Knighton Social Club Marquee

A jolly jaunt for Moody Food down to Knighton to take part in the centenary celebrations of Premier Foods. The proceeds of the week-long festival of events went to worthy causes and were shared between the Midlands Air Ambulance and Help For Heroes.

Dancing was held in a marquee, with the wind doing its bets to uproot it, and with the poshest dance floor we've ever seen. The light is always interesting in marquees for it slowly fades as the evening melts into night.

We're often asked what the difference is between a ceili and a barn dance – well this was definitely a barn dance what with the straw bales, cowboy hats and checked shirts and even some impromptu line dancing. We don't need much excuse to play Bill Monroe's Southern Flavor, but tonight it felt just right.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Behind the Haystack / Merrily Danced the Quaker's Wife
The Snowball
Goatland Square Eight
Circle Mixer
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Strip the Willow
Circle Waltz
Boston Tea Party
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reel
Waterloo Dance
The Willow Tree
Southern Flavor
Cumberland Square Eight
Circassian Circle
Cock o' the North

Victoria On The Square, Hanley

Happy Birthday Sylvia!

This was probably the smallest dance floor that we've ever held a ceili on – we had dancers galloping up the corridors trying to find a little more space. It was so cramped that we had to do some of the dances in relays. There's an Irish tune called Round the House and Mind the Dresser which refers to the days when dances were held in homes rather than halls. We've renamed it Round the Pub and Mind the Speakers in honour of the Victoria on the Square. Thanks to Mike who was much in demand to make up the numbers and still found time to take the photos and to Tom (bass) and Arthur (drums) for halving the average age of the band.

Here are Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
The Flying Scot
Behind the Haystack / Merrily Danced the Quakers Wife
The Snowball
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Goatland Square Eight (1)
The Humours of Scariff / Some Say the Devil is Dead
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Simple Longways Set
Clopton Bridge
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reel
Goatland Square Eight (2)
Cumberland Square Eight
Circassian Circle
Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers

Happy Birthday Sylvia.  59 + 1 = 60.