This group is for announcements and discussions relating to the Alameda Ceili. (And occasional announcements about other Bay Area social dance events with overlapping attendance.)

Alameda Ceili is a weekly Irish Ceili dance in Alameda, CA. We get together every Monday from 8-11:00 p.m. at the Alameda Ballet Academy at 1402 Park Street. We are an Irish social dance with attendance of around 30-50 people of most ages. The atmosphere is casual & non-competitive, sometimes even a little irreverent. The mode of dress is comfy clothes, lightweight if it's warm, & shoes that fit well & won't mark or scratch the floor. Dance shoes are great; athletic shoes (that aren't too bulky) work just fine.

It's $5* each, which includes the lesson from 8-9:00 & the dancing from 9-11:00. There is a class for beginners that teaches a little footwork, the general structure of most Irish dances & tries to get through the 4-Hand Reel, one of the oldest & most popular of the dances we do. Once you've graduated from beginners - usually 3-6 weeks after starting - there's an intermediate lesson to teach more of our favorite dances, including some harder ones. And there's an occasional advanced class to learn harder, more unusual dances.

Once the dancing starts, there's a waltz, then a dance for everyone, then a more advanced dance... then that pattern repeats. So even if you just started, you can do at least 1/3 of the dances. 2/3 if you can waltz.

*We request a $5 donation to help cover the cost of renting the studio, purchasing basic liability insurance & giving the musicians a little gas money. Alameda Ceili organizers and instructors do not receive any money.