Ceili and Craic

days now are uncertain and ridiculously loaded with responsibility. Ceili & Craic is based out of Southern California, and is the independent result of a few collaborative ventures that are still in progress. Dancers and musicians come from the Los Angeles area, Orange County, the Inland Empire, and even Ventura County, and we always love when visitors get involved. The Ceili dancing is only a portion of it. There’s also the amazing musicians, the energy, and the awesome people and friendships. Ceili dancing is about having fun. You don’t need to be a past/present/future world champion in Irish Step to have fun doing this. The dances and dancers:

Most of the Celtic Ceili dances are the traditional sets that have been brought over from the islands. While the original dances are still performed, there are some that have been modified to incorporate a bit of flair, or to accommodate a smaller dance group. Some modifications have been made to change a 6 hand dance into a 4, 3, or 2 hand, and similar changes to 4 hand dances. If you’d like, you can always subscribe to the YouTube channel Ceili and Craic, and get updates when new videos are available. There are the few creative dancers that have choreographed new Ceili based steps, with awesome outcomes. All of these will be coming in the future for your viewing pleasure. Most of the dancers in the videos join in with the FREE Monday night dance class with the Celtic Arts Center, currently based in North Hollywood, CA. There is a smaller group of dancers from that group that created Ceili to the Core. The C2C dancers enjoy getting out to dance for bands and at Celtic events/music sessions, teach outside of the Celtic Arts Center when requested, and in general just supporting the Celtic community. The music:

The music in each of the videos comes from extremely talented musicians, and dancers always appreciate good music. Most of the bands come from the Southern California area, while others have passed through and left a big impression. Please be sure to check out the Featured Artist page to learn more about the current musician/band, any albums that they may have out, and other general fun stuff. The energy:

The energy is pretty much what the Craic is. It’s everything about life and the moment that brings a good time. Urban Dictionary has this to say about Craic:

Irish word for fun/enjoyment that has been brought into the English language.
‘Bhi craic agus ceol againn’ : We had fun and music.
*”Fun” doesn’t really cut it though. General banter, good times had by all. Also, a person who is good fun/great company. Hopefully, this gives a good idea of what this is here for. If you’ve got any questions, come on out! You can always email at [email protected].