Hi Kat,

              Glad you like my page on music for callers.  The full set of articles is at https://contrafusion.co.uk/DanceNotes.html

Larry Jennings Zesty Contras (1983)

"The dance should be run long enough to satisfy, but not so long as to bore or tire the dancers or to prevent you from having enough dances within the allotted time."

That quote is from Larry's 20 pages of minilectures on calling contra dances in Zesty Contras.  Well worth getting yourself a copy just to read them!

If you want even more, then try Larry's Give-and-Take - about 70 pages of advice and discussion!  In Time Management (pp36) he discusses considering different lengths depending on how much interaction there is with the other dancers, ranging from about 13 to about 17 times through.  He says:

"Although some producers tolerate or even plan for music for 15 minutes or more, I prefer to have as many partner changes as possible during the evening. I also like to give the musicians a chance to present a varied repertoire."

Getting back to the top is a concept from when lines were shorter.  I would never use that as a target.  I usually go for around 13 times through when calling in America.

Also, be aware that, if you run a dance for 10 minutes, all those sitting out (who maybe couldn't get a partner) have to wait 10 minutes before they get a chance to get back into the dancing!

Quick rule of thumb: once through at 120 bpm is about half a minute.

            Happy dancing,

                   John                      

John Sweeney, Dancer, England   john@modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574

http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent