Building on the sensational success of their first collaboration ‘Moving Cloud’ created by Sofia Nappi & Donald Shaw, Celtic Connections and Scottish Dance Theatre have created an exhilarating fusion of traditional Celtic music and contemporary dance in a new collaboration for the 2025 edition of the Festival. Along with the 12 strong folk ensemble featuring renowned Glasgow band TRIP and award-winning Scottish piper Brìghde Chaimbeul, Scottish Dance Theatre’s Artistic Director Joan Clevillé will join forces to create a new short work; O Chiadain An Lo (Reflections of Past Days) will open this unique night of live music and dance.

TRIP, born out of the vibrant Glasgow traditional music scene, unite the kindred Celtic traditions of Scotland, Ireland, Northumbria and the Isle of Man. Their trademark sound is dynamic, driven and distinctive and celebrates the band’s roots in tradition, whilst showcasing a contemporary, cross-genre flare.

Please note, that this performance will be at Theatre Royal, Glasgow as part of the Celtic Connections Festival.  

This performance will also be Audio Described, providing verbal descriptions during the performance via a headset. 

O Chiadain An Lo (Reflections of Past Days) 
By Joan Clevillé

Blending dance with live Scottish folk music, O Chiadain An Lo explores themes of memory, ancestry, and hidden truths. Choreographed by Scottish Dance Theatre’s Artistic Director Joan Clevillé in collaboration with smallpipe player Brìghde Chaimbeul, the work draws inspiration from ancient melodies unearthed from 18th-century manuscripts. The work evokes the layered beauty of Highland bogs and wetlands—landscapes shaped by time and steeped in ancestral stories. A haunting reflection on the past, the piece invites audiences to consider what we bury, what we treasure, and what lies beneath. 

Brìghde Chaimbeul is a Scottish piper, who plays the traditional Great Highland bagpipe and the revived Scottish smallpipes. Her mesmerising musicianship has won her many awards and media recognition, including BBC Young Folk Award, BBC Horizon Award, SAY Award nomination and a wide array of collaborators include Caroline Polachek, Colin Stetson, Gruff Rhys, Radie Peat.

Speaking about this new collaboration, Clevillé said: “After 15 years living in Scotland, it is a privilege to finally choreograph to traditional Scottish folk music, and to collaborate with such a talented musician as Brìghde. Her deep knowledge and respect for tradition is infused by a desire to innovate and push boundaries. For me, her music evokes a sense of expansiveness and longing that only the Scottish landscape and culture could inspire”

Moving Cloud 
by Sofia Nappi 

Celtic Connections and Scottish Dance Theatre present Moving Cloud, an exhilarating meeting of contemporary dance and traditional music showcasing new choreography by internationally acclaimed choreographer Sofia Nappi, and an irresistible musical score of Scottish folk music composed by TRIP, LYRE LYRE, Cormac Byrne, Greg Lawson, Charlie Stewart and Innes White.