Kicking up their heels at the wintry weather, more than 100 dancers turned out Sunday afternoon to jig and twirl at the St. Patrick’s Day Community Ceili Dance at the Knights of Columbus Hall.
The lilting pennywhistle and smooth-as-silk fiddle lured dancers young and old onto the floor for a Celtic celebration Sunday afternoon.
Warmed to their toes by the jigs, reels and bonfire dances, the more than 100 who attended the St. Patrick’s Day Community Ceili Irish Dance celebrated all things Irish.
“This is a St. Patrick’s Day celebration for everyone,” said Doris Sloan, a native of Ireland attending the event. “This is a wee bit of Ireland.”
The Ancient Order of the Hibernians, Irish-American Club of Traverse City and the Bayside Travelers jointly organized the event. The band Tanglemere provided the live music and members of the Celtic Fire Highland Dancers demonstrated traditional Celtic dances, including the intricate and fast-paced sword dance.
For Bridie Wolf, a native of Belfast, Ireland, the afternoon of music and dancing sparked a lot of questions from attendees. At Celtic dances, she finds herself frequently talking about Ireland or Irish life and culture almost as much as dancing.
“There is a lot of interest in Irish roots,” said Wolf, who has organized the annual Ceili dance for the past few years. “Some people come up to me at these dances and say, ‘I have this wee bit of Irish in me and do you know this part of Ireland or that part of Ireland?’¡”
Even after decades of living in the United States, Wolf sees a little bit of Ireland when she gazes over the rolling green hills of the Grand Traverse region.
“The greenery and the trees here, my husband takes me driving on the wee side roads and I say, ‘Honey, this is like Ireland,’¡” she said in her subtle brogue.
A Ceili dancer for three years, Jill Holden of Traverse City brought her two young daughters with her to Sunday’s event. Brianna, 4, danced many a dance with her mother, earnestly coaxing her small feet to make the intricate patterns typical of Celtic dancing.
“Three years ago I came to my first Ceili and then started classes in dancing because it was so fun,” Holden said. “I am a little bit Irish. My daughter is only 4 and she is really getting into it.”
Ceili (pronounced KAY-lee) is a Gaelic word meaning a party with live music and dancing. Ceili dances spring from an informal tradition of dance that is found in most cultures, dating back to their roots. Ceili dances are structured as sword dances, round dances, line dances and progressive line dances.
A rigorous, up-tempo form of dancing, Ceili steps are characterized by high kicks, hands at the sides, dancing on the toes (though this is not a ballet move) and quick movements.
Besides being a lot of fun, the steps are a great work out, Ceili dancers say.
“Celtic is a different style of dancing, it is very aerobic and you have to build up your leg strength,” said Julie Collins, president of the Bayside Travelers. “I love to listen to this kind of music — it is very energizing.”
Collins said that Celtic dancing is having a revival as more and more people are coming to dances or dance classes.
Wolf agreed that many of the faces at Sunday’s Ceili dance were familiar ones from previous Celtic dance classes.
“Definitely this kind of dancing seems to be having another peak,” Collins said. “Once you find out how much fun it is, you can’t resist it.”
Kicking up their heels at the wintry weather, more than 100 dancers turned out Sunday afternoon to jig and twirl at the St. Patrick’s Day Community Ceili Dance at the Knights of Columbus Hall.