I would completely agree with Bob. My friend Lisa has and continues to instill in me the idea that the caller is there for the dancers. A good program is key, knowing your dancers are key, but there is always the unknown when you are walking into the a new place.
Last month, I called a dance in Gorham, New Hampshire. After talking with a couple people including the dance organizer, I though I had a good idea what the dance was going to be like, and what the dancers would enjoy. The dance turned out to be very small that evening, between 6 and 8 people (not a typical night). Of course I had prepared a program, but had counted on more people then that... Doing contra dances with 2 minor sets can be hard to say the least, so we didn't do any... It was a fun night of circle dances, triple-minors, and whatever else we wanted to do... Some polkas, etc. So flexibility is also key... When the night was over, everyone had a great time. They had fun, and that was all that was important to me. It no doubt was a huge learning experience for me, one that I will remember for a long time. People seem to dance for a lot of different reasons, but I like the answer that my friend Bob McQuillien said, I like the best, "because it's fun!". Enough said about that... Having a favorite dance... that's fun... We all have them, (and in no way am I am suggesting program a dance with just your favorites.) Jeff
