Ashbourne, Empire Ballroom

The Ashbourne 2014 Highland Fling – an evening of Scotttish Fayre and Entertainment with the Ashbourne and District Pipe Band, Warwick Adams, Jessica and Jonathan Whilock and The Moody Food Ceili Band with Sylvia Fisher.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

• The Lark in the Morning / Langstern's Pony
• Ashbourne and District Pipe Band
• The Gay Gordons
• The Dashing White Sergeant
• Strip the Willow
• St Bernard's Waltz
• Cutting Bracken / The Connaught Man's Rambles / My Love in the Morning
• Ashbourne and District Pipe Band
• Supper of haggis, tatties and neeps with music played by Jessica and Jonathon Whilock on uillean pipes
• Warwick Adams reciting Robbie Burns poems
• Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
• St Bernard's Waltz
• The Barley Reel
• Cumberland Reel
• Circle Waltz
• Shebag an Shemor / Give me your Hand
• Glasgow Gallop
• The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
• The Dashing White Sergeant
• Auld Lang Syne
• The Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers

 

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

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

Ashbourne, Empire Ballroom

Our annual Moody Food jaunt down to Ashbourne for their Pipe Band's Highland Fling. Luckily it was on the Friday as the heavy snow on Saturday would almost certainly kept us at home and we would have missed the fab tatties and neaps. Thanks to Rob from No Left Ear for being a roadie for the night.

The ballroom is one of my favourite halls and walking into it always feels like you are stepping back into another age with its dark wallpaper and art nouveau chandeliers dripping down from the domed ceiling. It first opened in 1912 as a cinéariety (a new word to me) where live variety acts would perform between the films and then converted to a ballroom in 1960.

The programme for the night.

The Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers

Cutting Bracken Strathspey (fiddle solo)

Ashbourne and District Pipe Band

The Gay Gordons

A Highland Welcome

Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna

The Dashing White Sergeant

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

The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair

The Ashbourne Fling

Pipe Major James Dungavel (pipe solo)

Prize Draw

Drops of Brandy

The Cumberland Reel

The Dashing White Sergeant

Auld Lang Syne

Awa Hame

Empire Wallpaper.

Ashbourne, Empire Ballroom

Happy Birthday David!

This was our third trip to Ashbourne this year with Moody Food and it's beginning to feel like our second home. We've been playing at the annual Burns night bash at Ashbourne for a few years now along with the Ashbourne and District Pipe Band. David plays the bagpipes with the ADPB which explains the Saltire, tartan, and bagpipes on his cake but not the er... tractor.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
Shebeg an Shemor / Give Me Your Hand
The Humours of Scarrif / Some Say The Devil is Dead
Cutting Bracken Strathspey and Jig / The Connaughtman's Rambles, Love in the Morning
The Glasgow Gallop
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Canadian Barndance
Goatland Square Eight
The Flying Scot
Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
The Gay Gordons
Fly Away / Turkey in the Straw / Seneca Square Dance
Waltz
Oxo Reel
The Lark in the Morning / Langstern's Pony
Circassian Circle
Auld Lang Syne

Happy Birthday David!

Ashbourne, Lizzy and Jimbo

Another great evening in Ashbourne with Moody Food celebrating the wedding of Lizzy to Jimbo. A hot air balloon floating above the town guided us on our journey there, but it didn't stop us from getting lost once we arrived. We went around the outskirts about three times before we found the secret lane up to the Bowling Club high on the hill above the town – a perfect spot to watch the sun set. Thanks to everyone who danced through the night in spite of the heat and sorry about the Les Dawson moment at the end – Sue broke a string.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

The Snowball
Goatland Square Eight

Strip the Willow

Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie

Polka Off

Circle Waltz

Postman's Knock

The Siege of Ennis

The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reel

Waterloo Dance

The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair

Old Swan Gallop

Circassian Circle

The Cock 'o the North / 100 Pipers

Who caught the bouquet?

Only phenomenal self-control prevented me from helping myself to the top cake.

Ashbourne, Empire Ballroom

Bagpipes, kilts, haggis, neaps and tatties – it must be the annual Burns Night bash in Ashbourne again.

The programme for the night.

Behind the Haystack / Merrily Danced the Quaker's Wife

The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair

Cutting Bracken / The Connaughtman's Rambles / My Love in the Morning 

Ashbourne and District Pipe Band

The Gay Gordons

A Highland Welcome

Ashbourne Scottish Dance Club

The Dashing White Sergeant

Eightsome Reel

Ashbourne and District Pipe Band

Address to the Haggis (Warwick Adams)

Supper accompanied by Jonathan and Jessica Whilock on Uileann and Small Pipes

Drum Salute

Ashbourne Fling

Robert Burns' poetry (Warwick Adams)

The Dashing White Sergeant

Pipe Major James Dungavel

Prize Draw

Cumberland Reel

Drops of Brandy

Auld Lang Syne

Awa Hame

Great chieftan o' the pudin-race!

Ashbourne, Empire Ballroom

Another great night up at Ashbourne – I love it when everyone dresses up – and James won the raffle!

The programme for the night.

Behind the Haystack / Merrily Danced the Quaker's Wife

Cutting Bracken / The Connaughtman's Rambles / My Love in the Morning 

Ashbourne and District Pipe Band

A Highland Welcome

The Gay Gordons

Ashbourne Scottish Dance Club

The Dashing White Sergeant

Ashbourne and District Pipe Band

Address to the Haggis (Warwick Adams)

Supper accompanied by Jonathan Whilock on Uileann and Small Pipes

Drum Salute

Ashbourne Fling

Highland Dancing (Alex Lowe)

Robert Burns' poetry (Warwick Adams)

The Dashing White Sergeant

Pipe Major James Dungavel

Prize Draw

Cumberland Reel

Strip the Willow

Auld Lang Syne

Awa Hame

Ashbourne, Empire Ballroom

I missed last year's Highland Fling with the Ashbourne and District Pipe Band so this was the first time that I've been up close and personal to massed bagpipes – loud aren't they? We first met Jonathon one New Year's Eve at the Royal Oak Hotel in Cheadle but I didn't know that he also played the Irish uilleann pipes. We'll have to arrange a bit of a session next time.

If you would like to know more about the ADPB or fancy learning to play Scottish or Irish pipes you can find out more here.

Not as many pictures of dancers as usual – something to do with Emma not being able to play drums and take photos at the same time. What is the point of all those paradiddles?

The programme for the night.

Behind the Haystack / Merrily Danced the Quaker's Wife
Ashbourne and District Pipe Band
The Gay Gordons
A Highland Welcome
Jonathon Whilock – small pipes
St Bernard's Waltz
Ashbourne and District Pipe Band
Warwick Adams – Address to a Haggis
Supper accompanied by Jessica and Jonathon Whilock on uilleann pipes
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Barn Dance
Snare drum solo
The Ashbourne Fling
Warwick Adams – three Robbie Burns poems
The Dashing White Sergeant
Pipe Major James Dungavel
Prize Draw
Cumberland Reel
Strip the Willow
Auld Lang Syne