The Devil’s in the Dance Hall

Presented by Belfast TradFest and Belfast International Arts Festival, The Devil’s in the Dance Hall is inspired by the true story of Jimmy Gralton and the suppression of Ireland’s rural dance halls in the early 20th century; a time when gathering to dance, to play music, and to think freely was seen as a threat.

Drawing on oral history, folk memory, and the energy of the big-band era, Edwina Guckian has created an immersive theatre performance that brings to life the world of the parish hall as a place of movement, learning, courtship, argument, and possibility, and asks what happens when church and state attempt to dictate how a community socialise.

At its heart, the performance celebrates the collective joy of dance as a form of defiance. Through spoken word, song, and the roaring sounds of The Gralton Big Band, it tells how Ireland’s old dance halls became centres of community life, offering music, learning, debate, and freedom of expression, until church and state moved to close them down through the introduction of the 1935 Dane Hall Act.

As the performance unfolds, the boundary between stage and floor dissolves, and the audience are invited to dance the night away. The hall fills with movement, laughter, and connection across many generations, echoing the spirit of the original dance halls.