Hi, Rich,

I come to almost all of my gigs with a program prepared in advance.  For each dance slot, I have multiple choices of dance compositions that all fulfill the same purpose (same key figure, same type of progression, same type of orientation, etc.), from which I choose depending on what I think the crowd will enjoy most.  I usually leave two slots open for on-the-fly choices of glossary dances that I can call without a walk-through.

When I come to an event without a program already prepared, it is usually because I anticipate moments when my choices of dance compositions may be influenced by an insufficient number dancers for a contra line.