplewood.

All that talent to set our feet tapping.

Since my last post I've called at several weddings, fundraisers and birthday parties, with bands Fiddlestrum, High Jinks and 3 Point Turn. Taken my turn on the callers rota at various club. And enjoyed dancing to other bands and callers at clubs, dances and ceilidhs.
Last Saturday's 40th birthday with http://www.blackcatband.co.uk/ was fun, all the children and lots of the adults got up and danced.
Next Saturday will be a contrast, the Sealed Knot will celebrate the Battle of Nantwich with a re-enactment in the afternoon (click for pictures) and a banquet in the evening followed by dancing. So I'll put on my costume and meet up with the Forlorn Hope and their hurdy gurdies and crumhorms, and call some old dances.

A Maypole in July

An Aussie tourist show the rest of us how it's done.

Just a few more ribbons to fill. 

Looking good now.

So we carried on and took the pattern further down the pole, then did it all in reverse to unplait.

By which time it had started to rain.

I was booked to do 3 Maypole spots, the second was between showers, but only 4 believed me when I said it wasn't raining so the pole looked rather bare as they were each holding 4 ribbons.

The third spot began well. We persuaded  some young Japanese tourists to join in, all 16 ribbons were full. But as we were about to start the heavens opened. We would have got drenched so we gave up. The musicians played a few tunes but most people decided it was time to make for home.

A Maypole in Northgate Street

The Northgate Street traders in Chester are organising Festival Sundays in July. On the afternoon of July 28th there will be a Maypole in the middle of the street, and I will be teaching some Maypole dances.

Should be fun.

Or utter chaos.

Or both

March - July. Snowstorm to heat-wave

I was quite worried when we had heavy snow in mid-March as I had a booking on the Saturday at Jodrell Bank school. Would I get there? Would High Jinks  get there? Would the dancers venture out. Would we get home again? I had a sense of deja vu - I was out with High Jinks on Burns Night and we had to dig the cars out of the car-park. Luckily the roads got clearer as I drove along the Northwich bypass, there was no snow on the lanes near the school, and we had a good Dance.

Tomorrow will be quite a contrast. A birthday / retirement party in a marquee in a garden in Mold with Tom Brown playing. Just the weather for it.

In between I did -
A short spot at Tessa's wedding (using recorded music),
A Ruby Wedding celebration in Glossop with High Jinks,
A teachers retirement party with Three Point Turn in Rhyl,
A fundraising Barn Dance with White Knuckle Ride,
Two bookings with  Fiddlestrum, a PTA dance and a Rotary Club international weekend with guest from various countries.

And I was invited back to the Chester Folk Festival to call the Family Ceilidh with Black Cat Band.

So many good bands, a pleasure to work with; great seeing a roomful of people getting up and enjoying the music and dance.

And still time for plenty of  dancing and club calling using recorded music.