The Big Fat Electric Ceilidh

IOTA hosted The Big Fat Electric Ceilidh in the Old Town Rose Street Car Park on Saturday 22 July 2011, as part of the Cultural Olympiad Open Weekend.

“Dark, heavy, live, intense and exciting. I had such a fantastic time and it was amazing to see the car park transformed into an underground club and used in such a fantastic way and great to see such a mix of people dancing together, I loved it.”

The Big Fat Electric Ceilidh followed a very successful day of workshop events which included skateboard coaching, dj-ing and t-shirt design; an exhibition; and performances from three local bands delivered in partnership with Capital Skate Park and held next door at The Spectrum Centre.

The event brought a lot of people together for the first time. After the initial introduction, in English and Gaelic, the audience made up of skaters, local residents, professional dancers, Highland artists, a local politician, several local youth workers and a police office started their first reel.

The dancing was set within a darken environment especially designed artists Graeme Roger and Dave Martin with projections on three sides featuring interviews with members from the local skater crew who talked passionately about what skateboarding means to them. The hypnotic and extremely loud electronic music, the effervescent dancing & dance-caller, the live music component with guitar, electronic bagpipes, fiddler and the cool transformation of the carpark all combined into a truly memorable event.

Read a blog about The Big Fat Electric Ceilidh from artist Jennifer Cantwell here

(photo: Ewan Weatherspoon)