Re: [Callers] Circle & pass through as the last move of a dance

James, Thanks for your studied reply to my post. Jim wrote: where the action following "circle left 3/4; pass through" gives the I agree with the suggestion of urging dancers to circle briskly. It's a short, quick comment that can help. My concern was in structuring my calls so that they match the timing of the dance precisely. My goal is to teach the dancers that my calls contain reliable information about the timing of the dance. Second, in cases where I think inspiring dancers circle briskly *is* That seems to be what most callers do in this case. That's what I was doing...until I resolved to fix the structure of my calls to match the actual dance timing. It is not a "sin" to call early. Nor is it a "sin" to attempt to teach the timing of the dance with verbal instructions. What I hope to avoid is standing before a mixed crowd of dancers. Asking an excellent band to hold their music. And asking a wonderful dance community to hold off on their social interactions and listen patiently while I attempt to explain the timing of the dance verbally with counted beats, steps, or whatever. Then, when the music begins, to embarrass myself by giving my calls either early or late. And that is why I asked for help here. And I got some very good suggestions. Hopefully I can now call the dance with more confidence and the dancers will feel more confidence because my calls are consistent with the timing of the dance. The dancers in your video look like a competent group of regulars who are able to adapt to poorly-structured calls quickly and graciously. I'm sure they have a lot of practice at it. I find it very productive to be more diligent in my own calling. Well-structured calling is not easy. It does however make a subtle but significant difference in how confident the dancers feel--particularly at open, public social events. That is why I structure my calls carefully and write the calls out verbatim on my cards. That is also why I advocate for callers at open public contra dances to use dance cards when calling. Making up calls on the fly often puts the onus on the dancers to get the timing right. - Greg McKenzie West Coast, USA