In the lead-up to this year’s Pomegranates Festival of traditional dance (25-30 April 2025), we, at the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland are celebrating Scottish traditional dance alongside world traditional dance practised by New Scots and cultural migrant communities across Scotland, with two more Ceilidh Plus nights on 21 March and 26 April in Edinburgh.
Ceilidh Plus was launched at the end of 2024 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland and fuses Scottish ceilidh with social dance traditions led by hand-picked Scotland-based dance artists and traditional musicians.
Co-curated by the Forum’s dance musician-in-residence Chris Lyons, Ceilidh Plus on 21 March will mix traditional dance from Scotland, Ireland and Bulgaria as part of this year’s official celebrations of St Patrick’s Day, and mark the 10th year of Scotland’s first Bulgarian School. Guided by dance callers Dianne Newman, Ariana Stoyanova and Marina Sharp and accompanied by musicians Morag Brown, Lewis Powell-Reid and Frazer Watson, participants will dance traditional Scottish ceilidh dances such as Gay Gordon’s and for many, learn traditional Bulgarian and Irish dances at the same time, such as the Danube Horo and the Walls of Limerick.
This will be followed by a second night on Saturday 26 April of ceilidh dances and tunes from Scotland, Poland and Hungary during the fourth Pomegranates Festival of world traditional dance (25-30 April).
For tickets and more information on Ceilidh Plus visit HTTPS://WWW.TDFS.ORG/CEILIDHPLUS/
Venue: King’s Hall, 41a South Clerk Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9NZ
Dates: Saturday 21 March and Saturday 26 April 2025 from 6:30-9:30 pm
Tickets: from £9 to £12, BYOB, pop-up food bar available
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Iliyana Nedkova and Wendy Timmons, Curator and Convenor of the Traditional Dance Forum Scotland said:
“We believe that the tradition bearers of Scottish Ceilidh would be delighted to share the stage and the dance floor with the dance traditions of the other cultures that have become an integral part of contemporary Scotland. Although there are regular and popular Ceilidh nights across the country’s village halls and cultural centres, there are hardly any events that provide space for the folk fusion of Scottish Ceilidh with other world trad dances. Our Ceilidh Plus series is to change this and hopefully establish a new tradition.”
Daniela Dimova-Yaneva, Co-Director of the Bulgarian Cultural and Educational Centre – Scotland, including the the First Bulgarian School ‘Lady Nadejda Stancioff Muir’, Edinburgh said:
“We are delighted to be joining our friends at the Traditional Dance Forum to co-curate this special Ceilidh Plus to mark the 10th anniversary of the first Bulgarian Language School in Scotland. This gathering will be a great opportunity for the Bulgarian diaspora and any other multi-ethnic communities in and around Edinburgh to come together for a joyful dance and live music experience rooted in respect for both Scottish and Irish, as well as the Bulgarian traditional cultures. Let’s get together to also mark St Patrick’s Day, the foremost patron saint of Ireland, and celebrate the contemporary diverse Scotland we all call home!”
Jerry O’Donovan, the Consul General of Ireland said:
“The month of March will see Irish-themed events across Scotland as we mark St Patrick’s Day and the contribution that the Irish community have made to Irish-Scottish relations. We are therefore delighted to be supporting the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland’s latest Ceilidh Plus night. This event will also let us celebrate and explore the cultural bonds that tie Scotland and Ireland with Bulgaria over a fun-filled evening.”
FURTHER DETAILS
Ceilidh Plus is part-funded by Creative Scotland’s TASGADH (Traditional Arts Small Grants) and Creative Scotland’s Multi-Year Fund through TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), as well as the Consulate General of Ireland in Scotland (21 March). Additional in-kind support is provided through the new partnerships of the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland with Edinburgh College and The King’s Hall, as well as the ongoing academic relationship with Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh and the Bulgarian Cultural and Educational Centre – Scotland (21 March). All proceeds are reinvested into the Traditional Dance Forum Scotland ’s year-round programme which aims to diversify traditional dance practised across Scotland
Pomegranates Festival The fourth Pomegranates Festival (25-30 April) in partnership with TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) and Moray House School of Education and Sport, at the University of Edinburgh celebrates Scottish traditional dance alongside world traditional dance practised by New Scots and cultural migrant communities across Scotland. It is supported by Creative Scotland and includes exhibitions, ceilidhs, workshops, walking tours, and talks about traditional dance from Scotland and around the world. The Pomegranates Festival explores the intrinsic links of traditional dance with live music, film, fashion, poetry, art and heritage craft. https://www.tdfs.org/pomegranates/
Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland Established in 2014, the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland is the only national organisation of its kind dedicated to the advancement of all forms of traditional and social dance. It advocates for and supports the diverse Scottish and world trad dance forms practised in Scotland ranging from Ceilidh to Old Time, Swing to Hip Hop as an integral part of our global intangible cultural heritage. It provides free membership to over 250 traditional dance artists and organisations and supports them through three major routes – productions, residencies and festivals such as Pomegranates. A registered charity (SCIO SC045085) and a founding member of TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) www.tdfs.org
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery, which, now in its 30th year, has supported over 14,600 projects with more than £501.9 million in funding through Creative Scotland and its predecessor, the Scottish Arts Council. Further information at creativescotland.com and the social media channels on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. More about the value of art and creativity in Scotland at www.ourcreativevoice.scot
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Images of participants performing traditional dances from Scotland, Greece and Italy at the Ceilidh Plus evening in December 2024 at the Kings Hall, Edinburgh. Photo credit Basya Volodarskaya
