Reeling and rocking

Revellers dance at Ghillie Dhu

FOR many Scots, a ceilidh is something to be enjoyed at the occasional wedding after a few too many drams. For others, they bring back not so pleasant memories of being forced to hold sweaty hands with members of the opposite sex at school, or of staid dances in village halls with crepe paper decorations and orange squash served between dances.

However, the owners of new Edinburgh venue Ghillie Dhu, just beyond the west end of Princes Street, are stomping all over that rather twee image with their weekly ceilidhs, which aim to persuade the city's young population to stop grinding against each other on the dancefloors of George Street and start pas de basque-ing in Rutland Place.

So does this mean that ceilidh is officially cool? At the launch night for Ghillie Dhu, owned by Stefan King of the successful Glasgow-based G1 Group, most of the revellers are in their twenties and thirties, and it's telling that one woman's interpretation of tartan consisted of a risqu corset dress. Guests knock back traditional Scottish fare in a vast banqueting hall, before the tables are cleared and the six-inch heels are kicked off in time for the Gay Gordons.

It seems a little strange to see young couples doing the old "forward, two, three, turn…" to the skirl of a ceilidh band in what is undoubtedly a nightclub, decorated with pink and green spotlights, a colourful bar, mirrorball detailing, dark corners obscured by velvet drapes and dimly lit with candles.

Pete Irvine, the renowned event co-ordinator and author of Scotland the Best, is not so sure the formula will take off in the capital. "Stefan King is slightly opportunistic and is usually a little ahead of the curve, but I don't know if he's got it right this time," he says. "As a form of social interaction, I think ceilidhs are great, but as a way to sell drink I'm not so sure. The positioning of Ghillie Dhu just off Princes Street is interesting; the people who visit Edinburgh love ceilidhs, because they're such social occasions and they want to get involved in that. I think it will be one for backpackers and tourists, but not so much for locals."

Ghillie Dhu is undoubtedly "bling" and not necessarily for those looking for a casual ceilidh experience. Many of the women are wearing shoes not best suited to stamping their feet in time to the music, and the venue has a slightly clubby fell to it. In short, it is attempting to inject a bit of sex into ceilidh dancing.

But then, ceilidhs are rather sexy. Forget rubbing up against a stranger on a sticky dancefloor, ceilidhs are a great way to meet people, since many dances involve couples swapping partners throughout the dance. And for adults, being made to hold hands with members of the opposite sex is no longer such a bad thing, so it's no surprise that ceilidhs once facilitated the kind of courting that would lead to marriage.

Edinburgh 37-year-old Clare Jenkinson attends dances regularly, favouring the regular ceilidh held at the Assembly Rooms. "There's a real buzz about ceilidhs at the moment, especially among young people, perhaps because people are cottoning on to the fact that they're a great way of mixing and meeting new people," she says.

"I find that there's often lots of students at the ceilidhs I attend, and loads of people in their twenties and thirties. It's definitely much more sociable than your average nightclub."

The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS) is hoping that Scottish country dancing – slightly more formal than ceilidh dancing, with a focus on reels – will follow in the footsteps of ceilidh, in terms of its popularity with young people. The society is overhauling its website specifically to appeal to younger generations.

As part of Edinburgh's 2010 Hogmanay celebrations, an open-air ceilidh on the Mound saw hundreds of revellers birling into the wee hours, while the popularity of ceilidh rock bands, such as Mad Parrot and The Cutting Edge, are attracting a younger crowd. A number of universities hold regular dances, including the University of Edinburgh, which hosts the long-running Highland Annual, the oldest ceilidh in the city.

The word "ceilidh" is used to describe any form of mass social gathering and accompanies everything from song to storytelling. In Alexander Carmichael's 1900 collection of prayers, hymns, charms, poems and songs, Carmina Gadelica, he describes it as "a literary entertainment where stories and tales, poems and ballads, are rehearsed and recited, and songs are sung, conundrums are put, proverbs are quoted, and many other literary matters are related and discussed."

Today, however, most ceilidhs focus on dance. Given the slightly twee associations ceilidhs inspire, given their popularity at Scottish weddings and birthday parties, perhaps there's a sort of knowing irony to hosting a ceilidh these days.

Angus Bremner, a photographer from Edinburgh, recently held one to celebrate his 40th birthday. "It was the most positive feedback I've ever had from a party, and most people there were in their early thirties," he says. "Nothing gets everyone in the room on to the dance floor like a ceilidh. I don't know if it's a Scottish thing, but people seem to like that sense of structure, and it's very sociable. I don't think I've ever danced with so many different people in one evening."

Few other countries have such a social national dance as the Scots. Indeed, the English friend who accompanied me to the opening of Ghillie Dhu lamented that, at weddings south of the Border, a jazz band is the norm and it's rare to see every guest hitting the dancefloor, as is usually the case at a ceilidh.

Sheila McCutcheon, who runs a number of ceilidh classes at Dance Base in Edinburgh, has noticed not only an increasing number of younger dancers attending her classes, but more non-Scots who are living in Scotland and are keen to immerse themselves in ceilidh culture.

"One of the great things about ceilidhs is that not only can you put your individual stamp on a dance, but many dances are simple enough to pick up straight away," she says. "That's part of the attraction for foreigners, who find it really accessible, as well as younger people. I've noticed an increasing number of people in their twenties coming to my beginners' classes. I think that's down to a great music scene that incorporates ceilidh rock, as well as more traditional Scottish dances at weddings becoming even more popular."

So put on those dancing shoes, make sure you're wearing clean underpants beneath your kilt, head along to one of the many regular ceilidhs taking place across the country and then get ready to hold a stranger's sweaty hand. Ceilidhs might just be the new rock 'n' roll.