If the band requests, I’ll send a proposed dance set, my “Plan A”, so they can choose tune sets.  This is long before the dance, sometimes weeks, so my “Plan A” might actually be different by the time the day arrives, but the band doesn’t need to know that.  Each dance chosen also has “Plan B” and “Plan C” substitutes that will fit the same tune(s) selected by the band, in case I have to dial it back a notch or kick it up, depending on who actually shows up at the dance.  That means the same energy, the same feeling (bouncy/smooth), the same punctuation (e.g. balances in the same places, or similar requirements for strong downbeats at certain points to help the dancers orient.  Maybe a "Plan D” of 3-5 couple dances if a storm, power outage, earthquake, or whatever might be results in a tiny turnout; it’s important that EVERY dance event is fun for the attendees, no matter how many or how few.

So, I guess my programming is done long before the dance, in terms of planning which dances might be swapped in at the last second because of a busload of beginners or a busload of hard-core experienced dancers, and in terms of how I want the emotional/energy shape of the evening to flow.

For dance weekends and workshops, the emphasis is not so much on the emotional contour of the evening as it is on the lesson/focus of each session.  For example, I did a NEFFA session “Buckets of Beckets” where each dance was Becket formation, and none of the dances in that hour started with “Circle Left 3/4”.  That kind of thematic planning takes more time and meticulous care to do well.