Not necessarily. I called a contra dance in the ceilidh tent at a UK folk festival with few if any experienced contra dancers. I made a list of very basic figures and chose only dances with those figures in. I think I used either only right and left throughs, or only ladies chains, but not both (can't remember which sorry!) No work outside minor set, I preferred eight bar figures to four bar figures (over and back etc). Lots of line of four lead down sort of dances. Lots of the easier chestnuts.
And I delivered the explanation of how to line up, how to know if you're a one or two, how the progression works etc, before *every* *single* *dance*. It worked and the dancers had a great time.
Hope it goes well!
Jen