I developed my skills in Texas/Oklahoma, and had a good reputation as a reliable and creative caller there. But being in TX is like being on an island, with two effects: 1) You won't get hired to call any weekend there, because you're not special, people can dance to you regularly. (I was hired as a second caller for one weekend.) 2) You won't get known by any dancers outside of TX unless they travel to TX for TX dance weekends. 3) TX dance weekends are booked largely on the cumulative reputation of the caller and band. Some rising callers and bands will get a chance if enough TX people have traveled to see them someplace else, but they have to have some reputation. 4) FYI, it's  impossible to get booked 40 times/yr in TX if you just do contra/ECD. If you can teach/call squares, you stand a chance... Your visibility is helped a lot by living in an area with a large dancer population, and many dance locations within a reasonable distance.

For a few years I booked myself around the country as much as I could, along with trying to make a living. I got great reviews in the PNW and Midwest. I was chosen as a feature caller for the second Catapult! weekend... I then had a few years of health and family issues, which weren't resolved until Covid was almost upon us... The past couple years I've gotten booked for a few IL/MO dances, within a couple hours of my home.... Back in the Midwest, there are lots of callers looking for work again in a contra market that is nowhere near 100% of what it was pre-Covid. You may be experiencing the same thing out east.

Ageism exists to an extent, particularly when it comes to booking dance weekend talent. There are still the dozen or so "Hall of Fame" callers, age 55+, who are always mentioned in dance weekend planning. This is not a knock on any of them, they've earned their status. I know almost all of them, have learned from them, and love them. But, only in my opinion, I think that group of older callers takes up all the air, leaving none for other callers in that age group to be considered for weekends. Time marches on, to everything there is a season, you get the drift... Without going on, I think if a caller is older and has not entered the weekend "circuit" in the last couple years, it's not likely to happen, regardless of talent level. Bookers will move on the new/upcoming/hot stuff.

If you are any age below 50, however, then start building tours around the country, and keep learning new skills. The Hall of Famers can't do every weekend, and, as above comments have mentioned, many bookers/groups really would like to see you do a full set, so go do their local dances. Personal contact is your best selling point. I would agree that good referrals from better-known callers and dance organizers is a big plus, probably the next-best selling point.... And I guess a website is still helpful as a location for performance videos... Do under-40s still use that tool? Only partly joking, I'm not sure where young people gather most information anymore...

Hope these few bits of info are helpful. Best of luck! Enjoy the ride, wherever it takes you!

Keith Tuxhorn, contra/ECD caller

Springfield, IL