Jiggerty is a well-established ceilidh/barn dance band based in the Bristol/Bath area and also covering South Glos, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The band come complete with dance caller, PA system which meets electrical safety requirements, and Public Liability Insurance. We specialise in wedding ceilidhs as well as providing dancing for other special occasions such as a birthday party or anniversary.
Our lively music and experienced dance caller guarantees an enjoyable evening - see our testimonials if you don't want to just take our word for it! You will find Jiggerty to be highly experienced and professional but also personal and flexible, able to work with you to provide an occasion to remember. We have a fixed core line-up including caller, so you can be sure that what you read in the testimonials is what you will get - this isn't the case for some other 'local' bands which use a large pool of musicians and callers to provide ceilidhs all over the country under the same name, often on the same night.
We have provided dancing for a wide range of audiences over the years (including both novice & experienced adult dancers, children and the occasional celebrity) and in various different dance spaces, having played for weddings and parties in village halls, mansions, marquees and boats, plus a few barns! We pick and mix dances with appropriate levels of difficulty from the related traditions of Scottish Ceilidh & Irish Ceili (both pronounced 'kay-lee'), Welsh Tympath, English Barn Dance and American Hoedown (please note, this doesn't include line dancing).
The dancing is fully explained with clear instructions by the caller - firstly a 'walk-through' without the music then calling continues whilst the band plays, until the dancers have no further need for guidance (usually after 3 or 4 times through). We intersperse dances with tune sets, so dancers can enjoy a drink and catch their breath! The caller chooses dances to suit the audience and occasion, as well as accommodating any special requests. Typically we do a selection of relatively simple, fun dances, which works well for people who are unfamiliar with ceilidh/barn dancing (often the case at weddings and parties) but is still enjoyable for those with a bit more experience. For a wedding ceilidh we usually do a couple-based first dance and end with a circle dance featuring the bridal couple. We can provide a whole evening of traditional Scottish ceilidh (e.g. for a Burns night booking), include more Irish ceili dances (for a wedding/celebration with Irish family members), or have more of a cowboy/barn dance theme, as you desire. Our FAQs page gives further information on dances.
If you would like to see us perform before you book, check out our Blog which has details of any upcoming public events. We are almost exclusively a private function band, with the majority of our bookings being for weddings which we do not feel are appropriate to use as opportunities to view the band. If there are no upcoming public gigs we would recommend booking on the strength of our Testimonials and Videos, including those to be found on our Facebook and Instagram