<div dir="auto">I almost always program a regular dance the day of. This has gotten a lot easier since I now keep a digital record of every program I call -- I can look through and find a program I called for a similar dance, pull out those cards, and modify and make changes as necessary. I try to also make notes on programs, like "Second half was great; first half was good except I had three Gents Allemande Lefts in a row," etc. The ability to recycle and modify old programs has been a life-saver! <div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">This story isn't practical advice so much as it is A Weird Thing That Worked for Me Once: Recently I was programming in a hurry for a six hour advanced dance event. I went through my box and just haphazardly pulled out everything I was excited to call, then counted to see if I had enough dances. Once my numbers were good (4-5 dances/hour), I sorted them all into five columns (Very Smooth - Smoothish - Neutral - Balancey - Very Balancey) and then sorted the columns vertically by relative difficulty. I had something like five or six dances in every column, which seemed perfect! So then I just picked up cards from their spots in a particular order -- like Easiest Smooth to Easiest Very Balancey to Third-Easiest Neutral, etc -- just to approximate a dynamic program. When I laid out the two programs I'd made this way and checked them out, they were great! It was kind of magic! </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">That all said, definitely I almost always need to modify my programs on the fly. I try not to sweat the details too hard; most dancers won't notice the little things, and as long as they're having fun, all is well. :)</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Angela </div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr">On Wed, Mar 14, 2018, 8:01 PM Woody Lane via Callers <<a href="mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net">callers@lists.sharedweight.net</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
I might be a bit different than most of the replies to your
question. For a regular contra dance, I usually set up a program on
that day or one day prior. Sometimes in the car enroute to the dance
(if someone else is driving). I may be thinking of dances that I'd
like to call during the previous week or two, but I actually put
things on paper (or lay out cards) within 48 hours of the actual
event, usually within 12 hours . Frankly, I don't want to get my
head into an ownership mindset that would result if I invest so much
in the program. My approach leaves much to flexibility and
nimbleness. Of course, for some slots I'll have 2 or 3 dances listed
on the paper -- depends on the dancers/music/heat in the room/etc --
and then make those choices on-the-fly while calling the previous
one or two dances. Always watching the dancers and listening to the
music.<br>
<br>
Of course, everything can change in an evening, depending on so many
things. Dances, dance sequence, tempos, musical requests to the
band, musician preferences of the musicians and their skills for
communication, etc. I also have a couple of back-pocket dances for
just-in-case situations. I also have a couple of dances that I could
call as No-Walk-Throughs, depending on the timing of the program and
many other on-the-spot judgements. In the end, I think it's all
about the dancers -- I want them and the musicians to have a very
fun time.<br>
<br>
Sometimes I like to have a small table at the back/side of the stage
where I can lay out a few other cards that are not in my program.
These I can see quickly and possibly use them if necessary. Again,
the judgements are made on the fly.<br>
<br>
Community dances (like barn dances, Grange dances, square dances,
etc.) are different. I rarely do any preparation. I bring my cards,
talk to the organizers, watch the crowd, listen to the music, and
choose dances on the fly. Again, always watching the crowd.<br>
<br>
And hot-house gigs like NEFFA, Northwest Folklife, the Portland
Roadhouse, etc. are again different. Those are highly-organized
programs well in advance, but they are also short (slots of 50-90
minutes). I'll think of dances weeks in advance, work up a program
two weeks in advance, send it to the band, and then coordinate with
them intensively. These gigs are kind of like Las Vegas Shows, and
IMO they require careful preparation. Only rarely do they include
on-the-fly changes.<br>
<br>
Woody<br>
<br>
<hr size="2" width="100%"><br>
<div class="m_-4283556842383091707moz-cite-prefix">On 3/13/2018 10:58 AM, Rich Sbardella
via Callers wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">I am curious how much time you all plan programming
a dance before arriving at a venue. If you do not preprogram,
what is your approach for on the fly programming?
<div>Rich Sbardella</div>
<div>Stafford, CT<br>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
_______________________________________________<br>
List Name: Callers mailing list<br>
List Address: <a href="mailto:Callers@lists.sharedweight.net" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Callers@lists.sharedweight.net</a><br>
Archives: <a href="https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/</a><br>
</blockquote></div>