The Flying Ceilidh was a long time in the making.
It’s hard to believe that this project, first conceived by Marie Williamson and Imogen Michel in 2015 is now a month on since soaring across the stage for its premiere.
Blending traditional Scottish Culture, the joy of live music, dance and community spirit with spectacular aerial performance, the Flying Ceilidh is a vibrant experience for all ages. Ceilidh, means ‘gathering’ in Gaelic, and the vision of this show is to bring people together and we’re thrilled by how postively it was received with the dance floor literally jumping by the end of the show.
“When you start to look at some of the ceilidh dances and movements, you fly, and I feel like that’s what we’ve tried to do with this one. The audience don’t just witness The Flying Ceilidh, they are participants!”
– Marie Williamson, Co-Director
Thanks to a commission from Findhorn Bay Arts, the setting for the performance was the stunning Brodie Castle in Forres as part of their festival. Set and costumes were designed by Becky Minto with sound design by Quee MacArthur who played live along with singer and fiddler Evie Waddell.
In each location where the show is performed, we work with local aerialists, ceilidh dancers, and musicians, weaving them into the production. For Brodie Castle we teamed up with local aerialists from Moray Flying Circus and local musicians who performed alongside our professional artists. Dancers became part of a ceilidh flashmob to start the dancing and encourage the audience to take part. Although they didn’t need much encouragement!
“Dressed to kill in an array of tartan, the dancers climb, spin and stretch high above ground, while down below musician Evie Waddell and others help keep the energy high. Switching between a choreographed show and a family-friendly interactive ceilidh (an absolute blast for all involved), this new production has joy at its heart.”
– Kelly Apter in a review for The List
We are filled with gratitude for the opportunity to bring the Flying Ceilidh to life. A huge thank you to everyone who took part, were part of making it all happen Findhorn Bay Arts and of course the audience who rocked the dance floor.
“It was a fantastic day at Brodie Castle and exciting to have this first outing under our belt. There is a lot of potential for The Flying Ceilidh. Growing up and living here in Scotland, ceilidh is just part of your culture. Its a privilege to have something so rich and so fun to create a show from and to come to a community , share, create and dance together. A huge thank you to everyone that helped make it happen.”
– Jen Paterson, Artistic Director at All or Nothing, Co-Director
We can’t wait to see where this ceilidh flies to next. If you are interested in finding out more about the show please get in touch with Emili Åström, our Executive Producer. Until the next time!
Photo credits: Brian Hartley