I also like rolling starts.  One of my bands has a few sets where we greatly prefer it, and try to work with callers to make it happen.

What has worked well for me in the past is having a tune where the start of the dance can happen every two bars or so (in other words, a tune that is not harmonically complicated).  Making walkthrough prompts in time with the music, but not giving a particular set amount of time to each call seems to work well.  Dances that end with a move that can be extended (allemande, swing, etc) can help sync if you need that extra beat or two.  I've found that rolling starts work well with a dance that starts with a balance, as that can make it very clear where the dance starts.  Otherwise, asking the band for four soft potatoes at the end of the rolling start can be helpful.

Hope that helps!
-Dave

On Fri, Oct 2, 2015 at 11:53 AM, Maia McCormick via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
I think that rolling starts (seamless transition from walkthrough into the dance, as the band just starts playing music during the walkthrough) are super neat if done properly! But I'm still not quite sure how to do them properly. So I ask you all:
1) tips on how to execute a rolling start well, making sure all the dancers are on board etc.?
2) thoughts on what dances/tunes will/won't work well with a rolling start?

Cheers,
Maia

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David Casserly
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