
PolkaWorks are one of England's premier ceilidh dance bands. Wearing cocktail dresses and with shoes to die for, they undoubtedly bring a touch of class and elegance to the ceilidh scene. But don't be fooled by their demure looks. There's nothing polite about their music: a powerfully rhythmic wall-of-sound designed to send dancers into a whirling, stomping, galloping frenzy.
Drawn from all corners of the country, this six piece supergroup has a pedigree that includes The Albion Band, The Bismarcks, The Old Swan Band, Magic Lantern, Umps and Dumps and The Old Hat Dance Band, as well as many years of dancing with morris sides and playing for morris, clog and step dancing.
The virtuoso lilting melodeon playing of Jeannie Harris from Norfolk and Katie Howson from Suffolk, the driving fiddles of Nina Hansell from Oxfordshire and Fi Fraser from Derbyshire, the syncopated, percussive piano of Gareth Kiddier from Hampshire, topped off with the scintillating hammer dulcimer of Sue Harris from the Welsh borders combine to make an uniquely uplifting and glorious sound.
PolkaWorks firmly believe that music is for dancing; that you can never have too many shoes; and that the Spirit of the Dance is gin and tonic. Gareth, of course, rarely wears a cocktail dress, has just two pairs of shoes and is fuelled by kombucha. But playing in a band with five ladies, he is learning about important things like pre-gig cocktails and borrowing shoes.
Whatever shoes you're wearing, whether they're your own or someone else's, you are sure to find them moving in time to PolkaWorks' irresistibly danceable music.
Important Information
Venue: Stamford Arts Centre, Ballroom
Tickets: £15 (£8 under 16s)
Please note this is a dancing event and seating may not be available
This is a programmed event
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