Ceilidh At Ely Beet Club With Fendragon

It's time to put on your dancing shoes as Fendragon are coming to town. The Cambridge based folk band will be the main attraction at the Beet Club on Saturday February 25, performing at a ceilidh hosted by the City of Ely Amateur Dramatic Society.

Fendragon play goodtime English folk tunes with just right amount of 'lively bounce' to get a crowd up and dancing. They offer set dances, circle dances, couples dances, dances where you change partners and dances where you don't – but the best news of all is that anyone can join in. According to Anahata, Fendragon's melodeon player, it doesn't even matter whether you know what you're doing.

"It's a speciality of the English ceilidh style that all the dances are simple enough to be learned on the spot, so no experience is necessary," says Anahata. "We have a 'caller' who explains the dances, walks you through them, and then reminds you where you should be once the music has started. We don't take it too seriously, so if you make a mistake you can just laugh it off and carry on with the dance.

"A ceilidh is lots of fun," he continues. "The word itself comes from Scotland, where it can mean any sort of social gathering that might include music, singing and dancing, but in England we tend to use it especially for dances. It can be called a barn dance but some people seem to think that's an American thing. What we do is a bit like Scottish or American square dancing but it's English and much easier. It's also suitable for people of all ages."

Fendragon are the perfect act for a night of fun and food (there's a buffet as part of the £10 entrance ticket at the Beet Club) and they are a band guaranteed to entertain. Indeed, as the quartet are all experienced dancers, they know exactly what's needed to get a crowd on its feet. The only hardship for Anahata and his band-mates – Gina Holland on recorder and flute, Dave Holland on fiddle and Mary Humphreys on electric piano – is that they will be too busy ensuring every one else is having a good time to be able to dance themselves. It's a good job that they love playing so much.

"The music is meant for dancing and it's best when the dancers are enthusiastic," says Anahata. "They don't have to be very good but if the dancers are having fun, then we'll enjoy it more. I'm sure it works the other way round as well – if we're enjoying playing, then they'll want to dance too."

Fendragon are playing at the Beet Club on Saturday February 25, 2012. Entrance is £10 and includes a buffet. Tickets are available from Burrows Bookshop (01353- 669759)