About This Event

Deiseil: Dancing in Time deiseil /dʲeʃal/ (sounds like jay-shal) A powerful exploration of Scotland’s percussive dance tradition told through fiddle, feet, Gaelic song and story. Deiseil: Dancing in Time is a vibrant sharing of the joy and energy of stepdance and the music and song attached to it. Stepdance is a percussive dance form which was historically an important part of Gaelic culture, but became virtually unknown in Scotland due to cultural suppression, emigration and evolution into Highland dance and Scottish country dance. It was preserved by emigrants to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and we learned from their descendants returning to teach in Scotland in the 1990s. The show was co-devised by dancer Alison Carlyle, musician Amy Geddes and director Gerry Mulgrew. It is a collage of live fiddle music, dance, Gaelic song, spoken word and recorded material which blends into an immersive, participative event. We create the feeling of an old-style ceilidh house where people share stories and music together, across the whole range of human experience. As one audience member put it, “I went through so many emotions during the show, from glee to deep sorrow. Thank you!” One of the triumphs of 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and again at Celtic Connections in 2026 – sold out shows, standing ovations and 5-star reviews.

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