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	SHOCC Dances


	English Ceilidh in the South

Previously at SHOCC Dances...

We brought you the best in English Ceilidh...

Saturday 24th March 2018 Tickled Pink Fee Lock	Video clips from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 17th February 2018 Mawkin Ceilidh Trio Sara Clough	"Unusual tunes, very well played, and unusual dances." "The variety of dances, simple to complex, some mixers some not, and from many countries." Video clips from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 27th January 2018 Jigfoot Rhianwen Davies	"The caller music and dances were all great. Liked the seamlessness of transition from teaching the dance to starting. This helped create a great atmosphere." Video clips from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 17th December 2017 Out of Hand Ian Nichols	"Great band and excellent calling."
Saturday 25th November 2017 Tautas Roks Barry Goodman	"Everything was great, it was a really great evening." "Volume level very good, not too loud. Caller was fun. Friendly people, felt very welcome. Nice mixture of dances"
Saturday 22nd October 2017 Panjandrum Gordon Potts	"The music was fantastic; great sound quality and just the right volume. Fabulous tunes to dance to. There were about the right number of people there; lots of people to ask to dance without it being too crowded. The number of dances and short interval suited me just right." "Great floor. Great stage and lighting. Great band and caller - as with all the bands you choose, they they had a unique style. Nice to have access to drinking water. Easy access to parking." "Everyone joining in and being very relaxed with those unfamiliar with the dances." "Great band good caller lots of fun." "Great atmosphere! Friendly and non-threatening. Recorder player was brilliant. Gave such a lift to the music."
Saturday 23rd September 2017 Hekety Aidan Hansell	"Band was excellent, and enough space to dance." A video clip from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 20th May 2017 Threepenny Bit Lisa Purkiss (SHOCC Dances Extra held in Winchester Guildhall)	"It was all fab!" "Nice mix of dances in diffeent formations - high standard of dancers." "The hall was lovely and big and with the stage it was easy to see, and hear, the caller and the band. We shall certainly be looking at the website to see when we can go to another :) " "The venue was large with high ceiling so we did not get too hot. It was easy to move around, leave the hall, etc. The facilities were good." "Plenty of space, dances not too complicated, cutting down on explanation time." "Lovely mix of tunes to dance to, very nice venue, friendly atmosphere (organisers were on hand to help during the event too)." Video clips from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 22nd April 2017 DanceCupola Will Hall	"Great danceable music. Online payment system is working well." "The dances were good and the band was also good." A video clip from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 18th March 2017 Peeping Tom Lisa Heywood	"Band and caller worked well together and were both excellent." "The dances were just hard enough to be interesting each time." "Well organised, air conditioning, water available." "The lady caller was lovely, the atmosphere was, as always welcoming and fun. Band - great !!" "Great music. Sound desk did a good job too." Video clips from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 18th February 2017 Steamchicken Sheen Masson	"Excellent band playing outside the norm and with great vocals, clear calling." "New booking on-line system getting perfected - well done!! Fabulous music and calling. Great dancing with no time wasting between dances. Just one break for breath of fresh air and the raffle. Lovely crowd of people - great fun." "Steamchicken are always amazing - our favourite band. Love the mix of folk and jazz." "Steamchicken always create such a party atmosphere." Video clips from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 21st January 2017 Faustus Fee Lock	"A thousand thanks ... for Saturday night. Fee and Faustus were an awesome combination and [we] ... had a great time, probably some of the most danceable ceilidh music we've heard in a while. If the opportunity to book them again comes around, that would get my vote." "Walk through before each dance, gentle tuition with no hints of patronisation." "Faustus a real treat. Caller great but we all knew her reputation of old. Congrats to all not a bum note all evening.No abandoned dances or dancers. Good crowd of dancers of all ages." "Absolutely fab band." "The caller and band worked well together. Excellent band with good dancing tunes - They didn't try to overdo the variations and had a good tempo throughout all the dances. Nice touch of Fee asking the band what tunes they were going to play." Video clips from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 17th December 2016 iFolk Ian Nichols	"Band was superb, very enjoyable music. Calling was excellent, read the room well and adjusted instructions to suit inexperienced dancers." "The band were very "danceable" and the caller was rather good too. The drummer and melodoen player were particularly good. A very good band for a ceilidh." "A real 'dancers' dance!" "iFolk were good too... I liked their use of electric piano, reminds me of Leahy's style (very 'commercial'). I prefer relentless, continuous action - like you call them Ian. Some callers like to pause between dances... for Gawd's sake let's get on with it!" "Enjoyed the band and music. Great mix of people and ages too." "The band played for dancers. They understood what we need to put the caller's words into action. They are talented but do not 'grandstand' their skills." " Very danceable. Great drumming. Clear calling... easy for all to follow."
Saturday 19th November 2016 Blackbeard's Tea Party Barry Goodman	"Good to have online payment up and running. Band had great stage presence and there were some good percussion only parts of the dances." "This was a brilliant evening, thank you. We thoroughly enjoyed this band and caller - would say it was the best ceilidh yet. Even when puffed and sitting a dance out we were enthralled with watching and listening. Thank you." "The range of dances was a bit more varied than is often the case." "Brilliant clear calling and great music." "The caller kept it simple. Most of the dances were really fun." "Very well organised, outstanding band. Dances not over complex." A video clip from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 22nd October 2016 Banter Nick Walden	"Lively band driving the dancing along at a pace. New more challenging dances..." "This was the best evening ever! Banter were absolutely FAB and Nick Walden too." "The caller did not keep going over the dance moves. You had to get it quickly and get dancing. I like that." "First class ceilidh as normal; never heard this band before but for a 3 piece they were stunning." "The atmosphere is always very friendly at these events." "Superb floor and hall." "Absolutely fabulous band....so danceable. Please book them again. You do a fabulous job organising the ceilidhs. Keep up the good work." "Parking, venue, great music - 'Banter - is currently the best ceilidh band we've encountered..." A video clip from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 17th September 2016 The Bursledon Village Band Ian Nichols	"Plenty of space and some good dancers and unusual dances. I love Tag!" "All good to listen too and clear instructions for dances." "Everything was perfect. Water in the fridge would be nice though." "Caller and band worked well together." A video clip from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 23rd April 2016 Trinculo Hannah Bright	"The caller was good at picking up sets that needed to walk through elements a second time even away from the stage. It was good to be introduced to some new dances and movements." "Fabulous music - lots of ununusual tunes and great playing. Great calling from Hannah - she has a very clear way of explaining the figures and made sure that each set had a good grasp of the dance during the walk trhough." "Good sound from the band. Some less-common dances." "Hannah one of the best ... I love how she spent time making sure everyone got it before starting, even though we are experienced it is good to make sure that new people love the dance." "Good mix of people, variety of dances, good atmosphere." A video clip from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 19th March 2016 All Blacked Up Baz Parkes	"It is a great atmosphere, every one is so friendly and were gaining some friend that are very chatty." "The band was amazing - great mix of traditional tunes and instruments with saxes and elextric guitars. Fabulous drummer too. The caller had a great empathy with the audience. Lovely, dry sense of humour. He chose exactly the right dances and judged the amount of walk through needed for each dance. His delivery is brisk and he doesn't let too much time elapse between each dance - people attend SHOCC ceilidhs to Dance 'til they Drop! The raffle is well executed - raises some extra cash, but doesn't crank on for ages with endless prizes." "Oh glory - you guys are sooo good at chosing bands and callers - to specifiy might be to miss something ! The different style every time is such a joy." "Excellent band and caller, very good atmosphere, great evening all round - what more could you want!" A video clip from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 20th February 2016 PolkaWorks Lisa Purkiss	"Band was really good. Venue was great." "The band was "adequately loud" without being too loud." "The band are just wonderful: great lift, impossible to sit still. They'd planned the programme with the caller and it paid off. Great floor." "The Caller, Lisa worked very well with the band - who were excellent as well." "Great band and good mix of dances the room felt less crowded and the caller made sure people had room. Good to have a short break between some dances." "Polkaworks really know how to lift the feet, helping you dance and at just the right pace. Lisa was really giving it her all - on the move all the time but never letting it distract her from keeping control of the dance." Video clips from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 23rd January 2016 Threepenny Bit Will Hall	"Wow! Was an amazing night! The band were great and the caller was great also: fab with all abilities, and made time to ensure everyone understood. Can't wait 'til the next one." "It's great to have lively ceilidhs in the area." "Super hall, good parking, easy to find, short break, early start time." "Band was EXCELLENT. Venue was fine (if only it were larger! - c'est la vie)." "Band are great, had heard the caller before and was good both times, time for the new ones but sped onwards when it was ok to do so, good mix of dances, great venue with lots of space, raffle's a nice idea too!" "Band was very good and played some contrasting tunes with vigour and contrast between the instruments. Generally very good intros. Caller was good, with patience for newcomers." "Really enjoyed our first time with SHOCC!" "Great music, great dances of a good length, the caller explained things clearly but there were no disparaging looks for people who still hadn't got it - it was just really good fun. I liked the short anecdotes about the origin of some of the dances from the caller as well." "Very gentle dances to start with building up to more high energy stuff at the end." A video clip from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 19th December 2015 Spike Island Band Ian Nichols	"It was just a lovely evening." "Good numbers without being crowded." "Some "unusual" dances and a "light touch" from the band." "The caller! Very clear instructions, and the demonstrations for the trickier dances worked well." "High energy great dances. I loved that Ian just kept calling and didn't allow lots of breaks. Good balance of experienced dancers and new young enthusiasts. Ian's calling splendid." "All of it! Think this was the best yet, thoroughly enjoyed the evening, thank you!" "Lovely atmosphere, lots of people having fun dancing together." Video clips from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 21st November 2015 The Diatonics Emma Wooders	"Last night was brilliant! Great job you are doing there, I’ve had a couple of people today who came to see us say what a great event all round it was!" -the Diatonics "Good music & dancing." "Really good evening - dances not too simplistic, good mix of dances and great band." "The band and atmosphere was great, thank you." "The atmosphere was great. Every one is so friendly; a great night had by all. Starting to know people to say hello to as well; had a great night." "Plenty of dances with very little gap. Right amount of complexity - not too many moves to remember." "Everyone was very encouraging and patient for novices, the evening had a friendly, party atmosphere." A video clip from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 24th October 2015 Steamchicken Barry Goodman	"We had a brilliant night. Thanks for having us." -Steamchicken "I had a really good time - what a terrific Ceilidh series! Thanks again for asking me - I had a brilliant time!" -Barry Goodman "That was one of the best Ceilidhs I've been to for years - a loud Huzzah to Ian, Steamchicken, Barry, and Julia." "It wasn't just good it was fab u lous darling!!" "Well – what an amazing evening of dance! Steamchicken have jumped past all others to No. 1 position in my Desert Island Discs' list of ceilidh bands of ALL TIME!). What a talented bunch of players and how brilliantly they meld the requirements of dance tunes to their great jazz repertoire for folk dancing. Great calling from Barry Goodman – goodness, that chap talks fast! How many dances d’ya reckon we got through?" "The Band was probably one of the best I've experienced in 40 years of Folk Dance. Caller excellent and kept it all going at a cracking pace - no time wasted. I like that there's a number of younger dancers coming along too - keep up the marketing at the Uni or wherever you are doing it." "Great band, great caller with good clear calls and good dances." "Easy venue for us to get to, apart from the unexpected road diversion. Good parking. Nice hall with fans. Enjoyed the band and caller." Two video clips from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 19th September 2015 Jigfoot Fee Lock	"Reserving tickets online is very simple and effective. Good mixture of experienced and inexperienced dancers. Dances at the Jigfoot ceilidh were just the right length and complexity." "Just having a good evening out with lots of different aged people who all wanted to dance!" "It was a great evening, every one was so friendly looking forward to going again next month. " "Clear caller and friendly atmosphere." "Lovely venue, space to dance, good floor. Very clear calling. Great welcome on the door, thank you. Swift raffle!" "The variety of dances, different pace, steps etc. Also, the willingness of participants to join in and dance with anyone sitting out to make up sets."
Saturday 18th April 2015 RANDOM Will Hall	"We enjoyed the ceilidh on Saturday. Great caller, and great band. Great fun." "Band were excellent , publicity was good." "Easy to find, good parking, good venue with very good floor, very friendly welcoming organisers, timing suits us." "The band and the caller worked well together. The room temperature was good."
Saturday 21st March 2015 Hekety Ian Nichols	"It was an excellent venue with good parking. The band were excellent. The caller was very clear in the way he talked us through the moves, and the more experienced dancers were very patient with us. Good fun!" "Great venue, very friendly, easy to reserve tickets, good group of dancers" "Very good dance floor" "The combination of an interesting selection of dances, friendly atmosphere and a great band along with of course a very good caller made for a very enjoyable evening. The venue floor is good for dancing." "The whole programme and the pace of pre dance instruction / introduction was about right for us! The ease of getting to the venue - i.e. via motorway" Two video clips from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 21st February 2015 Tickled Pink Lisa Purkiss	"We just wanted to say that we had a fabulous time at the dance last night. It was our first SHOCC event and we were blown away by the venue, organisation, the caller and the band. I never imagined that I would end up dancing to 'Dr Who' music - it was incredible. Thank you so much." "A good room for a dance with good facilities." "Very relaxed. The experienced dancers were very inclusive and tolerant of people like me who dance rarely! Quality band and caller." "Good music and a good choice of dances." "Good venue in convenient location. Energetic dances with enough room for the number of attendees. Good mix of ages" "Easy to find, good parking, good venue, caller read her dancers well that the majority were experienced and gave minimal instruction, taking own drinks, like timings which works for babysitter!" "Great band, vibrant music, caller who pitched the dances to the dancers interests, ambitious and achievable sets. Good venue, fair price. There is nothing like this available locally, please stay with thd formulae..it works..more please." Two video clips from the ceilidh may be found on YouTube:
Saturday 13th December 2014 The Bursledon Village Band Will Hall	"Good venue, band and caller. Enough space to dance." "I had a lovely time. Music, dances, hall, floor and caller were great." "good venue, inc heating/cooling; excellent band and caller; very slick web site to reserve tickets and get info etc; decent price and good value; lots of dances; caller very good at reading dancers" "Good hall with a good floor. Band and caller worked together well." Two videos from the ceilidh may be found at the BVB website.

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