Private occasions
Private balls
and dances.
Occasions where reeling is the purpose of the evening,
not an interlude within it.
The occasion.
A private ball is a different kind of engagement from a wedding or a corporate evening. The dancing is not one element among several. It is the reason the guests are there. The programme runs from early in the evening and the Band plays the full sequence of dances without the interruptions of a mixed-format event.
Estate balls, annual dances, charity evenings in the reeling tradition, and private house dances all fall within this category. The guests know each other, or are being introduced through the dancing itself. The occasion is social. The dancing is the mechanism.
This is the occasion the Band was formed to play.
The programme.
For a full ball, the programme is agreed in advance between the host and the Band. A typical evening runs to eight or ten dances with intervals, though the shape is determined by the occasion rather than by a formula. The Band has played shorter programmes for house dances and longer programmes for annual charity balls; both are well within its range.
The dances are drawn from the country dance canon: Hamilton House, The Duke of Perth, The Foursome Reel, The Eightsome Reel, The Reel of the 51st Highland Division, and others selected for the room and the evening. The programme is built with attention to pace and sequence, so that the evening has shape rather than merely length.
There is no caller. The guests know the dances. If an MC is required to announce the sets and manage the floor, the host provides one; the Band and the MC work together in advance to agree the running order.
The lineup.
For a full ball, the Band typically performs as a four or five-piece. The core trio of Fiddle, Guitar, and Bass provides the string-based swinging sound that defines the Band's character. Additional players extend the weight and presence of the sound for a larger room or a longer evening without altering its aesthetic register.
The lineup for any given engagement is agreed at the time of booking, based on the scale of the occasion, the size of the room, and the budget available. Fees are discussed in correspondence.
Annual balls and recurring engagements are welcomed. The Band books well in advance for the autumn and winter dance calendar.