[MR] Name That Dance

[Tracie Brown]

   Your description sounds a bit like Siege of Ennis, which certainly qualifies as an Irish ceili dance that "everybody" knows.  
   But don't get your hopes up -- it's not even a vaguely period dance. It is one of a group of dances "revived" or invented in the early 20th century based on dimly remembered 19th century dances, which are the oldest Irish dances we have instructions for. (Some of the figures and formations appear in earlier Irish and English dance, however, but not the dances themselves. Sort of like American square dance.) Some people out there in the Celtic Twilight will want to convince you that these dances are 18th century, or 16th or 12th or even ancient druidic (yeah, really), but sorry, no, those fantasies are not supported by the historical record. These dances are fun, but they have as much place in the SCA as waltzes, polkas and American square dance.

   Here are some people doing Siege of Ennis in Estonia (see what I mean by "everyone" knows it?):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkLqvzAQ1KI&mode=related&search=

   There are five basic ceili dances that "everyone knows":

--Siege of Ennis (see above)
--Walls of Limerick  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lAEEplW2gE  (Italians in pseudo early "celtic" costumes, to music played using an electric guitar)
--Haymaker's Jig  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BfByaH6BZ4
--The Sweets of May http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR0xF537kIQ
--A 5th dance that varies by location, such as The Bonfire Reel, The Siege of Carrick, the Fairy Reel, the Stack of Barley or the High-cauled Cap.  Here are some Czechs doing the Fairy Reel in competition/performance (rather than ceili) style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lQVkeNq4Ro
And Americans doing Siege of Carrick in Bangkok, to Bing Crosby (well, it is a jig): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_5EATdaiLE   Boy, howdy, was that weird! 

    Well, this is probably more than you ever hoped to read about Irish social dancing (and I didn't even get to set dancing). If you're interested in learning ceili dancing after all that, I can point you in the proper direction. It's fun, and it's absolutely 100% period for the 20th century!

-- Signy