Please note: booking will close on Monday 1st June 2026!

About the course

Introduction to Ceilidh Calling is a 5-part online course which will cover the basics for anybody who would like to call for ceilidhs, barn dances and other related styles. The focus is on calling techniques rather than a specific repertoire of dances, so the skills you learn can be applied to whichever repertoire of social dances you wish to call (e.g. Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Cornish, English).

Who is it for?

The course is for those completely new to calling or with only a little experience of calling. You don't need to know any dances in advance, as full instructions will be provided for all dances used in the course. Some previous experience of ceilidh/social folk dancing will be helpful, but you don't need to be an "expert" dancer!

Course dates

This cohort of the course will be running on the following Mondays in June and July 2026:

• 15th June
• 22nd June
• 29th June
• 6th July
• 13th July

Course content

Over the five weeks we will cover...

• Week 1: 
  • What it means to be a caller
  • Dance and music terminology
  • Teaching a move
• Week 2: 
  • Teaching techniques
  • Gender-free calling
  • Adapting to different audiences
• Week 3: 
  • Working with the music/ a sound system
  • Dealing with the unexpected/ risk assessment
  • Creating rapport
  • Managing bookings and logistics
• Week 4: 
  • Calling practice
  • Planning a set list
• Week 5: 
  • Calling practice
  • Building up a repertoire
  • Next steps

Everyone on the course will have the opportunity to call a dance over Zoom, which we will work on instructions for during week 2 and 3. It's very understandable if you think that sounds a little strange! Whilst it is perhaps more difficult than calling in front of a real audience, it has a number of benefits to course participants:

1. Try out your instructions in front of a friendly group before you do it "for real"
2. Get feedback from Lisa on what went well and what you could do to improve.
3. Watch and learn from the other 5 course participants doing this exercise

Recordings

All the course sessions will be recorded, so that you can watch again or catch up if you miss a session. These recordings will only be shared within the group. I highly recommend that you plan to attend all the sessions live, as the interactive activities are key to the course. 

Unfortunately the course is not available as a "recordings only" option.

Access

If you have any access requirements please let me know during the booking process. If you have any questions about access please get in touch at hello@lisaheywood.net. 

Teaching methods

Group discussions, activities in breakout rooms, and a small cohort size of 6 participants allows for plenty of interaction, so it’s not just a lecture! There is also the opportunity for everyone to practice calling a dance in the last two sessions. 

Cost

The course costs £75, with two concessionary places available (£50) to make it accessible to a wider range of people. I'm self-employed, and the cost reflects the planning and time commitment of running the course.

Course facilitator

Lisa Heywood is a ceilidh and barn dance caller with over 10 years of experience teaching dances at festivals, parties, weddings, fundraisers and other special events. She is known for her creative and enthusiastic style, and aims to make every dance as inclusive as possible. 

As well as teaching dances at evening events, Lisa is also an inspiring and adaptable workshop leader. Her practice draws on many years of experience as a dance tutor for the youth folk arts project Shooting Roots, planning and delivering workshops for young people and adults at folk festivals across England. 

Lisa's previous career in Science Communication has also laid an essential foundation for her calling and workshop leading practice. As a member of the live science team at Bristol's We The Curious science centre Lisa learned many valuable facilitation and presentation skills. All whilst enjoying activities such as zooming through space in the 3D planetarium, cooking up edible experiments with school groups in the demonstration kitchen and creating fire-breathing dragons with a blow-torch! 

What previous course participants said...

“Lisa is an excellent teacher with a warm friendly personality and bags of experience and knowledge to help us every step of the way!” - Kate

“Lisa's friendly manner put me at ease on the course. I learned so much, and could hardly believe that after five weeks I had called my first (virtual) ceilidh dance! The course is well structured and packed full with everything you might need to know. I loved it. Highly recommend.” - Ilana

“It was a fantastic course with a great teacher. I learnt a lot, but also had fun. I highly recommend it!”

"Lisa is a great teacher and I felt the course was well paced with really useful content. I came away feeling that I had learnt not just how to teach some nice dances but the wider skills of building a good set and working with the dancers in front of you. I found it really helpful and am looking forward to trying it out for real!"

"Lisa is positive , full of information and her dedication to teaching her students goes above and beyond . Lisa is inspiring and knowledgeable and all her feedback is very helpful. Lisa runs the course with a great structure and a smile , and it’s always fun ! Lisa has the ability to make you feel you want to achieve and do as well as you possibly can , yet without pressure . Thankyou . From Emma Jane Seward"

"The calling -course and the energy and clearness from Lisa inspired me very much !"

"Loved this course! A really useful course for beginners. Lisa's enthusiasm, knowledge and warmth made this really enjoyable. It was great fun to have to call a dance and made us all focus not just on learning the dance but all the other things involved in calling."

"Lisa has devised a comprehensive course for beginner and improver callers. Meticulously planned and skilfully presented, her sessions will equip you to call for all varieties of audience, whether that be as a novelty one-off or as you embark on professionalism."

"Very good introduction to calling which made me think about the whole process and why others want to call as well. Introduction to a network of other callers and resources was very useful. Recommend! Elaine Trippett"

"I have already told others how good the course was, and how friendly, considerate and relaxed you were as tutor. I would thoroughly recommend this course to anyone wishing to learn how to call ceilidhs."

What they liked most about the course:

• "Simple and well structured for a new caller."
• "The layout, from beginning with the very basics to adding more information per session. Not starting immediately with having a calling practice. Getting to know each other before putting us in that situation."
• "The knowledge and experience available to tap into and the sequence in which it was presented. Your experience as an educator was apparent in your mode of delivery."
• "Tips and tricks from experienced caller"
• "Meeting and learning from you and other participants, and being taken through the steps gently and thoroughly giving me confidence that yes, I can do this!"
• "Lisa's friendly encouragement and clear teaching."
• "The last sessions , calling the dances , I learnt the most here ."
• "To exchange , to learn from eachother and to have a very clear example in the teacher , in Lisa."
• "The size of group, Lisa's enthusiasm and general loveliness, having to call a dance"