Before Stephens Auditorium welcomes “Celtic Nights: Spirit of Freedom” on Feb. 11, experience the unique cultural dance with ISU’s Celtic Dance Society or visit the Octagon Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. Fridays for open Scottish dancing. 

The Celtic Dance Society meets every Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. on the third floor of the Memorial Union. The club meets for one reason: to dance.

Jessica Mason, current president of the Celtic Dance Society, said most members have seen or done celtic dancing before joining the club but the club does not require dancing experience of any kind.

Mason found the club at ISU’s Clubfest her sophomore year and had no dancing experience.

“It’s not Riverdance,” Mason said. “The only difficulty is trying to remember what move is next. For people who have done square dancing, it’s very similar to that.”

The group uses booklets to teach new dances, which are learned by following a pattern of steps or figures. At their meetings the members spend time learning dances and practicing, choosing dances based on the skill level of new members. 

“We learn the dances collectively,” Mason said. “Any one of us could be teaching the dance and dancing at the same time.”

Celtic Dance Society dances primarily Scottish dances, but also learns Irish and English dances.

“Irish dancing is like Scottish, but it’s a lot faster and you don’t stop moving,” Mason said. “We don’t do Irish dancing as much because it’s a lot more labor intensive.

“English is much more swayed. It’s like waves, always moving slowly.” 

The group also spends time learning about the history behind the dances and the towns the dances come from. 

“Each dance has a story in itself,” Mason said. “The moves you do are essentially painting a portrait.”

Celtic Dance Society performed at International Night last fall and also travels to Chicago and Minnesota, but not to compete. Groups from all over the Midwest meet to dance together.

Celtic Dance Society is preparing for the 25^th Anniversary Scottish Ball on Saturday, April 30. Mason warns first timers you might need caffeine – the event can run for over three hours.

Gary Lieberman and his wife Linda, the advisors for the club, also teach Scottish dance from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Fridays in the Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames. The event is open to the public.

For information on the class visit www.rscdscentraliowa.org.