I’m from everywhere I’ve ever been
deiseil /dʲeʃal (sounds like jay-shal)
Deiseil Airson Dannsa (Scottish Gaelic for “Ready to Dance”) is a new organisation led by Amy Geddes and Alison Carlyle, which aims to promote awareness of and participation in stepdance, Scotland’s indigenous percussive dance tradition.
Alison Carlyle and Amy Geddes first worked together in 1998 as founding members of pioneering group The Scottish Stepdance Company. Its groundbreaking and critically acclaimed work explored the relationship between music, dance and Gaelic song, and performed stepdance as an indigenous percussive artform. Deiseil Airson Dannsa was set up in 2024, and in 2025 Director Gerry Mulgrew joined the company as a co-creator of Deiseil: Dancing in Time.
Beyond the show
As well as performing the show, the Deiseil team deliver workshops in stepdance and playing for stepdance, as part of our work to promote awareness and participation.
You can find out more about our workshops here.
Tha mi deiseil an aw’!
Meet The Team
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Alison Carlyle
Co-Founder & Artistic Director
Alison has been performing Scottish stepdance since 1998, after learning from leading Cape Breton dancers as it was reintroduced to Scotland in the mid 1990’s.She was a founding member of pioneering group The Scottish Stepdance Company, whose ground-breaking work in exploring the relationship between music, dance and Gaelic song, and presenting the performance of stepdance, was critically acclaimed…
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Amy Geddes
Co-Founder & Music Director
Musician & educator Amy Geddes is widely recognised as a leading light in the world of contemporary Scottish Fiddle. Growing up in Galloway Amy immersed herself in traditional music, song and dance, but has gone on to forge a career exploring musical genres whilst remaining true to her roots… -
Ruby Zajac
Producer
Ruby is a workshop facilitator, fundraiser and producer with a background working with children & families. She has had an eclectic career so far including co-founding the FLAPS project which provides emotional welfare at music festivals, producing family projects for Licketyspit Theatre Company, and working for a member of the Scottish Parliament. -
Rufus Elliot
Technician
Rufus Isabel Elliot is a composer and sound and lighting technician living in Skye.Rufus has written funerary music for doomed spaceships and orchestral music about rotting seaweed. It cares about honesty and openness. Its work is concerned with testimony, the conditions in which one speaks out, and how those stories are passed on.
Company policies
Download our company policies using the buttons below.
Our Partners
Deiseil is grateful to our funders, partners and associate artists.
Van Gill Media does the design for Deiseil - including the programmes, logos and this website!
Deiseil is supported by Creative Scotland, with a huge programme of shows and workshops supported by Creative Scotland’s Touring Fund in 2026.
Fèis Rois is one of several partners bringing the show and workshops to communities independently. Deiseil: Dancing in Time was part of the Adult Fèis in Ullapool, in May 2026.
Deiseil is supported by TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland). As part of this partnership, we are taking the show and workshops to more communities around Scotland! Find out more here.
blether with us!
Join our Mailing list
Use the form below to join our mailing list or tell us what you thought about the show.
We share newsletter updates 3-4 times a year. We’d also love to hear from you if you want to collaborate or host a workshop or performance.
You can also email us at admin@deiseil.scot.
“Joyous and educational - such an untold Scottish story. This deserves a wider audience!”