St Andrew's Ball will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel tomorrow
Abu Dhabi will get a taste of the kilt-swirling Scottish dance form Ceilidh when a band from Glasgow plays at the annual St Andrew's Ball tomorrow at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Organised by the St Andrew's Society of Abu Dhabi, the event is open to all the Scots in the UAE as well as any one interested in Scotland, its food and music. The three-member Thistle Dubh Ceilidh Band is not unfamiliar in the emirates. They played at the Dubai Caledonian Society's St Andrew's Ball and the Chieftain's Ball last year.
The band comprises three professionally-trained musicians on the accordion, violin and drums who perform a distinctive style of Ceilidh music. There's 38-year-old Alistair Lennox on the accordion and Suzanne Greelees on the violin — both have been playing their instruments since an eayly age. The youngest member of the band, 20-year old Andrew Cowie, who plays the drums, is a student at the Strathcylde University.
The band's repertoire for the dances includes Gay Gordons, Dashing White Sergeant, Strip the Willow, St Bernard's Waltz, Eightsome Reel, Duke of Perth, Postie's Jig, Britannia Two-Step, Military Two-Step, Virginia Reel, Eva Three Step, Slosh, Birdie Song and many more.
The tickets are priced at Dh230 for non-members and Dh200 for members. The show is sponsored by Etihad Airways.
