You won’t hear any Rihanna when you’re out on the town in Cape Breton.
It doesn’t matter if you’re 12 or 80, a local, a tourist or a WWOOFer: Saturday nights in this part of Canada are all about the traditional Family Square Dance.
As a first-timer, it’s easy to get psyched out by all the fancy Ceilidh footwork. Luckily they do the same three dances all night (and every Saturday night) so it doesn’t take long to get the gist of the steps. Then it’s just a matter of pairing up with an experienced dancer and letting them fling you around the dance floor.
It’s just like that scene from Titanic.
The energy is intoxicating – so much spinning, toe tapping, knee slapping, yelping and walloping.
I later realized this is because everyone is intoxicated. (They can’t serve alcohol because it’s a family event so people sneak out to the car park between songs to load up on whiskey. I should have twigged earlier – where there’s Cape Bretons, there’s sure to be booze!)
Verdict: PG fun and a lot cheaper than a night at the pub!
head for the hills 