Ruins of Inch Abbey in the countryside near Downpatrick, Northern Ireland (AP Photo/Audrey Woods)

"Step we gaily, on we go, heel for heel and toe for toe; Arm in arm and roll and roll..."

Er--sorry, got a bit carried away there. Okay, folks, who's for the Ceili this Sunday? Come on: if you love Celtic music, or Irish dance, or even just linking arms with total strangers, this one's for you. The Second Annual Tacoma Ceili (say it, kay-lee) will be on from 2-5 p.m. this Sunday, March 15, at Commencement Bay Coffee. What's a Ceili? A kind of Irish barn dance, if you like, where anyone at all can join in with stripping the willow, climbing the walls of Limerick and so on, following the instructions of a caller while a live band plays jigs and reels.

This year, stellar Celtic band Mooncoyne is back, and Melissa Curtis is leading the Ceili. Her students from Evolution Dance Troupe will kick things off with a performance, and then it's a free-for-all.

Do you have to know the dances? Absolutely not, says Curtis: "A ceili is a traditional Irish gathering for fun, fellowship, and laughs where basic irish dances are accompanied by live irish music. Traditional ceili dances were enjoyed at house parties and corner road gatherings in the rural countrysides. The Bonfire Dance, Haymakers Jig, Siege of Ennis, Waves of Tory, etc are very easy to learn and the most difficult part is knowing your right from your left. Many of these traditional country folk dances have a follow-the-leader pattern that new dancers can pick up on the first attempt."

I'll vouch for that--I went last year, and apart from a wedding in Scotland, I'd never been to a Ceili before. I had a blast. If you can follow instructions, you can do these dances, and it's heaps of fun (and great exercise.) Bring your kids or your parents, and chill out with a latte when the reels get too hot.

2-5 p.m. March 15. $5, free for four-and-under. Commencement Bay Coffee, 2354 S. Jefferson Ave., Tacoma. Information: 253-495-4423
www.evolutiondance.com

In this 1992 file photo, Studs Terkel takes a bus home after a stint at the WFMT studio (Chicago Tribune, Chris Walker)

Last year on Halloween, Studs Terkel died. The 96-year-old had been a radio broadcaster, radio play actor and jazz aficionado throughout the '40s and '50s. But above all, Louis "Studs" Terkel was one of the most prolific oral historians of 20th-century America. Stumbling into interviewing by chance for his radio show "The Studs Terkel Program," Terkel listened to thousands of ordinary Americans, documenting their histories of the Great Depression, World War II, employment, race relations and the American dream. He compiled these interviews into a succession of prize-winning books from the 1960s through to a posthumous publication last November.

Why think about Studs Terkel now? Because this week Stadium High School is mounting a production of the Broadway musical "Working." It's based on his 1974 book of the same title, whose subtitle--"People Talk About What They Do All Day and Why They Do What They Do"--pretty much sums it up. Terkel interviews regular working-class folks--waitresses, baseball players, managers, musicians--and the 1978 musical wraps them up into a working day, from morning to late shift. Along the way are songs by Stephen Schwartz and James Taylor.

"Working" is from a working era so different it might be another planet, a time when typewriters sat on desks and cell phones hadn't been invented. But, says Stadium's director Suzy Wilhoft, the show still pulls a meaningful punch.

"I love the humanity of it, the voices of real people, the glimpse into 20-plus lives and jobs and the message that we are individuals inside of our work titles," says Wilhoft, who has directed the musical three times now. "It has great passion, humor, and power."

It's also highly relevant to today's world of increasing unemployment, and people trying to make sense of whatever jobs they can get.

The Stadium production features a stellar cast, including students like Olivia Seward and Amanda Jones who've starred in community theater and poetry competitions, and a musical director/pianist who's toured nationally with "Mamma Mia", 1996 Stadium alum Gabriel McPherson.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. March 12 and 13, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. March 14. Tickets $8/$5 at the door. Stadium High School auditorium, 111 N. E St., Tacoma. 253-571-3100, www.stadiumtigers.org