Alan, This is a common problem that seems to build momentum at some venues. I feel strongly that on-time starts are critical to a successful open, public contra dance series. By having a policy of on-time starts you set a tone for the series and establish a reputation. People need to know that you will begin with lively music and dancing within two or three minutes after the published start time...even if it is raining and people are running late. When people open their car doors in the parking lot and hear driving music and loud balances it will leave a lasting impression on them...even if they enter the hall and discover that there are only four couples dancing at that point. The next time they will strive to arrive earlier. An on-time start is also necessary to integrate first-timers effectively. Basically, you have to have everyone there at the same time to match the first-timers with regulars...before people have a chance to start partnering with those they already know. In the situation you describe I would start with a simple no-walk-through dance that will get everyone moving quickly to lively music...precisely at the published start time. If there are only a few people there I would strive to make the experience memorable and "deeper" with regard to the connections people can make with others. Having folks introduce themselves to others, for example, gives an opportunity for a deeper connection that will make this early time seem more significant. (If there are a very small number of people I might bend my own rules and take a moment to share a personal story with the dancers. This would work if it makes the dancers feel that they are participating in a unique and more intimate moment than the later arrivals would experience.) In any case I would run the dance slots shorter than normal both to keep things varied and also to give folks arriving a chance to join the fun soon after they enter the hall. Short walk-throughs and short dance slots. That's what I would do. - Greg McKenzie *************** On Mon, Mar 26, 2012 at 12:10 AM, Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing < winston(a)slac.stanford.edu&gt; wrote:

At least one dance that I attend does a couples dance at the beginning for just that reason. It gets the music started. It gets people warmed up, even if there's only one couple ready to dance. And it lets people outside know that the dance has started. It's usually (always?) a polka as the first dance at the Nelson Monday night dance, at least for the past few years. On Mon, Mar 26, 2012 at 3:10 AM, Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing < winston(a)slac.stanford.edu&gt; wrote: