Ceili Dancing

The hallway at the Cherry Hill Park Conference Center in College Park is vibrating with the rhythm of dozens of ceili dancers stomping their feet, following a complex pattern of movements. With a look of serious concentration, Brian Vant Hull is trying to keep up. But during the intricate Connemara Reel Set, he forgets to turn and heads straight into oncoming traffic, almost colliding with several other dancers. They all laugh as longtime Greater Washington Ceili Club member Edie O'Donnell spins him back around.

Vant Hull is a newcomer to ceili (pronounced "KAY-lee"), a traditional Irish dance that has little to do with bare-chested Michael Flatley's fancy "Riverdancey" footwork. Sometimes called set dancing (though not exactly the same), ceili is more akin to country line and square dancing, with sets made up of a series of individual patterns. Unlike square dancing, however, the movements are not called out -- which puts novices such as Vant Hull in jeopardy.

Undaunted by his misstep, Vant Hull continues on with the help of the more experienced members. He's now in a set that includes dozens and dozens of parts, with numerous movements repeated throughout. One step involves a man being passed off by the women dancers as he goes around in a circle. Informally, it's called "Dump the Dude." Vant Hull notes: "As soon as I get a woman, she turns around and leaves me. It all seems too familiar."

Dances are divided into parts, and some sets can have almost a hundred sections. An evening of dancing is quite the aerobic workout. Dancers should come prepared with dress shoes with hard soles.

"It keeps you on your toes both physically and mentally," says ceili dance instructor Hugh W. Conway of Fairfax. In the Clare Plain Set, for instance, the gentlemen in each couple lead the ladies around in a counterclockwise circle, followed by a waltz step. Partners then drop hands, cross through each other and take a new partner. The ladies then lead the men through a series of turns. "It's a matter of learning patterns," says Conway. "You learn one dance at a time, and if you pay attention, it comes easy."

Between sets, the four-member band pauses momentarily so the dancers can catch their breath. Dancers line up for dinner (on potluck nights, everyone brings a dish or dessert). A few folks bypass the meal and head straight for the sweets -- pies, cakes, platefuls of brownies and homemade cookies. "Some people come just for the desserts," says O'Donnell.

Matthew Graham

Getting started:

Blackthorn Ceili Dancers. Quarterly dances on Saturday nights (the next one is March 11) begin with a lesson at 5 p.m. and a dance from 6-10:30 p.m. $12, children younger than 16 free. McCathran Hall, 300 Grove Ave., Washington Grove. 301-990-0184. http://www.blackthorn.org/ .

City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation. Offers beginner sessions on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. taught by Hugh Conway. The next five-week session, which costs $25, begins Feb. 21. Green Acres Center, 4401 Sideburn Rd., Fairfax. 703-385-7858. http://www.ceilidance.com/ .

Glen Echo Park. Group lessons for beginners are Wednesdays at 7 p.m., followed by intermediate-advanced ones at 8:15 p.m. The cost is $45 for 11 weeks, and the next session begins March 15. 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo. 301-294-3568. http://www.glenechopark.org/ .

Greater Washington Ceili Club. For dancers of all ages -- from children, teenagers and twenty-somethings to octogenarians. Monthly Sunday dances (the next is Jan. 22) are from 5-9 p.m., with a beginner lesson at 4 p.m. $15, or $12 for members. Cherry Hill Park, Conference Center, 9800 Cherry Hill Rd., College Park. 301-294-3568. The group also offers set dance classes, taught by Paul O'Donnell, on Thursdays at 8 p.m. Group classes cost $30 for a multi-week session: The current one began Jan. 5 and runs through May 18, and students can still sign up. Frost Center, 4915 Aspen Hill Rd., Rockville. 301-649-6410. http://www.gwcc-online.org . http://

Ring of Kerry Irish Dancers. Beginner lessons are Tuesdays at 7 p.m.; those for experienced dancers start at 8:15 p.m. $35 for a five-month group session. The current session began Jan. 10 and runs through May 23, and students can still sign up. Ridgeview Middle School, 16600 Raven Rock Dr., Gaithersburg. 301-916-2872. http://www.geocities.com/ringofkerrydancers .