Well I always understood that the term ceilidh was used to make dances appear more sexy. And foremost in that endeavour were Douglas and Peter Kennedy, if not the actual "coiners". Before that they would have been called Barn Dances, Country Dances, English Country Dances, Square Dances etc. Knees Up? Hmmmm, doesn't ring a bell here. Maybe the inclusion of song, Morris etc was to give it some credence as a proper ceilidh.

Certainly "Randwick Ceilidh" (always Easter Monday) follows that tradition. (Think Stroud, Gloucs, UK).

But there is a move to be distinctive and we call it ECeilidh, as in English Ceilidh. The e-mail forum is ECeilidh to discuss aspects & gigs etc, but don't go off-topic!
The dances can be: English, Scottish, Irish, French, Breton, Cape Breton, Playford, Contra, Scandi, and lets be honest, non-trad too.

At StroudCeilidhs.co.uk we chose not to have song or Morris in the break because we like peeps to socialise, it is after all what I refer to as Social Dancing, and that works well. We can get our drinks without missing a beat. Cheers.