Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
Many interesting comments, that caused many reactions when reading. -Amy, are those musicians dancers as well? And do any of them also call? Your discussion goal may be to discuss the synergy of the band, caller, and dancers, and where trust is needed. -I have no idea how long any of you have been calling, which can be a big factor in how skilled you are in timing out an evening. I have been calling 10 years. For the first couple years, I watched the top couple go through the line 1 1/2 times. As my cumulative skills as a caller improved, and I moved up the learning spiral, I began asking the band how many tunes they were playing, and learned to keep count of how many times through the band had played. Those two factors are two main points i use in deciding dance length. -Hooray Ann Fallon! You are the only one here who appears to clearly understand how the band is the caller's best friend, and needs to be acknowledged early and often. Show them the dance card (if you haven't already sent them the program), help them understand the mood of the dance if there's something special, and ask them how many tunes they'll be playing for the particular dance. And before a dance evening, I greet the band, and tell them: I prefer the tunes be played around 116-120 bpm; I'll ask how many tunes they usually play for a dance; explain hand signals for speeding up and slowing down; and tell them I'll signal them at halfway through, and then at 3, 2, and 1 time to go. These are the guidelines I use to run a program. -I estimate the crowd size, several times through the evening, especially if there's a lot of coming and going... If there's around 40 dancers or less, I'll run a dance 13 times through. 45-60 dancers, 15 times through. More than 60, 17 or 19, depending on line length of the lines. -When the band tells me how many tunes, I'll often verbally confirm how many times each tune will run. I will also know at what point to give my "halfway" signal. -Exception: if a band gets in a really good groove, I'll let the dance run two extra times through. -Exception: If there's a large percentage of beginners at the start of a dance, I'll run the first 1 or 2 (easy) dances 2 extra times through. -Maximum 3 minutes break between dances. 2 minutes is the goal. Any longer and you are giving control away to the crowd. -Teach the dance 2 times through, 3 minutes or less is the goal. Other notes: -I understand the benefits of the stopwatch, but it takes the band significantly, if not completely, out of the equation. With that method you likely won't do much more than tell them "3 times to go". Again, let the band know through lots of communication that you are partners in the success of the dance. -The number of tunes the band is playing should not affect the dance length. The goal of both band and caller is to bring the dancers maximum joy. You want to give them time to understand the dance, and then melt into it, and the music. In my experience, 13 times through is about the minimum that can do that. -In a temperature-controlled room, let the dancers decide what their stamina level is. Your job is to make a good dance presentation with your musicians. Shortening dances, thus reducing the chance of a band, and the dancers, getting into a groove, doesn't help. A better way to treat a warmer hall is to give an extra minute between dances. This will, through the night, cut out time for one dance. Thanks, everyone! Keith Tuxhorn Austin, TX On Mon, Apr 27, 2015 at 6:51 PM, Kalia Kliban via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I usually warn bands that I tend to run dances just a little shorter than > other callers. My habit is about 5-and-a-bit dances an hour, 12 minutes > (give or take) from the start of teaching one to the start of teaching the > next, but that definitely varies. Size, energy, chattiness and skill level > of the crowd make a huge difference, symmetry (or not) of the dance, the > music (does it fit the dance really well? Is it just a smokin' tune that > should run a little longer? Is it really fast, so the dancers will poop > out earlier?), even the floor condition can affect how long I'll run. I > have a really hard time estimating when I'm halfway through a dance, and > much prefer to give bands 3-and-out, though I frequently flex on that if > they've got another tune in the wings, as Ryan mentions below. > > Reading the responses from other callers tells me that my 12-minute timing > sense isn't far off from other folks, but it may be that here in the Bay > Area I run a little shorter than average. Seems like the bands are always > changing tunes right when my spidey-sense tells me it's time for "last 3". > > Kalia Kliban > Sebastopol, CA > > On 4/27/2015 2:20 PM, Ryan Smith via Callers wrote: > >> There's a band I work with on a pretty regular basis that usually >> follows my lead, but will occasionally ask "For this set, can we choose >> when to go out?" I trust them not to
Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
I usually warn bands that I tend to run dances just a little shorter than other callers. My habit is about 5-and-a-bit dances an hour, 12 minutes (give or take) from the start of teaching one to the start of teaching the next, but that definitely varies. Size, energy, chattiness and skill level of the crowd make a huge difference, symmetry (or not) of the dance, the music (does it fit the dance really well? Is it just a smokin' tune that should run a little longer? Is it really fast, so the dancers will poop out earlier?), even the floor condition can affect how long I'll run. I have a really hard time estimating when I'm halfway through a dance, and much prefer to give bands 3-and-out, though I frequently flex on that if they've got another tune in the wings, as Ryan mentions below. Reading the responses from other callers tells me that my 12-minute timing sense isn't far off from other folks, but it may be that here in the Bay Area I run a little shorter than average. Seems like the bands are always changing tunes right when my spidey-sense tells me it's time for "last 3". Kalia Kliban Sebastopol, CA On 4/27/2015 2:20 PM, Ryan Smith via Callers wrote: There's a band I work with on a pretty regular basis that usually follows my lead, but will occasionally ask "For this set, can we choose when to go out?" I trust them not to run it too long, and letting them choose when they go out gives them a lot of control over the musical experience, which ultimately seems to work well for the dancing experience. I'll sometimes signal a band when they're not ready to go out yet, and I'm usually willing to be negotiated up from 3 more times to 5. More than that, and we're starting to wear out the dancers. I think it's worth mentioning that if you know from the outset that you are going to want to run a dance longer or shorter than your average, for whatever reason, that if you communicate that to the band in advance it will help make sure that you're not cutting them off just as they wind up or leaving them sitting on a tune that they really didn't mean to play that long. I know some bands that like to be signaled when you get to the middle of the dance, and will even ask to be signaled a little early for certain sets of tunes.
Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
The biggest problem with this is that the leader of the band is a good friend..who is always right...and I have the honor of being this person's favorite caller. Tricky. I'll take notes and review them with the band afterward. Over a beverage. -Amy > On Apr 27, 2015, at 2:12 PM, Kalia Kliban via Callers >wrote: > > Yeesh. This sounds like a recipe for a difficult evening, unless it's one of > those very rare bands where the musicians are really watching what's > happening on the floor. > > Do you have the option of not working with this band in the future? > > Kalia > >> On 4/27/2015 1:58 PM, Donald Perley via Callers wrote: >> Just a guess.. they have arrangements for each set and feel miffed if >> they get cut short without getting through each variation. >> >> On Mon, Apr 27, 2015 at 4:52 PM, Amy Wimmer via Callers >> wrote: >> >>> >>> I have an oddity coming up: a band for which I am calling has asked to >>> take the lead on when to end the dances. I figure one evening of that >>> can't hurt, if it keeps the band happy. I will take notes. The leader >>> of this band has control issues and knows what's best for everyone. >> ___ >> Callers mailing list >> Callers@lists.sharedweight.net >> http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > ___ > Callers mailing list > Callers@lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
There's a band I work with on a pretty regular basis that usually follows my lead, but will occasionally ask "For this set, can we choose when to go out?" I trust them not to run it too long, and letting them choose when they go out gives them a lot of control over the musical experience, which ultimately seems to work well for the dancing experience. I'll sometimes signal a band when they're not ready to go out yet, and I'm usually willing to be negotiated up from 3 more times to 5. More than that, and we're starting to wear out the dancers. I think it's worth mentioning that if you know from the outset that you are going to want to run a dance longer or shorter than your average, for whatever reason, that if you communicate that to the band in advance it will help make sure that you're not cutting them off just as they wind up or leaving them sitting on a tune that they really didn't mean to play that long. I know some bands that like to be signaled when you get to the middle of the dance, and will even ask to be signaled a little early for certain sets of tunes. Part of the reason for using a stopwatch (vs. a timer) is that it doesn't tell you how much longer to run the dance. It just tells you how long you have run the dance, making it easy to be responsive to the music and the dance and the dancers and the weather and all the other environmental factors that come into play. On Mon, Apr 27, 2015 at 4:58 PM, Donald Perley via Callers < callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Just a guess.. they have arrangements for each set and feel miffed if > they get cut short without getting through each variation. > > On Mon, Apr 27, 2015 at 4:52 PM, Amy Wimmer via Callers >wrote: > > > > > I have an oddity coming up: a band for which I am calling has asked to > > take the lead on when to end the dances. I figure one evening of that > > can't hurt, if it keeps the band happy. I will take notes. The leader > > of this band has control issues and knows what's best for everyone. > ___ > Callers mailing list > Callers@lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net >
Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
Yeesh. This sounds like a recipe for a difficult evening, unless it's one of those very rare bands where the musicians are really watching what's happening on the floor. Do you have the option of not working with this band in the future? Kalia On 4/27/2015 1:58 PM, Donald Perley via Callers wrote: Just a guess.. they have arrangements for each set and feel miffed if they get cut short without getting through each variation. On Mon, Apr 27, 2015 at 4:52 PM, Amy Wimmer via Callerswrote: I have an oddity coming up: a band for which I am calling has asked to take the lead on when to end the dances. I figure one evening of that can't hurt, if it keeps the band happy. I will take notes. The leader of this band has control issues and knows what's best for everyone. ___ Callers mailing list Callers@lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
Just a guess.. they have arrangements for each set and feel miffed if they get cut short without getting through each variation. On Mon, Apr 27, 2015 at 4:52 PM, Amy Wimmer via Callerswrote: > > I have an oddity coming up: a band for which I am calling has asked to > take the lead on when to end the dances. I figure one evening of that > can't hurt, if it keeps the band happy. I will take notes. The leader > of this band has control issues and knows what's best for everyone.
Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
My mileage varies considerably in numbers of dances I get through in an evening. The biggest factors are 1) number of beginners, 2) chattiness/inattention of dancers, 3) flexibility of band, 4) length of break. I have tried to pay attention to specific couples and track them in a dance, but ALWAYS get confused. Were they twos and now are ones? That just doesn't work for me. Nor does counting iterations of a dance, for the same reasons others have mentioned. I use a watch or clock and even then I forget what time they started. I mostly go by feel. I prepare 10-11 dances for a 2 1/2 hour dance (our regular dance), usually getting 9-10 done, and 12-13 for a 3 hour dance, usually doing at least 12. I have had to pull out more once in a while. I have an oddity coming up: a band for which I am calling has asked to take the lead on when to end the dances. I figure one evening of that can't hurt, if it keeps the band happy. I will take notes. The leader of this band has control issues and knows what's best for everyone. Generally I plan for 15 minutes from start to start of each dance and if I get in more, that's great. -Amy > On Apr 26, 2015, at 5:54 PM, Maia McCormick via Callers >wrote: > > Just polling the masses here--how long do you generally run your dances (in > times through the dance, time take, couples going up and back, etc.)? How > many dances do you generally manage to fit into a 3-hour contra evening? I've > heard different wisdom from different folks and am curious to add some more > data points! > > Cheers, > Maia > ___ > Callers mailing list > Callers@lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
I usually get 10 to 12 dances in a 3 hour evening with break. The difference seems to come down to how much time I spend teaching, since actual dance time is fairly constant. Lines at our dance run 8 to 14 couples, so spotting a couple works well -- down and maybe a little way back. I watch the clock more to hit the break and end of evening at the right time, not for time spent dancing. At the end of some evenings, I have 5 to 8 experienced couples and dances run much shorter - no walk through required and dancers get tired/bored quickly. In the extreme case, 6 dances in the last 50 minutes. For variety, I called a "small plates" contra dance one evening - easy dances with short or no walk through, and iterations limited to 8 to 10 times through. That was well received by dancers, though the band (despite the warning) had to adjust their thinking after the first dance. Tim KleinKnoxville, TN From: Lenore Frigo via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> To: Maia McCormick <maia@gmail.com> Cc: "callers@lists.sharedweight.net" <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> Sent: Monday, April 27, 2015 3:06 PM Subject: Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening I also use a stopwatch. As a new caller, I find it difficult to use any of the other methods because they require me to calculate and/or REMEMBER one more bit of information and my brain is already quite fully engaged. When I started out calling guest calling just 1-2 dances per night, I was fine tracking tune changes, but calling all night long, it all blurs together too much. I don't use the stop watch to tell me when to stop the dance, but it's the perfect way to answer the question "Just how long has this dance been going on?". I usually aim to wrap it up in about 8-9 minutes, but it all depends on all those situational factors that people have already mentioned. -Lenore On Sun, Apr 26, 2015 at 5:54 PM, Maia McCormick via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: Just polling the masses here--how long do you generally run your dances (in times through the dance, time take, couples going up and back, etc.)? How many dances do you generally manage to fit into a 3-hour contra evening? I've heard different wisdom from different folks and am curious to add some more data points! Cheers,Maia ___ Callers mailing list Callers@lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net ___ Callers mailing list Callers@lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
As a dancer, I have found a lot of callers aim for 4 per hour, and this feels way too long for several reasons: - Especially in warm weather, dancers get tired - Musicians get tired, too. - People involuntarily sitting out have to suffer through a longer out time. With dances more like the 8-9 minute range, I've find dancers are more likely to dance more, less likely to leave at the break, and are generally giving better energy to the band That said, I'd caution against any method that places consistency above feeling out the audience. Factors that might affect dance length: - temperature - timing to end of a break / evening considering any unexpected changes (long walkthrough, slow hands 4, etc) - dance difficulty was mis-gauged, thus a desire to move to a new dance rather than watch dancers struggle too long - band and dancers are in a groove that you may just want to hang onto a bit more (when my dancers are starting to hoot, perhaps it's not the best time to signal 3 more...) Ron Blechner
Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
Generally, I expect to call 9-12 dances in a regular evening contra/community dance venue. With 10-11 being the greatest majority of the gigs. I usually prepare a program with 10-11 dances, but of course once the evening begins, things can change, sometimes quite radically. The length of each dance -- really depends on the choreography of that dance and the crowd and the music and the time of night (and a few other judgements as well). The first and second dances can be slightly longer than normal to reinforce the moves and help get newcomers adjusted to the progression and responding to the calls. Or they can be shorter than normal to accommodate the flow of new folks as they walk into the hall. And then there is the music, which I consider greatly as part of my judgements. If a band is in a groove, I'll want to continue their flow and thus continue the dance for a couple of extra times. Also, the common use of three tunes (rather than two or one) for a dance makes it a real judgement call, since sometimes a band may play the first tune longer than normal, so my choice is to cut off the third tune earlier than the band may like or allow the dance to go a bit longer. Of course, that also depends on a lot, including the actually tune being played and what the band is doing with it and the nature of the dancers. Conversely, if an old-time band plays one tune for each dance, I'll usually make those dances a bit shorter, especially for a firm contra crowd where the dancers may get bored with one tune that has no changes in texture or modulation. Woody On 4/26/2015 9:31 PM, Jack Mitchell via Callers wrote: For me, it really depends on the size and energy level of the dance. For a larger dance with lots of energy, I will run around 15 min per slot...so 3-4 minutes to get a new partner, 3-4 min to walk thru and 8 or so minutes to dance (around 16 times through the tune). Square and mixers run shorter frequently, doing a square and a mixer means that I get an extra dance in overall. Smaller dances, or dances where some of the dancers have problems with stamena, I tend to run shorter -- frequently more like 10 minute slots. Have gotten 10-12 dances in a 2.5 hr (including break) dance. Have a friend who called 14 dances in a 2 hour dance because the band was an old time band and was just playing one tune per dance, the same way every time through, so she just ran all the dances much shorter. My goal is generally to get people down the hall and partway back during the dance for a single progression dance. YMMV Jack Mitchell On Sun, Apr 26, 2015 at 5:54 PM -0700, "Maia McCormick via Callers"> wrote: Just polling the masses here--how long do you generally run your dances (in times through the dance, time take, couples going up and back, etc.)? How many dances do you generally manage to fit into a 3-hour contra evening? I've heard different wisdom from different folks and am curious to add some more data points! Cheers, Maia
Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
I usually do things basically by feel, and I also pay particular attention to tune changes and give the band enough time to play the 3rd tune enough times. I don't have any "rules of thumb", like watching a particular couple go up the line and back, or any specific time length or number of times through, because that gives me too much to keep track of. Weather is also an important factor, especially in halls with no temperature controls (like Glen Echo or Baltimore's Lovely Lane). In wintertime I might run the dances a bit longer to minimize time not dancing so people don't start to get cold. In the summer, I might run them shorter because with all the sweating and water loss I don't want people to get exhausted. The number of dances in a particular evening also is determined by a number of factors. For evenings where there are a lot of beginners and I have to take some time for walk throughs, I generally can fit in 10 to 11 dances in an evening. For those where there are more experienced dancers, walk throughs are shorter, or I can do more no walkthrough dances, and I can get up to 12 dances or even more in an evening. One evening I was in a particularly nice groove with a hall full of good experienced dancers, and I got in 14 dances that evening. I think the average is about 4 dances per hour (15 minutes per dance, including walk through time and between-dance time all combined with dancing time). Perry From: Maia McCormick via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> To: "callers@lists.sharedweight.net" <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2015 8:54 PM Subject: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening Just polling the masses here--how long do you generally run your dances (in times through the dance, time take, couples going up and back, etc.)? How many dances do you generally manage to fit into a 3-hour contra evening? I've heard different wisdom from different folks and am curious to add some more data points! Cheers,Maia ___ Callers mailing list Callers@lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
Very interesting discussion. One thing I try to pay attention to is the music and whether the band will be playing two-tune or three-tune medleys. If I think the dance will not run for a long time (short hall, time running out, etc.) I’ll let the band know so they can make their changes sooner rather than later. I always feel badly if I have to cut the dance short and the band hasn’t gotten a chance to play the last tune at least four times through. If I have to make an “emergency” stop I always try to apologize to the band for cutting them short. If I lose track of the changes I’ll ask where they are. Ann Fallon Annapolis, Maryland From: Callers [mailto:callers-boun...@lists.sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Ryan Smith via Callers Sent: Monday, April 27, 2015 10:25 AM Cc: callers@lists.sharedweight.net Subject: Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening "If you decide on a number of times through and actually count, you can stick to that pretty well, but if you decide a running time, it is much more difficult to stay on track of the time and warn the band three times before you want to end, etc." I couldn't disagree more. I have always used a stopwatch to keep track of how long I'm running the dance, and since one time through the dance is close enough to 30 seconds as to make it not matter, I signal the band 3 more times at whichever B2 is closest to one and a half minutes (usually 6.5 minutes since we started) from my target time (usually 8 minutes). I don't count times through or use marker couples or anything like that because I don't need the distractions. If I were counting, I would definitely have a moment where some couple needed my help and I'd be figuring out what calls would best put them back on the right track and forget whether I was on 5 or 7, and then I'd probably end up running the dance too long thinking I was on 16 times through, when it was really 20. If counting works for you, that's great. For people like me, having a target length is much simpler.
Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
"If you decide on a number of times through and actually count, you can stick to that pretty well, but if you decide a running time, it is much more difficult to stay on track of the time and warn the band three times before you want to end, etc." I couldn't disagree more. I have always used a stopwatch to keep track of how long I'm running the dance, and since one time through the dance is close enough to 30 seconds as to make it not matter, I signal the band 3 more times at whichever B2 is closest to one and a half minutes (usually 6.5 minutes since we started) from my target time (usually 8 minutes). I don't count times through or use marker couples or anything like that because I don't need the distractions. If I were counting, I would definitely have a moment where some couple needed my help and I'd be figuring out what calls would best put them back on the right track and forget whether I was on 5 or 7, and then I'd probably end up running the dance too long thinking I was on 16 times through, when it was really 20. If counting works for you, that's great. For people like me, having a target length is much simpler.
Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
When I was learning to call, I was taught to do about 15 times through the dance (maybe 13, maybe 17). I like Victor's suggestion of 8 minutes for the dance, 2 for walkthrough, and 2 for dancers to line up and chat before the walkthrough starts. Including break and waltzes, in a three hour dance, you should easily fit 12 dances in with that in mind. At my local 3-hour dance, we do a 15-minute break, and each waltz lasts 5 minutes (if that). That leaves 155 minutes for a caller to run her dance, and that's plenty of time if you actually run the dances for 8 minutes (you've got 11 minutes to spare using Victor's calculations, which is enough time for unexpected things like longer walkthroughs, a hambo after the break, etc). In my experience as a dancer, though, callers wildly underestimate how long they are running the dances (and walkthroughs). We rarely get 12 dances in a night at my local venue; usually 10 or 11. This could be because I usually dance in a very long hall, where it is not possible to call dances such that dancers go all the way through the line then halfway back (as Jack suggests) without running dances very, very long. But I also think there's a bias in callers toward thinking they have run a dance shorter than they actually have. I have very rarely thought a dance ended prematurely, but I often find that dances run long and get boring, especially after 20 or more times through (which is frequent at my venue, though when I talk to them, callers generally don't realize that they've run dances through that many times). My advice is, don't pick a time to run the dances. Pick a number of times through, and do not vary that number significantly based on the size of the hall. Running a dance through 17 times at a bigger hall is fine, but running it through such that every dancer dances with each couple in the set is ridiculous when you're in a hall (like my local hall) that can fit 30 or 40 couples in a line (not exaggerating, I've seen it there). If you decide on a number of times through and actually count, you can stick to that pretty well, but if you decide a running time, it is much more difficult to stay on track of the time and warn the band three times before you want to end, etc. -Dave > > On Sun, Apr 26, 2015 at 8:54 PM, Maia McCormick via Callers >wrote: > > Just polling the masses here--how long do you generally run your dances > (in > > times through the dance, time take, couples going up and back, etc.)? How > > many dances do you generally manage to fit into a 3-hour contra evening? > > I've heard different wisdom from different folks and am curious to add > some > > more data points! > > > > Cheers, > > Maia > > > > ___ > > Callers mailing list > > Callers@lists.sharedweight.net > > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > > ___ > Callers mailing list > Callers@lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > -- David Casserly (cell) 781 258-2761
Re: [Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
For me, it really depends on the size and energy level of the dance. For a larger dance with lots of energy, I will run around 15 min per slot...so 3-4 minutes to get a new partner, 3-4 min to walk thru and 8 or so minutes to dance (around 16 times through the tune). Square and mixers run shorter frequently, doing a square and a mixer means that I get an extra dance in overall. Smaller dances, or dances where some of the dancers have problems with stamena, I tend to run shorter -- frequently more like 10 minute slots. Have gotten 10-12 dances in a 2.5 hr (including break) dance. Have a friend who called 14 dances in a 2 hour dance because the band was an old time band and was just playing one tune per dance, the same way every time through, so she just ran all the dances much shorter. My goal is generally to get people down the hall and partway back during the dance for a single progression dance. YMMV Jack Mitchell On Sun, Apr 26, 2015 at 5:54 PM -0700, "Maia McCormick via Callers"wrote: Just polling the masses here--how long do you generally run your dances (in times through the dance, time take, couples going up and back, etc.)? How many dances do you generally manage to fit into a 3-hour contra evening? I've heard different wisdom from different folks and am curious to add some more data points! Cheers,Maia
[Callers] Dance length/dances per evening
Just polling the masses here--how long do you generally run your dances (in times through the dance, time take, couples going up and back, etc.)? How many dances do you generally manage to fit into a 3-hour contra evening? I've heard different wisdom from different folks and am curious to add some more data points! Cheers, Maia