Betley Village Hall, New Year's Eve, 2013

Happy New Year Betley!

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

• Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
• Glasgow Gallop
• Beccles Slide
• Circle Hornpipe
• Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
• Strip the Willow
• Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
• Polka Off
• The Gay Gordons
• The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
• Circle Waltz
• Silly Threesome
• The Siege of Ennis
• Gravel Walk / Crowley's Reel
• The Holly Bush
• The Dashing White Sergeant
• Shebag an Shemor / Give me your Hand
• Oxo Reel
• Silent Night
• The Chimes of Big Ben
• Auld Lang Syne
• Cumberland Square Eight
• Circassian Circle
• Southern Flavor

Girls still want to have fun!

 

Hanchurch Village Hall

Back to Hanchurch with Sylvia and Moody Food for a badminton club barn dance. We really should have played the (shuttle)Cock o' the North for them.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

• Behind the Haystack / Merrily Danced the Quaker's Wife
• The Old Swan Gallop
• Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
• Country HornpipeCircle Mixer
• The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
• Stoke Golding Country Dance
• Circle WaltzThe Dashing White Sergeant
• Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
• Swedish Masquerade (Darcy's Revenge)
• Cornish Six-Hand Reel
• Polka Off
• Circassian Circle
• Southern Flavor

Miss Bennet and Mister Darcy.

 

Butt Lane Community Centre

 

Back by popular request, it said on the poster, and who are we to disagree! Another great night with Moody Food and Sylvia and an awesome amount of cheese with the ploughman's supper.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Glasgow Gallop
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Circle Hornpipe
Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reel
The Siege of Ennis
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Stoke Golding
Goatham Square Eight
The Dashing White Sergeant
Shebang an Shemor / Give Me Your Hand
A Barndance
Polka Off
Circassian Circle
Southern Flavor

 

Rode Heath Village Hall

 

Happy Birthday Sarah from all in the Moody Food Ceili Band.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food dance card:

Turkey in the Straw / Seneca Square Dance / Fly Away
Flying Down the Trail
Goatham Square Eight
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Buffalo Reel
Clopton Ridge
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reels
The Old Swan Gallop
Happy Birthday Sarah
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Orcadian Strip the Willow
Circle Waltz
The Siege of Ennis
Shebag an Shemor / Give me your Hand
Waterloo Dance
Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
Polka Off
Circassian Circle
Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers

Always bright and beautiful!

 

Red House Farm

Yee Haa – up to Red House Farm with the Moody Food posse for a proper barn dance in a proper barn.

Collin's Dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

The Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Doxey Marches
The Snowball
Thady U Ganda
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Virginia Reel
Boston Tea Party
Old Swan Gallop
Foula Reel
Circassian Circle
Turkey in the Straw / Seneca Square Dance

Last orders at the bar.

Keele University

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun we had at the NAPICU* conference at the band's alma mater. To be honest, I don't think quite enough alcohol had been consumed to release some of the delegates' inner Morris Man.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

The Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Circle Dance
The Snowball
Geoff's Tune
Happy Birthday Praise
Southern Flavor
The Flying Scot
Shebag an Shemor / Give me your Hand
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reel
Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna

*The National Association of Psychiatric Intensive Care and Low Secure Units.

Worfield Village Hall

Happy Birthday Lucy!

Our first wigs and waistcoats party – we all felt a little under dressed!

Sylvia's dances for your, Moody Food Dance Card:

The Lark in the Morning / Langstern's Pony
Circle Dance
A Simple Longways Set
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Goatland Square Eight
Circle Hornpipe
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reel
The Snowball
Happy Birthday Lucy
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
Swedish Masquerade or Mr Darcey's Revenge
Dorchester Caper
Orcadian Strip the Willow
Humours of Scariff / Some Say the Devil is Dead
Circle Waltz
Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
Polka Off
Shebag and Shemor / Give me your Hand
Circassia Circle
Cock o' the North

Heaton House Farm, Rebecca and Ian

Cogartulations Rebecca and Ian!

'We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.' Robert Fulghum.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

The Lark in the Morning / Langstern's Pony
Sylvia's Mixer
The Snowball
Orcadian Strip the Willow
Goatland Square Eight
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
The Siege of Ennis
The Willow Tree
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Clopton Bridge
Old Swan Gallop
Circassian Circle
Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers

 

Gnosall, Liz and Ann

A double birthday celebration dance for Liz and Ann.

Collin was our third guest caller this summer and is so good-natured that he even agreed to video one of the dances whilst he was calling. Who says men can't multi-task

Collin's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Scatter Promenade
The Snowball
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Thadie U Ganda
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Boston Tea Party
The Virginia Reel
Cumberland Square Eight
The Foula Reel
Circassian Circle

Fairboroughs Farm

Happy Birthday Alex!

Here's a top tip if you're looking for a venue to hold your birthday party – find a local festival, such as Welly Fest 2013, and sneak into the marquee the night before and have a ceilidh with The Moody Food Ceili Band. Everyone's a winner.

Jason's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

The Lark in the Morning / Langstern's Pony
Jason's Big Mixer
Glasgow Gallop
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Salutation Square Dance
Happy Birthday Alex
Caerphilly March
Cumberland Square Eight
Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
Old Swan Gallop
Circassian Circle
Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers

The night before Welly Fest 2013.

The Madeley Centre

Happy Birthday Tony!

We borrowed Jason and his very snazzy waistcoat from Alf Alfa and the Wild Oats to do a spot of calling as Sylvia was off celebrating her birthday (Happy Birthday Sylvia!). Jason demonstrated his scatological side in his choice of dances but at least I finally learnt what a quadrille is – it's a posh name for a square set. Nice to see some proper waltzing during Shebag an Shemor.

Jason's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Jason's Big Set
Flying Scot
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Salutation Square Dance
Blaydon Races
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Caerphilly March
Cumberland Square Eight
Shebag and Shemor / Give me your Hand
Bottoms Up
Spanish Waltz Quadrille
Stoke Golding
Old Swan Gallop
Circassian Circle

A cake for a rambler.

Jason surrenders.

Newcastle School, Hannah and Ed

Congratulations Hannah and Edward.

It was back to school for the Moody Food crew. Hannah and Ed first met at Newcastle-under-Lyme School and made some life-long friends there, so where better to get married?

These wedding cakes made of cheese are becoming very popular – this is the second one I've seen this year.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Midnight on the Water
Goatham Square Eight
A Simple Longways Set
Circle Waltz
Orcadian Strip the Willow
Polka Off

Now that's what I call a cheese cake.

Hannah and Ed.

Yeldersley Hall, Natalie and Tom

Congratulations Natalie and Tom.

This was our first time at Yeldersley Hall, a Georgian country house near Ashbourne and the first time that we've had a string quartet (proper musicians) as a support act or played a dance during a thunder storm, although the light show was fantastic.

Linda Westrupp was the first of our summer guest callers and she brought some fab new (to us) dances with her. But the highlight of the evening was little Rosie's dance – if anyone took some video of this, please get in touch. Rosie, you're a star.

Sorry about the photos – I still haven't learnt how to use a camera and play the mandolin at the same time.

Linda's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Nervous Breakdown
Flying Scot
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Berkshire Swing
Heel and Toe Polka
Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Caerphilly March
Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
Bottoms Up
Cumberland Square Eight
Southern Flavor
Boston Gallop
Rosie's Dance
Stoke Golding
Circassian Circle

Goostrey Rose Festival

We waited all year for the call to come from Glastonbury but they decided to go with some band called the Rolling Stones, so we popped up to the Goostrey Festival to play on the rose stage instead. The food was fab as usual.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Nordal Rumba
The Promenade
Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
The Banshee / High Reel / Miss Mcleods
Circle Mixer
Christmas Eve / The Lads of Laois
Goatland Square Eight
The Snowball
Happy Birthday Dave
Midnight on the Water / waltz Vienna
The Siege of Delhi / The Earls Chair
The Siege of Ennis
Stoke Golding Country Dance
Circle Waltz
The Weaving Dance
The Willow Tree
Circassian Circle
Southern Flavor

Veggie monsters!

Checkley Community Centre

Thank you all for a brilliant night and for raising £450 for the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Circle Dance No. 2
A Simple Longways Set
The Siege of Ennis
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
The Siege of Delhi / The Earls Chair
Stoke Golding Country Dance
Sicilian Hornpipe
Daniel's Delight
Shebag an Shemor / Give Me Your Hand
Circle Mixer
The Weaving Dance
The Dashing White Sergeant
Waterloo Dance
Polka Off
Circassian Circle
Cock o' the North

Holy Trinity Hall, Newcastle-under-Lyme

Happy Birthday Joan!

Great to see lots of friends we haven't seen for ages and it was typical of Joan to ask everyone to donate to the charity Lupus UK instead of giving her gifts.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Glasgow Gallop
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
The Snowball
Postman's Knock
The Gravel Walk / Crowley's Reel
The Old Swan Gallop
Happy Birthday Joan
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Goatland Square Eight
Clopton Bridge
Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
Oxo Reel
Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
Circassian Circle
Southern Flavor

Cake and beer - bliss!

Tittensor Village Hall

Congratulations Mike and we hope that the surprise party wasn't too much of a surprise.

It seems always to be sunny for Anthea and Mike. It was a glorious summer's day when we played for their wedding three years ago and so it was today (maybe a little too warm for energetic dancing).

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Glasgow Gallop
A Simple Longways Set
Goatland Square Eight
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
The Snowball
The Humours of Scariff / Some Say the Devil is Dead
Circle Hornpipe
Oxo Reel
The Promenade (Yay!)
Circassian Circle

Ahh.

 

Mount Pleasant Village Hall, Mow Cop

Happy Birthday Steve! An afternoon ceili so that the children could join in and an opportunity for us to play Heel and Toe Polka which the little ones love. It felt a bit odd playing in sunlight – somethings only seem right done at night time!  In case you're wondering what the cake is depicting, Steve likes to compete in triathlons – which is one way to burn off those birthday cake calories.

After 30 years of gigs Sue and Milly insisted on a holiday (together!). So we inducted Mat into the mysteries diddly-dee guitar strumming, but such is the awesomeness of Sue's fiddle playing that we had to hire the two Martins on fiddle and flute to fill the Sue shaped hole in the Moody Food sound. Martin no. 2 is the real thing and an All Ireland flute champion. Fortunately he took pity on us all and played at a pace that we could all join in.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock 'o the North / 100 Pipers
The Flying Scot
Sonny's Mazurka / Spanish Cloak
Circassian Circle
Clopton Bridge
Shebag an Shemor / Give Me Your Hand
Glasgow Gallop
Happy Birthday Steve
Patsy Geary's / Coleman's Cross
Return to Fingle / The Kerfunken / The Butterfly
Goatland Square Eight
Heel and Toe Polka
The Lark in the Morning / Langstern's Pony
Cumberland square Eight
Circassian Circle

Iron man!

The Ashes, Claire and Steve

Congratulations Claire and Steve. It was a nice touch to set off on your honeymoon in a Ford Zodiac – makes a change from a horse and carriage. It may have been April but there were still patches of snow up on the hillside above the Ashes, but some very lively dancing and chip butties in the interval warmed everyone up. Sue, as is becoming customary at our wedding ceilis, gave impromptu fiddle lessons to two very enthusiastic little girls. When they grow up they can move on to a proper instrument – a mandolin!

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

The Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Glasgow Gallop
A Simple Longways Set
Circle Hornpipe
Oxo Reel
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Lucky 7
Strip the Willow
The Old Swan Gallop
Circle Waltz
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reels
The Snowball
Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
Waterloo Dance
Circassian Circle

Your carriage awaits

Two love birds on a cake.

Fiddle lesson one.

Fiddle lesson two.

Ahh.

.

Butt Lane Community Centre

This was our first time at Butt Lane where they really know how to dress for an occassion (see below). Sorry about all the blurred photos – I really will get around to reading the manual one day. How I miss Mike, who actually knows how to take a picture. We also had an humbling lesson in who are the important members in the band. During the first dance we tripped the dreaded sound meter and due to some excentric wiring in the hall it only cut out the fiddle and mandolin leavingthe drums, bass and guitar unaffected. The dancers carried on as if nothing had happened – and there was me thinking you actually listened to the tunes.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

The Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Glasgow Gallop
The Flying Scot
Goatland Square Eight
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Circle Hornpipe
Strip the Willow
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reels
A Simple Longways Set
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl/s Chair
The Snowball
Circle Mixer 
Postman's Knock
Shebag an Shemor / Give Me Your Hand
Polka Off
The Dashing White Sergeant
The Old Swan Gallop
Circassian Circle

Ceili Chic at Butt Lane.

Newcastle Congregational Church Hall

It was all yellow – an Easter birthday dance for Vikki although Bill, Jen and Liz somehow all managed to get a free birthday party as well! Fortunately we all managed to get to the gig in spite of the snow although we missed a trick by not playing the tune Easter Snow.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

The Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Glasgow Gallop
The Flying Scot
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
The Snowball
Happy Birthday Vikki
Happy Birthday Bill and Jen
Happy Birthday Vikki (again)
Happy Birthday Liz
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl/s Chair
Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
Goatland Square Eight
Circle Waltz
Oxo Reel
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reels
Polka Off
Shebag an Shemor / Give Me Your Hand
Circassian Circle

Vikki's Birthday Cake.

The Old Brown Jug, Newcastle-under-Lyme

Celebrating St Patrick's Eve with a bar dance (geddit?) at The Old Brown Jug with the Moody Food Ceili Band and Candida. We had everything you need for a bit of a hooley – plenty of Guinness, songs and enough rigs and jeels to jig-a-jig the night away. 

Now that you've all sobered up you'll need this handy set list to explain why you were doing all that happy-clappy stuff:

The Lark in the Morning / Langstom's Pony (jigs)
The Belle of Belfast City (song)
Do You Love and Apple (song)
The Kesh / Mist on the Mountain / Blackthorn Stick / Morrison's (jigs) 
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's (reels)
Raglan Road (song)
Dirty Old Town (song)
Whiskey in the Jar (song)
Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's (reels) 
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair (reels) 
Sally Maclennane (song)
Galway Girl (song)
Polka Off (dance) 
The Star of the County Down (song)  
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie (waltz and fiddle tune)
Tortured Tangled Heart (song)
Southern Flavor (fiddle tune)
Circassian Circle (dance)

Masonic Hall, Kidsgrove

I forgot to bring the camera, again, so no photos of Patricia's 70th birthday dance with Moody Food which was a very lively affair considering she asked for gentle dances. Patricia also asked her guests to donate money to Headway North Staffordshire a charity which provides support for people with head injuries, which is a great way to celebrate your birthday. Headway also have a Facebook page (if you're into that sort of thing), which has a little more information about the charity.

Highlight of the night? Sue's trick with a £5 note.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Behind the Haystack / Merrily Danced the Quaker's Wife
Glasgow Gallop
The Snowball
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Goatland Square Eight
The Humours of Scariff / Some Say the Devil is Dead
St Bernard's Waltz
Happy Birthday Patricia
Happy Birthday Angela
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Clopton Bridge
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reels
Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
Oxo Reel
Polka Off
Shebag an Shemor / Give me your Hand
Circassian Circle
Auld Lang Syne

Ashbourne, Empire Ballroom

Another great night with our favourite pipe band down in Ashbourne. The band was a little depleted compared to past years as all the youngsters have left for uni – so if you've always fancied a go on the bagpipes but didn't know who to ask, these are the lads for you.

Sylvia created a new dance term – tessellating. It's the effect you get when the hall is filled with square sets. Let's see if it catches on.

The programme for the night:

Ashbourne and District Pipe Band
The Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers

The Gay Gordons

A Highland Welcome
The Eightsome Reel
St Bernard's Waltz
Ashbourne and District Pipe Band
Address to the Haggis
Supper of haggis, neaps and tatties accompanied by Jonathan and Jessica Whilock on Uileann and Small Pipes
Prize Draw
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
The Dashing White Sergeant
Orcadian Strip the Willow

Shebag and Shemor / Give me your Hand

The Cumberland Reel

Polka Off

Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
Circle Mixer

Auld Lang Syne

Awa Hame

Eccleshall Community Centre

Happy Birthday Lorna and Nindy!

Back in town at Eccleshall's OK Corral for a double birthday celebration. It was a close shave weather wise but fortunately the heavy snow the night before had melted enough to get the waggons on the trail. Nice to see that John Wayne turned up for the showdown.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Glasgow Gallop
Buffalo Stew (Oxo Reel)
The Wigwam
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Happy Birthday Lorna and Nindy
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Circle Waltz
Orcadian Strip the Willow
The Siege of Ennis
The Gravel Walk / Crowley's Reel
Polka Off
The Willow Tree
Circassian Circle
Southern Flavor

The Wheatsheaf, Onnerley

Happy Birthday Alex! In case you're wondering, Alex has a yellow balloon tied to his neck for easy identification – it's a doctor thing.

We borrowed Candida again, so more songs and tunes than dances in our usual Moody Food set.

The Lark in the Morning / Langstom's Pony (jigs)
Old John's Jig / The Hag in the Churn / The Monk's Jig (jigs)
Do You Love and Apple (song)
Raglan Road (song)
The Snowball (dance)
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reels (reels)
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie (waltz and bluegrass fiddle tune)
Dirty Old Town (song)
Whiskey in the Jar (song)
Molloy's Favourite / Cooley's Reel, The Foxhunter (reels) 
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair (reels) 
The Belle of Belfast City (song)
Sally Maclennane (song)  
Geoff's Tune (reggae hornpipe)
Polka Off (dance) 
Fairytale of New York (song)
Circassian Circle (dance) 
Southern Flavor (bluegrass fiddle tune)