THE organisation behind Teesdale’s youth folk group Cream Tees is embarking on a new project which aims to get people up and dancing.
Music at the Heart of Teesdale (M@HoT) is launching The Ceilidh Project.
The aim is to stage four seasonal ceilidhs during the next 12 months to be hosted at village halls across the Teesdale area.
The first of these events is to be held at Bowes & Gilmonby Village Hall on Saturday, June 1, with Banter, a three-piece folk band from the south coast providing musical entertainment for the evening.
On the day of the ceilidh, M@HoT will also be hosting a free public workshop for young musicians interested in learning the music and skills necessary to play for dancing.
Project co-ordinator Rupert Philbrick said: “Cream Tees heading off each summer to folk festivals across the UK the young musicians had the realisation that nearly all the music they play is designed to be danced to in one way or another.
“When gathering feedback from the young people as to what they wanted to do more of in the future a resounding response was to do lots more dancing and to learn the skills required to play music for ceilidh dancing too – so with this as inspiration, the project was born.
“We wanted the project to provide the chance to bring some of the best bands in the country to Teesdale, sharing the experiences we have provided for Cream Tees in attending national festivals with audiences closer to home.”
Funding for the project has come from arts support organisation Northern Heartlands and covers the cost of a resident ceilidh caller at each of the events.
To book tickets for either the workshop or ceilidh, go to www.ticketsource.co.uk/mathot or email mathotinfo@ gmail.com.
