Category: devoran

ceilidh, community, dance night, devoran

Autumn ceilidh – 10th October – SOLD OUT

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Dancing to The Brim Ceilidh Band (moody lighting!)

Join The Brim Ceilidh Band and I for a night of merriment and music at Devoran Village Hall on 10th October.

Wonderful, upbeat Celtic music and varied, fun dances. A bar provided by the hall committee.

Doors open 19:30. Dancing from 20:00.

barn dance, Carharrack, ceilidh, classes, community, devoran, free, Grampound Road, Ladock, Penryn, St Erth, taster

Let’s Dance for free with Ceilidh Cornwall!

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We are joining the national Let’s Dance campaign – all our classes next week (3rd – 7th March) are free!

To book please send a message stating:

  • the class you want to attend,
  • the number in your group, and
  • if children are joining in please let me know their ages (note, under 12s are most suited to the Friday class, but teens will manage well at all classes).

What is Let’s Dance?

This is what the Let’s Dance campaign says itself:

Let’s Dance was born out of a simple idea: Dance has the power to transform lives.

When Angela Rippon CBE reconnected with dance on Strictly Come Dancing, she saw firsthand the physical, mental, and social benefits of dancing regularly. Inspired by her journey and the conversations it sparked across the UK – particularly among older adults – Angela partnered with national organisations to launch a campaign that brings dance to everyone.

Whether you’re 8 or 80, a complete beginner, or a lifelong dancer, Let’s Dance is here to make movement joyful, accessible, and inclusive.

Ceilidh is good for you!

Is is very well recognised that dance, and folk dance and ceilidh is fabulous for physical and mental wellbeing. The Sport and Recreation Alliance have produced a thorough report all about this. “The report … provides robust evidence that movement and dance can facilitate equivalent physical and mental health benefits to any other form of physical activity.”

As Angela Rippon CBE, Let’s Dance founder, puts it, “Dance is the perfect exercise to improve the health and wellbeing of mind and body, regardless of age or physical condition..  And a great way to meet new people and beat isolation and loneliness.”

What ceilidh class dancers say

Ceilidh Cornwall class attendees tell me the same thing:

“after the class I felt so uplifted for the whole week” (Penryn class attendee, February 2025)

“Had a great time and felt really enlivened for the rest of the day. Exercise and laughter. Can’t get better than that.” (St Erth class attendee, January 2025)

“It was a good mental workout tonight” (Ladock/Grampound class attendee, February 2025)

“I feel like this was as much of a workout as my exercise classes” (Ladock/Grampound class attendee, February 2025)

Come and give ceilidh dancing a try and see if it might suit you too. Here is where to find us for these free classes – just mention your preferred class when you get in touch to book.

Regular classes (adults and teens):

All-ages, family-friendly class:

barn dance, Carharrack, ceilidh, classes, community, dance instructions, devoran, Grampound Road, Ladock, new dances, Penryn, St Erth

Ceilidh class news: lovely friendly groups, new venues from February and a new dance, Woodland Valley Romp!

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I’m sat in a patch of sunlight filtering in through the winter realising that the day has a real spring feel to it. We’ve now had a month of new ceilidh classes around Cornwall already and I’m delighted to say that time has flown by.

Our regular ceilidh classes in Penryn, St Erth, Carharrack and Ladock/Grampound Road are doing well and each group has a positive, friendly atmosphere. Our all-ages class on a Friday has also been fun and I’m happy to say we are achieving our aim of creating a multi-generational class with people from under 10 to over 80.

Thanks Kate! Had a great time and felt really enlivened for the rest of the day,. Exercise and laughter. Can’t get better than that. See you next week. 🙂

Class attendee at St Erth regular ceilidh class, January 2025.

Fancy joining us? We have spaces in all classes and welcome everyone. No experience and partner required. ‘Regular’ classes are for adults and teens welcome too (age 12+ is the recommended age but please get in touch to ask about suitability if not sure). All-ages classes are just that, suitable for all ages.

Ladock and Grampound Road Wednesday regular classes – new venues

In fact, our Ladock class has grown beyond the capacity of the space we were using so we have new venues from next week (12th February 2025) and we will be dancing some weeks at Ladock Community Hall and Grampound Road Village Hall (also called Sir Robert Harvey Memorial Hall). Both of these halls have plentiful space and good floors for dancing, so we will be able to twirl and spin to our hearts’ content.

Check the venue schedule here to be sure you go to the correct hall each week.

Ladock Community Hall
Grampound Road Village Hall

On this note, I would like to heartily thank Woodland Valley Farm near Ladock for supporting the development of these classes throughout January and for providing us with a beautiful converted barn to dance in. If anyone wants a good venue for a party or a special event, including with accommodation we’d recommend Woodland Valley Farm, and we look forward to popping back for a visit later in the year to learn about the exciting Beaver Project and maybe even to dance in the bigger barn once the weather warms up.

The Woodland Valley Romp

To honour our time at Woodland Valley Farm we have created a new dance and our Ladock class have tried and tested it, and given it a name: The Woodland Valley Romp. Our set of 16 people fit beautifully in the space!

8 couple longways set (line facing a line, standing opposite your partner). 32 bar jig or reel.

A part:

First corners (those with nobody standing to their right in each line) meet in the middle of the set (this takes 4 beats), turn each other with both hands (8 beats), and return to place (another 4 beats).

Second corners (those with nobody standing to their left in each line) meeting in the middle of the set (4 beats), turn each other with both bands (8 beats), and return to place (4 beats).

B part:

Stars: Couples 2 and 3, 4 and 5, 6 and 7 make right stars (turn for 8 beats), then left hand stars (8 beats).

Over their heads: The top two couples then stand in a line across the top of the set all facing down the set. Others make sure they are in their original places, lines, standing opposite their partners. The two top couples join hands in their line and raise them into a row of arches, then run over everyone’s heads to the bottom of the set (2 people down the middle, one person either side of the set) – as in Riverside Jig. (8 beats*)

All swing: Everyone swings or spins their partners (8 beats*)

*If you need more time for the ‘over the head’ part then you can use a 40 bar tune and adjust the time for the B part accordingly, or remove the ‘all swing’.